Why Bill Winter must win CO-6 Colorado, Congress, Republicans

Let's hear it for Tom Tancredo, my former representative and constant source of jaw-dropping actions:

Dressed casually in a yellow t-shirt, Tancredo addressed the standing-room audience of 200-250 from behind a podium draped in a Confederate battle flag. To the congressman's right, a portrait of Robert E. Lee peered out at the crowd of Minutemen activists, local politicians, and red-shirted members of LOS and the Sons of Confederate Veterans. The Confederate trappings of the event found a mismatch in Tancredo's standard nativist polemic, which stayed clear of references to Southern heritage or direct plaudits for the LOS, a Southern white nationalist organization dedicated to "Southern independence, complete, full, and total."

Tancredo's appearance was part of a five-day sweep through conservative South Carolina, which hosts an early GOP primary and has seen the Southeast's largest percentage gain in foreign-born residents since the 2000 Census. Rising to his friendly audience, Tancredo blasted South Carolina Senator Lindsay Graham for being too soft on immigration and basked in the long applause that followed his harangues against illegal immigrants and "the cult of multiculturalism" that glorifies disunity and refuses to acknowledge the "Christian principles enshrined in the U.S. Constitution." (Tancredo did not appear to grasp the irony of addressing the "lack of unity" in America in front of a group dedicated to Southern secession.)

I don't want to sound too crazy but Tom Tancredo is an embarrassment to Colorado. His rhetoric of hate and apparent willingness to do whatever it takes to stake out a name for himself makes him a terrible public servant.

Bill Winter, on the other hand is a man of integrity, courage and true principle. From a previous statement commenting on Tandredo's extremist message:

At a time when America needs unity, Mr. Tancredo will stop at nothing to keep driving a wedge between the American people in order to advance his extremist agenda.

This is a guy that could win and could send this extremist away for awhile. I'm tired of people like Tom Tancredo giving Colorado and the West a bad name.

Learn more about Bill Winter below the fold.

From his biographical statement:

U.S. Marine and Navy veteran Bill Winter is a practicing attorney in Castle Rock, where he previously taught and coached in the public schools. A former staffer for U.S. Senator John McCain, Winter grew up in Colorado and attended Littleton High School and the University of Colorado.

On why he is running:

I am not a career politician. I'm not going to Washington to advance myself or some narrow ideology. I want to continue the service to my country that began when I was a 17-year old Marine and fight for a better future for Colorado and all Americans.

Check out this list of endorsements.

I really liked this:

I did not give ten years of my life to serving my country just to watch hatred and discrimination written into our constitution. Congress must stand up to keep government intrusion out of our personal lives and protect all those rights that those now and before us have fought and died for. We must continue to advance the ideals of racial and gender equality and build on the progress made the last 30 years.

While we can be proud of such accomplishments as the Voting Rights Act and strides made to bring equal education to all members of our society, but must not be satisfied until we have accomplished a society where, in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King "...people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character". The last three decades we have also witnessed remarkable strides for women in the workplace and throughout society, yet we still must struggle against the glass ceiling and the concept that women are not in control of their own bodies.

Now that's a Western Democrat.

Support him here.

Landon Mascareñaz | September 12, 2006 | Comment on This Post (3 so far) Permalink: Why Bill Winter must win CO-6 Colorado, Congress, Republicans

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