Yesterday morning I was at the Jefferson County Republican Assembly. If you saw Lynn Bartels’ picture of the sea of signs, you know precisely where I was. There isn’t a whole lot to report on, other than the doughnuts I ate too many of were really good. We forwarded a slate of strong candidates for county office–including incumbents Sheriff Ted Mink, Clerk Pam Anderson, and Treasurer Tim Kauffman–and (hopefully) my next state senator John Odom.
And these events are somewhat like political family reunions — this time with a good amount of new, enthusiastic faces in the crowd. Sources say 980 delegates and alternates in all crowded the El Jebel shrine next door to Denver’s Willis Case Golf Course. That sounds about right to me.
The only disputed Jeffco race was in my House District 27, where despite a temporary procedural “glitch” that held up proceedings, my friend Libby Szabo won a convincing 88 percent of the delegate vote. She looks to carry the Republican banner in one of Colorado’s likeliest pickup opportunities in November.
Even though the lag in scheduling meant he only got to address the delegates from House District 27, perhaps the biggest standing ovation of the day went to Attorney General John Suthers — as apparently also happened in Arapahoe County — for his rousing speech about the lawsuit he joined to protect Colorado from Obama Care.
Of course, the Assembly wouldn’t be complete without the litany of officials and candidates for a range of offices giving speeches. There were forgettable performances, such as the woman speaking on behalf of Cleve Tidwell volunteering to take her clothes off to support her favorite Senate candidate.
But most were good. Besides John Suthers, there were very able and well-received performances by Congressman Mike Coffman and U.S. Senate candidate Ken Buck. The only other speech to receive a comparable response was the one delivered by 7th Congressional District candidate Ryan Frazier. The big news he previewed from the podium was a soon-to-be-released poll showing him in a statistical dead heat with incumbent liberal Democrat Ed Perlmutter. I can’t wait to see the poll.
For anyone who may have been there, yes, that was me among the crowd on stage with Frazier waving a sign on his behalf. I’ve been meaning to do this for days now, but consider my support of Ryan Frazier for Congress official (with the standard disclaimer that all such political endorsements are made personally, and don’t necessarily reflect the views of any group with which I am affiliated).
Frazier’s fiscal conservative credentials and principles have never been in doubt, but I am firmly convinced now that he is the only 7th CD GOP candidate who can take down Perlmutter. The rest of the competition — good men all of them, from what I’ve seen — aren’t even close.
I too was in the HD27 delegation, I wish we could have met. Mrs. Szabo is a good choice.
In my view, the standout speech was state treasurer candidate Ali Hasan’s. Other speeches were typical and predictably non-specific. But his push to divest from bailout companies and invest locally is the kind of innovation that can tap into the Tea Party sentiment and undercut crony capitalism.
I certainly want to know more details of his plan, and of Colorado’s holdings in bailout companies, even if it isn’t a workable proposal. How much were state treasuries invested in these companies? Did the states also push for the bailouts out of self-interest?
At least one CD-7 assembly delegate I’ve spoken with thinks Ryan Frazier’s apparent lack of social conservative / pro-life credentials is a cause for concern.
This was my first assembly, and it was a good experience. I am going to be an alternate delegate at the state convention.
Thanks, Kevin. Sorry we didn’t get a chance to meet. Perhaps sometime soon. I am an alternate at the state assembly, so hopefully I’ll meet you there. Will you be at the CD 7 Assembly?
If you’re concerned about Ryan Frazier’s “social conservative / pro-life credentials,” I recommend you talk to him personally. My question: Who in the field A) has stronger “social conservative / pro-life credentials” and B) has nearly the credible chance to beat Ed Perlmutter? I am strongly pro-life and am confident that of the few votes that come up on this issue Ryan will vote along with me all or nearly all of the time. Politics is the real world. Will Ryan be as outspoken on the social issues as a Lamborn, Tancredo or even Coffman? No. Good luck finding a candidate who is and can win CD 7. One of the most important votes a Congressman Frazier could cast would be for a conservative, pro-life Speaker that would weaken Progressive power on committees. That’s the way D.C. works, for better or worse.
Absolute purity and dogmatism in this case will increase the likelihood of keeping Speaker Pelosi and will guarantee another term (and likely many more) to Congressman Perlmutter.
Yes, Ali Hasan gave a good speech, too. Not sure how it was any less “predictably non-specific” than all the others. I have yet to decide who I am supporting, but very respected people who I know have called into question Hasan’s basic understanding of the issues – e.g., http://www.jjament.com/latest-news/2010/2/16/dr-dick-murphy-sets-treasury-facts-straight-endorses-j-j-ame.html. I’m not an expert in public financing myself, so I won’t venture there. My acquaintance with all 3 Republican treasurer candidates has made me extremely confident that all are supportive of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights and would be friendly to the interests of taxpayers in general. I advise careful consideration of the candidates based on their character, experience and competence.
Kevin – thank you for your kind words!
Please download Hasan’s State Treasury Plan from my website, where I’ve outlined my entire plan –
http://www.Hasan2010.com
Also – regarding Ben’s post – Dick Murphy was the Deputy Treasurer to Democrat Roy Romer – why would I listen to criticisms from a fiscal liberal?
Kevin,
If you are concerned about social issues/pro-family values you may want to think twice about supporting Ali Hasan. Please take a minute to read this profanity laden profile of him that Westword did in 2008. Aside from the apparent problems with his financial plan, attacking the messenger does not make you right Ali, he is a very troubled young man who is clearly not morally fit to serve us as our State Treasurer.
Please take a moment to read this article and you will be just as horrified as I was.
http://www.westword.com/2009-07-09/news/ali-hasan-could-be-a-colorado-leading-man/
FYI, Ben, Atty. General John Suthers also addressed HD 29’s assembly briefly. Perhaps he hit others as well.
And, FWIW, Mr. Hasan always is a dynamic speaker. He even impressed my wife (which is saying something).
Susie – with all due respect, there was quite a bit of mis-reporting and exaggeration in that article
Nonetheless, that article is almost 3 years old now, and since then, I ran a great campaign for Colorado’s State House in HD56, where I outperformed McCain’s campaign by around 10 points, as well as winning Eagle County
If the voters of Eagle County believe in me, even after that article, then I’m confident the rest of Colorado will believe in me in 2010
As people of faith, I believe we judge each other by our piety, not by our past sins – yes, I am a sinner, but I am doing my best and I feel fit for the job, after knocking on many doors and making my case in both 2008, and now, in 2010
God Bless – Ali
Good article, Ben. Wish I could have been there too. I did a little photo post last night that focused on Robert Ramirez, Tim Leonard, Frazier and Joshua Sharf. Kind of a conservative Lynn Bartels post.
http://wp.me/pzqev-f8
I’ll update my post to link to your on The Spot reporting and the poll data for Frazier. I hope he gets a lot of national money, as he’s clearly a bright young Republican future star. I’ll also be posting on an interview I did with HD 29 candidate Robert Ramirez. As I believe you noted previously he has a good shot at toppling Debbie Bennefield (Communist-Westminster). I’ll be back later to jump into the Hasan fray.
Re Ali Hasan, on March 30, I posted this, based on a 2008 article by a DP reporter, who now is with their DC bureau:
http://wp.me/pzqev-5W
“I also neglected to point out that the guy yelling out in the video, “Mark, you’re the best DA in the world,” is none other than candidate for State Treasurer, Ali Hasan. Hasan was the subject of a DA criminal investigation while he was campaigining for House District 56 in 2008, according to the Denver Post, and DA Mark Hurlbert was handling the case.
“The wealthy young Republican financial scion touts Hurlbert as being of great help in his campaign (see Hasan’s comments following the post). [The comments were posted by Ali here at Mt. Virtus] Hurlbert declined to file charges, perhaps correctly, perhaps not. But most DAs in that situation would have bowed out of the case and let a special prosecutor handle it given the conflict of interest. This is no aspersion on Ali Hasan, only on Hurlbert, who could have and should have voluntarily recused himself.”
Check out the video referred to. It’s on the link. Hurlbert is running against Evergreen Republican Tim Leonard for SD 16, and there is no question that if you’re a conservative you should vote for Leonard. Ben has endorsed him on this site.
Hurlbert’s failure to pass the case off to a special prosecutor is not Ali’s fault, but it hurts Ali in my opinion because no record of the underlying restraining order filing exists for some strange reason in the Eagle County court. Hurlbert, therefore, and Ali have the only records. Ali should disclose these in my opinion, so everything can be made transparent to the public. As the DP points out, everything came down to Hurlbert. All the public knows, is that Hurlbert did not file charges against his friend, who’s campaign he helped and who’s campaign Aii is now helping too.
Transparency is important, just to prove to the public that the investigation was on the up and up..
Susie, the Westword piece was from 2009, not the 2008 piece, and there were no profanities at all. If you have the 2008 link, I’d like to see it as I find searching for things at Westword tedious at best.
I think it’s fair that Ali acknowledges he was wrong for whatever went down in that article, and we should not hold that against him. Hopefully, he’ll agree to my transparency request regarding the DA investigation, as that involved potential criminal charges.
Laura – I’m more than happy to address it – however, there’s not much to report
There was a false restraining order requested against me around February of 2008 – this request was made in Eagle County Courts, outside the jurisdiction of the DA’s office
In March of 2008, after I had hired a lawyer, the request was withdrawn and shortly after, completely vacated by a Judge in Eagle County, as it was found to be baseless
I personally no longer have the original request – in regards to Eagle County no longer having the request on file, that is likely because a Judge in Eagle County vacated it – which had nothing to do with the DA’s office
I was innocent of all accusations and I’m glad that the Eagle County Courts agreed – again, a Judge in Eagle County vacated the Order, not Mark Hurlbert – so if you’re upset that it was vacated, then you would have to speak with the Judge in Eagle County
This information was also brought up during my State House race in 2008 – nonetheless, I’m proud that I won Eagle County, as the voters there believed in me – I’m always thankful for that
I hope that helps!
Peace and love – Ali
My blog is very pro civil liberties, including criminal justice issues, and much of it is devoted to legal issues, although Colorado politics has taken up more time lately.
I’ll email you off-blog so I can get a better handle on the situation. I’m not in the least unhappy, Ali, that the order was vacated. I don’t want to air anything publicly unfairly, my reporting is based on the DP article.
I think you’re a great young Republican talent, and I’ve seen videos of your speeches and look forward to seeing you in office soon. Everyone I know likes you.
Look forward to connecting.
Peace and love back,
Laura
One point of clarification. A restraining order is a civil process. Ali’s correct, DA’s aren’t involved with those at all. But I spoke personally with the Post reporter, who is now based in their DC bureau. He confirms a criminal investigation was going on, and that he spoke at length with Mark Hurlbert, I presume based in part on issues raised in the restraining order application, there was also some report made to the police. The police, in the normal course of events, would then present their information to the DA for review to render a charging decision. This is entirely separate from the restraining order.
Vacating the order should not, however, destroy all record of the filing. That’s what’s strange on that one. Hurlbert’s involvement adds another procedural twist, as I believe he should have turned any investigation over to a special prosecutor. That is my focus.
NONE of this means Ali was guilty of anything whatsoever. It just leaves some procedural questions open . People are falsely accused of things all the time, more than most people realize, and many wind up being falsely prosecuted too. I think clearing up my procedural questions will make this a non-issue for Ali.
Laura –
On your website, it is written, “Hasan was the subject of a DA investigation while he was campaigining for House District 56 in 2008, according to the Denver Post, and DA Mark Hurlbert was handling the case.”
However, there is nothing on record to indicate that an investigation took place, per Eagle County officials and/or Mark Hurlbert, including the article you linked
In turn, how is one to demand records or ask where they’ve gone, when an investigation hasn’t even been confirmed? As a lawyer, I think you would agree with me Laura?
Peace and love – Ali
and btw –
Mark Hurlbert is, indeed, the best DA in America – I honestly believe that just about everyone in Eagle, Summit, Lake, and Clear Creek would agree (which is why he is going to win SD16)
Ali, please urge Mark to sign the Colorado Union of Taxpayers pledge like his conservative primary opponent Tim Leonard and so many other candidates have done.
http://coloradotaxpayer.org/cut-pledge-signers.htm
Ali, what I note is that you never deny that a DA investigation took place. It’s kind of cagy to say one has not been “confirmed.” You’re the one who can confirm it.
A reporter told me personally that it had, and Hurlbert confirmed it to him. The complaining witness also says she spoke with Hurlbert.
It is precisely the absence of any record, given your financial resources, clout in the Republican party, and your close ties with Hurlbert, that creates more concern, not less.
Did a DA investigation take place or not, and are you willing to allow me to look privately and off the record at the file?
Laura – I don’t know if an investigation took place or not
Regarding files, I didn’t keep copies of the request from the original Hearing, especially after the request was withdrawn and vacated
That’s the best info I can offer you
Peace and love – Ali
Susie and Laura,
I have known Ali Hasan for many years. Vote for Ali based on what you think he can do for us as the Treasurer. He is a great young talent, gung-ho, energetic and not one of those career politicians. Look at his plan. He has a lot to bring to the table, including upholding the Tax Payers Bill of Rights. Those articles you have read are exaggerated at best. If you are concerned about procedures, then leave Ali’s name out of it and go investigate the procedure. This has nothing to do with how great a treasurer he will be. I encourage you to vote for Ali at the State Convention.
Ali, I think you’re handling this thread pretty well.
But it’s hard to believe that you don’t know whether there was an investigation by the DA. Please check with your lawyer and Hurlbert and get back to us on this.
Don’t leave any questions unanswered. To me, this is the only question that you haven’t answered to Laura’s satisfaction. Don’t leave yourself open to an attack for being “cagey.” Otherwise, some people (think Coloradopols) will come to negative conclusions and your opponents won’t have to say a thing. You have a lot of fans. Don’t disappoint them.
Don
I am sorry Ali but I cannot simply take your word for it that somehow you have changed or that direct quotes made by you in the Westword article are somehow made up by a reporter with a grudge.
Did you actually take your then girlfriend into a public bathroom during a campaign event?
Did you actually say “I am the next F@#%G State Representative”?
Did you really do the countless other things in that profile, they simply cannot all be made up!
These actions are not becoming of someone who wishes to carry the banner of the Republican Party in a statewide election! Regardless of whether you say these articles are true or not how exactly do you think you can take on the incumbent treasurer with all of these infractions on your record. You can’t!
If we are unfortunate enough that you get the nomination, you will drag down every other Republican candidate in the state.
I am sorry Ali, maybe you have repented and seen the error of your ways but this election is just too important to me to support someone who is anything less than the right person to represent the party.
I am sorry to be harsh but I truly believe that we need to have an honest conversation about the things in your past and their potential effect on this important election.
Ali, Jeniffer, thanks. I tried to deal with this in a way that minimized Ali’s role. Ali could help me put one key issue to rest by answering the following. The “disappeared” court record makes no sense. Ali, since you don’t personally have a copy, could you please get me a case number for the TRO proceeding. I have no interest in obtaining a copy of it. I just want to cross my Ts and dot my Is in confirming that the entire record has disappeared, as if it had never even been filed at all. The case number would enable it to be traced more readily with the Eagle County Court.
I’m sure the Haddon, Morgan firm would supply you this quite promptly. I do think transparency is relevant for every candidate, and Jeniffer, you must admit, that when a record is “disappeared” , a DA handles apparently stupid and petty charges like this himself (not with a Special prosecutor or even via a deputy), and Ali calls this DA the best in the whole US of A, it does raise some red flags. This blind support (as I assume Ali hasn’t had dealings with or researched every DA in America) raises other red flags given Ali is a tough fiscal conservative, and there is no evidence out there that Hurlbert is. He promised to sign the CUT pledge almost six weeks ago, he didn’t know in January a thing about Clear the Bench, and last August, at an event where Ali yelled out to Hurlbert he was the “Best DA in the World,” Hurlbert made it clear that he knew virtually nothing about TABOR. It would seem that Leonard’s views conform much more closely to Ali’s.
The only details Ali’s supplied about why he likes Hurlbert is the support and help Hurlbert gave Ali in his 2008 campaign for HD56 and how he’s been a GOP establishment guy helping other candidates. That fails to speak to where Hurlbert stands on the issues, and Hurlbert has failed to speak on the issues. Check out his website and check out Leonard’s. He’s proclaimed a moderate by many mountain community Dems, has endorsed Dems, is endorsed by other Dems, and seems to have more in common with Christine Scanlan, Ali’s former opponent, that any other politician.
I’m still undecided on treasurer, but I meant what I said about liking him very much and wishing to see him in office soon.
I have known Ali for many years and have to say that he is a very bright, well-spoken man. I was involved in the beginning of his HD campaign and know the woman involved in the restraining order also. She was a young lady, who wanted attention and when Ali chose not to feed into it anymore she did what she could to get attention. The accusations against Ali were just one of numerous things she said to gain attention during that time.
The voters in Eagle County still some supported him, most of whom knew both people involved. He has my support for State Treasurer because he has a well thought out plan. In fact he is the only candidate in the race that has come out with any specific thought or ideas.
Callie you may well be absolutely right. The rest of Colorado has no way of knowing, however, because the case record has mysteriously disappeared. My point is that Ali should not be treated in the transparency issues regarding this any differently than any other candidate.
Would you at least agree, tbat for the sake of transparency and appearance of propriety, Hurlbert should not have personally gotten involved in the case? A special prosecutor would have been best. That happens fairly routinely; they bring someone over from Glenwood, in Garfield county.
Would you be at least fair enough to admit that what Ali says about Hurlbert’s overwhelming popularity in all four counties is simply not true, and that he is extremely unpopular in Lake, very unpopular in Eagle, and medium unpopular in Summit. Clear Creek, I don’t know. I do know that in the 2004 election he lost all four counties except hometown Summit.
I hope you’re willing to engage and haven’t just been sent to this thread to repeat talking points.
Thank you Callie!
Don – There is really not much to report here, other than Sound & Fury – and I’m definitely not leaving supporters out in the cold, as I’m always honest
The false restraining order request was made to the Courts of Eagle County – it was ultimately withdrawn and then completely vacated by a Judge in Eagle County, who reviewed the entire case before vacating it – the vacating was due to the fact that the request was completely baseless – the best proof of this is the fact that the accuser’s lawyer left the case midway –
http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20080317/NEWS/455212417&parentprofile=search
Of note, the accuser’s lawyer left the case after my lawyer sent him airplane tickets and receipts to show that I was not even in town on the dates that the accuser made accusations against me – the case was over shortly after that
Did the DA’s office investigate this matter? I honestly do not know – more importantly, matters of such an order stay within the Courts, which vacated the entire matter
Laura – I really don’t have any records to share – once we defeated this false accusation, I moved on
Peace and love – Ali Hasan
Since I didn’t get a response before (understandably, because of other issues being tossed back and forth here) …. Ali, have you urged Mark Hurlbert to sign the Colorado Union of Taxpayers pledge like his conservative primary opponent Tim Leonard and so many other candidates have done? He told me 6 weeks ago he would sign the pledge, and I don’t see his name there. (I’m verifying right now to see if there might have been an oversight that left his name off.)
http://coloradotaxpayer.org/cut-pledge-signers.htm
lol
Ben – I’ll mention it to him 😉
Here is my lengthy blog post
http://abusivediscretion.wordpress.com/2010/04/13/ali-hasan-and-da-mark-hurlbert-conflict-of-interest-colo-treasurer-and-state-senate-candidates-intertwined-in-2008-criminal-investigation-missing-court-records-lack-of-special-prosecutor-ali-ha/
Ali, it is completely false that “matters of this order stay within the courts”. What do you base that on. We have a public legal system in the US and I checked with a second court clerk to determine that the records are disappeared. Not sealed, just gone. Gone as if they’d never existed at all. Records are open to the public, absent extraordinary circumstances. For example, your claims about the judge at the hearing, were recorded, either on tape or by a court reporter. No record of any proceedings exist. Both clerks told me it looks as if Miller never even filed a legal action.
It’s not really fair for you to purport to say what the judge did or said, when the record is gone.
Re the attorney withdrawal, attorneys don’t withdraw based on evidence allegedly adverse to their clients. The article cited in the VD provides absolutely no support for the claim that the judge ruled on the merits in Ali’s favor. Even better, Rohn Robbins, her former attorney, is a super liberal Democrat media lawyer and radio talk show host, not a criminal lawyer, and in one of Hurlbert’s press releases distributed by the Summit Daily, called Hurlbert a “middle-of-the-road Republican”, whom he endorsed with enthusiasm. Exactly the point I’ve been making all along about Hurlbert. All the liberals seem to love him.
Since you’re not a liberal, what is it that you see in him. You’ve never mentioned anything but his help in campaigns. You’ve never even spent a sentence discussing why you think he’s such a fabulous DA. How about a paragraph explaining why he’s the best in the whole US.
Thanks, Political Watcher, for adding some important context, though I’m not sure the Colorado Supreme Court is the most highly reputed source among readers of this site. Is there a reason for the anonymity?
Wow, this conversation has wandered far afield from the subject of the original report — even for a blog post.
It doesn’t help the debate (which I am inclined to shut down in this comment section) to hurl personal attacks at someone who raises questions about a public figure. I think the respective points have been made. Readers can judge for themselves. Let’s move on.
Ben, I understand you want to move on but I feel a need to correct some of Muhammad Ali Hasan’s statements.
My husband, Dick Murphy, was Colorado Treasurer Mike Coffman’s Deputy Treasurer and trusted confidant. Congressman Coffman chose Dick because of his expertise in managing large funds, and his experience in the Treasurer’s Office. Dick holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Iowa State University.
Dick is also a former Chairman of Boulder County Republicans. BCR never chooses liberal Democrats as Chairman. In fact, Dick has never been a registered Democrat. Calling Dick a “fiscal liberal” is slanderous.
Many years ago, Dick was Colorado Treasurer Sam Brown’s independent financial consultant. He was not a state employee. Sam quit and Dick remained on at the Treasury when Roy Romer became Treasurer. Romer recognized Dick’s brilliance and made Dick, a political independent, his Deputy Treasurer. Dick computerized the portfolio accounting system of the Treasury, managed the investment division, and managed the office. He was only 32 years old.
Now, as to Hasan’s “plan,“ please know that Ali has virtually no concept of what he’s talking about. I’ve seen him in person and he doesn’t understand the difference between coupon and yield. He cannot account for the difference in ratings between, for example, Citibank, and the security he lists on his big piece of cardboard. Until someone corrected him, he thought “ABS” stood for “American Banking System.” It actually stands for “Asset Backed Securities;” a fact all financial professionals know.
Until now, I’ve had a good opinion of Hasan as a person but am getting a bit soured by his continual stretching of the truth. In fact, I’ve encouraged him to run for an office that doesn’t require extensive financial knowledge. My encouragement will end if Hasan doesn’t stop stretching the truth and outright misstating the facts.
Dick Murphy’s endorsement of J.J. Ament is found at http://www.jjament.com/latest-news/2010/2/16/dr-dick-murphy-sets-treasury-facts-straight-endorses-j-j-ame.html
Valarie Murphy
Thanks, Val. I’m glad you chimed in to make that correction. That was one comment I had forgotten about that had gone unresolved. I agree with you. I have talked with Dick Murphy on several occasions about politics and policy issues. It is utterly ridiculous to call him a “fiscal liberal.” Such an outlandish attack demonstrates either extreme naivete or deception. It is the sort of thing that has turned me off to Hasan’s campaign for state treasurer.
Val, thanks for adding that link. I just linked to it in my post regarding Hasan’s apparent record sealing that he would not admit to on this thread. It is pingbacked above. Dick Murphy’s endorsement read’s like the much needed closing argument in this campaign, and is excellently reasoned and highly informative.
Like you, I started off on this thread believing Hasan should be encouraged to run for something else. His shooting from the hip, evasions, opportunistic appeals to unsophisticated populists, and smear tactics have convinced me he should not be so encouraged. Despite the original post having nothing to do with the treasurer’s race, the thread has been dispositive for me in deciding to support JJ Ament for treasurer..