9-12, Tea Party Groups Won't Support Tancredo, Ask Him To Reconsider

Lu Busse, Chair of the 9-12 Project Colorado Coalition, sent out an open letter to Tom Tancredo, urging him to reconsider his ultimatum of joining the gubernatorial race as a 3rd party candidate and thus assuring defeat for Republicans. If Tancredo wants a real shot at this, he'd need 9-12 and Tea Party groups behind him as a base, and it's clear that not even these conservative/libertarian groups want him in the Governor's race.

Dear Congressman Tancredo:


Many Coloradans and liberty movement individuals respect you for your courage and honorable service to this state. But, we ask what really has changed, and how your High Noon ultimatum issued July 22nd reflects the principles and values you have long stood for? This ultimatum seems out of character and completely contradicts the sage advice you offered us in an open letter on December 21, 2009 and reiterated again passionately at a joint 9-12 Project/Tea Party event on January 16, 2010.

We would like to remind you of this particular section of your open letter, which continues to resonate with us even today:

Yes, over the last decade, many individuals left the Republican Party because George Bush led the national party to abandon its principles and support several big government programs. But leaving the party is not the answer. Fighting for your principles and reshaping the party is the answer.

Throughout our nation's history, third parties have never succeeded in taking power and running the government. They have sometimes succeeded in pushing a major party in a new direction, but just as often, they succeeded only in electing the more liberal candidate after many conservatives waste their votes on a third party candidate. Remember 1992? Ross Perot never had a chance to be president, but he did help elect Bill Clinton.

Here in Colorado we have an uphill road in 2010, but the good news is we have the opportunity for a broad resurgent victory if we work together. - Tom Tancredo Over 800,000 Coloradans or 33% of likely voters, including almost 550,000 or 64% of likely Republican voters in our state, have joined the "Tea Party* movement in the past 17 months. We clearly demonstrated at the precinct causes and state assembly a significant portion of the 9-12 Project, Tea Party and other pro-liberty grassroots individuals have worked tirelessly for more than a year championing our principles, becoming engaged and informed, learning the political process, vetting candidates at all levels, and also reshaping the Colorado Republican Party as you advised. We trusted and listened to you among others; but, now you do not trust the Republican voters of Colorado to thoughtfully and logically evaluate the choices before us. You want to impose your personal choice and will over the will of the people. You are subverting the process and our will. This is the opposite of the liberty movement and what we are about.

Since your ultimatum, several liberty groups have queried their members and found about 2/3 (66% of 754 responses - over 250 more than used in Rasmussen polls for Colorado) of the responders to this non-scientific internal survey would not vote for you in the Governor's race. This does not foretell a conservative victory, but rather an impending disaster, assuring victory for Mayor Hickenlooper and the liberal agenda in Colorado for at least four more years. Congressman Tancredo, together our groups strongly urge you to reconsider, withdraw your ultimatum, stay in the Republican Party, let the process play out for the Governor's race within the rules already set forth, and continue to help us improve this party, its candidates, and the process - in other words to trust and respect the newly awakened, energized and informed voters of Colorado.

Pledging our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor to Colorado and our Constitutional Republic, the United States of America -

9-12 Pikes Peak Patriots

9-12 Project Liberty Circle

Broomfield 9-12 Project

Cherry Creek District 9-12 Project

Colorado 9-12 Project (Including Denver metro area, Front Range communities & Eastern I-70 corridor)Elbert County Tea Party

Four Corners 9-12 Project/TEA Party Patriots (Cortez)Four Corners Liberty Restoration Group (including Bayfield & Durango 9-12 Project/Tea Party)Greeley 9-12 Project

Longmont 9-12/Tea Party

R Block Party

South Denver 9-12 Project

The 9-12 Project Colorado Coalition

The912Project.us Network - Colorado Chapter

The Constitutionalist Today Editorial Board

Tri-County 9-12 Project (Delta/Montrose/Ouray)Two Rivers 9-12 Project

Vail Valley 9-12 Project

We Will Not Fall - Fort Collins 9-12 Project

Western Slope Conservative Alliance

Windsor 9-12 Project

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