By the time his campaign’s over, they’re going to need the jaws of life to extract Ken Buck’s foot from his mouth.
Buck is the Tea Party candidate running against establishment pick Jane Norton in Colorado’s Republican Senate primary. His latest gaffe is being caught on tape by a Democratic operative saying, “Will you tell those dumbasses at the Tea Party to stop asking questions about birth certificates while I’m on the camera?” according to The Denver Post. Without walking it completely back, Buck has already told the Post the language was inappropriate.
“But after 16 months of being on the campaign trail, I was tired and frustrated that I can’t get that message through that we are going to go off a cliff if we don’t start dealing with this debt,” Buck said, trying to explain himself.
As we mentioned in our rundown of Colorado Republicans’ many recent mishaps, Buck has had two other run-ins with recording devices in recent weeks. First, he was caught saying “I can’t believe that guy opened his mouth” after former Rep. Tom Tancredo called President Obama a greater threat to the country than Al Qaeda. Norton pounced, and eventually forced Buck to say he saw some “truth” in Tancredo’s words. Then, last week, video surfaced of Buck responding to a question at a campaign event asking why people should vote for him. His response: “Because I don’t wear high heels.” Must be a fun time to be part of Buck’s press team.
On the plus side for Buck, a Colorado Tea Party leader told the Post she didn’t think Buck’s latest choice quote would cost him votes.
Eric Lach
Eric Lach is a reporter for TPM. From 2010 to 2011, he was a news writer in charge of the website’s front page. He has previously written for The Daily, NewYorker.com, GlobalPost and other publications. He can be reached at ericl(at)talkingpointsmemo.com
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