Rubber Stamp Rick kicks off campaign

The Democrats have three strong challengers for Both Ways Bob Beauprez's now-vacant CD7 seat. Peggy Lamm. Ed Perlmutter. And Herb Rubenstein. The Republicans only have one candidate, Rick O'Donnell. And he can barely speak without stumbling.

O'Donnell officially kicked off his campaign yesterday, which is barely news since he's been campaigning and fundraising for months. The Rocky Mountain News reports that O'Donnell is trying to position himself as an outsider who will "work against corruption and the influence of special interests and 'set aside the tired, petty, nasty, stale partisanship that divides Washington.'"

This is ludicrous stuff. O'Donnell is the consumate GOP insider. His resume includes gigs as a "staffer for former U.S. Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and Gov. Bill Owens." And I've written before about O'Donnell's fondness for Dick Cheney.

All of the Democratic candidates took shots at O'Donnell. Maybe the best line belonged to Perlmutter, who said, "It's going to be Rubber Stamp Rick. It's going to be more of the same."

I don't know who coined the nickname Rubber Stamp Rick. But I like it.