Audio By Carbonatix
Adam Frisch, the Democratic former Aspen city councilman who last November only barely missed beating incumbent Lauren Boebert for the Colorado District 3 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, has a message for both Colorado voters and Boebert herself: I AM RUNNING.
In a Valentine’s Day tweet, Frisch announced his intent to unseat Boebert in 2024 and “restore dignity” to the representation of that part of the state.
I. AM. RUNNING.
You heard it here first! I am officially launching my campaign to unseat Lauren Boebert and restore dignity to #CO03 representation.
We lost by a mere 546 votes in '22 – the closest race in the country – and know we can make that up in '24. pic.twitter.com/LqxO43l9f8
— Adam Frisch for CD-3 (@AdamForColorado) February 14, 2023
His reasoning? “We lost by a mere 546 votes in ’22 – the closest race in the country,” tweeted Frisch, “and know we can make that up in ’24.”
When Frisch announced his first run at Boebert, the incumbent’s position in the gerrymandered CD3 seemed relatively safe. But those assumptions proved wildly incorrect, as more disgruntled CD3 voters turned out in hopes of relieving Colorado of its gun-obsessed, policy-poor, spotlight-sucking embarrassment in the House. With this second bite at the governmental apple, Frisch’s campaign is bound to get more funding from both party and people, more respect for its chances, and a heck of a lot more attention.
In other words: Lauren Boebert just got put on notice.
In the interests of Frisch running the best campaign he can in the national eye that’s certain to turn to him, we thought we’d offer up some tips on running effectively against Lauren Boebert.
Debate. Debate. Debate.
Lauren Boebert cannot debate rationally. She proved this last year in her first appearance against primary challenger Don Coram. Despite a “no hitting below the belt” rule, Boebert closed out her argument against Coram by accusing him (like all foes of the MAGA right) of “grooming children.” Despite a rule against the use of notes, she was rifling through piles of them like a kid who didn’t study for the science test because, duh, science isn’t real, and it’s open-note anyway, nerds. And so on. Coram couldn’t cut through the Boebert bullshit because he didn’t have a loud enough megaphone. Mr. Frisch: You will.
And Debate More Than Once
There was only one Boebert-Frisch debate in the last election, on September 15. And again, it got little play in the media, and even less from voters. One of the few positives that can be said about Lauren Boebert is that she sometimes knows her limitations. She knows full well that educated discourse is not her strong suit. She does much better with race-baiting jingoism. She’ll resist the idea to debate more than once, Mr. Frisch, but you’ll want every occasion to make the news, and to do so specifically dismantling her performance in both terms in office.
If She Offers You a Pork BBQ Slider, Don’t Eat It
Shooters Grill might have been forcibly shuttered because the property owner finally couldn’t take his conscience nagging at him because he was providing space for Boebert and her particular brand of gun-love and democracy-hate. But she probably remembers how to make a sandwich that looks edible but will in fact poison people.
Focus on Fundraising
Yeah, this probably goes without saying, but any candidate in current American politics has to play the broken game that exists. In 2022, Boebert outraised Frisch by almost five to one, largely because of dark money and the even darker philosophies of her small-money donors who just want to see the non-white-non-Christian world burn. Greater support from the DNC will no doubt help fill Frisch’s coffers, but that won’t be enough. Take a cue from Senator John Hickenlooper: Weirdness has an appeal. Maybe not Alex-Walker-shitstorm-weird, but still.
The Boeberts have your six, @RepThomasMassie!
(No spare ammo for you, though) pic.twitter.com/EnDYuXaHDF
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) December 8, 2021
Challenge Her on Guns
Boebert thinks this is her strength, her slavish devotion to the 2nd Amendment and its unfathomably strict reading such that the clear epidemic of gun-related violence in America is somehow impertinent to any conversation about firearm regulation. She was relying on her constituency to buoy her in the 2022 race for that reason alone – but many voters turned out to say, no, it’s not all about guns. Boebert, who heretofore has made her whole political persona about guns, will have no answer to rational gun reform other than to say “nuh-uh” and yell things that simultaneously misrepresent and idolize the Founding Fathers. Boebert has gone so far to the MAGA right on guns that she’s vulnerable – even on this.
Enumerate Clearly Her Many Ethical and Legal Violations
Boebert is a student of Donald Trump’s in most things, and one of the lessons she’s taken to heart is the strategy of blinding everyone with bullshit, and in volumes of such degree that it’s impossible to even remark on them all, let alone deal with them issue by issue. But Boebert is still just a student; she’s not as practiced at it. So make the list of her transgressions easily accessed and kept current. From overpaying herself for mileage to her failing to disclose her husband’s “energy consulting” to the misuse of campaign funds to pay personal business bills: It’s all there, these and much more, just waiting to be made available to voters.
Don’t Go Bowling With Her Husband
And if he starts talking about wanting to show you his tattoo? Run.
Forget the Personal Attacks
Sure, there’s some question about whether or not she was ever involved in sugar-daddy-like prostitution. Yes, she was a wannabe internet model. No, she’s not well educated. Or well spoken. Or good at things like spelling and articulating a rational position on important issues facing the country. But really, Mr. Frisch, you don’t need to focus on any of those things, because the important stuff will become self-evident, and what’s not really pertinent will fall away as it should. She won’t take this advice, mind you, so expect to see all sorts of vituperative and baseless accusations coming your way. But there are so many reasons to dislike Boebert’s performance in office on real and specific issues that you won’t really need to indulge in any ad hominem activity.
We just reintroduced HR 899 to improve education in 🇺🇸.
The bill is one sentence:
“The Department of Education shall terminate on December 31, 2022.”
sponsors@RepAndyBiggsAZ@RepBoebert@RepTimBurchett@RepJeffDuncan@RepMattGaetz@CongressmanHice@RepRalphNorman@RepChipRoy
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) February 8, 2021
But Hold Her to Her Malicious, Ridiculous Record
Boebert is making this so easy it’s dumb. Her ELON act last week was a good example of the ineffective and eye-rolling way she behaves as a representative: pointless, performative and pernicious. And it’s not just the legislation onto which she puts her name; make sure to mention all the batshit crazy and downright un-American stuff she embraces. In 2021, she signed on to a bill that would do away with the Department of Education. And just this week, she was a co-sponsor of Florida Representative Matt Gaetz’s bill to stop funding Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. Again, make a list of all the fundamentally stupid and/or deliberately destructive proposals she’s suggested and supported. And then make another that lists all the bills she’s opposed that passed anyway – and have benefited the American public. They’re both going to be long lists.
Stay Classy
America wants to respect its leadership again, and respect is the one thing that far-right MAGA money can’t buy. You’re right to kick off your campaign with a stated intent to restore dignity to the office. To do that, Colorado is obviously going to have to restore Lauren Boebert to the ranks of the unemployed.
