Tales from the Trail
 The Tea Party Cometh:
A time-honored election ritual is The Candidate Interview. And now the Tea Parties are getting in on the act. Yesterday I interviewed with the Teller County Tea Party for almost 90 minutes - in my most thorough candidate interview yet.
Unfortunately, candidates rarely have the opportunity to talk about issues in detail, but the Tea Party folks in Teller did it right. I tip my hat to those willing to dig deeper into the issues.
My interview results (and those for other Colorado candidates) will soon be posted at www.candidatereports.com.
Lincoln Day Dangers:
Tis the season for Lincoln Day Dinners. For candidates, that can also mean lots of dangerous travel. That became clear last Saturday, on the way to the Morgan County Lincoln Day Brunch. Black ice covered the road for 20 miles north of Ft. Morgan, and we passed two horrible tractor-trailer wrecks. Wisely the police shut down the road even as we were on it.
The brunch, on the other hand, was great - great people, and the highlight was a first-hand account by the Army Command Sergeant Major whose unit helped capture Saddam Hussein.
Better yet, the roads south of town were clear, so we easily made the Pueblo County Lincoln Day Dinner. On the way home, though, my wife finally laid down the law - and we spent the evening in a hotel, until travel conditions improved the next morning.
The Victory Trap:
"I think this election is a real danger and a trap for the Republicans... They will make significant gains. And they will interpret that [as] a successful general election strategy [and avoid needed changes]."
Stanley Greenberg, Democratic strategist and pollster,
quoted in The Christian Science Monitor
Giving with One Hand, Taking with the Other:
Ah, the joys of incumbency! Particularly when your party controls every branch of government.
The current Secretary of State wants to hand out money - after he and his Democrat pals push through a law to refund some overpayments to the Secretary of State's office. Have he and his Democrat cronies finally agreed that Coloradans are overtaxed and overregulated? Hardly. This is a campaign stunt, pure and simple.
Although he now makes a big deal about handing out cash, our Secretary of State quietly hiked "fees" for citizens trying to get public information. Do you download bulk data for campaign finance filings? Before you could do it for free, using the web site. But now it'll set you back $500 - and take at least three days.
These quiet increases in "fees" aren't new - the Secretary of State voted for plenty of them while he was a legislator. No doubt those "fees" help finance political stunts, in the form of cash handouts to score political points. It's easy to manipulate government power when your party controls everything. Here's hoping voters see through this manipulation.
The Pitch:
And what update is complete without a "pitch" for help and money? Remember, those who signed the Declaration of Independence pledged "our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor." Thankfully, their bravery means we don't have to risk our lives for political freedom. But politics still requires financial resources - and your contribution of $25, $50, or $100 will help ensure integrity in our elections!
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Sincerely,.
Scott Gessler
Scott Gessler for Secretary of State
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