In the backrooms of the Colorado Republican Party Gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis is bowing deeply to Tom Tancredo. Tancredo has threatened to run for the nomination and McInnis is working hard to avoid a party split that would ultimately doom his candidacy. I believe that Tancredo is the Democratic Party's best choice for the Republican nomination and so do many top GOPers so they are working overtime to avoid it. Tancredo has insisted that he will not run only if McInnis promises him that he will be a Tancredo in sheep's clothing; apparently McInnis is agreeing.
For those that believe that McInnis is not Tancredo in a hood of moderation, fate has given a simple test. Last week in Wheatridge a local automotive shop, Wolf Auto, put up a disgusting billboard. The sign suggests that President Obama supports jihad against America. The images used on the billboard, in Beckian tradition, are racially tinged. The billboard has created a deserved outcry throughout Colorado. A loud outcry, I should say, from most of Colorado, but so far we have had complete silence on the matter from Scott McInnis. The man who will run as a centrist Republican publicly and is making cigar room deals with the Tom Tancredo is strangely quiet.
Colorado needs to know if McInnis is indeed ready to lead a state that decidedly voted for Obama. Is Scott McInnis ready to stand for all of Colorado or just the fringe from the right? Is Scott McInnis ready to denounce the racist, inflammatory billboard in Wheatridge? Or does McInnis's courtship of Tancredo make moderation impossible?
McInnis will spend millions trying to convince Colorado that he is an old fashioned centrist Republican focused on the economy, not a neo-Tancredo/Beck fear-mongering zealot. Wolf Automotive has given McInnis a chance to launch that new image for free. A true fiscal conservative would not be able to resist the bargain.
Call the McInnis campaign and ask him to denounce the Wolf Automotive Billboard. You can reach the McInnis office at 303.352.2010.
Mario Solis-Marich is a radio talk show host who can be heard on AM 760 in Denver and world wide at www.GoToMario.com. You can find Mario on Facebook.