Campaigning or self-congratulation? You decide. (redux)

The recent e-mail messages sent to those who've signed up for Gov. Bill Ritter's e-newsletter seem innocuous enough:

"Read Ryan Lizza's New Yorker article, "The Code of the West," reads the subject line of one. (For those who haven't seen it, the piece is subtitled "What Barack Obama can learn from  Bill Ritter" and features Ritter drawn as a Wyatt Earp-style Western sheriff - star and all.)

"The Governor will be delivering brief remarks at the Democratic National Convention today at Invesco Field at Mile High between 4:30 and 5 p.m. If you can't tune in you can visit www.colorado.gov/governor after his speech to read the full text," reads another.

It's the type of back patting typical of politicians on both sides of the aisle. Because hey, if they don't do it, who will?

It's not the message, it's the medium - or rather, the combination of both, says one Republican rabble-rouser who charges that state resources are at work promoting the governor, who is up for re-election in 2010.

State Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Yuma, points out that the notes sent from a state e-mail address veer away from "keeping up with the governor" and into the type of self-promotion some might call campaigning.

And in Colorado, no state resources can be used in that way.

"Ridiculous!" says Ritter spokesman Evan Dreyer.

"Cory and others have no problem utilizing state resources to criticize the governor," Dreyer said. "So what's the issue with the governor using primarily e-mail to notify the public about news stories and other items that are informative and helpful?"

Judge for yourself: A link to another questionable newsletter article is here. And the two e-mails follow in their entirity.

*****

E-mail 1 (addresses modified by Post)

From: Gov. Ritter [mailto:gov.ritter-eNews(at)state.co.us]
Sent: Thursday, August 28, 2008 11:02 AM
To: (Gardner's personal e-mail address)
Subject: Gov. Ritter's Speech at the 2008 DNC

Greetings,

The Governor will be delivering brief remarks at the Democratic National Convention today at Invesco Field at Mile High between 4:30 and 5 p.m. If you can't tune in you can visit www.colorado.gov/governor after his speech to read the full text.

*****

E-mail 2 (same deal)

From: Gov. Ritter [mailto:gov.ritter-eNews(at)state.co.us]
Sent: Friday, August 22, 2008 4:02 PM
To: (Gardner's personal e-mail address)

Subject: Read Ryan Lizza's New Yorker article, "The Code of the West."

The Code Of The West
What Barack Obama can learn from Bill Ritter.

"Governor Ritter's Colorado offers a glimpse of what may be the Democratic future.

One day in early August, Bill Ritter, Jr., the governor of Colorado, met with Steve Feld, a professional filmmaker, to work on the video that will welcome delegates to the Democratic National Convention-and present Colorado to the rest of the country. Feld, whose television credits include "The New Lassie" and "America's Funniest People," steered the Governor toward a conference room on the seventeenth floor of a downtown building and clipped a microphone to his lapel. The backdrop for the shoot, visible through a window, was the city of Denver-bristling with construction cranes and skyscrapers for high-tech companies like Qwest Communications-and, in the distance, the Rockies."

Click here to read what else Ryan Lizza of the New Yorker had to say about Governor Ritter and the future of the Democratic Party as it relates to the West in his September 1st article.

Feel free to forward this to friends, family and colleagues, and encourage them to sign up for Gov. Ritter's eNewsletter by clicking here.

Thanks!

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