Tom Tancredo got miffed at the Colorado Republican Party for supporting Dan Maes for Governor. It seems Tancredo thought that Maes's conservative views weren't right-wing enough. The media haven't done a good job of explaining Tancredo's dispute with Maes, but many reports allude to Tancredo's thinking that Maes is insufficiently iron-fisted when it comes to illegal immigration. That Maes's wife is half Mexican may or may not be a factor. Regardless, Tancredo has mounted a third-party, spoiler candidacy for Governor.

All of which is a surprise to a Republican outsider, such as myself, who for years has thought of Tancredo as being a prominent Colorado Republican. Between 1977-1981, Tancredo served as a Republican member of the Colorado House of Representatives. Between 1999-2009, he served as the Republican Representative to the US House of Representatives from the Colorado 6th district, which includes the southern part of Denver, along with Littleton and Castle Rock. In 2008, he ran unsuccessfully as a Republican candidate for President.

How do we know Tancredo is a bona fide loon?

•"Tancredo has a reputation as an utterly ineffective gadfly – indeed, often an outright embarrassment to his party and district. He is so extreme and controversial in his views – especially in his self-anointed role as Crusader against the Alien Hordes – that he has been consigned to the political margins by his very own party. The Republicans trot him out now and then, but only to make the rest of them look statesmanlike and moderate by comparison" (Tom Tancredo Watch [29-Oct-07], online at www.tomtancredo.org [accessed 21-Oct-10]).

•"[S]ound bites about nuking Mecca, shipping home millions of illegal immigrants and tabbing Miami as a third-world country have made [Tancredo] out to be a shrill, fanatical creature drawing hordes of xenophobes and outright racists to his cause and rallies. ¶ There's no arguing with the fact America must urgently address immigration problems, but Tancredo's passionate plea to ignore the reality of the situation is a dangerous, un-American solution, bordering uncomfortably close to "the final solution" (The Voice of Aurora: The end for Tancredo isn't anything like the beginning [3-Oct-07], Aurora Sentinel [Aurora, Colorado], online at www.aurorasentinel.com [accessed 21-Oct-10]).

•"People who could not spell the word 'vote' or say it in English put a committed socialist ideologue in the White House – name is Barack Hussein Obama" (Tom Tancredo [4-Feb-10], National Tea Party Convention [opening session], Nashville, Tennessee).

•"In 1981, Tancredo, who before joining politics was a junior high school history teacher in Denver, was appointed to head the regional office of the Reagan administration’s Department of Education. In 1985, Tancredo used his position to distribute to teachers a Christian nationalist speech by a former colleague that called for a "truly Christian educational system" and bemoaned the "godlessness" in a country founded as a "Christian nation." Despite the ensuing controversy, Tancredo kept his position and was reappointed by President George H.W. Bush in 1989" (Right Web ["tracking militarists' efforts to influence US foreign policy"] [undated], Tom Tancredo, Institute for Policy Studies [Washington, DC], online at www.rightweb.irc-online.org [accessed 21-Oct-10]).

•"Rated 8% by the NEA [National Education Association] indicating anti-public education votes (Dec 2003)" (OnTheIssues ["every political leader on every issue"], online at www.ontheissues.org/Tom_Tancredo.htm [accessed 21-Oct-10]).

And in addition to all of that:

•Tancredo doesn't believe in evolution and wants creationism taught in public schools.

•During the Vietnam War Tancredo gave speeches in support of the war but received five deferments and did not serve.

•Tancredo is a dogmatic promoter of the pro-corporate, anti-tax, anti-regulation voodoo that right-wingers serve up as their economic cure-all.

Which Northern Colorado officials support Tancredo?

Yesterday's Coloradoan reported on the Fort Collins rally that Tancredo held at Woody's Woodfired Pizza, which is located on Laurel Street, across from the CSU dormitories. I've reproduced the Coloradoan article below, where the highlighting is mine. About 100 people turned out for the rally, including two of Northern Colorado's most strident right-wing fundamentalists: Kevin Lundberg and Betty June "BJ" Nikkel.

I've tagged Kevin Lundberg before as a Northern Colorado loon. He serves as a Republican member of the Colorado State Senate, representing Northern Colorado's 15th Senate District.

BJ Nikkel also possesses shinning right-wing credentials. Nikkel served as a district director for Marilyn Musgrave, and since 2009, Nikkel has served as a Republican member of the Colorado House of Representatives, representing Northern Colorado's 49th District. In addition to Nikkel's other House assignments, she serves on the Judiciary Committee. Her interest in judicial matters partially stems from her family's unfortunate run-ins with the law, which are described below (and which are cited above):

Republican Rep. B.J. Nikkel, 53, of Loveland. Record: Entered a claim in 2001 to sue the Larimer County sheriff's office for $10 million, claiming it overcharged her son, Christopher, then 16, who was arrested on an attempted murder charge after striking a deputy in his car while fleeing a party. The charges were later reduced. Response: "We ultimately dropped (the claim). It was going to take an emotional toll on our son, and it wasn't worth putting him through that ordeal." Nikkel said that incident is one reason she has worked behind on the scenes at the Capitol on issues relating to charging juveniles with crimes. "If the kids don't want to plea bargain they try to charge them as an adult," she said. "I have first-hand experience on how that can be misused." Record: Named as a co-defendant in a civil wrongful death suit after Christopher's friend was killed in 2002 in a shooting accident at their home. Response: "It was unfortunate accident. The boy fell and shot himself accidentally. It was very tragic. The insurance company paid and it was a confidential agreement."

Bob Schaffer lives in Fort Collins, but he's not one of the Northern Colorado loons who made it to Tancredo's Fort Collins rally. Nonetheless, Schaffer has endorsed Tancredo and has broadcasted that endorsement on Twitter:


What Schaffer calls "Pro-school-reform" the rest of us would call "Crippling public education", which includes Schaffer's sympathy for putting creationism in the classroom. He Chairs the Colorado State Board of Education. Do we want him promoting his radical, destructive views on what's best for our children's education? Of course not.

Tancredo Holds Rally At Eatery
Tom Tancredo came to Fort Collins on Wednesday to continue his push to convince Republican voters to back him on Nov. 2, even though he's running as the American Constitution Party candidate.

"I assure you, when it comes to things like redistricting, I'm going to be governing as a Republican," he told about 100 people who came to Woody's Woodfired Pizza for a lunch-time rally.

Tancredo, a former Republican congressman and presidential candidate, jumped into the race in August after struggling GOP candidates Dan Maes and Scott McInnis refused his demand to drop out after the primary. Recent polls show Tancredo narrowing the gap with Democratic nominee John Hickenlooper, with Maes a distant third.

Several longtime Larimer County Republican stalwarts were on hand at the rally to lend support, including state Sen. Kevin Lundberg, state Rep. B.J. Nikkel and University of Colorado regent candidate Sue Sharkey.

Tancredo acknowledged that winning over a greater share of Republican voters is key if he is to beat Hickenlooper.

"You've got a lot of people who frankly, they vote Republican. That's what they do, that's what I always did. I totally understand how people feel that way," he said.

""But what Kevin, B.J. and others help us do is explain to every other Republican, it's OK, you can vote for Tom Tancredo, even if he isn't on the Republican ticket. I will certainly govern as a Republican."

Tancredo emphasized many of his longstanding themes, including tighter immigration control and limiting the size of government.

"I'll tell you right now, we are not under-taxed in this state, we are over-governed," he said.

Tancredo urged further reforms to the state employee retirement system, including changing future employees from a defined benefit plan to a defined contribution plan.

He also vowed to cut the state's Medicaid roles back to 2007 levels, and to save money by requiring college professors to spend more time each week in the classroom, rather than on research and other work.