Conservative talk-radio host gets all excited about critique of Republican Senate candidate

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

KFKA talk-radio host Amy Oliver urged Republicans last week to read a Facebook post by former State Senator Shawn Mitchell, in which Mitchell wrote that he's "somewhere between distressed and appalled that GOP luminaries think it's a good idea for [Rep. Amy Stephens] to bear the party's standard into a campaign for federal office in 2014."

Stephens is one of six GOP candidates vying to take on Democratic Sen. Mark Udall next year.  Also running are Tea Party favorite and recycled Senate candidate Ken Buck, mustachioed state Senator Randy Baumgardner from northwestern Colorado's District 8, state Senator from El Paso County Owen Hill, as well as Jamie McMillan and Tom Janich.

Oliver, who doubles as a staffer for the libertarian Independence Institute, was really excited about Mitchell's Dec. 9 Facebook post, telling listeners that "the entry of Amy Stephens in the race, and some of the subsequent endorsements that she has received, have got conservatives saying privately what Shawn Mitchell put out publicly."

Oliver dedicated two segments of Tuesday's show to the Facebook post, pouring over Mitchell's writing, like you might read a religious text, slowly and respectfully analyzing it in loving detail, re-reading portions of it, pausing, and building up to what she called on of Mitchell's "most important lessons:"

Mitchell: "Pushing Amy Stephens to the nomination will guarantee bitter debate and resentment that demoralizes the base, escalates recrimination, and urging toward party fracture, and accelerates the GOP's recent death wish to impersonate the Whigs.

And that speaks only of the primary. If the elders and donors can carry her across the line to the nomination, what exactly do you think the Media Democrat team will do to the former employee of Focus on the Family, the co-architect of the infamous end-of session civil-buster, that killed dozens of bills on the calendar, in order to block a vote on civil unions? Whatever the merits of that move, it will be blood in the water come October. And it will be just about the only thing that unpolitical, tv-watching Coloradans ever hear about Amy Stephens."

Oliver accurately provided context, pointing out that Mitchell's post, which has amassed 264 comments on Facebook, states that Stephens is not a "bad Republican," but she agreed with Mitchell's view:

Mitchell: "In sponsoring SB-200, the Obamacare exchange, Amy Stephens bet wrong in a big way on a defining, existential battle, perhaps the biggest of the decade, maybe in our lifetime. She sided with party appeasers and corporate accomodationists against a vital, surging grass roots movement for liberty and smaller government. Even at the time she made her bet, the picture was murky, and ambitious politicians could be forgiven for being uncertain. (Once upon a time, it took me days to sort out right from wrong when Referendum C's assault on TABOR was put before the people.)."

"I highly recommend that Republicans read it," Oliver told listeners, even after she's already said Mitchell's post is a "must read" and "a great read."

Oliver should obviously have Stephens on the show to get her side of the story.

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Reporters should keep an eye on CO Springs elections chief Williams in the wake of his attack on candidate Morse

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

In the wake of El Paso Country Clerk Wayne Williams' criticism last week of State Sen. John Morse, reporters should gain assurances from Williams that he'll run a fair recall election in Colorado Springs.

On KFKA radio Aug. 29, Williams said it was "ironic given Bloomberg’s contributions yesterday" that Morse urged citizens to reject, as Morse wrote previously, "out-of-state billionaire and extremists who are wasting $150,000 of our tax money" on the recall election."

It's a surprising to hear Williams toss out partisan criticism because county clerks have a tradition of not taking sides in elections they're running. It looks bad.

Williams is a well-known Republican, but it still looks bad.

And it should have raised the eyebrow of KFKA's Devon Lentz, who was interviewing Williams on her and Tom Lucero's AM Colorado morning show.

Lentz should have asked Williams point-blank: "Wayne, we may be friendly, but I have to ask if you think it's appropriate for you to be attacking Sen. Morse, given that you're in charge of the election? So I'm wondering, why voters should trust you to run a fair election."

It's a question Colorado Springs reporters might pick up and run with, as well. And at a minimum, reporters should keep an eye on Williams and see if they detect any signs of favoritism toward Republican challenger Bernie Herpin.

Lentz: Wayne, do you by any chance have senator Morse’s response to the recall that you can share with us? I haven’t seen that.

Williams: Sure! I’ve got it right here, cuz it’s part of the ballot and I’ve got the sample ballot up in front of me….So, John Morse [preparing to read response from ballot] It’s kind of ironic. 'Vote ‘no’ on the out-of-state billionaires and extremists who are wasting $150,000 of our tax money—' I say ‘ironic’ given Bloomberg’s contributions yesterday—"and spending millions on a negative campaign to recall your twice-elected senator John Morse… [BigMedia emphasis]

Listen to Wayne Williams attacks Morse on AM Colorado 8.29.13 @4:30.

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Has GOP recall candidate noticed that multiple issues are discussed in the state legislature?

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

You have to wonder what's up with Republican George Rivera, who's running to replace Sen. Angela Giron in a recall election, when he dismisses his unapologetic support for the personhood amendment by saying,

Rivera: "You know, the thing is, is this election is about one thing and one thing only"

That's what Rivera told KZNT talk-show host Derrick Wilburn Saturday.

Wilburn should have asked Rivera if he's ever noticed that guns aren't the only topic discussed down at the Capitol. Actually, it's next to impossible to keep track of all the different issues, including abortion issues.

Voters should know that, based on his opposition to abortion, even for rape, Rivera would have supported the five bills introduced last session that restricted access to abortion services in Colorado or banned it outright. (See Planned Parenthood Votes Colorado‘s legislative scorecard for details.)

Obviously these bills weren't going anywhere in Colorado now, with pro-choice Democrats in control, but things could easily change. If so, Colorado could pass legislation similar to what's become law in states across the country, restricting a women’s right to obtain an abortion. (See the Guttmacher Institute's chart for details.)

It's silly for Rivera to say that the election of any state senator is about one issue. That's not how representative government works.

Wilburn knows this, and he almost certainly saw, at least, that Texas passed one of the nation's most restrictive abortion laws just this year. So, he should have asked Rivera what he was thinking.

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