Gov. Chris Christie (R) Slams Colorado Republican “Hypocrites”

Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ).

The red-on-red hits just keep coming in the wake of Colorado GOP representatives' request for disaster relief monies for last month's floods in Colorado, after having voted against those same funds in January as attached to the Hurricane Sandy relief bill. As the Washington Post's Reid Wilson reports:

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) on Thursday called out four Colorado Republicans in Congress who opposed a bill to fund disaster relief programs in his state, then turned around and pushed for federal aid when their state was hit by devastating floods.

“They’re hypocrites. That’s what they are,” Christie said of the Colorado Republicans during a telephone town hall meeting Thursday night, in comments first reported by the Newark Star-Ledger. But, he added: “We can’t be vindictive. Because we have to be concerned about the actual people that are being hurt.”

Reps. Cory Gardner (R), Scott Tipton (R), Doug Lamborn (R) and Mike Coffman (R) all voted against a $50 billion supplemental appropriations bill that would have funded relief programs aimed at helping New York, New Jersey and Connecticut in the wake of last year’s devastating Hurricane Sandy. The measure passed with 192 Democratic votes and only 49 Republican votes; 179 Republicans and one Democrat voted against providing aid.

As reported this week by New Jersey media outlets, the money sought by the Colorado delegation originally came from the Sandy relief legislation that Colorado Republicans voted against last January. As the Denver Post's Allison Sherry reports today, Rep. Cory Gardner is standing by his original explanation that he voted against the Sandy relief bill as retaliation for the stripping of funds for Colorado from the bill–while Rep. Mike Coffman and Doug Lamborn say they voted against on simpler ideological grounds.

Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado Springs, said the final Sandy bill was "overly generous," and that's why he voted against it.

As Wilson at the Washington Post reports, New Jersey Sen. Jeff Chiesa, recently appointed by Christie, put a hold on Colorado's request until transportation officials assured him that they could get the money to fund some $400 million for road repairs in Colorado from a source other than the Hurricane Sandy legislation that Colorado Republicans voted against. That hold has been lifted, says Wilson, but Sherry reports a final reconciliation of House and Senate versions is on hold until the shutdown impasse is resolved.

We've said it several times now: this is a horrifying embarrassment, not just for these four persona non grata Republican representatives, but for the whole state–an example of blatant hypocrisy and selfishness now linked to "the state of Colorado" more than any individual politician. Obviously there is a partisan distinction that can be made, but is that really enough for the people of Colorado from both parties who would never have approved of this hypocrisy? What can Colorado Republicans with any sense of community say? Or, dare we say it…Colorado Republican flood victims?

Folks, this matters. It matters to all of us. And it isn't about partisanship. It's about being better neighbors and citizens than this. We know the last thing we can expect from the Colorado Republican congressional delegation is an apology to the victims of Hurricane Sandy, including their fellow Republicans who are rightly criticizing them. But on a level that transcends politics, we really wish they would.

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One Colorado Slams Recall/Prop 8 Spokesperson

Jennifer Kerns, Morse recall spokesperson.

We told you this was coming. An email from One Colorado, the state's leading LGBT advocacy organization:

Many of us remember the heartbreak our community felt last year when extreme, anti-equality forces killed civil unions legislation. But following that defeat, we fought back and prevailed. 

Now, they’re back. A small, radical group has launched a misguided effort to undo the progress we’ve made. They are attempting to recall two of our most steadfast allies in the Colorado Senate: Senators John Morse and Angela Giron.

And who have they sent to steal our fair-minded majority? None other than Jennifer Kerns, former spokesperson for the campaign to pass Prop 8 and limit the freedom to marry in California. Read more about Kerns here.

This is the same Jennifer Kerns, by the way, who just the other day said that these recalls are partly the result of this year’s “radical agenda” in the state legislature. Any guess as to which agenda items she’s talking about? Just ask one of the recall organizers – they’re specifically instructing their canvassers to attack our elected leaders for supporting civil unions.

These cynical scare tactics have got to stop – and it’s up to us to stop them…

We discussed the "professionalization" of the recall campaign against Sen. John Morse a few days ago, and Jennifer Kerns is probably the best example of this–with a long resume of Republican and right-leaning communications jobs. Unfortunately, that long resume risks dragging all of the baggage from those other issues into this recall, which may not help it succeed. Ms. Kerns tried to preempt criticism of her previous job as spokesperson for California's gay marriage ban campaign, as she told the Colorado Springs Independent:

"My work there had no influence on my work with the Recall campaigns," she states. "Not only do I NOT disapprove of his support of Civil unions, I have been on record for a long time supportive of Civil unions myself. Also, the Basic Freedom Defense Fund does not engage in social issues."

But that's not what Kerns told KUNC's Bente Birkeland:

Kerns says Democrats – who control both legislative chambers – had a radical agenda this year. The legislature passed several bills in addition to the gun measures, including civil unions, [Pols emphasis] in-state tuition for children of illegal immigrants and new renewable energy standards.

Also, as One Colorado points out in their email, numerous sources have confirmed that civil unions legislation is a part of the canvassing script being used by recall organizers in Morse's district. Given the deceptions freely employed by recall petition gatherers, we suppose it's to be expected that their spokesperson will be two-faced about an issue that doesn't cleanly divide along partisan lines–or in the case of civil unions, enjoys very broad support among the public. But the more this recall becomes a broad ideological battle between left and right and less about the specific gun safety bills that originally provoked it, the weaker their case becomes.

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