Ken Buck was following 100 years of practice, writes chairman of the Arapahoe Tea Party
As the incoming Republican National Committeeman for Colorado and a lawyer who represented the voters who challenged GOP Senate District 10 Chairman Eli Bremer’s handling of his assembly, I have a heightened interest in accurate reporting about the event and my party. I was disappointed to read the May 7 Denver Post story which paints Weld County Congressman and Colorado GOP Chairman Ken Buck as having “bullied” Bremer when he communicated the GOP state central committee’s decision that Bremer did such a bad job running his assembly, both candidates must be placed onto the primary election ballot.
Many readers were left asking the question after reading the article: “Why would Ken Buck do this?” The answer is as simple as it is boring: Chairman Buck is required to carry out the decisions made by the state central committee. After both the executive and central committees received evidence and heard extensively from both sides in two separate hearings, they ruled that Bremer so mishandled his assembly that there could be no confidence that the reported election results were accurate. With the deadline for holding assemblies passed, the only solution was that both candidates be put on the ballot so primary voters would have a choice in this heavily Republican seat.
The statements by Bremer and others that Buck tried to “bully a volunteer” and ordered Bremer to commit “perjury” would be laughable if not so offensive. Bremer is the nephew of Ambassador Paul Bremer, the man President George W. Bush appointed to administer Iraq after the 2003 invasion. He is an experienced, connected political player, not exactly your average volunteer. As The Post’s piece demonstrates, all Buck did was ask Bremer if he understood the ruling of the executive committee, upheld by the central committee and if he would comply with it. Twice. When Bremer said he wouldn’t, Buck said, “All right, Mr. Bremer, I understand your position. We will now move on.” I understand that bullying means something different today than it did when I grew up. But, that ain’t it.
The perjury allegation is sillier still. There is a form used by the Secretary of State’s office for the designation of candidates. In a failed assembly, like Bremer’s, one would simply say that the results were determined to be unreliable by the party’s state central committee which, therefore, ordered that the two named candidates be placed on the primary election ballot. Nobody was told to lie.
And, what of Bremer’s assembly? The story made no mention of why Buck and the executive and central committees had to step in. The GOP’s reasons for its action were set out in a 13-page report. Here are the highlights: Bremer changed the date of the election twice, the second time was after an outsider candidate named David Stiver announced his intention to run against the party favorite. The move shortened the time that Stiver, the person who has now been kept off the primary ballot, had to campaign. Instead of using inexpensive, secure and secret methods of online voting, Bremer set up an email address to vote. There was no assurance of ballot secrecy other than that another activist, from outside the county, would count the emailed votes.
Bremer opened voting more than a day before convening the assembly over the objection of Stiver and delegates supporting him and even against the advice of the state party. While voting was open, he sent an email to every eligible voter accusing Stiver of lying because he made these objections. To top it off, the email voting system was hacked during the voting process. Bremer refused to consider the delegate’s motionstoholdanewelection even though there were 20 days remaining for the assembly.
These are examples of the reasons the state party’s committees (hundreds of voting members) determined that they could not rely on the results of the Senate District 10 election. Buck simply communicated the decisions of the committees to Bremer.
A Denver court ignored the party’s decision and said the assembly results should have been challenged in court instead of before the party committees.
That decision set aside 100 years of the practices of both major parties. I expect bi-partisan legislation next year to ensure party disputes continue to be decided by the parties, not by the courts. Regardless, there was no bullying and no crime. Republicans should focus on winning elections with Ken Buck, an honorable man who did the right thing, and who remains the right chairman for the Colorado GOP.