Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Partisan President Kyle Fisk resigns CCM

Kyle Fisk, widely viewed by a growing group of CCM members as "In the Tank for Crank" to such a degree that he would jeopardize the CCM goal of building a conservative majority by scheduling a divisive debate not wanted or agreed to by all campaigns in a Republican primary just to advance his guy Jeff Crank "a never before elected challenger" to current incumbent congressman Doug Lamborn, got their proof of Kyles priorities today.

From: Kyle Fisk <kyle.fisk@gmail.com>Date: Tue, Aug 5, 2008 at 1:17 AM
Subject: OPEN LETTER - Kyle Fisk CCM ResignationTo: Kyle Fisk <kyle.fisk@gmail.com>

Attached and copied below. Permission is hereby granted to reproduce, quote from, or forward along to interested parties the contents of this email.

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE CONSERVATIVES OF THE 5th CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

Re: Resignation of Kyle Fisk as President of the Coalition for a Conservative Majority, Colorado Springs ChapterMonday, August 4, 2008 10:00 PMAt this evening's membership meeting I submitted my resignation as President of Coalition for a Conservative Majority-Colorado Springs effective immediately. I firmly believed that an organization of this type had tremendous possibility. Due to campaign finance laws, limited resources, and a focus on electing candidates, political parties can only do so much to advance the conservative debate.

Third-party groups like CCM have an invaluable role in bringing today's key issues to the forefront of the public discourse.However, I will not stand idly by as this organization engages in partisan and biased politics. It is the right of the electorate in our community to be fully aware of what happens behind closed doors during this primary election season. CCM-National vetoed our plans to hold a "Conversation with the Candidates" event at our August membership meeting. They canceled our event because not all three candidates would confirm their participation in the event. Initially claiming that a 501c4 could not host this type of event, they retracted this position when confronted with the facts concerning 501c4 activities in Colorado.The position of CCM-National in this case is unconscionable. They claim that having a public forum with candidates in this primary would constitute a perception of support for Jeff Crank and Bentley Rayburn, the challengers in this race. Their reasoning is that Doug Lamborn has publicly stated his unwillingness to debate and therefore any open forum is thereby biased against him in favor of his opponents. This logic is terribly flawed. Doug Lamborn does not have the right to dictate anything to CCM-Colorado Springs. It is Congressman Lamborn's prerogative not to attend our event. However, it was equally our prerogative to hold an event and I am extremely disappointed that we were forbidden to hold any townhall meeting.Chris Perkins, the Executive Director of CCM in Washington, DC, expressly forbade our group from moving forward with our plans. CCM-National decided instead to protect the incumbent in this race and deny the voters a chance to have their questions answered.

By adopting this position, CCM-National placed the local chapter of CCM in an untenable position. By forcing us to cancel our plans once invitations had been sent to all three campaigns, canceling the event actually creates the perception that we are supporting the incumbent and shielding him from an open conversation with the voters, as well as denying his opponents the freedom to speak, simply because he declines to join them.Our State Chairman Bob Beauprez, along with a majority of the CCM-Colorado Springs officers, supported the effort to host a neutral, fair, balanced townhall meeting of the candidates to discuss the issues. Among our officers we have supporters of all three Republican candidates in the 5th CD. Our membership is composed of supporters from all three campaigns. This was not to be a partisan event. We are a community group that wanted to talk about the issues.To be forbidden by the national staff to proceed with these plans is preposterous. We would not have been violating any laws, we would not in any way have been compromising our 501c4 tax status, and we would not have been playing favorites. These rather ludicrous claims disguise what I can only assume is the deeper motivation of Tom DeLay and CCM-National to protect Doug Lamborn and deny his opponents the opportunity to be heard.CCM-Colorado Springs should be a place that welcomes open, respectful, and sincere dialogue about the issues. Under my administration, we did everything possible to accommodate Congressman Lamborn and his conditions for a public forum. In fact, we were prepared to cancel tonight's activities in lieu of a forum on Friday, August 8th, which Lamborn's campaign manager had requested. However, when pressed for a commitment, the Doug Lamborn campaign rapidly retreated and stated their intention not to attend any candidate townhall meting under any circumstance.Doug Lamborn has the right to remain silent, but his opponents should not be forced to live by that code.

Candidates who wish to speak at our events should be allowed to do so, regardless of whether the opponents accept our invitations to join them. Otherwise we renounce personal responsibility and freedom of opportunity, pillars without which our republic cannot stand.Tom DeLay and CCM-National is, in my opinion, protecting Doug Lamborn. CCM-Colorado Springs, a supposedly neutral third-party group, has crossed a very dangerous line. I can not remain part of an organization that elevates the preferences of any candidate or elected official above the good of our local chapter. Therefore, I must tender my resignation.I look forward to serving with conservative activists throughout our community on these critical issues through other venues and organizations.

Respectfully,Kyle FiskFormer President of CCM-Colorado Springs

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