Is the Colorado GOP just nuts or what?

So besides the "drama" by the Jeffco School Board, we now have the strange tale of an attempted "coup" of the Colorado GOP leadership. After successfully unseating a popular Democratic US senator, closing the gap between Beuprez and Hickenlooper compared to the previous action, and taking back the Colorado Senate majority, the chairman of the state GOP was replaced by Cynthia Coffman's personal favorite, Steve House, a political lobbyist. Now Mrs. Coffman, former Senator Ted Harvey, former congressman Tom Tancredo and Pueblo county GOP chairwoman tried to blackmail House into resigning due to their insistence that Harvey had been "promised" the Executive Director's job while House hired another person. Mizel, Harvey and Coffman announced last night that House had resigned due to "personal reasons".
www.denverpost.com/politics/ci_28324241/...-looming-resignation

Instead House released this statement today:

State GOP Chair Steve House just issued the following statement:

"The rumors started last night, when I was scheduled to meet with Attorney General Cynthia Coffman. When I arrived to our meeting, I was surprised to see that former Congressman Tom Tancredo and Pueblo County Chair Becky Mizel were also in attendance. The purpose of the meeting was initially unknown to me and I believed it was a routine strategy discussion by the Attorney General and myself. Congressman Tancredo confronted me about not hiring former state Sen. Ted Harvey as the Party’s executive director, and demanded that I resign my post. If I refused to meet their demand to resign, they threatened that a potential lawsuit may be filed and that false rumors that I have been unfaithful to my wife would be made public."
...

"After speaking with my wife and my closest advisers, I informed the Attorney General that I will not resign.

No one should be bullied out of running for office, or serving as a leader in our Party. It is clear that our Party has some challenges ahead and that is what I was elected to address. These types of divisive and bullying tactics are why so many Americans are sick of politics as usual."
coloradostatesman.com/content/995791-hou...ing-gop-coup-attempt

So should Attorney General Coffman be forced to resign since she participated in extortion? Should the GOP allow Harvey, Mizel, Coffman and Tancredo to continue to hold positions of leadership? Or is this simply the Republican accepted way of backdoor sleaze in conducting business?

You don't think all politicians and their spin doctors are nuts? I recently started watching this BBC show called "The Thick Of It". Brilliant comedy about how government works. Constantly worried about every little comment they say, image consultants obsessing over shoes, bullies making sure our representatives put the party before the people.

One of the reasons I like the candidacy of Trump. Have to think he is his own man, instead of a drone who constantly has his image crafted by senior advisors.

Personally I don't like House, too much of a religious conservative, and I do expect him to move on sometime this year. But to think this isn't politics as usual is naïve.

This is a bit more serious than the normal Republican business as usual. Under Colorado Revised Statute
18-3-207. Criminal extortion – aggravated extortion

(1) A person commits criminal extortion if:

(a) The person, without legal authority and with the intent to induce another person against that other person’s will to perform an act or to refrain from performing a lawful act, makes a substantial threat to confine or restrain, cause economic hardship or bodily injury to, or damage the property or reputation of, the threatened person or another person;

So Attorney General Coffman, the top law enforcement officer of the State of Colorado may have committed a felony 4 if House's allegations that he was threatened with disclosure of marital affairs if he did not resign. She declined comment other than to say that this should only be discussed behind private doors. She may well be disbarred at the very least if not convicted if House should file charges. No wonder Mike Coffman refuses to reside with his wife.

so two of the rising stars in the state GOP have severely damaged their political careers this week, Cynthia Coffman and my very own representative, Ellen Roberts.

Remember Governor Owens? Know why he isn't in politics anymore? He was ready to run for the Colorado Senate and the press told him they would divulge the details of his extra-marital affair if he did run.
So when the press blackmails a candidate into not running, it is kosher?

FredHayek wrote: Remember Governor Owens? Know why he isn't in politics anymore? He was ready to run for the Colorado Senate and the press told him they would divulge the details of his extra-marital affair if he did run.
So when the press blackmails a candidate into not running, it is kosher?

And you have actual evidence of this alleged "blackmail"? That 2 major Denver newspapers (Rocky Mt News was still around), numerous other newspapers around the state, three television stations, numerous radio stations, as well as other news sources from around the country all colluded together to blackmail a popular governor from seeking further political office? Or is it more likely that Bill Owens begged the news reporters not to report a valid news story based on his desire to keep his love child secret from the general public since he was not seeking further office, and it would no longer be relevant? I mean it was hardly a secret as the Colorado 1st Lady at the time had kicked him out of the Governor's Mansion.

So now Tancredo has admitted that House was threatened with rumors of marital infidelity if he did not resign. Seems the Tanc is throwing Coffman and Harvey under the bus.

"Neither Coffman nor Harvey returned calls and emails as of Wednesday afternoon.

Tancredo did confirm to 9NEWS that the purpose of the meeting was to seek House's resignation.

He did not refute that the specter of marital infidelity was raised in the meeting with House, but said that was not the impetus for the meeting.

Tancredo said the trio had "grave and serious concerns" about a matter involving House which were shared by a larger group of Republicans in the state."

As for the accusation that the group threatened to spread allegations of marital infidelity by House, Tancredo told 9NEWS political reporter Brandon Rittiman he was unable to answer

Rittiman: "But you can't say [marital infidelity] didn't come up?"
Tancredo: "I can't talk about it."
Tancredo said he was concerned that legal action may be coming in the case, a possibility raised by numerous Republican sources who spoke with 9NEWS, many of whom were puzzled at the lack of an early response from Cynthia Coffman to deny the accusation.

"Our state party chair basically just accused the state's chief law enforcement officer of at least participating in, and possibly coordinating, an extortion scheme," one source told 9NEWS. "Who cares if [House] actually had an affair or not?"

www.9news.com/story/news/local/politics/...accusation/28874561/

OT

Dog, I like your new avitar much better. The old one always reminded me of a dog we had when I was a kid who was stung in the muzzle by a wasp.

Seems like everyone that was present is saying "no threats were made," except for the poor wittle wictim.

It now appears that an investigation by either the feds or Denver DA may occur as to whether the Attorney General of the State of Colorado committed a crime in attempting to extort the state republican chairman into resigning his elected party position.

Steve House, the chairman of the Colorado Republican party, has reached out to federal and state prosecutors about his allegations of a coup attempt to remove him from his leadership post at the state party, led by Republican state Attorney General Cynthia Coffman.

www.9news.com/story/news/local/politics/...rosecutors/29165893/

BlazerBob wrote: OT

Dog, I like your new avitar much better. The old one always reminded me of a dog we had when I was a kid who was stung in the muzzle by a wasp.

I decided goofy was a better look than fierce for me.