Posted on 11/18/2006 9:41:06 PM PST by LdSentinal
WASHINGTON - Rep. Tom Tancredo is keeping all of his options open, but he's not ready to follow some big-name Republicans who have started filing papers to launch exploratory committees for the 2008 presidential race.
Tancredo, R- Littleton, strolled to re-election in his safely Republican, south suburban district. He said Thursday he still has not decided whether mounting a long- shot presidential bid, running for the U.S. Senate or staying in the House of Representatives will be the best way to advance his conservative agenda.
Tancredo first began joking about a presidential bid in early 2005. All along, he has conceded he would have no realistic chance of winning but said the threatened candidacy was a way of pressuring other contenders to take up his fight against illegal immigration.
Tancredo said he has been content to sit on the sidelines this week as bigger-name Republican presidential contenders took the first, formal steps to launch exploratory bids.
"For what may be my future, filing papers for an exploratory committee is not important to me and not important to any decision I'm wrestling with," Tancredo said.
He also is waiting for two-term Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Loveland, to decide whether he will honor a term-limits pledge and leave at the end of 2008.
Allard reiterated the pledge during his 2002 re-election campaign. But since Democrats took control of the U.S. Senate in this month's midterm elections, Allard has gotten friendly pressure from fellow Republicans to seek another term in 2008, lest his departure create an open seat contest that could be more difficult - and more costly - for the GOP to defend.
Allard is not expected to make a decision until early next year. If he decides not to run, Tancredo is one of many current or former lawmakers expected to consider the contest. Tancredo said he would not run against Allard.
Tancredo would have no chance of winning the seat.
People like Bernie Sanders on the left and Tom Coburn on the right can only win statewide in lospided states.
Tancredo running would be a disaster, since he'd have a good chance of winning the primary.
Allard is a good man. I would hate to see him go.
Colorado is not really a lopsided state.
Tancredo........wasn't he in trouble for something?
Not too my knowledge.
He's got MY vote!!!
Ok, then I'm confusing him with someone else. Some big mouthed, crooked politician (from Colorado?) who basically told everyone else to kiss off. I think he's in jail, but I forget....
How could Tancredo win with such a hard line on immigration! /sar
Ping!
Well, I just CANT remember the guy's name. It must not have been Colorado either. This guy was a fat, loudmouth CROOK. I'm pretty sure he went to jail. When he was convicted, his response was: "OH YEAH? Well screw you"! No matter, I just had him mixed up with Tancredo.
If Allard steps down, Tancredo would be his likely successor versus a Democrat. Tancredo would get my vote.
"The Udall name alone would likely crush Tancredo, the Udalls are the Kennedys of the West."
You East Coast idiots sure know your stuff about Colorado. It would be nice if you serf's from Fopdom would keep your opinions to yourselves.
I'd rather see him run for President. A anti-illegal immigrant, pro war President is what we need.
Was it necessary to call names?
In any case, can you shed some light on what is happening in CO and what is Udall's stature? Thanks
Are you thinking of James Traficant?
I always thought bucket head was amusing.
Are you thinking of the "beam me up!" congressman from Ohio, he was very popular with some freepers at one time
Tancredo for President!
Bob Schaffer would have a better chance of winning. It's key that there is no GOP primary. Udall will have a free ride and a Tancredo-Owens-Bob Schaffer primary would cripple whoever wins the GOP nod.
I like Tom but if we learned anything in Colorado since '04 it's that the Latino vote is huge. They singlehandedly gave Ritter the victory because they felt threatened by Beauprez's crazy-ass anti-immigrant rhetoric. Latinos voted against ref. I and against the GOP.
What does that tell us? We need a solid social and fiscal conservative (to unite the libertarians and Christians) who is a bit lighter (Owens-style) on immigration. That's Bob Schaffer. Colorado is still a solidly center-right state--but the Dems are very good at doing politics here. The old days of the paleo-con west are dead. The future of conservatism in Colorado is the Springs/suburbs type conservatism--not the nativist right wing stuff.
Colorado keeps becoming more and more of a "blue" state every year. Rep. Tancredo's smartest move is to stay just where he is for a few years longer no matter what happens with Colorado's U.S. Senate seat. Tancredo has the most political clout by continuing to serve as a U.S. Representative.
The dems are very good at buying elections:
NATIONAL REVIEW, December 4, 2006
The Color Purple
How liberal millionaires are buying Coloradoâ•?s politics
JOHN J. MILLER
When Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave votes on abortion, she votes pro-life ╉ always. The National Right to Life Committee has given the Colorado Republican a top rating during her two terms in the House, and in truth her pro-life record stretches back even farther, to her days in the state legislature. �I�m 100 percent pro-life,� she says.
So it came as a bit of a surprise when a group calling itself Coloradans for Life launched an expensive ad war against Musgrave this fall. One radio spot even claimed that she had â•?turned her back on the unborn.â•? The charge was provocative; it was also utter nonsense. â•?This is a cynical political ploy to trick pro-life citizens into casting a vote against their conscience,â•? warned Colorado Right to Life president Brian Rohrbough in a statement.
Despite its name and rhetoric, Coloradans for Life sought to exploit the pro-life movement rather than advance it. Although several Republicans faced challenges this year from at least nominally pro-life Democrats, Musgrave did not: Her opponent, Angie Paccione, supports abortion rights. Yet Coloradans for Life targeted Musgrave and spent enormous sums against her. In late October, the Fort Collins Coloradoan estimated that the organization would devote at least $2.3 million to defeating Musgrave ╉ more than Paccione�s entire campaign budget. �It�s just amazing to me,� says Musgrave. �Why can�t these people stand up and fight fair?�
On Election Day, Musgrave overcame the wave that drowned so many of her colleagues and cost the GOP its majority: She nipped Paccione by 3.5 points. Many of her fellow Colorado Republicans werenâ•?t so lucky. For the second election in a row, Democrats made major gains in the state: They won the governorship, prevailed in a GOP-held congressional district, and picked up seats in the state legislature.
National trends certainly had something to do with it. At the heart of this accomplishment, however, lies a well-funded plot to transform Colorado from Republican red to Democratic blue. The creative use of extra-party organizations such as Coloradans for Life to shade the state purple is a strategy that the Left may decide to imitate elsewhere.
Just four years ago, Republicans were riding high in the Rockies: Gov. Bill Owens was reelected by a huge margin, both senators were Republican, and so were five of the seven members of Coloradoâ•?s House delegation. The GOP also controlled the state legislature.
Today, the situation is rather different. Not only is Coloradoâ•?s governor-elect Bill Ritter a Democrat, but so are one of its senators (Ken Salazar) and four of its seven incoming House members. Democrats also hold majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. â•?Theyâ•?re on a roll,â•? says John Andrews, the former Republican head of the state senate.
There are plenty of explanations for this sea change. Demography is one of them: A growing Hispanic population leans Democratic, and a small wave of Californians has moved into Colorado and imported the west coastâ•?s liberal politics.
Some will describe Coloradoâ•?s political reversal as the result of Western libertariansâ•? rejecting social conservatism. Yet that interpretation has its limits. This November, voters approved a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and rejected a referendum that would have created domestic partnerships for gays.
Many conservatives blame the GOP�s woes on its complacency. �Republicans are getting the comeuppance they deserve,� says Jon Caldara of the Independence Institute, a think tank based in Golden, Colo. When Republicans controlled the state government, they made progress in several areas ╉ tax cuts, charter schools, public-school accountability ╉ but they also presided over the weakening of an amendment to the state constitution that had checked the growth of government.
A large number of Republicans believe that their hard times ultimately come down to a single factor: money. â•?We havenâ•?t seen anything like this before,â•? says Katy Atkinson, a longtime GOP consultant. â•?The money factor is absolutely enormous.â•? The problem began in 2002, when the voters approved a new campaign-finance law that gave unions a big edge in raising and distributing funds. It continued two years later, as wealthy liberals poured resources into â•?527â•? groups, unregulated campaign organizations named after a section of the tax code.
Only Florida and Ohio saw more 527 spending in 2004 than Colorado did, according to one estimate. The Rocky Mountain News calculated that Democrats raised $4 million for friendly 527s, compared with $2.9 million raised by Republicans, but GOP operatives believe the difference was much larger. â•?We think that they outspent us by three to one or four to one,â•? says Alan Philp of the Trailhead Group, a Republican 527 that was created to fight back. â•?Itâ•?s hard to know for sure because the law doesnâ•?t require much transparency.â•? The only certainty is that Coloradoâ•?s political mechanics are totally different from just a few years ago.
Three millionaire liberals are working the stateâ•?s electoral levers. â•?Theyâ•?re trying to buy the political structure of the state,â•? says Governor Owens. â•?Everywhere we look, we see their money and their resources.â•? The ringleader is Tim Gill, the founder of Quark, a software firm; over the last decade, he has donated tens of millions to gay and lesbian causes.
His political activism dates back to 1992, when Colorado voters amended the state constitution to restrict certain gay-rights laws. �Nothing can compare to the psychological trauma of realizing that more than half the people in your state believe that you don�t deserve equal rights,� he once told the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Gill�s allies are heiress Pat Stryker and dotcom entrepreneur Jared Polis. �If you were to put a gun to the head of most Democrats, they couldn�t tell you who their state chairman is,� says one Colorado insider. �But they all know about these millionaires ╉ each is like a mini╄George Soros for Colorado.�
Two years ago, Ray Martinez learned firsthand what their money can do. He was a former police sergeant and a popular three-term mayor of Fort Collins. When a state senator retired in his district, he threw his hat in the ring. �We thought he would win easily,� says Owens. The district is home to about one-third more registered Republicans than Democrats. But then Colorado�s liberal millionaires swooped in, bankrolling slash-and-burn ads about Martinez. Many of them aired in Denver�s pricey TV market ╉ an extravagance previously unheard of in state-senate races. �You know how you hear about elections that are bought? That�s what happened to me ╉ my opponent�s election was bought,� says Martinez. �My campaign cost about $350,000, and the other side spent as much as $1.7 million against me.�
One commercial accused Martinez of bilking taxpayers through his mayoral expense account. Another savaged his views on abortion, with images suggesting that he likes to peek into bedroom windows. â•?That was such character assassination,â•? he says. â•?Iâ•?m pro-life. I was raised in an orphanage, adopted, and only recently did I discover that my birth mother was a rape victim and that Iâ•?ve got brothers and sisters. And theyâ•?re trying to portray me as a perverted Peeping Tom.â•? At one point during the race, Martinez enjoyed a double-digit lead in the polls. This soon vanished, and he lost. â•?Their lies worked,â•? he says.
This year, state representative Matt Knoedler, a Republican, came in for similar treatment when he challenged Democratic state senator Betty Boyd. Their race was billed as one of the most important in Colorado: â•?Control of the chamber probably hinges on the matchup,â•? wrote the Denver Post.
A 527 called Clear Peak Colorado ╉ funded by six-figure donations from Gill and Stryker ╉ came out swinging, in ads that accused Knoedler of weakness on immigration. �This is a complete lie,� complained Knoedler on his website. His supposed sin was to oppose a watered-down version of a bill to prevent illegal aliens from receiving certain public services. In fact, he backed a tougher version; he had also served on the staff of Congressman Tom Tancredo, a prominent supporter of immigration restriction. But the ad worked, and Knoedler lost the election by nearly 13 points.
The mini-Soroses of Colorado aren�t merely dabbling in elections ╉ they�re building a permanent infrastructure. �We are finally realizing that how we win is by creating an environment of fear and respect,� boasted Gill adviser Ted Trimpa ╉ described by one politico as �the Karl Rove of Colorado� ╉ to the Bay Area Reporter, a gay newspaper in San Francisco, earlier this year.
Theyâ•?ve established several websites, including ColoradoPols.com, that have started to shape political coverage in the state. â•?I canâ•?t tell you how often reporters would call 36 hours after something appeared there,â•? says Owens. Theyâ•?ve also founded Colorado Media Matters, an offshoot of David Brockâ•?s national group of left-wing watchdogs. It currently employs about a dozen people. â•?Thatâ•?s more media critics than there are in the rest of the Colorado media combined,â•? says David Kopel of the Independence Institute. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a liberal group that tries to publicize GOP scandals both real and fake, has a Colorado field office as well. Gill would even like to influence the GOP: He hired former Owens staffer and conservative-movement veteran Sean Duffy to work on the domestic-partnership referendum, and convinced Patrick Guerriero to resign as head of the Log Cabin Republicans in order to run the Gill Action Fund.
Given their incredible success over the last two election cycles, Coloradoâ•?s liberals are no doubt already looking forward to 2008. GOP senator Wayne Allard may retire. Even if he doesnâ•?t, the battle for his seat will be one of the hardest-fought Senate contests in the country. Denver is a leading candidate to host the Democratic convention that year, and there will be a major push to deliver Coloradoâ•?s electoral votes to the partyâ•?s nominee.
Potentially more important is Gillâ•?s determination to export the Colorado model. â•?If I can make a difference in Colorado, you can make a difference in your home state,â•? he said earlier this year in Miami, at a meeting of financial heavyweights in the gay-rights movement, according to the Rocky Mountain News. To liberals, that may sound like a hope. Conservatives should hear it as a threat.
Dead on correct article. Watching Colorado turning leftist right before my eyes really hurts. Most of it is due to unlimited contributions from a few millionaires.
I think that's the guy! Where was he from?
Tancredo is a one hit wonder. He wouldn't stand a chance in the Presidential primaries. In the general election he'd lose to any Democrat out there.
"He wouldn't stand a chance in the Presidential primaries."
Thanks captain obvious. Tancredo himself has only said that a thousand times. It would be to get immigration into the debates, force other more viable candidates to the right on illegal immigration and to make the candidates state a position.
Tancredo would do it for no other reason than to see his name in the press. He drools over the media attention as much as McLame does.
That is my fear. I will have a lot more respect for him if he resists the lure of this and stays where he is.
Unfortunately this is too true. Colorado politics has been turned on its ear lately. The new campaign finance law has got to be repealed.
Ohio
Draft Dodger
Cong. Tancredo will not run as an independent for president.
The Tancredo-haters at Free Republic enjoy perpetuating that lie.
You make some very good points.
He was in trouble for saying "Bomb Mecca"
I just Donated to WWW.Teamtancredo.com he is running radio ads and is running for POTUS.
tancredo like so many others was a bitter man that the way he was observed bitterness he came across bitter angry he was there to get huckabee out of the way he gave his support to rominey surprise!which he had none about 0% percent .This rominey julanee have the same economist war horses have attempted to keep huck out whether the Christians follows or not or Hillary wins the same kioto accords anyway they wonder why the minutemen supported huck they knew the real tancredo everything stays in vegas not in washington
tancredo a man who calls himself Christian but throws his support to rominey who can change overnight once elected these men rom julanee Thompson what would they do if elected
laugh at us Thompson is telling every one he conservative
he was in the senate they don’t trust senators how many time we have been disappointed with there votes as far as American
everyone know something in the air and it,s not the election
there searching for help some from all the wrong places the church is apostate dead obama tried to get at this with the
confused oprah it,s the lords battle not his this country need revival its needs a savour the people in the suburbs are hooked on gambling drugs and booze and there churches are new age or worse there so blind they cant see we need a sermon a week maybe huck is it . The person runing has to be in touch with god jesus because all thing are possible with god without him nothing at all bush can pray all he want,s but when he,s trying to split isreal he is not being heard in short is what a president has to do listen to god he wrote a book which predict accurately the birth death of resurrection of jesus Christ. Katrina was the result of of not reading deut Micheal is isreal defender none can come against even satanthat why you need a man of god tancredo showed his true self and related to someone like himself rominey true colors
huckabee he reminds me of Reagan they called him everything in California by the way I’m supporting jesus> huck is a brother in Christ if we survive this it going to be jesus and the christians and prayer were a sick country full of confusion
and a backslidden bunch of preachers I helped bush he turned on us I was invited to the dinner but wasnt able to attend inauguration i would rather be at
bride supper of the lamb in heaven wil write of reagans
election campaighnin days something no one knows
huckabee president
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