Here’s a good bit of important advice to candidates for major political office that apparently isn’t self-evident to all — Don’t go posting comments online under a false identity:
Cleve Tidwell was posing as someone named “Craig Platon” and posting about how “he gave me and everyone else that waited in line all the time we needed and seemed only interested in what I had to say.” He also describes himself as a “warm individual.” This is a little narcissistic even for a would-be politician.
It is troubling to say the least that a candidate for United States Senate has no apparent ethical qualms with posting as imaginary people supporting himself. Simply posting under a psuedonym [sic] and dropping a comment saying something positive about himself would be bad enough, but posting this elaborate backstory is downright bizarre. [link added]
Unless someone has hijacked Mr. Tidwell’s “private email address” — talk about a bizarre conspiracy theory — the conclusion made by Rocky Mountain Right that the comments of “Craig Platon” were actually posted by U.S. Senate candidate Cleve Tidwell himself is impossible to deny.
Sad. Strange. Bad judgment. Choose your terminology.
It gets worse (and closer to home) when someone using the identical IP address as “Craig Platon” under the name “Kattie Botts” left this comment on my site a couple months ago in response to the observation that Ryan Frazier, another GOP candidate, dominated a local U.S. Senate straw poll:
Really a humorous poll since he was the only candidate allowed to speak at that meeting I wa told. Seems Your paper has a lot to learn about us real Republicans and maybe even Douglas County,
Not to mention I don’t really think his same sex marriage approval and adding millions to our taxes with the pushing the same sex benefits in the government will set to good with republicans. He is way to liberal to be running for senate, maybe governor of our liberal state but no way for senate.
Best we wait and see who really has the support and the interest of the party at heart.
Obviously someone in Douglas has a wish list and supporting someone. Amazing what papers write to try and sway voters, We are smarter than that.
Besides the falsehood posed that Ryan Frazier supports same sex marriage (he does not), let me simply add: Yes, Mr. Tidwell, we are smarter than that. Just say it ain’t so.
TheSwerve says
6/1/2009 at 10:08 amso what RMR is saying is Cleve Tidwell, a serious contender for U.S. Senate, a former Marine, and proven business leader has the time and interest to post a message on an website obviously unfriendly to his campaign.
How cute. 🙂
Bob Clark Social Media Director for Cleve Tidwells US Senate Campaign.
I sent this message as an individual, not as a Tidwell Campaign Volunteer. Any questions can be sent to my personal E-mail go2whatbox@Gmail.com.
However, If the RMR management would ever like to meet Mr. Tidwell face to face, I’m pretty sure I can help make that happen.
Ben says
6/1/2009 at 3:21 pmThe evidence is pretty compelling. Either Mr. Tidwell himself or someone using his computer is posing as ‘Craig Platon’, ‘Kattie Botts’, and ‘Stacy’ (either a clever use of deception or a demonstration of very bad judgment).
Someone on the Tidwell campaign or Mr. Tidwell himself should take the opportunity to refute the evidence and/or come clean. At the very least, the candidate should come forward and publicly renounce this sort of tactic, and help put a stop to it.
Bob, don’t you want to get to the bottom of this case yourself? The connection of the IP address & the email address cannot be explained away as mere coincidence. It can’t help to let this story linger unresolved.
I believe the operators of RMR have met Mr. Tidwell in person, but That’s their business to disclose, but I have met him in person. It would be disappointing to hear for certain that he himself was behind the charade, but stranger things have happened.
Bob Clark says
6/1/2009 at 11:25 pmBen, these issues will be addressed with Denver Post and Blog Talk Radio tomorrow.
Ben says
6/2/2009 at 7:34 amThanks, Bob.