Posted by
NOTLEGALROADKILLYET on Tuesday, August 29, 2006 10:11:53 AM
Last week, a good friend and I spent two hours discussing national and local politics, with a bit of history thrown in. I very much enjoy conversations with her because, while we don't always agree on issues and candidates, we are very civil in our disagreements, and each learns something from the other.
When it came to the 5th District, the one thing we agreed on was that it didn't much matter who was nominated to replace Hefley. Any of the six candidates would have done a fine job, and on the votes that would really matter, all would have probably voted the same.
Frankly, I don't think any of the six would have voted any differently than Hefley.
Now comes this morning's trial balloon that Hefley doesn't like Lamborn and may do a write-in campaign to beat him.
I have another good political friend who is a party activist and heavily supported Lamborn this cycle. That person didn't support or vote for Coors. Doubtless that friend will be very unhappy if Hefley enters the race. On the other hand, that person was very comfortable when I told him/her that the reason I thought the Dems won the legislature in 2004 was because a school vouchers PAC had spent money to defeat three Republican Incumbents. Since my friend likes vouchers, he/she had no problem with that conduct!
This kind of thinking is exactly why the Republican Party is in a state of decline in Colorado. The hard right folks try actively to defeat moderate Republicans, and the moderates, seeing that the hard right folks won't support their candidates, even when they win primaries, won't support the hard right people. The Dems pick up the pieces.
What is going on in the Republican Party in Colorado is disgusting. If you are a "party leader" and you have a history of not supporting a nominee, or worse yet, working against a nominee, I'd prefer that you step away from your leadership position for a few years and meditate on your sins, because you have sinned.
I'm voting for Lamborn, not because I agree with him on every issue, (I don't) but because he has the nomination. That is what party discipline is all about.