Has The DailyKos Found Christ?

Talk about politics making for strange bedfellows. The DailyKos is pushing a questionable story regarding Republican Congressman Doug Lamborn (CO) and two allegedly threatening phone messages. In Kosworld, evidently suggesting a political operative or two tell the truth appears to constitute a threat.

Doug Lamborn's recorded threats to a pair of voters critical of his views has now reached the pages of both the Denver and Huffington Posts. Doug's local paper, the Colorado Springs Gazette, is eerily silent.

Maybe the Gazette is silent because this shouldn't be much of a story: The transcripts - also below. But take a look at the backgrounds of the two offended constituents. Evidently even a couple of what might be called Rightwing Christianists by Andy Sullivan get support and top billing at DailyKos if you have a spat with another Republican.

Bob Lathen's campaign manager is Anna Bartha, a Republican activist who is seeking a seat on the Falcon District 49 school board. Bartha's husband, Jonathan Bartha, works as a correspondence specialist and movie reviewer for Focus on the Family.

Text of calls:

FIRST MESSAGE: "Hello, this is Doug Lamborn calling for either Jonathan or Anna. Something very serious has happened. There was a letter to the editor that you both put in your names to the editor of the Woodmen Edition and there is something that is blatantly false in that letter.

"I would like to get together with you and show this to you and appeal to you as a brother and sister in Christ. You didn't give me that opportunity but I am happy to overlook that and deal with you on that level because I think that is the right thing to do and show you where you made a blatant, wrong statement.

"Now there are consequences to this kind of thing, but I would like to work with you in a way that is best for everyone here concerned. So please call me at your earliest convenience. It is now 2:40 (p.m.) on Saturday afternoon.

SECOND MESSAGE: "Hello, this is Doug Lamborn again, I'm finishing up my message from a moment ago. I got cut off. It is critical that you get back to me as soon as possible on this because I'll be going back to Washington here in a few days and I have to make sure that this is resolved one way or another. And like I said I'd rather resolve this on a Scriptural level but if you are unwilling to do that I will be forced to take other steps, which I would rather not have to do. So please call me. This is essential. Call me by tonight, Saturday night and we can get together sometime Sunday afternoon."

Comments

[Fred Beloit]

This is a case for that distinguished criminal investigator, or rather investigator of crimes, S. nowinker, of 221B Baker Street, London. I am confident this personage will find the accused not guiltily innocent of any and all charges.

[Capitalist Infidel]

Is there more? I didn't see a threat.

[Bob]

What you did not see was that the criticism of Doug Lamborn was accurate. He did receive the money in question and it was verified on FEC reports. He apparently may have returned one of the donations in question AFTER the Barthas' letter was sent to the papers (and after holding it for over 7 months). Furthermore, Doug knew that this was not libel and that everything in the letter was true so threatening "consequences" seems kind of extreem.

There is also some history with this guy. He was endorsed by the CFG in last years election who ran a set of ads against his opponents that were pulled from local radio and TV for blatant false content. Doug Lamborn refused to condemn the ads even when all local media was running stories about their factual inaccuracies and many local pastors were condemning the pieces from the pulpit for being slanderous.

Unfortunately, Doug Lamborn won a 6 way primary with 25% of the vote and we have been stuck with him. There will be at least one good quality challenger to him in the upcoming cycle and many people think that Doug will not even make it onto the ballot because he is so unpopular with the local party. Nearly all of his supporters have been voted out of party positions and the people who endorsed him are having trouble even keeping their low level political positions.

[nowingker]

I didn't see a threat either, based on the media reports I expected the message to be a frothing at the mouth exercise in intimidation, unless "Brothers and Sisters in Christ" is some kind of Christian code word for 'taking you and your family out' I don't see a problem w/his message.

That doesn't mean he may not be lying about his gambling contributions but the message itself seems pretty harmless to me.