Following an April 2 Colorado Media Matters item about Newsradio 850 KOA host and Independence Institute president Jon Caldara's remark that an email disparaging charter school supporters sent by state Rep. Mike Merrifield (D-Manitou Springs) was “more embarrassing” than the sexually explicit electronic messages former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) sent to underage congressional pages, KBDI Channel 12's Colorado Inside Out regular panelist Dani Newsum named Caldara the “Disgrace of the Week.”

From the April 6 broadcast of KBDI Channel 12's Colorado Inside Out:

DOMINIC DEZZUTTI [executive producer/guest host]: We have shorter time than usual, so trim your “Disgrace of the Week.”

[...]

NEWSUM: [Independence Institute research director] Dave Kopel's boss, Jon Caldara, who seems to be losing brain cells with his hair, he was dissing Mike Merrifield and equating, or at least saying that his email, his email about charter school supporters was worse than Mark Foley's predatory behavior toward male pages. Please, give me a break.

As Colorado Media Matters noted, Caldara claimed during the March 29 broadcast of his show that Merrifield's email -- in which he said charter school supporters deserve “a special place in hell” -- was “more embarrassing” than the sexually explicit electronic communications Foley sent to underage congressional pages. “The difference is Mark Foley wanted to screw young boys. These people want to screw our children,” Caldara said of Merrifield and other legislators who hold similar positions on education issues.

The Rocky Mountain News reported March 31 that Merrifield apologized for the email and resigned his chairmanship of the House Education Committee.

The “Disgrace of the Week” is a weekly segment on Colorado Inside Out.