The latest ruckus at the Colorado State House involving Dist. 60 Representative Ron Hanks (R-Cañon City) surrounds some decidedly un-statesman-like name-calling and an outright threat. Only this time he wasn’t referring to a Democrat.
Hanks allegedly threatened violence against House Republican leader Hugh McKean of Loveland during a late-night strategy session, say witnesses. Multiple sources reported that they overheard Hanks tell McKean he would “break your neck.” Hanks has not apologized.
Dist. 60 Representative Ron Hanks attended the Jan. 6 Trump events in D.C. prior to being sworn in. While he initially said he did not go to the U.S.Capitol, several days later he changed his story. Image courtesy of Hanks’ website.
It was a tense evening. Republicans had staged a nearly nine-hour filibuster over House Bill 1312. The bill would raise the exemption limit for business personal property taxes and pay for it by increasing taxes on insurers, oil and gas companies, and the coal industry.
Several eyewitnesses told Colorado Politics that it happened after a late caucus meeting where they decided to end the filibuster. Hanks wanted to keep the filibuster going.
Not only has Hanks not apologized, but according to Hanks, he didn’t do anything wrong. In fact, now he’s blaming “the lying media.”
This week he put out an eblast to his Republican supporters that began with this:
“If the lies peddled by lying media and yellow journalists about me were true, I’d call for my own resignation. Very little of what they say is even close to the mark, and their effort is simply aimed to tarnish the conservatives of the party, and any Republican when possible.
Leftist propaganda and inaccurate, single-source, circular reporting is about all we have in the Colorado Capitol. It is actually much worse than it may appear, and it is dangerous to public safety and damaging to relations and policy.
The stories from the low energy, hard-left press in the state capitol and the local echo chambers repeating it have misinformed you I am a seditionist, made lynching jokes, and threatened to “kill” the minority leader when he was about to sign on to another bad deal worked out with the majority party.
Actually, media did not report on the bad deal Republicans were about to take. Too bad, because that is the only portion of the paragraph above that is factual.”
Hanks didn’t end that missive there. He went on to say that “it is accurate to say I was part of a revolt against that bad deal”, and did finally say that “I meant no disrespect to our current Minority Leader, Hugh McKean, and by Saturday night we were in the back of the chamber, talking about hunting, firearms and ammo reloading. We laughed about Friday night’s disagreement and shook hands. I believe we are fine.” He went on to reference their relationship as “like two old toads wallowing on a green rug”.
But he ended his lengthy e-blast by reminding readers that he went to the Trump Rally in D.C. on Jan 6; he went to the Capitol, and reminded readers that he is fighting hard for the people of House District 60, rural Colorado, and ALL Coloradans that value LIBERTY.” (emphasis his)
He blamed news media for lying about him and distorting situations, but he also pointed out that without a contrast of positions, citizens’ field of view is narrowed. Which is true. He ended by saying that “Modern media seems scarcely interested in the truth, and when provided, often will not include any of it, or will slant what they will to fit their narrative.”
For the record: Hanks has been in the Colorado House only a few months, and the details of policy-making may not be in his wheelhouse yet. But Hanks’ attack on the media appears to be part of a pattern; both his personal pattern and a pattern that began with the former president, to blame anything and everything else for the issues that might arise, on news media.
It is the news media’s job to witness and report timely, fairly, accurately, and in an unbiased manner on stories the public has a right to know. Reporting a piece of news does not mean that we agree with it; if it is true we report it.
With that — Ark Valley Voice welcomes Hanks to come to Chaffee County and sit down and talk with us. Which is directly in line with our mission that “Truth has a voice.”
Is being a conspiracy-fueled, violence-prone goofball a requirement to get elected as a Republican these days?
If someone wants to run for office as a republican, how large and ostentatious does their American flag need to be in order to win over republican voters?
Asking for a friend.
This clown needs to be censured and voted out.