Rebuilding The GOP Bench In Denver

Begins locally, or in this case, within the party structure. If the GOP has any chance at looking to rebuild its competitiveness statewide, it had better focus first on local elections and to putting into place the personnel infrastructure that won't cede any district election or continue to allow Democrats go unchallenged in making use of the vaunted social networking apparatus of the Internet. There is no simple fix, and this is hardly a laundry list of the action items necessary to reestablish a functioning party with viable candidates, a clear and consistent message on policy borne of principles, and a system engaging the grassroots and eshewing the traditional party operative structure that may have worked in decades past, but that has been thoroughly exposed in recent elections.

The GOP isn't bereft of such individuals, and a candidate for Vice Chairmanship of the Denver County Republican Party--my friend and fellow RMA blogger Joshua Sharf--is just the type of experienced and energized person the GOP needs to put in place now, and look to recruit more of going into the future. This won't be a plan that looks at 2010 exclusively, but a vision that sees politics for the cyclical nature that it has both here in Colorado and across the country and realizes that elections aren't won within the next cycle, but over time. The Democrats realized that and, well, they have realized the results as well.

I therefore offer my full endorsement of Joshua, and encourage other Denver Republicans to do the support him as well.

August 12 Primary--Don't Forget To Vote

You'd think that with all the attention on the DNC, we forgot about actually voting.

The primary is tomorrow, August 12. Here is a link to the voting locations for Denver (search by address), including other voter information, such as where to drop off mail-in ballots (it's too late to actually mail them in).

For more ballot information in other counties, the Rocky has an extensive roundup.

The only candidate we have endorsed to this point or will endorse before tomorrow's primary is Joshua Sharf for HD 6. Our previous coverage of his campaign and earlier endorsement can be found here, as well as the analysis of his opponent, Rima Sinclair. As if there needed to be any more reason to vote for Sharf, try this recent article that outlines Rima's belief that the "Zionists" control the Western media. The bottom line--Sharf is a principled conservative, whose positions are within the mainstream of the GOP. Rima's political positions are ambiguous, her campaign has been one where the "victim card" has been overplayed, and the contest itself isn't so much about winning the HD 6 seat (which will be a tall task for any GOP candidate), but in not allowing stealth candidates with little in the way of a paper trail on positions and quite disturbing beliefs about key allies to go unchallenged in a primary.

Some have argued in comments elsewhere that this GOP primary is about "proving who is more conservative" or pitting a "neocon" against a "terrorist sympathizer." Sharf and Sinclair have different views, and those views should be aired out before the voters, and neither party benefits by having uncontested candidates at the primary stage, especially at the state and local level. Just as Sharf and Sinclair's rival Democrats slug it out in their own three-way race, political competition is a sign of a healthy and robust republic. Given that Sharf and Sinclair are so different in outlook can only prove that at least on the GOP side, there is no lockstep party conformity.

We look forward to supporting the GOP candidates in the general election, and have enjoyed watching as interested observers these past few months as candidates walked precincts, made calls, bought ads, and made their case to voters.

Bring on Nov. 4!

Rima Sinclair--Not A Centrist

Michael at Best Destiny has the story, Ben DeGrow has more.

Rima--in comic form.

GOP Primary Battle In CO House District 6 In The MSM Spotlight

"Israeli soldiers now are known to be just bombing and killing babies"--Rima Barakat Sinclair, July 2006, in an interview on CBS4

It only took three weeks, but the Rocky Mountain News has finally picked up on the story of Rima Barakat Sinclair, a stealth GOP candidate in state House District 6, who has expressed anti-Israeli views in the past:

A Middle Eastern native running for a state House seat faces a challenge from a blogger who called her "a terror apologist and an avowed enemy of Israel with no credible conservative credentials."

Republican Rima Barakat Sinclair said she has been unfairly labeled because she is a Muslim of Palestinian descent.

"I absolutely deny that," she said, of claims she supports terrorism. "What is behind that? Where is the proof? This is nothing but mudslinging."

Her campaign finance manager, who is Jewish, also dismissed the criticism, but some Republicans are leery.
. . .
Her candidacy so alarmed Republican blogger Joshua Sharf, an orthodox Jew, that he now is collecting signatures to try to get on the ballot to run against her in the August primary.

Leery, indeed.

Jeremy Pelzer at PolitickerCO has the lowdown on Colorado HD-6 Congressional Candidate Mike Coffman's refund of Sinclair's donation to his campaign:

Coffman manager Dustin Zvonek said the campaign will return Sinclair's donation, made in December 2007, after learning of statements Sinclair has made to the media in the past criticizing Israel.
. . .
Zvonek said the Coffman campaign mailed her a $500 refund check within the past few days, explaining, "There were some statements that she made in the past regarding Israel and Palestine and Hamas, and when we learned of her statements we decided that that was something that our campaign did not want to be associated with."

For a more detailed account of Sinclair's views, including a video interview with CBS4 from July, 2006, click here, where you can find this gem--"Israeli soldiers now are known to be just bombing and killing babies."

And if you are so inclined, you can find out how to help Joshua get onto the primary ballot here. His petition campaign has forced the MSM to investigate the story, something that may have been avoided had Sinclair advanced unchallenged as the GOP's candidate to succeed House Speaker Andrew Romanoff (he is term-limited).

Blogger To Challenge GOP Stealth Candidate

A week ago I linked to news from blogger Joshua Sharf of a stealth GOP candidate, anti-Israeli non-conservative Rima Barakat Sinclair, and joined in calling for others to step up and challenge her positions and prevent the nomination from becoming automatic.

Well, Joshua himself has taken up the challenge and declared himself a candidate for Colorado House District 6:

So, after casting about for a candidate to challenge Rima Barakat Sinclair, a candidate who's a legitimate conservative, reasonably articulate, with a history in the party, and a record of promoting free markets, personal liberty, and limited government, a group of us has finally hit on...er, me.

Yes, I'll be spending my summer just about the last way I thought I would, petitioning on to the ballot to force a primary, and then going on to represent the party in the fall election.

No, the blog's not going away. If anything, it's going to become more important, as a sounding board for ideas and issues. And as important as this race is to me, what profiteth it man if he gain the nomination and lose his personality?

If you'd like to contribute time or, eventually, money, drop me a line here or at my email, jsharf@jsharf.com, and you can be plenty sure I'll get back to you.

The adventure begins.

Fellow blogger Ben DeGrow has already endorsed Joshua, and I will add my own words of support.

Joshua's blog may serve as an initial introduction, but from my own personal experience he is a man of integrity, strong conservative principles, and an outstanding GOP candidate. His economic knowledge is extensive (as you will discover on his blog), but his wit and insight reveal an intelligent and circumspect individual--a rarity among candidates on either side of the aisle.

As Ben points out, House District 6 is a Democrat stronghold--this is House Speaker Rep. Andrew Romanoff's seat, after all (he's term-limited)--so this isn't about politics.

It's about principles.

If you are so inclined, you should drop Joshua an email. What he needs now are "boots on the ground" to collect signatures in HD-6 (you have to a registered Republican).

Good luck to Joshua. I'll keep you updated as his campaign progresses.

Here is a look at State House District 6, smack dab in the center of Denver County (click to enlarge):