Colorado Republicans were on the upswing after the recall elections, but two words describe the party’s lingering divisions: fried chicken.
The food item was launched into national prominence a few weeks ago when Republican state Sen. Vicki Marble stereotyped the eating habits of the “black race” and Mexicans during a committee meeting about poverty.
Her comments were widely criticized as racist, including by Democratic Rep. Rhonda Fields, who is black. The Denver Post called Marble’s comments “idiotic” and “finger-lickin’ stupid” in two different editorials.
The controversy was revived when, during the next meeting of the same committee, Republican Rep. Lori Saine showed up with a box of Popeyes fried chicken that she delivered to Marble, reportedly telling her it was in “silent protest” of the uproar around her earlier comments.
“Maybe someone at Colorado Republican headquarters needs to get the word out to any other slow-to-learn GOP lawmakers that behavior with potentially racist overtones isn’t funny and doesn’t exactly help win over voters,” the Post wrote after Saine’s stunt.
State GOP chairman Ryan Call joined others in condemning the two (although he also criticized Fields for blowing the initial comments out of proportion).
But that doesn’t sit well with some Republicans, who feel that Call should have supported Marble and Saine.
Some planned to protest Call’s comments at a central committee meeting to be held on Saturday by encouraging people to show up with boxes of fried chicken, according to an email first obtained by the Post.
“Everybody needs to bring chicken with them to the meeting in support of Senator Vicki Marble and Rep. Lori Saine,” read the email, which was also obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation. “Get the chicken the night before and bring it with you in the box so the protest is obvious.”
The email came from an account belonging to party secretary Lana Fore-Warkocz, but was signed “Jen” and contained a phone number for an Adams County Republican Party official.
The email contained a litany of other complaints against state leadership, such as a warning that Call was going to “ram” through a plan to change the state caucus system, even though it can only be changed by the state legislature or citizen initiative. The memo also called for support for one of Call’s political opponents to be elected as vice chairman, one of the items to be decided on Saturday.
The idea to bring chicken as a symbol of protest may have originated with Ken Clark, host of a conservative radio show, but he told the Post that he couldn’t remember if he generated the idea or not.
“I get awful tired of Ryan Call throwing good, hard working Republicans under the bus,” he told the newspaper. “I think he’s a squish, a jellyfish. He’s got no backbone.”
Call said the planned protest was “unfortunate.”
“Conservatives in Colorado just won two key races in Democratic strongholds by working together,” Call told the Post. “It is unfortunate that a few individuals are working to create division and undermine our Party and Republican candidates instead of uniting to win in 2014.”
Dick Wadhams, who was the GOP chairman during the 2010 election that saw the party implode from infighting that eased the way for a John Hickenlooper victory, said he’s “perplexed” by the disunity shown by some Republicans.
“I am terribly perplexed by some in the Colorado Republican Party who seem incapable of grasping the bigger picture of winning elections in Colorado,” he told the Daily Caller News Foundation, “and their apparent obsession with creating these bizarre controversies like the chicken incident. And then trying to propagate even more controversy by showing up at a Republican State Central Committee meeting with chicken to revive the issue.”
“It’s one thing to have disagreements with the state party chairman,” he continued, “but a lot of what’s in that memo was just flat-out crazy.”
In the end, managers at the hotel where the meeting is to take place may have spared the party more embarrassment over the chicken flap.
According the Post: “The hotel has reminded the state party that no outside food is allowed. The party earlier contracted with the hotel to provide ‘breakfast snacks and beverages.’”
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.