In the Summer of 2010 Bob McConnell, a Republican (Steamboat Springs) ran in the GOP primary against Scott Tipton (Cortez) and lost. Bob McConnell had all the trappings of a good Republican, but he lost fair and square, mostly because Scott Tipton worked tirelessly, traversing one of the largest and most remote congressional districts in the United States, which encompasses some 54,000 square miles. Tipton met with folks in every town, city, and stopover in the western third of Colorado. Not only did Tipton outwork his primary opponent, he was also the more traditional conservative candidate and was favored because of that. Bob McConnell's politics were more Libertarian than conservative. Bob McConnell cast himself as the Tea Party candidate, but even with an endorsement from Sarah Palin and some Veteran's groups, Bob McConnell failed to garner Republican momentum. McConnell lost in the District 3 GOP primary to Tipton, 44 to 56%.
The rejection of McConnell was a rejection by the majority of voters in the Tea Party, as well as the traditional GOP. Shortly after GOP voters in CD3 spurned McConnell, he quit the Republican party and became unaffiliated. His twitter feed of June 27, 2010 shows that he blamed the Republicans and their lack of “balls” for his defeat. On August 3, 2012, also on his twitter feed, McConnell announced his “Democrats for McConnell initiative.” Tipton went on to trounce incumbent Democrat, John Salazar, and become the U.S. Congressman for Colorado's District 3.
Early in 2011 Bob McConnell’s Facebook page became a veritable bulletin board of allegations against Scott Tipton, beginning with posts of “ethical violations” by Tipton. On March 1, 2011 in a story focusing on Colorado legislators, Bob McConnell’s dissatisfaction with Scott Tipton was chronicled by Allison Sherry:
Speaking of being conservative, Rep. Scott Tipton’s former primary opponent Bob McConnell is talking a little smack about the Republican Congressman.
McConnell said that Tipton ranked low in a Heritage Foundation report ranking Republicans in their efficacy in cutting spending.
“Time to hold feet to the fire my friends,” McConnell wrote. “Do not tolerate politicians who are already waffling on “promises.” Watch them like hawks, and act accordingly.”
A young and ambitious woman, who is also a friend of Bob McConnell's and a resident of Steamboat Springs, Tisha Casida, was also apparently dissatisfied with Scott Tipton and began grumbling about his failures on her website–which has since been scrubbed–on January 4, 2011. It is hard to discern what teed her off about Tipton, since she was not an acquaintance of his, and as of January 4, 2011, Scott Tipton had not been sworn into office as a United States Congressman. But early in 2011, the buzz about Tisha Casida running as an Independent against Scott Tipton in Colorado's Congressional District 3 began. Casida formed an exploratory committee and announced her candidacy in May of 2011, then formally filed the paperwork for her candidacy in the Fall. Evidence that she sympathized with McConnell surfaced in an interview she did for the Independent Voter Network in December of 2011, when she said;
Tisha Casida: The Tea Party really supported Bob McConnell. Tipton was just the next-in-line establishment pick. The [Republican] Party got him in there. He adopted a lot of McConnell’s talking points but if you look at how he’s voted, he’s not a small government Republican; he’s a big government Republican. But yes, we do think there’s a lot of independent sentiment in the district that we can rally to win: the Tea Party, the Occupy Wall Street movement, and all voters that feel disenfranchised.
IVN: Tell us a little more about that. Why did you choose to run as an Independent?
Tisha Casida: Because of what happened to McConnell. I know the Republican Party would not have me as a candidate. I’ve never been embraced by the Republican Party as a young female activist.
In a videotaped November 14, 2011 interview which she gave to columnist Kelly Sloan of Grand Junction's Free Press, Casida referred to Bob McConnell as, “my dear friend and mentor.” Furthermore, Casida's campaign team held a retreat at the home of Bob McConnell in September of 2011, about which McConnell remarked, “I’m proud to have hosted their first organizational meeting”. The McConnell-Casida connection cannot be dismissed. One can only speculate whether there is a vendetta against Tipton on the part of McConnell, or whether he may want to clear the D3 seat of Tipton because he has ambitions for a run in 2012. One thing is sure; that Casida's third-party run has the potential to tip the scales to Sal Pace, the Liberal Democrat.
In the November 14, 2011 interview in Grand Junction, which can be found on YouTube, Kelly Sloan asked Tisha Casida if it bothered her that her run would probably draw just enough percentage points off of the Republican candidate to give a victory by the Liberal Democrat. Her response was that it didn't bother her at all, and that the two parties were the same. She asserted that only an Independent candidate like herself could really solve the current problems in America.
Tisha Casida appears to be a bright candidate with a reasonably successful business history under her belt. Does she really believe that she could win against an incumbent as a third-party candidate, in a district which has been well represented by said incumbent? Probably not. One has only to do the math to understand that Tisha Casida's run in the D3 congressional race means almost certain victory for the Liberal Democrat. It is worth exploring the relationship between the Bob McConnell and Tisha Casida. The timing of her candidacy, and her close relationship to Bob McConnell is highly suspect. Is Tisha Casida a convenient puppet being used by McConnell to derail the incumbent, Scott Tipton?
You’re being told, as a congressional district 3 voter, that the only choice you have is between a Democrat that urinates on the streets and a Republican that urinates on our Constitution and Bill of Rights with his vote to advance a bill that would allow the military to arrest and detain US citizens without trial, indefinitely. H.R. 1540: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 Weigh In on POPVOX: POPVOX is GovTrack’s new sister-site to let you weigh in on legislation. (Without his vote, would it have passed to the Senate?)
And Scott Tipton also voted for a bill which severely infringes upon our right to peacefully assemble and petition our government for redress of grievances. HR347 (Bill Text112th Congress (2011-2012) H.R.347.ENR)
But there is a third choice, Independent candidate Tisha Casida. (http://wwwcasida2012.com ) As you have seen on this thread, the political parties will go to any lengths to prevent you from having that third choice. Both parties will tell you that you have to vote for their guy or the other party will win. That’s how they hold your vote hostage. But isn’t it about time the people made their own choices? We’ve tried it their way and you can see the results for yourself.
Partisan politics has all but destroyed our nation. They have burdened us with untenable debt. They have jeopardized our liberty and polarized our nation with the paralysis of inaction. Our government of the people, by the people and for the people has been corrupted by those who seek only profits and power through nepotism, unethical and decadent behavior and we are reaping what they have sown.
In order to be successful in electing their anointed candidates, they must destroy (eliminate) your power to choose by any means necessary. But you already know that. You’ve seen that strategy in action, election after election. The only choice you’re left with (if they have their way) is the lesser of two evils. But the lesser of two evils is still evil. Wouldn’t you like to vote for someone just once in your life instead of having to vote against evil? Right now you have a choice. Make it your choice, not theirs. It’s your country and your future and it is YOUR decision. Find out for yourselves which of the candidates stand for what the people want rather than what the political parties want.
If you will scan back up a few posts on this thread you will find a portion of George Washington’s farewell speech to Congress. Read hi s predictions about the political parties and then ask yourself, how wise were our founding fathers to provide us with the vote and to rest the power in the people? We have work to do to take our country back. Let’s “get er done” together. United we stand and divided we fall and we are Americans first, one and all.
On 3/4/2012 2:07 PM, Bears Ears Patriots wrote:
I think we all agree we need a change in the politicians in this great country of the USA.
Tisha and people like her is the change we need.
It is time to take up arms. In these present times we can still win this country back by getting liberty loving Americans into the halls of our National, State, County and Local offices.
In the future, if we do not change things now, we may be in an actual war with those who would have us to lose our freedoms and liberties as we have grown to know from the time of the writings of The Declaration of Independence and the ratification of The US Constitution by the States of America.
Please help by joining the Tisha Casida team however you can. It is still much easier to give time and money than blood and our lives.
Here is a link to do so.
http://casida2012.com/join/
WSCA is not a Tipton shill. ReaganGirl, also known as Marjorie Haun, carries water for no one. Tea Party Patriot, why don’t you use your real name so your accusations can be addressed in reality, not in drive-by commentary, condescending references, and bomb-throwing rhetoric? If you question my motives, please read my latest post at ReaganGirl.com, http://reagangirl.com/?p=30722. The personal attacks on me by you, “Tea Party Patriot,” destroy any credibility they may have been building up in this thread. I call you out to use your real name and be accountable for your irresponsible words.
I know many of the Tipton staffers but I don’t take directives from them or anyone for that matter. If you read my body of work here or at the Daily Pamphlet, The American Thinker, The Foundry, Tea Party.org, etc, you will see that I write about history, current events, and the threats that now hang over our Republic. I write to uncover the truth, not to angle for a job on the Hill. The Casida/McConnell links are obvious to thinking, observant people. Tea Party Patriot, I challenge ye te’ reveal yerself ye scurvy dog! Then we’ll talk.
Clearly you equate Republican with Conservative. If that were so, why do you suppose western CO voters voted for Santorum instead of Romney? They’re both Republican but they’re not both Conservative. The same situation exists between Republican Tipton and Independent Conservative Casida. The goal of Conservatives is not the same goal that Repubs have. Certainly there is a possibility of a split vote but you assume the Repub position that beating the Dems is the answer to all our problems, while we Conservatives see the answer not in the re-election of either party’s anointed candidates and certainly not the re-election of a moderate RINO. They are as we see it, the problem. Your logic dictates that Conservatives bite the bullet and vote for moderate Republicans in order to beat the Democrats. Has it occurred to you that Republicans could bite the bullet and vote for a Conservative? Didn’t they vote third party in the last gubernatorial election?
The genesis of the Tea Parties was the fact that Conservatives did not have a voice inside the Republican Party (witness McCain and now Romney). And contrary to your assertion, Casida will probably be receiving the Independent vote as well as the Conservative Tea Party vote and perhaps even Democratic votes. Now isn’t that your real problem? This is the year of the Independent because people are sick and tired of both parties. Who was it that was spending our money like a drunken sailor before Obama? Well that would be Bush. We know that and that’s why the Independents are the fasted growing political group in the US. So rave on, but just remember, it was your party that helped create this mess and that is why they are losing. And that is why you Tipton supporters are trying everything in the book to ignore his voting record and present him as a Tea Party candidate. Nothing could be further from the truth. He is simply the product of a political machine that had its chance in power and blew it. The reason you will lose is because you are selling Republican and we will win because we are selling Conservative.
By killing off the stronger McConnell, we were left with Tipton, who is the weakest congressional incumbent in Colorado. He was most likely to be picked off by the Dems anyway.
The answer to the problems of western Co voters and the nation does not lie in the democratic or republican political parties. Indeed they are the problem. They have run our nation into the ground. We have voted for these two parties for generations. To repeat the same actions with the expectation of a different outcome is the definition of insanity. Do not vote for the incumbents, do not vote for either party’s anointed candidates and do not vote for career politicians. This coming election is not about the economic problem. As bad as we’re suffering, what we now have is a time problem and this may be our last best chance to elect representatives who put the people and our nation above their political careers.
I suppose if McConnell would have been stronger, he would have won.
Philadelphia? Try 29 miles south of Paducah,KY.
If the voter’s of CD3 wanted a Congressman with a long criminal history, why would they need to look further than the status quo? Tipton bought his conservative credentials when he hired the former Western Slope Conservative Alliance President Jennifer Bailey. His campaign started paying her thousands of dollars (opensecrets.org) even before he was elected. Then he immediately hired the former WSCA treasurer Richard Schoenradt who joined Jennifer Bailey on his Congressional staff.
But who is Reagan Girl? Well that would also be a WSCA board member who appears to be bucking for a high paid position as a Tipton staffer. Go to WSCA face book (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Western-Slope-Conservative-Alliance/93730437892) where you can view the same article complete with the built in viable deniability that it was downloaded from Colorado Peak Politics. Ask yourself why that deception is necessary? And you won’t have to wonder why Tipton faces allegations of ethical misconduct for channeling tax payer money to his relatives, or why Tipton cast a vote for the NDAA bill to go forward or why he is now supporting HR347?
The truth is Tipton is not Conservative; he is a RINO who bought his way into office. Is that where the Republican Party is now; sponsoring the best government money can buy? I don’t think so. Find out the truth for yourself and then vote to take your country back from the career, crony politicians like Tipton.
Tipton didn’t vote for the NDAA bill, nice try.
If you want to take out Tipton, then run in a PRIMARY.
Third party candidacies from the right do NOTHING but help the liberal candidate. REAL CONSERVATIVES would never pull shit that like.
But sore losers and their puppets, who have no chance of winning, but plenty of a chance to settle old scores, do run campaigns like that.
Fortunately, most GOPers are smart enough to see through the smoke screen of bullshit.
There was a major grassroots desire to get Tancredo into the race. Have you seen the same with Tisha whatshername? Nope.
when they don’t fit the point you’re trying to make.
Anyway, I find it interesting the Pols posts about her yesterday and Peak does today. (I know this one is not a diary written by Peak, but they promoted it.) Might she actually have a shot at damaging Tipton? She’s a complete Ron Paul disciple – does that actually give her traction in CD3?
Like fish in a barrel around here…
Sorry, wrong again. Tipton did cast a vote to advance the NDAA bill from the house to the senate; (here)Status: H.R. 1540: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 Weigh In on POPVOX: POPVOX is GovTrack’s new sister-site to let you weigh in on legislation (without which it wouldn’t have passed). And I noticed you didn’t comment on his latest vote in support of HR347 (Bill Text112th Congress (2011-2012) H.R.347.ENR) nor did you address his ethics violations (funneling taxpayer money to his relative’s business).
And how about your tiny faction of the GOP disrespecting the vote of the people in the primaries to support a third party candidate? Now there are some real values and principles for a group that calls itself Conservative. But his real interest lies in political cronyism and nepotism. Now who’s full of BS? One thing is apparent. Tisha Casida just scares the hell out of you wannabes. Why else would you be so frightened that a REAL Conservative might get elected. Obviously you don’t even know your own candidate’s voting record. Why do you think he needs hired surrogates to be attack dogs for him? You and he have been exposed
They fear getting a raging statist elected. Do the math. To not end up with Congressman Pace, with 2 opponents to his right, he can pull no more than 33% of the vote in the whole district. We’ll be generous, and grant that Casida gets the anti-war, Occupy, moonbat vote. That’s another 2% (at best) of folks on the left side of the district – Pace can’t beat 35% or he’ll win.
Is that likely? Heck, is that even possible?
Think Tipton’s a RINO? Good for you. Run a primary candidate.
Do you want to get Tipton out of the way so you can run again in 2 years? Are you a left-wing plant, as Pace can’t win in a 1-on-1 contest? In both cases, go to hell.
Gee Jon, was that your whole argument? Was telling me to go to hell what you consider to be a position in support of Scott Tipton? Actually I prefer that you’re not that shallow but it’s debatable since you exhibited publicly your bias and ignorance of the boots on the ground facts. And I would invite everyone to go to Casida’s website http://www.casida2012.com and see for themselves who the statist is by comparing her statements with Scott Tipton’s voting record. Who was Scott giving the power to when he voted to advance the NDAA bill or HR347? Those had to be Republican votes because they certainly weren’t Conservative. While it’s true that both the TEA Party Conservatives and the Occupy movement oppose what Tipton voted for because at least from the TEA Party point of view (and probably the Occupy also), Tipton’s votes represent a loss of liberty and a slap in the face to our Constitution. Tell me Jon, why can’t the Republicans see that? There are none so blind as those who will not see.
It is not the Democrat or Republican Parties who protect the Constitution or your liberties Jon. That’s your job with a little help from the Constitution. All either party thinks about is defeating the other. Think before you vote, for a more harmonious outcome.
Unless the district is ridiculously lopsided, a third party candidate on the right equals a win for the left, and one more seat toward Speaker Pelosi.
It’s not the job of the Republicans to see Rep. Tipton’s faults. It’s the job of the person who wants to run against him to show us. And in a plurality general election, that means running a primary candidate.
I’ll say it again: Think Tipton’s too liberal? Great. Then try to beat him in a primary. Because if you wait until the general, you’re guaranteed an even more liberal Congressman.
Gee Jon is that what happened when the Republican Party supported Tancredo against the Republican primary winner Dan Maes? I guess what goes round comes round. You just don’t get it; we’re not falling for the Republican imperative. We’re voting for the Conservative and of course the Republican Party has the option of voting for the Conservative also or they can split the vote as they did in the last gubernatorial election and make themselves irrelevant. If you were a Democrat, I would advise you to just change your name but since you’re a Republican we will allow you the opportunity to elect a Conservative. Now that is more important to you than voting the party line, isn’t it Jon? You wouldn’t mind so very much electing a Conservative just this once, would you? Don’t you think it is nice of us to allow you (a Republican) to vote for OUR Independent candidate in exchange for all those years when the only choice we were given was to vote for your moderate, RINO, anointed picks? Better get used to the idea. Going forward, our message will be: Don’t vote for the incumbent. Don’t vote for either party’s anointed candidate. And don’t vote for the career politician. And as you can see Jon, Scott Tipton is in all three of those categories. And good luck to you with that whole name change thing. A rose by any other name. WE ARE: TAXED ENOUGH ALREADY
I can sympathize with that. But the way the system is now, you have two choices to reach that goal: Either defeat the anointed in a primary or change the rules of the election – say, either preference voting or runoffs until a candidate gets 50%+1. Barring those to changes, an off-party run elects the candidate on the other end of the spectrum.
You keep bringing up the gubernatorial circus, but you don’t point out that even with significant support behind the third-party candidate, we still have Governor Hickenlooper. My analysis on how the system works holds for that example.
(I’ll point out that I seem to recall that of the people who did vote for Maes, most seemed to be in the SW corner of the state. That doesn’t bode well for an “independent” candidate in that part of the state.)
We can vote for the Conservative and we can keep on voting for the Conservative until the Republican Party gives us a level playing field in the primaries. Tipton raised over $100,000 right after he announced from only 80 donors. That’s over $1,000 per donor. Does that sound like grassroots money to you? You might be able to convince the naïve that money didn’t come from the Republican Party for his use in the primary race but some of us know better. Now ask yourself Jon, if we can’t get a Conservative candidate in the Republican Party and we can’t get one in the Democrat Party, then why shouldn’t we vote for the Independent Conservative? Besides, we think we have a real good chance of winning. It’s our imperative now and it’s your choice. Vote for the Conservative or give the election to the Dems. We blinked for a lot of years. Now it’s your turn. Think about it. We have to beat the Democrats imperative was a Republican invention. We don’t have to sell you, you already sold yourself. You thought we would blink on Dan Maes but you were wrong weren’t you? If you would like to repeat that action in the expectation of a different outcome, go for it. And then wait for the other shoe to drop in the form of a Conservative third party. Can you read the handwriting on the wall? If not, just stand by and the Democrats will read it for you.
Speaker Pelosi is an acceptable outcome, so long as the GOP may, someday, possibly get the hint that their incumbents ought not be safe in their own primary.
Yeah. That’s likely.
There’s still option B: changing the rules on what it takes to win an election and/or how votes are cast. In that scenario, we don’t have to deal with raging socialists submitting and then ignoring budgets.
Jon, you’re all about beating the Dems. That’s your Republican goal. We’re about achieving a voice for Conservatives. That’s our goal. We tried playing by your rules. We elected a primary winner in Dan Maes but then the Republican Party changed the rules and supported the third party candidate. But somewhere in that mess, we found a new rule. 10% of the people decide elections, not 51%. Registered Repubs represent 18% of the voting demographic. Registered Dems make up 34%. Self described Conservatives comprise 40% while self described liberals make up 22%. You’re selling Republican. That puts you at a 16% disadvantage, nationwide. We’re selling Conservative and that gives us at least a 6% advantage in the general election. Remember all of those (TEA Party) freshman congressman? The Republican Party has a decision to make and they’re probably too late already. People are already choosing between loyalty to their conservative principles and values and loyalty to the Republican brand name. With only 18% of the voting demographic, how much more can you afford to lose? And that goes for voters and elections. When we went hat in hand to your RINO party to offer our support, Conservatives were told no thanks; that we were the amateurs and the party was the professionals and we were told we knew nothing of hardball politics, and your party was right but we’re learning Jon, don’t you think? And now our hat’s back on our head and don’t you think we look better that way; all upright and righteously indignant? And by the way, we’ve changed our phone number so we may be a little hard to get in touch with, but we’ll see you at the voting polls. And thanks for the education. Maybe we can return the favor.
And I’m sure Sal Pace and Nancy Pelosi fit the bill.
Republican’s don’t? Go ahead and vote the party line if Pelosi and Obama are an acceptable outcome for you. What do we have to lose? We don’t have a Conservative voice either way. I don’t really expect you to understand that right now, but you will very soon when you don’t have a voice either. We made the hard choice for years and we begged your party to understand, but now you’re hard up against your own imperative. You get to make the choice between a Conservative and a Democrat. We’ve already made our choice. Now tell me one more time how the Republican Party has no problem electing a Conservative. But then that’s not necessary is it Jon, because actions speak louder than words.
My voting “the party line” is precisely because Pelosi and Obama aren’t an acceptable outcome. It’s the natural result of plurality voting. Don’t like that? Fix the glitch.
I’m beginning to think you’re a left wing troll who WANTS Sal Pace elected and Nancy in the Speaker’s seat.
because you’re a party hack and you’d rather have Pelosi than to give up even a tiny bit of your power and control to those Conservatives who have been voting with your party through dozens of elections in the hope of that they would be recognized and thrown a scrap. And I think your attitude makes that perfectly clear to the readers. Your future in the party is directly dependent upon your loyalty to the party ruling elite and you have adopted their arrogance and their next in line politics as usual. All the way through this conversation you’ve been pushing the Party’s “we have to beat the Dems” imperative, but that is for the little people, and when push comes to shove, you yourself don’t buy the imperative because your goal is not to beat the Dems. It is to maintain the power within the hands of the few. You’d rather vote the party line and give the election to the Democrats than to give Conservatives a voice in your party. Well, you are the deciders Jon, and that’s the decision you have to make. And I just have to say it, your decisions stink and the people are fed up with your elitist rule, and your party is too lame to realize that. A
nd oh, did I mention part of our TEA Party philosophy includes personal responsibility for your actions. Personally I would start with an apology followed by an admission that the party made a mistake in freezing out Conservatives followed by an assurance of a level playing field in primary elections and then I might ask humbly for the Conservative vote, but of course all of these actions would mean nothing unless the people believed you and that’s the rub isn’t it Jon? You can’t be arrogant and be believed. Enjoy the power while it lasts. Pride goeth before the fall.
1) You don’t know me. I think it’s hilarious you think I’m a party hack, though.
2) So long as a plurality wins an election, the side with the fewest candidates (and, yes, the Republican establishment is still on the right of center, much to your chagrin) will win the election.
I don’t know Jon, I just listen to what you say. “The Repub Party is still on the right of center”. Well now Jon, that would depend on where you see the center? Pre Tea Party, do you believe the center was moving more to the left or to the right? And that was when your party was in power. Or maybe you think McCain was a right winger? And here’s some breaking news for you Jon, your golden boy, Scott Tipton, just picked up another ethics violation charge today, which of course he blamed on his staff just like he did when he was caught funneling taxpayer money to his relatives and you believe that you’re going to win that election? You are either in denial Jon or you are saying the American people don’t want an ethical government which won’t win you many votes outside the Republican machine.
However, George Washington in his farewell speech to Congress addressed that issue much better than I can;
“However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.”
– GEORGE WASHINGTON, Farewell Address, September 17, 1796
The condescending use of “honey” in this comment sounds suspiciously like a Philadelphia Obama voter who pretends to be an Independent Tea Party Patriot. Fascinating.