We’re glad to see that Secretary of State Scott Gessler has given up on the idea of being dunked for dollars to raise cash for the Larimer County Republican Party. But he seems to have missed what the big splash was all about.
It wasn’t about Gessler sitting in a dunk tank.
The problem was Gessler’s decision to headline a Sept. 22 fundraiser to pay off a fine for Larimer Republicans’ campaign finance violations — a fine that his own office had levied. And it gets even stranger. The original fine was $48,700, but was reduced by Gessler’s office to $15,708.
Gessler’s solution to the perceived conflict is to make sure that the rest of us can’t see it. Larimer Republicans have canceled the dunk-a-thon but are now raising money by charging $20 a pop for people to come to a private house to hear Gessler deliver a speech. Presumably, he won’t be outfitted in a bathing suit, but it looks like he’s in the tank.
Buy the book. The Tattered Cover, Denver’s landmark bookstore, is celebrating 40 years of independent book-selling. Make no mistake, the bookstore has been more than just a retail outlet for Denver. It’s a cultural touchstone for many Denverites, who hold dear the place and its value.
We’ve not forgotten how the store’s owner, Joyce Meskis, went all the way to the Colorado Supreme Court to fight to keep law enforcement from snooping into the reading habits of her customers. And she has gone before the legislature to lobby for the freedom to display materials some might find risque.
As digital formats and chain bookstores make business more challenging for the Tattered Cover, we know we are not alone in wishing this venerable institution at least another 40 years of success.
What’s on the menu? It was hard last week to discern whether the Obama administration views its $447 billion American Jobs Act as a take-it-or-leave- it buffet with a single price tag or an exercise in a la carte frugality.
On Tuesday, White House officials went back and forth, offering that it wasn’t “an a la carte menu” and later saying that pieces might be passed individually. Finally, they said they would “challenge (Congress) to pass the whole bill.”
Having swallowed the “Satan sandwich” this summer, it will be interesting to see if Congress can stomach an all-you-can-eat package, orders up an appetizer or two, or passes on the menu altogether.
Short Takes is compiled by Denver Post editorial writers and expresses the view of the newspaper’s editorial board.
