Stay out.  Just stay out for a while.

Now, it looks as though the NRSC isn’t getting involved in our Senate primary after all.  At least not for now.  I spoke with Dick Wadhams yesterday and he said that he hadn’t seen any indications that the NRSC was getting ready to jump in.  They do usually coordinate this sort of thing with the state party chairman in question, and he hadn’t heard anything.  He repeated his adamant position that he isn’t taking sides, and that he trusts the process to sort out the best candidates for the party.

That said, it’s not as though the NRSC hasn’t pulled stunts like this in the past.  And to be sure, that Pennsylvania seat is the reason the Dems are still one vote shy of 60 in the Senate.  Oh, wait.  Never mind.  Well, it’d be even worse without Lincoln Chaffee up there in Rhode Island to..what’s that?  Wow.  Still, you have to admit, favored candidate Charlie Crist did himself some good today…then again.

There’s no secret that the NRSC, looking from a great distance, doesn’t have great confidence in the declared field thus far.  And there’s no secret that Jane Norton will be a dynamite fundraiser for herself, especially from out of state, leaving the NRSC free to deploy money elsewhere.

But the NRSC’s involvement most resembles the conservative theory of arms control: where it’s needed, it’s not effective, and where it’s effective, it’s not needed.  Mrs. Norton is far from a sure thing as a campaigner; she’s never won office on her own, becoming Lt. Governor as part of the Bill Owens steamroller in 2002.

I can’t actually endorse boycotts of Republican organizations, but it stuff like this, as well as rumors that the NRSC is trying to knock Pat Toomey off in a primary, that encourage Republicans to withhold their money from the NRSC.

And Hugh.  What’s with CD-4?  With the exception of a certain state house race with the credibility of the party at stake – we don’t forget our friends – you’ve not exactly had a sterling record in picking winners here.  I know you and Tom Lucero are friends, but Cory Gardner’s a fine candidate up there, and Congress is a logical step up for a state legislator.  Your involvement here is somewhat less problematic than the NRSC’s meddling, since you’re not part of the official party hierarchy, but I’m really not sure you’re making the right call up there, and in a situation with two credible candidate, shouldn’t this sort of thing be left to the citizens?

When I ran last year, it was often frustrating both for me and for party officials to have to keep their mouths shut about my primary.  But I emerged as a better candidate, and one with more credibility, for having won without the state party or the county party getting officially involved.   Now, as one of those party officials, I can tell you that having someone come in from out of state and bigfoot the people here on the ground doing the work is not only annoying, it’s insulting.

When we have a nominee or a clear front-runner, feel free to come on in.  But until then, how about letting Coloradoans sort out Colorado’s representation?