July 01, 2009 04:38 PM UTC

What Are You Doing This Independence Day?

•  
• by: Colorado Pols

As the Grand Junction Sentinel reports, Senate candidate Ken Buck and all-but-announced gubernatorial candidate Josh Penry are throwing a party.

A tea party, actually.

A Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate seat will speak on Independence Day to a Grand Junction tea party.

Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck will speak at the 7 p.m. event. Buck is the second potential Senate candidate to speak to a Grand Junction tea party. Aurora City Councilman Ryan Frazier spoke to a tea party April 15 in Lincoln Park.

Frazier and Buck are considering runs against U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat who was appointed by Gov. Bill Ritter to replace Ken Salazar, who now serves as interior secretary.

The Western Slope Conservative Alliance is organizing the tea party at the old Mesa County Courthouse, 544 Rood Ave.

Other speakers at the tea party will be state Sen. Josh Penry and state Reps. Steve King and Laura Bradford, all Mesa County Republicans.

Even though Buck is the nominal headliner, all eyes will be on Josh Penry after rumors circulated early last month that he would announce his run for governor at this event. Penry, as you know, is very fond of the “tea party” for podium-and-crowd shots (see photo right), and the ardent conservatives who flock to them love Penry right back–Penry even recorded a video message to local attendees at Fox News host Glenn Beck’s “We Surround You Friday” event back in March, where Beck tearfully warned the audience that he “can’t debunk” the FEMA concentration camp myth, and that America “is headed towards socialism, totalitarianism, beyond your wildest dreams.”

Will Saturday be the day Penry’s Long March begins?