Colorado & Denver News

by Raj Chohan
DENVER (CBS4) ― Reality Check is the name of a new set of special reports by CBS4 reporter Raj Chohan.

In the July 27 Reality Check, Chohan analyzed the Ed Perlmutter's attack ads against Peggy Lamm. See his full report in the video clip at right. His complete notes on the report lie below.

Reporter notes and sourcing:

The latest campaign ad by 7th Congressional district democratic candidate Ed Perlmutter is a garden variety attack ad so common before primaries and general elections. This one starts with Ed Perlmutter claiming ownership of the ad.

"I'M ED PERLMUTTER, CANDIDATE FOR CONGRESS, AND I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE."

The discordant, scary music starts, and so does the attack.

"PEGGY LAMM'S BEEN VICIOUSLY ATTACKING ED PERLMUTTER."

It's politically naive to think attack ads are not going to be part of the current political landscape. Candidates know these ads are effective, and can make all the difference in a close race. Are they "vicious" as the Perlmutter ad contends? In my opinion, they are unfortunately effective, but not vicious. Any hand wringing by candidates about attack ads, usually precedes the next attack, as is done here.

"PEGGY'S NOT WHO YOU THINK. SHE DOESN'T ACT LIKE A DEMOCRAT. OR A LAMM."

This refers to Peggy Lamm's history when she was in the state legislature of sometimes voting with republicans. The Perlmutter campaign says this claim comes from Lamm's support of republican "Governor Owens and the gun lobby". (source: Scott Chase, Perlmutter campaign, interview with Raj Chohan 7/26/06) More on this later. The Lamm camp calls this tendency in Peggy Lamm's legislative record, independence.(source: interview with Jim Merlino of Peggy Lamm's campaign).

As for the claim that Peggy Lamm doesn't act like a "Lamm", its not clear what this is supposed to imply. Peggy Lamm's campaign considers this an insulting insinuation that she is using the family name that she married into for political gain. Former Colorado Governor Dick Lamm has told me that he considers Peggy every bit a part of the family, despite her divorce after more than two decades of marriage to Tom Lamm. Dick Lamm also says Peggy's politically independent streak is something he loves about her. He also acknowledges that the family is not sure what the Perlmutter claim regarding "acting like a Lamm" is supposed to mean. (source: Raj Chohan interview with Dick Lamm, 7/27/06).

"IN THE LEGISLATURE, PEGGY CAVED INTO THE GUN LOBBY, AND VOTED TO ALLOW CONCEALED WEAPONS IN OUR SCHOOLS." (HB 95-1084 house journal march 30, 1995pp. 1069-70) (HB 96-1178 house journal march 11, 1996 pp. 845-6)"

Here there appears to be a mistake in the Perlmutter ad. HB 95-1084 would not have allowed concealed weapons inside schools. The bill was an overhaul of the state's concealed weapons permit process, including background checks, but it never passed into law. However, a year later a similar bill was introduced (HB 96-1178). This time it did not have a clause barring concealed weapons inside schools. The federal law at that time also had a gap, that would have allowed people with concealed weapons permits to bring their guns into schools. Thus, Perlmutter's ad is correct in that Peggy Lamm technically voted for a bill that would have allowed concealed weapons into schools. (source: Jim Merlino, Peggy Lamm campaign).

"AND COP KILLER BULLETS ON OUR STREETS." (HB 95-1263 Armor Piercing Bullets)

This claim is clearly misleading. Peggy Lamm did vote against a bill that would have made it a state crime for private citizens to sell and possess armor piercing bullets. She said the legislation was redundant, because federal law already banned the so called cop killer bullets.

"SHE OPENLY SUPPORTED REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR BILL OWENS"

This is a contentious claim. Lamm adamantly denies having supported Governor Bill Owens during his 2002 re-election campaign. She said she didn't give money to democrat Rollie Heath, but said she voted for him. Sean Tonner, who worked on Owen's 2002 campaign, said it was his understanding that Lamm did indeed support the governor. He says the campaign contacted hundreds of prominent democrats to secure their support for Owens in the 2002 election. The campaign sent out two press releases on democrats who had agreed to support or endorse the governor. Peggy Lamm's name was on both press releases, and Tonner says Lamm never asked to be removed from those lists (source:Raj Chohan interview with Sean Tonner 7/26/06). Furthermore, Rollie Heath (the democrat running for governor in 2002) says as far as he was concerned, Peggy Lamm supported Governor Owens. Heath said he had conversations with Lamm after the election in which she told him she supported him, but Heath still believes she supported Owens that year.(Source: Rollie Heath phone statement, made to CBS 4, 7/26/06).

Jody Hope Strogoff, of the Colorado Statesman, interviewed Peggy Lamm in 2002. Strogoff kept her notes, and insists Lamm supported Owens in 2002. In an interview conducted on 7/26/06, Strogoff told me Lamm's view was that Heath had no chance of winning, and that she liked some of Owens' policies, particularly on education.

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