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Rocky Mountain Gun Owners vs. Dan Maes

by | 10:08 pm, June 7, 2010 | 10 Comments

There's been bit of a dust up between the Rocky Mountain Gun Owners and Colorado Governor candidate Dan Maes over Maes' answers to the RMGO's candidate survey. It seems that Maes' answers were not what RMGO was looking for and has led them to question Maes' views on the subject.

Maes sent out an email to his supporters yesterday in an attempt to "clarify" his answers. His letter is below. (emphasis in original)

It is difficult for many to understand that candidates are barraged by questionnaires from many special interest groups, associations, etc. Some we respond to, some we don't. Some ask questions that are vague and thus difficult to respond to and others are very well done. Some sponsors will call or write back to question our responses and look for clarification or assist us in giving an answer that we left blank, or try to educate us in order to persuade us.

Recently, I responded to a questionnaire from Rocky Mountain Gun Owners. Because I was running low on time to get it returned I answered the questionnaire as quickly as I could and returned it to meet the deadline. One of my strategies when answering questions is to say no to a question that I do not have enough info on to answer. I would rather say no than agree to something I do not have enough information on to make an informed decision. It is easy to say that we could call for more info but time does not always allow for that.

In this questionnaire I responded no to a Vermont style conceal carry law and no on the repeal of the Brady background check. I even made comments about the questions but those comments were not received well by RMGO. I could editorialize about the format of the questions but that would only cause us to digress in our conversation.

Rather than contacting me about my answers, RMGO proceeded to attack me and call me names. I am glad, however, that certain members of RMGO had the courtesy to reach out to me directly and question me about my answers. They took the time to educate me and even provide me statutory language about the two items, something the RMGO questionnaire did not do, so I could then reconsider my answers with more information to make an informed decision. I have taken the time to email and discuss these issues with many from RMGO one on one. I want to thank those of you who demonstrated courtesy and respect as you challenged my answers.

Thanks to the time and effort of several of you, I started making my position clear starting with 7,000 attendees of the state assembly. If the people of Colorado want a Vermont style conceal carry law and the repeal of the current background check law, and the legislature places them on my desk for signature, I will sign them.

I am doing this because the people who want these laws took the time to come to me, explain their importance, and win my support. I am "The Peoples Candidate" and will answer to the people first, and not to special interests and lobbyists who attack you simply because you do not do and answer everything exactly the way they want you to.

I am the best hope as your next Governor for conservative gun rights. My mother still says today, "you can get more bees with honey than vinegar". Thanks to those of you who took the time to use honey.

I want to thank all of you, again, who took me to the top of the Republican ticket at the state assembly! The volunteer support that weekend was incredible.

In Freedom,

Dan Maes

Paid for by the Friends of Dan Maes for Governor

He seems a little wishy-washy in his response and is definitely walking back his answers. He has also updated his issues page to say he would support a Vermont-style concealed carry law.

In an email exchange with Ginger Freel, the president of the Saguache County Republican Party, she expressed some concern that Maes has been changing his views trying to make himself look more conservative despite early attempts to play towards the center. Let's look at an example, shall we?

Using the power of the Wayback Machine, I took a look at Dan Maes' issues page from April 21st, 2009. Let's take a look at his stand on immigration. (I had some issues with the site reporting a 'robots.txt' error. Keep trying. If needed, I can post a PDF printout I made of the wayback report.)

Solution:

Create a window of opportunity where current aliens could register, pay a fine, prove employment and being felony and DUI free. They are granted a probationary citizenship and can be naturalized after one year. In the mean time their children will not be granted in state tuition but this benefit can be used as an incentive to bring out their parents to start them on the path to legal citizenship.

Result:

We get the 800 pound gorilla out of our house. We mend relationships and de-stigmatize a race that has a historically rich and honorable history in our state.

Looks like Maes wanted a little amnesty with his gun control. Of course, amnesty doesn't play well in the current environment. Let's see what his current page says, eh?

Solution:

Simultaneously strengthen our borders and require all employers in Colorado to use E-Verify for every new applicant and current employees. This web based data base instantly checks the applicant’s social security number and matches it to the correct owner. Any employer that knowingly hires anyone with a mismatched SSN will be penalized. We must also enforce our current laws regarding the use of proper identification in the dispensation of services and voting rights to our citizens. Finally, we must enforce exisiting law per Senate Bill 90 that requires law enforcement to investigate anyone one they have “probable cause” to believe is an illegal alien and act accordingly if that person is here illegally.

We also need to pass legislation in our state that reduces the incentives to live, work, and transfer funds from Colorado as Arizona has done.

Result:

The number of illegal aliens should drop dramatically to those who will stay underground no matter what we do to solve the problem. We will save hundreds of millions of dollars by stopping the manipulation of our public schools, medical services, and social services while assuring that every legal immigrant is assured the pursuit of the American and Colorado dream all of us enjoy.

Which Dan Maes will Colorado Republicans be voting for in the August Primary? The 2010 version who is pushing for Arizona-style immigration enforcement or the 2009 version who was pushing for amnesty.

I haven't met Mr. Maes nor have I had the chance to discuss the issues with him but based on these two issues, it looks like he is a John McCain moderate Republican who is trying to take advantage of the Tea Party fever sweeping through the base.

Category: Colorado, Colorado Politics, Politics, PPC, Second Amendment
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Comments

  1.   Brian Wilson
      June 8th, 2010 @ 7:22 pm

    I agree this does look bad. Of course Maes is a business guy, and we all know business supports cheap labor. I don’t like that aspect of his campaign but I don’t believe that makes him a John McCain moderate in other areas.

  2.   Rich Lang
      June 8th, 2010 @ 10:22 pm

    Dan has repeatedly stated his support of our rights as gun owners. I’d rather have a conservative candidate who has ability and principle while being teachable regarding key conservative issues. Dan Maes is a highly successful businessman and the only Republican candidate with executive level decision making experience. He has a solid plan for restoring our economy and addressing the issues before the state of Colorado. Consider that McInnis has been a career politician. Despite Scott’s incredible lead in both campaign spending and early endorsements from the political establishment, Dan won both caucus and state assembly votes from voters who had seen both candidates. Maes has won all head to head debates so that Scott no longer shows for most but sends alternative representation. Other concerns about McInnis? Note his moderate voting record while in Congress which he left to become a lobbyist. He’s part of the Party establishment and has received large amounts of cash from outside Colorado.It’s time to look past politicians who are more beholden to interests providing big money for their campaigns than to their constituents.

  3.   PerlStalker
      June 8th, 2010 @ 10:29 pm

    Brian,

    I hope I’m wrong. However this and his response to the RMGO survey really run counter to Maes’ hard-line Conservative persona. It certainly looks like he’s taking the path of political expediency rather than standing for his convictions.

  4.   Lynn
      June 8th, 2010 @ 11:25 pm

    Ditto, Rich Lang. I’ve heard Dan speak several times over the course of many months. His message remains the same.

    The only Republican that can beat Hickenlooper is Dan Maes. In 2010 we cannot put a long-term politican up against a likeable businessman like Johnn Hickenlooper. We’ll lose.

  5.   Katherine Vitale
      June 10th, 2010 @ 11:21 pm

    @Rich- I would do some investigation concering his business experience. It is not as he would like you to believe. What exactly are the names of the companies he worked for? What exactly did he do there? What was the name of the business that he founded and sold and for how much? These are all VERY relevant.

  6.   nbascetta43
      June 11th, 2010 @ 10:21 am

    This is not the first time we’ve seen Maes switch sides on an issue. I like Dan and I’m a business man, but what he’s done just has not impressed me, we need someone in office that has the backbone to pick a side and stick to it, unfortunately all we have running is politicians so that probably wont happen.

    You should never answer a question yes or no, that you are not educated on, if Maes doesn’t have enough time to educate himself on the issue then I don’t know why he even wants to be Governor in the first place. The campaign and the subsequent position are full time jobs, you have to make time for the issues, all of them!

  7.   Lisa G Spear
      June 11th, 2010 @ 4:40 pm

    I believe in redemption. So, I am less disturbed by Mr Maes’ “adjustment” in his positions on gun possession and the way to address illegal immigration at the state level than I am with the glimpse we get in these scenarios into his decision-making process.

    In the first instance, what bothers me is that, when posed with a question for which he did not have enough background to make an informed response, Mr Maes chose a default response. The better course with respect to the RMGO’s survey would have been to leave the questions unanswered, and explain in the “comments” section that he was not prepared to answer the questions at the time of the survey. I am led to wonder if, as governor, Mr Maes would veto good legislation that came across his desk because he was not sufficiently informed about the bill to make a decision.

    With respect to the positions on illegal immigration, it appears that a similar decision process was applied when drafting the original position. Could it be that Mr Maes had not fully considered the issue of illegal immigration before the deadline to get “something” up on his campaign website, and therefore initially posted a “position” that was seemingly non-controversial?

    Now Mr Maes finds himself in the difficult position of seeming to backpeddle, and then having to justify new positions.

    I don’t like the term “flip-flop”; it paints people into a corner, and doesn’t allow the room for them to take new input and modify a position accordingly. Yet, I find Mr Maes’ decision process a little too cart-before-the-horse, taking a position before gathering all the information he thinks he needs to take a position.

  8.   Erik
      June 11th, 2010 @ 9:53 pm

    So, Kathryn – what did you find? Did find the businesses? It’s not exactly a secret. What kind of business should he have? What kind of career politician would you like?

    BTW – I have KNOWN Dan Maes for nearly 7 years and he is a man of integrity. When his stands have changed it’s because his perspective has. A man who does not learn is dead or truly stubborn.

  9.   Jessa J.
      June 12th, 2010 @ 4:21 pm

    Typical Dan Maes backtrack. This is just another example of why he is not the right person to be our next governor. We have enough elected officials that change positions with the wind and that’s the last thing we need in Colorado.

  10.   Sen. Dave Schultheis
      June 14th, 2010 @ 5:32 pm

    Very few candidates who have never before served in a public office prior to running can possibly evaluate all the issues in detail that will come before them. The campaign trail hones a candidate’s views as they field hundreds of questions from citizens. Nothing is wrong with revisiting one’s views over time. I have certainly done so, and find they have become much more conservative over time as I’ve been confronted with the left’s radical agenda.

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