Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter’s bizarre withdrawal
Something doesn’t smell right. Democrat Gov. Bill Ritter gave his press conference yesterday announcing his withdrawal from his re-election bid. By his own admission, his fund-raising had been going swimmingly. The decision took his staff by complete surprise. And the idea that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar wanted to return from the Beltway swamp to take over the governor’s mansion just doesn’t wash. He’s an incurable Washington creature who loves where he is. (Update: See, told you so – “Salazar won’t run for CO GOV”)
So, let’s examine Ritter’s did-it-for-the-children card. While one Denver Post columnist lavished praise on Ritter’s ostensible sacrifice for family, other veteran observers point out that it doesn’t add up. Two of his college-age children no longer live at home. The others are teenagers who’ll be leaving the nest in short order. Ritter choked up when he said he hadn’t made his family a priority and called the step-down an “intensely personal decision.” That’s a carefully-chosen phrase which signals to the press: Back off. Don’t ask any more questions. But if he isn’t really stepping down over neglect of his children, who was he referring to when he spoke of failing to make family his priority?
I said the other day that the whiff of the Stephanie Villafuerte scandal taint was noticeable. Denver Fox affiliate KDVR’s Julie Hayden was the only one at the press conference yesterday who dared raise the issue. Ritter tersely dismissed her question. The clueless national media accounts on Ritter’s withdrawal don’t even mention the Villafuerte story.
Quick refresher: Villafuerte is entangled in the railroading of Denver ICE agent Cory Voorhis — whom federal prosecutors tried to punish after he blew the whistle on sweetheart deals for criminal illegal aliens during the 2006 gubernatorial campaign. A jury acquitted Voorhis of all federal charges. He’s trying to get his job back. At least one of his supervisors (whom Hayden asked Ritter about yesterday) has admitted lying. Villafuerte served on Democrat gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter’s campaign team while on leave from the Denver D.A.’s office and from all local news accounts was deeply involved in the witchhunt against agent Voorhis. Last month, Villafuerte withdrew from her nomination as U.S. Attorney in Denver amid growing questions about her role in the Voorhis railroading and the accessing of federal criminal databases for political purposes.
Villafuerte remains Ritter’s deputy chief of staff. But she was noticeably absent from the press conference yesterday.
The local buzz about a rumored affair involving Ritter and Villafuerte hasn’t died down. Her absence and Ritter’s sudden and bizarre withdrawal aren’t likely to quell the rumors.
Whatever the real story is, Ritter’s not telling it yet.
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Soft-on-terrorism corruptocrat TSA nominee resigns
January 20, 2010 10:39 AM by Michelle Malkin
44 Comments
And another one bites the dust: Democrat Ritter drops out of Colorado guv bid
January 5, 2010 09:58 PM by Michelle Malkin
67 CommentsUnderreported stories of 2009
January 1, 2010 12:11 PM by Michelle Malkin
55 CommentsCulture of corruption: Cory Voorhis, Denver ICE & the Voorhis prosecution
December 16, 2009 11:23 AM by Michelle Malkin
20 Comments
Breaking: Corruption-plagued US Atty nominee Stephanie Villafuerte withdraws
December 14, 2009 04:49 PM by Michelle Malkin
34 Comments
Categories: Stephanie Villafuerte
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yeah, this is the idea of demoncrap transparency; how are we surprised by this foolishness?
For a Democrat, sexual misconduct is a resume booster. No way he’d drop out over that.
Along the same lines as I recently posted elsewhere…might it not be that Ritter is nothing more than another minion / puppet, who is following orders from socialist handlers / stringpullers to “take one for the team”?
Again, might this not be the socialists jettisoning / abandoning / shooting their wounded, rather than keeping them on as nothing more than useless encumbrances?
If I remember my Latin correctly – it’s been a while: HS ’70; college ’74 – the Latin word for the Roman Legions’ baggage was “impedimenta”.
I’m guessing his wife found out that he’s been on the Appalachian Trail with Steph, and told him to take hike.
He’s a democrat. Nothing smells right about them.
An earlier poster has it right: screwing around on your wife is a resume booster for Democrats. Ask Bill “He’s so wonderful” Clinton and the current mayor of San Francisco. SF’s mayor was screwing his chief of staff’s WIFE, yet got re-elected.
Can democrats even contemplate telling the truth on purpose?
Sadly, he can only hold his breath until he passes out and, then, his breathing will resume and he will wake.
Well, since they don’t want to tell us what is going on, we are free to speculate and indulge in rumor mongering to our hearts’ delight. That’s how it works. We might overshoot the truth but our guessing will be closer to it than the crap they are feeding us.
Another booster?
Smoking crack
Drowning someone
DUI – multiple
Swearing your allegiance to your country on the Quran
Blaming the USA for 9/11
Feel free to add.
Donated money to Al Qaida.
Seen holding hands with Qaddafi.
Come to think of it, I can’t think of anything that would embarrass a Democrat.
LOL! How about saying Chairman Mao is one of your heroes? Or better yet, the founder of NAMBLA is a guy you look up to? demoncrap LOVE those people.
To use his family as a shield after what he did to the Voorhis family is pretty low, even for a Democrat. Or maybe it’s par for the course. I suspect that his resignation is an attempt to dodge potential grand jury issues.
Being a former ACLU lawyer
Agreed.
Also, watch for with what the socialists project scorn onto their enemies.
Last year, when questions were being raised about just who the hell is this Barack Hussein Obama, it seemed the first thing that socialists spit out – including here at MM.com – was something like, “*Smirk* you actually think he’s (BHO) a Manchurian candidate?” – despite the fact that that that possibility was not even brought up nor referred to.
Developments over the past year, if anything, would arguably lead one closer to, rather than further away from, that “speculative” thought.
So it might just similarly result with the situation that is the topic of this current thread, PP.
Can’t wait to see what shakes out….
Believing:
Keith Olberdork is a journalist
Free speech does not apply to Rush
Obama deserves a Nobel Peace Prize
Christians and Vets are terrorists
Global warming is caused by man
I like my own game!
Oh, I think we could; if a socialist one of the folllowing, that would surely embarrass him:
I believe in right and wrong.
I believe in God.
I believe that the USA is the best country on Earth.
I believe in freedom.
I believe in individual responsibility.
I believe in limited government and taxation.
I believe in being faithful to my spouse.
I do not believe in promiscuous, casual sex.
I am pro-life.
Feel free to add….
…if a socialist said one of the folllowing,….
Apologies.
Have to jump in here and make sure that a hat tip is given to Denver radio talk show host Peter Boyles. I’ve been listening to him for the past couple of years and he owns this story. He’s been relentlessly pounding it since Voorhis was ruined two years ago. He simply cannot be left out of the conversation, and it’s worthwhile to listen to some of his recent broadcasts due to the passion and tenacity with which he follows this story: http://khow.com/pages/boyles.html
(munching popcorn) More cheese Gromit!
(sniff sniff) What’s that smell? Gromit, bad dog! Bad dog!
Maybe he is having an affair…..
…..WITH A CONSERVATIVE “TEA BAGGER”
If he believed any of those things, he would have been chased out of the Democrat Party ages ago! Look at Lieberman, he’s on board for 99% of the socialist agenda. Just doesn’t want to lose the war to the Muslim Caliphate. The left wanted to skin him alive.
Anderson Cooper will have much envy!
OH MAN! I can’t believe I forgot! being gay/transgender/pedophile is most certainly a boost on a demoncrap resume! especially if they’d adopted/counseled some children at some point in their lives.
I don’t understand. How does a Denver DA get a federal government ICE agent fired? What did I miss?
geez, that appalachian trail must be a full fledged road by now with all these politicians hiking and biking there. maybe obambi ought to spend some of that stimulus gubmint cheese paving that road. you know, it’s shovel ready, and isn’t it the gubmints job to smooth out these potholes which keep tripping up our hiking politicians.
Read through all of my Villafuerte posts.
Yup. I gave him and Denver Post’s Karen Crummy a big shout-out in my year-end column on underreported stories of the year.
It is. It’s a two lane highway.
Embarrass a Democrat?
Yes, I voted for Bush’s “illegal occupation”
wisehot LatinaLooks like Bill Ritter is going Tiger on us!
I’m having trouble keeping up with all the daily corruption eruptions.
Well, like the Baltimore Mayor, he can always run again in a couple of years…
I smell a trip to Argentina.
Maybe Ritter can compare notes with Sanford and take a Spanish class together…
Missing the Bigger Picture …
The Bigger Picture is Lickenpooper.
I mean, Hickenlooper. Rumor Central has been serious for half a dozen years that drug distribution central for the Front Range and Hickenlooper are one and the same. His Cherry Cricket restaurant in tony Cherry Creek supplied the illegal alien dishwasher that shot one Denver drug task force detective and assassinated that cops’ partner at a Mexican wedding … then somehow managed to get all the way to Mexico over the border during a nationwide manhunt.
Bigger Picture???
Remember Jack Ryan? Jeri Ryan? How Obama got into the Senate by almost exactly this same tactic as Ritter is going to go through?
Obama came to national spotlight by offing a sitting Senator through scandal.
Same as what’s about to happen to Ritter.
Having their picture taken with Sarah Palin?
Showing up on the news at Easter singing a hymn?
I think that’s Bill’s pet name for Hill…
I thinks it’s very likely that the DNC is cleaning house of as many candidates as possible who appear they will be losers in the next election.
Since Ritter was looking like he was going to lose to McInnis, the DNC sent him packing. Just as they did with Dodd and the others.
Agreed.
After all, don’t wanna upset the plans of George Soros and his cronies, right…?
Low by not rare, not anymore. Even since John Edwards and John Kerry slimed attacked with faint praise VP Cheney’s family the Left has been in full attack this way.
But then President Bush’s Justice Department tried to silence the Compean-Ramos families. Hard times these–too much like Imperial Rome or Soviet Russia for my taste.
Killing babies
Defending the rights of pediophiles to prey on our children
Quitter!
It is ironic how many politicians suddenly remember they have families just prior to the indictments getting served…
You’re right; it smells like a fish quesadilla left in the summer sun.
Didn’t he have his daughter’s baby?
You eat one of them, gives whole new meaning to trot reform!
Having Ann Coulter give you a compliment – and mean it.
Showing up on Bill O’s show and given a hard question to answer.
Howard Stern NOT wanting to have sex with you or see you naked.
Your wife NOT standing by your side while you admit to the world you are having an affair.
War medals (unless you got them like Jon Cary did)
Admitting you got rich trough capitalism.
unless you got rich the way Jawn Kerry did too…
where’s cheapseat today? I wanna know what’s goin’ on in the ‘Lou with that gunman?
Attacking Sarah Palin and family
Calling CIA liars
Attacking Tom Delay
Attacking Rush Limbaugh
Attacking Sean Hannity
Attacking Fox News
Praising Al Gore
Forgetting to say pay proper homage to diversity and tolerance on Martin Luther King Day.
Accidentally calling a lazy, irresponsible bum a lazy, irresponsible bum.
Divulging that they would never send their child to a public school because they think they are miserable, hellish failure factories
Failing to tell a European visitor that Europeans are so much more intelligent and cultured than Americans.
We have villages all over the country missing their idiots.
Catch one holding a Bible.
Maybe he is embracing Christ after watching Brit Hume the other day.
If only we could get TMZ to follow these politicians around
We would know everything
Instead we have the networks performing the job while imitating three blind mice
Just saw the dummy in chief giving another of those stern voiced pep talks
Too little, too late, too scripted, too funny
He actually thinks by changing his tone he imparts some new higher level of importance to his words
This guy gives these little talks like a first year student in a comm 101 class
What an absolute joke we have for a commander in chief
Bottom line if you are flying, it is up to you to protect yourself
Secondly if you are on an international flight, now with the new Air Marshall surge, the obvious way for muslim terrorists to overcome this is to have two terrorists on board. Terrorist one creates a diversion, terrorist two does to the dirty work when the air marshall shows himself and everyones attention is diverted
Bottom line, be vigilant and protect yourself
THey need to enact some lawsuit protection then for those times, sure to come, when a terrorist dry run gets somebody restrained ‘unnecessarily’.
It just ain’t look’n good for Democrats
GOP candidate utterly crushing Massachusetts governor in fundraising race
Remember, the goal isn’t a majority, its veto proof, under every scenario.
Ok Aloha – that’s a coffee-spitter!
spaceycake, another disgruntled employee who couldn’t get his way in a lawsuit over his pension fund. now he has no pension, and 2 others are dead, and 4 others are injured. 3 dead, 4 injured, 1 critically, one of the dead was the shooter (a 30 year assembly line employee who lived in webster groves, my old hometown for 45 years.)
Ritter has been an ELECTED public servant since 1993 and he just now figures out its hard on a family? You bet something smells fishy.
Could it be the DNC is purging their roles of potential election losers to double-down on others? Maybe.
A few commentators in Denver, lead by Peter Boyles, speculate Ritter’s declaration of non-candidacy has to do with Ritter’s ill-fated nomination of Vallafuerte to the US Attorney post. And Villafuerte’s recent resignation from the nomination process had something to do with the ongoing Voorhis investigation.
Even though Cory Voorhis was aquitted last year of illegally accessing a criminal database, he still has lawsuit going to get his job, pay and attorney’s fees back. His next hearing is 1/27 so please pray for him. And notice the timing.
Peter is totally committed to righting the wrongs done to Voorhis and his family. He’s been all-in on this issue from the beginning.
Yeah, I bet he was boinking the help.
That, and his involvement in the Voorhis issue….maybe some power-broker told him the ‘Crats won’t be able to afford his baggage.
I won’t care if I am even close to the truth on Ritter until he decides to tell the truth on Voorhis.
Ritter Did’er.
Colorado: It’s Like New York! With Taller Mountains!
i think villafuerte is definitely the skeleton in ritter’s closet. if it’s not an affair, then the whole case surrounding ritter’s sweet deals for illegal aliens must be extremely damanging.
ritter aside, i’m interested to see if the democrats call on denver mayor hickenlooper, aka mr. sanctuary city, to pick up the spot. his liberalism may be ridiculously popular here in denver, but i doubt it’ll fly in the rest of the state.
At one time, Hickenlooper had about an 85% popularity rating in Colorado as a whole. Doubt that it’s that high now but he probably has more of a chance than any other Dem. The winds are not blowing favorably for Dems in the state right now. A powerful Dem machine had taken over the legislature several cycles back and completed its takeover when Ritter won the governorship and with Udall and Salazar going to Washington and the Senate. Salazar had been a popular figure while in the state, known as a fair player open to bi-partisanship, but he lost a lot of cache when he went to Washington and toed the Dem party line right down the left lane. He may not have been able to secure a second term if he hadn’t taken the Obama appointment. Ritter was not a popular governor. The Repub McGinnis was clearly polling ahead of Ritter. Hickenlooper is the only Dem who outpolled him in a preliminary check.
Personally, though he’s liberal, I like Hickenlooper better than McGinnis who I really don’t like at all. If that was the Senate race, I’d go for McGinnis anyway ‘cuz Dems today just seem to march lockstep once they walk up the steps to the capital. Still, in Colorado, Hick might actually make a better gov. Colorado Repubs seem to have a hard time coming up with really attractive candidates.
Denver is an open borders city and Dem stronghold, has been for years now. But George Bush was the king of open borders…that’s not a problem exclusive to Dems. Unfortunately, Hickenlooper’s wife is a prime advocate for illegals, and has even written a book championing the amnesty cause. But CO isn’t Washington and Hickenlooper has run Denver somewhat toward the center while seeming to try to be responsive to the wishes and concerns of his constiuents, even if they aren’t as lib as he is. I think he has a shot. For gov, I’m not sure I wouldn’t vote for him myself…for STATE office. If only CO Repubs could come up with some good candidates… Where’s Owens? What’s happening with Tancredo?