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Tancredo whines about GOP unity.

By: Moe Lane (Diary)  |  November 27th, 2010 at 03:30 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

Ah, what a difference an election makes.  Back in October, Tom Tancredo mocking the GOP:

“What’s the point? I mean, if I can be more effective as governor, if the Republicans in the legislature are going to have their feelings hurt or whatever, then I’ll consider it. But really what’s the purpose? What do I need from [GOP Chairman] Dick Wadhams? Why would I argue anymore with the head of what might soon be a minor party?

This November, Tancredo is ready to start the healing. He’s even ready to join back up:

Former Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) wants moderate Republicans and conservatives in Colorado to meet so they can come together to prevent divides that could lead to election losses.

Funny, we have something like that already: it’s called a ‘Republican primary,’ and if Tancredo wants to participate in our next one, he’s welcome to.  Admittedly, if he had in the last one Tancredo would have actually had to do real work if he wanted to get the nomination (instead of trying to play white knight), but life is full of these little road bumps.  Such as dealing with all those aggravated Republicans out there who are annoyed with Tancredo for almost mucking up the Colorado GOP for the next election cycle and certainly* getting Michael Bennet re-elected.

Moe Lane (crosspost)

*Although ‘credit’ for that needs to be shared with the RGA.  Whom I love to death, but they dropped the ball.  And yes, I do recognize that they were already doing above and beyond the call of duty by compensating for the way that the RNC dropped the ball on GOTV drives.

And yes, I also recognize that we had a lot of people arguing for support of Tancredo over the Republican nominee.  I wasn’t one of them.

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  • http://travismonitor.blogspot.com Freedoms Truth

    RGA had a great track record overall, and just couldn’t salvage the self-induced implosion of Colorado Republicans. In the end, it was a home-grown failure in CO

    You CAN blame the NRSC, who managed to lose every close race the RGA didnt bail them out of, and threw $9 million at Fiorina when that amount could have won WA and CO Senate races. Cornyn & Co. underperformed while Halyer Barbour & Co. overperformed (IL excepted).

    … and yes, we can blame Tancredo. If he was a loyal Republican, he would have run in the primary. And who knows, he might have won GOP primary, been the nominee and actually won in Nov. 20/20 hindsight.

  • acat

    Brady ran a lackluster campaign all on his own. More RGA money would not have helped, we needed a candidate who could connect with suburbia. Brady won downstate solidly, Quinn won Chicago solidly, and suburbia split enough for Quinn …

    I don’t see how RGA money could get Brady to connect with suburbia.

    Mew

  • http://www.facebook.com/BigGator5 BigGator5

    Reminds me of the Prom Queen Quote (Warning: NSFW) from The Rock. Great movie by the way.

    Tancredo is an idoit anyway you shake it. That whole race was a disaster from day one. I would suggest that you just ignored Colorado Republicans and hope they fall off the face of the face of the earth before they take us with them.

  • RZ

    analysis. Except throwing money in for Fiorina. At the time, the polling was competitive and it looked like it could be won. Buck was ahead in the polling for CO and money was also being thrown into WA.

    Of course after the results are in you can nitpick with which races should of got more funding. But you have to understand what the polling was saying at the time…..

  • http://www.cariandrob.info robdouglas

    If Tancredo is so horrible, why did Sarah Palin endorse him for Governor?

  • tngal

    Why waste the cash and all that effort to run a decent campaign twice in just a few months. Heck some don’t even like to put the effort into one good campaign. Case in point, Martha Coakley who barely phoned in a campaign against Scott Brown. I think the disease is called called the Murkowski syndrome. . delusions of grandure with an overwhelming sense of entitlement.

    2012 should be fun. Either everybody running will work their butt’s off to win their respective primaries- or – noone will run in primaries and just wait to jump in the general.

  • http://www.buckforcolorado.com bjwilson83

    If so, I think I’ve met you in person, assuming Moe Lane is a screen name. Anyway I agree, Tancredo is as two-faced of a politician as they come. It’s very, very sad that he was our best option. Even given Tancredo’s problems, I’m surprised you supported Maes. Redstate (well, Eric at least) was very down on Maes as not being a practical choice and making a mess of things in general.

  • http://moelane.com/ Moe Lane

    …for cakes and tea. Tell you the truth, though: I ain’t particularly waiting on her answer.

  • texasgalt

    is really a piece of work. Surely he’s worn out his welcome.

  • http://wadingacross.wordpress.com logus

    Ugh.

    And to think I was rooting for Tancredo. Yeah, I knew he was a few screws shy, but I was hoping…

  • http://moelane.com/ Moe Lane

    And before anybody asks me why I’m butting in*, it’s because there isn’t anything like a purely local/state race anymore, alas. Maes should have dropped out, sure. But he didn’t, and that (and a few other things) cost us a Senate seat. Tancredo’s privilege, but I want to see him accept a little responsibility for the Colorado meltdown.

    Moe Lane

    *And somebody will ask – or more accurately, complain. There’s a certain contingent out there that only wants national party support on their terms, which can be summed up as: You Guys Are Perfect, Here’s Some Money And Phone Bankers.

    But clearly, nobody here is that provincial. :)

  • http://practicalgopvoter.blogspot.com/ texasproud

    and no one else. I’ve always thought he was a snake and he has proven my point. He has used illegal immigration as a way to further his name ID more than to fight against unacceptable compromises on immigration reform. If he was truly serious about party unity, he would have run in the GOP Primary.

  • http://www.cariandrob.info robdouglas

    Maes didn’t cost Buck the election. Buck, by his own admission, was defined by his position on abortion to the point that enough Independent and Republican women voted for Bennet to the detriment of Buck.
    The ads showing video of Buck saying, “I’m pro-life and I’ll answer the next question – that includes cases of rape and incest.”, ran non-stop for months. In the end, that defined Buck and over-shadowed his fiscal conservative message that could have carried him to victory.
    It’s a shame. Buck would have been an excellent Senator.

  • maturin

    Tancredo did his part to muck things up to be sure, but Maes was a tremendously awful candidate. I think rather than worrying about what Tancredo says (he’s finished either way), we should be asking the question, “How did we end up with Maes?” There is more to this debacle than those outside CO realize. And worthy of attention, I might add.

    During the primary after other legitimate candidates “dropped” out (and by “dropped” I mean forced by Party elites) we were left with the unknown Maes, vs the corrupt, self-serving, smarmy Party choice of Scott McInnis. Maes won the primary not on merit, rather on protest votes from those who couldn’t vote for McInnis. Only later did the voters find out Maes was a self-serving, arrogant, con man. Plus, we found out some pro-Maes’ primary commercials were funded by prominent CO liberals.

    Be angry with Tancredo for his part, but don’t let the Party elite that anointed McInnis, and ultimately led to Maes, off the hook when discussing the CO governor travesty.

  • http://pocketchangeproductions.net/ anotherindyfilmguy

    to sense where the country is going they don’t deserve to be the “establishment politicians” anymore…

  • aesthete

    How true is it? CO is, after all, home to plenty of evangelical orgs and a large USAF community (the Air Force Academy is located in Colorado Springs, for example). If true, what was it that hurt him, his relatively extreme position, or a perception that he wasn’t a serious candidate? I can understand it hurting him slightly, but couldn’t it be argued that Maes was something of an albatross around all GOPers’ necks?

  • http://www.cariandrob.info robdouglas

    In addition to Buck’s own self-evaluation that the Dems were able to successfully label him as an extreme candidate based on his recorded statements on social issues (including his MTP statements on homosexuality) and exit polling that shows the gender gap doomed him with Republican and Independent womem crossing over and voting for his opponent, there is another reality.
    Other than the gubernatorial and US Senate races, the GOP did fine in Colorado – taking back two congressional seats, the Colorado House and executive branch offices below the Gov/Lt. Gov slots.
    Colorado is not defined by Colorado Springs. It has a fiercely independent voting streak with voters who pay attention and judge candidates and issues on their individual merits.
    That’s my opinion based on a reading of readily available material and having covered the election closely. I’m sure you can find those who would disagree.

  • http://www.nighttwister.com NightTwister
  • http://www.nighttwister.com NightTwister

    Trying to pick one or two way oversimplifies it.

  • http://www.nighttwister.com NightTwister

    Don’t bet on it though. Colorado has more single-issue voters than any other state. The hardcore amti-immigration crowd will follow him to hell and back.

  • http://www.facebook.com/BigGator5 BigGator5

    Well, not you. You are good people.

    If we had more people like you in Colorado, that race wouldn’t have been such a mess.

  • Larry Sheldon

    Explain O’Donnel.

    Explain Angle.

    Explain Miller.

    Explain….hedoubletoothpicks, nevermind. You can’t.

  • Kyle-MI

    If the plurality is more concerned about retaining the right to kill the unborn than empowering fiscal responsibility, then what can we do?

  • http://www.buckforcolorado.com bjwilson83

    I thought you originally said something to that effect. Lol, yes, that’s exactly what we want. You give our guy (the one the people of Colorado picked) the money and the phone bankers, and we’ll win. But I’m talking about the senate race. Throwing away money on the governor’s race would have been ridiculous.

  • http://www.buckforcolorado.com bjwilson83

    Which is what Buck would have been if he weren’t so outspoken on the issue. :) Dodge the question a bit until you get elected. Actually I think Buck could have gotten elected even with his strong pro-life position if the Democrats hadn’t been able to spin in into a narrative about him being a woman hater. And that all started in the primary with the attacks by Norton.

  • http://www.cariandrob.info robdouglas

    maturin, Your assessment shows an understanding of the Colorado political scene absent in other posts on this thread. There needs to be a shakeup and shakeout of the CO GOP if the party is going to regain its former stature.
    If new leadership focuses on developing candidates with strong fiscal conservative credentials and a credible plan for implementing specific plans to reduce the size of government and regulation so that Colorado will be as attractive as possible to the businesses that form our economic engine, we will win and the electorate will win.
    If Colorado puts forth candidates with a primary focus on so-called social issues calling for more governmemt regulation of behavior best left to the relationship of consenting adults, than the state will return to blue or at best purple.
    Finally, the lack of competence, organization and GOTV capability in the CO GOP is dishearteneing. It’s an old-boys club that needs replacement with the next generation of conservatives who have energy and an understanding of their peers.

  • http://www.nighttwister.com NightTwister

    run against his own record, and then marginalize your positions, you’re going to lose. Buck’s campaign showed its inexperience in this election, which was one of my greatest fears after he won the primary.

  • http://www.nighttwister.com NightTwister

    until he gave aid and comfort to the enemy. I don’t support traitors, including political ones.

  • deano64

    Colorado. I guess I’ve got plenty of work to do in the COGOP to say the least huh. Do you have any links on Precinct Committeeman there? What I’ve found says on 2 per precinct or 2 per county. I don’t know. Mixed emotions here. I love CO but we had really started to make a home down here in AZ. They should have asked me to transfer in July and I would have crawled up there. Haha. Oh well.

  • http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

    I hope that newly re-elected Senator Bennet at least sent flowers to Turncoat Tom.

  • http://www.nighttwister.com NightTwister

    I haven’t really looked into it. It’s good to hear you’re coming back. I’m working ona a “what’s next for Colorado” diary. I’d be interested in your opinion after I post it.

  • http://www.cariandrob.info robdouglas

    For what it’s worth, here’s Wadhams’ in his own words about the Colorado elections:
    http://www.coloradostatesman.com/content/992325-innerview-with-dick-wadhams

  • http://travismonitor.blogspot.com Freedoms Truth

    Thanks for sharing, very illuminating.
    Lots of good insight.

  • http://www.nighttwister.com NightTwister

    SOS, Treasurer, etc. won close elections because voters turned out. There was a significant dropoff of votes for Buck, so his loss can’t be tied to voters not being there.

  • victrola

    On a moral level, I agree abortion in all cases except the life of the mother is wrong, but in practical political terms, it’s absolutely idiotic to take that position.

    A politician would have a tough time getting elected in the reddest of states with a hard-line position like that, much less “purple” Colorado.

    Republicans that focused on fiscal issues did well this election cycle, it’s when they went off the reservation on social issues (like Angle, Buck, and O’Donnell) where they got hurt.

  • aesthete

    First Grijalva’s district, then to the fratricidal COGOP. For the sake of your political sanity, just say no if your company tries transferring you to Pelosi’s district!

  • theancientmariner

    all she did was record a robocall for him on the last weekend of the race. The whole thing was long since a complete goat-rope at that point . . . she was just trying to help keep Hick from winning the race, and polls suggested Tancredo had a real chance.

    Honestly, I can’t stand Tancredo, but this one really falls more on Maes than anyone.

  • theancientmariner

    I have an old friend who worked for Bill Owens for years–she’s a strong conservative, but she came away with a scathingly low opinion of him, the people in his administration, and the whole state party. She finally left in disgust (though unfortunately, the job to which she jumped was in the California GOP . . . that finished her off on state politics, and she’s working at the local level now).

  • sirbleh

    …thus he can’t be ‘re-elected’, as both you and Moe mentioned. He was appointed to fill Salazar’s seat, and hadn’t ever previously faced election.

  • chihank

    I kinda wished Tancredo did win the CO Governor race. It would have been interesting to see Tancredo either align himself with GOP law makers or try to build the Constitution Party.

    The big question is will Tancredo run for President as a Constitution Party candidate?

  • http://www.nighttwister.com NightTwister

    That’s less than zero….