A Colorado Democrat's take on Hefley.

[coloradodem2005]

Joel's a Good Soul
Joel Hefley is fast becoming a rare breed in the Republican party -- a thoughtful conservative with a deep respect for the texture of our polity. This respect manifests itself in consideration for our political institutions and, yes, decorum towards the opposition.

Today, the Rocky Mountain News is reporting on a brouhaha in Congress where Republican Congressman John Hostettler of Indiana brought the House of Representatives to a halt when he accused Democrats of waging "a war on Christianity."

"Rep. Joel Hefley, R-Colorado Springs, hovered nearby, trying to calm the situation. Hefley sided with Hostettler during the debate and said he didn't think Congress should 'scrub religion or faith from all aspects of our public life.' But he said Hostettler's hot words about Democrats were unnecessary."

"'I thought he injected partisanship where it didn't need to be,' Hefley said later."

Hefley is the same guy who was taken to the woodshed by the Republican leadership for having the nerve to do his job as Chairman of the Ethics Committee, rather than use the panel as a shield for Tom DeLay.

While the rest of the GOP is Karl Rovesized, Hefley maintains his dignity and composure as one of the few Republicans with some class.

The question is, will the televangelist wing of the GOP seek to punish Hefley with a primary for his ongoing heresy? There's a lot of you out there a lot smarter than I, who can provide insight here. My gut tells me the party brass would never allow it, lest they risk losing another "safe" Republican seat in Colorado.

Assuming he is not knocked off in a primary, Hefley is likely to face Democrat Jay Fawcett in November 2006. Although Fawcett is a relative newbee, he does have some good qualities that could make for an interesting race in the 5th. For example, he is an Air Force veteran and a good public speaker. Obviously, that is not enough to carry him to victory over Hefley. However, a nasty primary against Hefley could create some openings for Fawcett to capitalize on.

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http://coloradopoliticalnews.blogs.com/colorado_political_news/2005/06/joels_a_good_so.html#more

[rockymountaindem]

1. Joel Hefley will never lose in Colorado Springs.

You know that as well as I.

[Democrats_win]

2. Hefley is the safest seat in CO.

In the past few months he began to understand that republican shit stinks. Recall his work on the House Ethics committee against Delay and Delay having him kicked out of the leadership role.

Still, its too little too late. There is no righteous republican because they follow reagan's devil commandment: never attack a fellow republican.

[lakercub]

3. Whether you like Hefley or not

and I don't, he is embedded in this town. He lied about term limits years ago, saying he would only serve a set amount of time and no more. I believe he has doubled what he said he would do. But he is teflon out here. If you have ever heard 740 AM they talk to him in the afternoon sometimes and its just awful. The fawning done by the radio hosts is nauseating. But it reflects what the right thinks about the guy. He isn't going anywhere.