With apologies to fans of the iconic TV series As the World Turns, I realized today during our morning radio show that the drama unfolding around recently-elected Colorado Republican Party Chairman Steve House has all the elements of a daytime soap opera: melodramatic, tragic, morbidly humorous, shattered hopes and the capacity to last a long, long time.After the show, I reconsidered the thought processes that led me to support Steve’s candidacy for chairman. He is brilliant, articulate and persuasive. His history of success, leadership and organization building, a commitment to constitutionally limited government and local control, and his calling to serve for the benefit of liberty and the Republican Party, all self-described, were most appealing. And he was the only game in town. No one else rose to the challenge of defying history by defeating an incumbent state chair. Steve said he was ready to go to work, and he did.

I will never regret participating in the movement to replace former Chairman Ryan Call. He exemplifies what I dislike most about Establishment Republican politics. Even though, in prior interviews, I had always treated him with friendship and respect, he broke several explicit promises to come on our radio show. He was disinterested in and disingenuous toward the liberty activists working and pushing for a seat at the table. Since his defeat, when Ryan sees me to this day, he looks the other way. Shortly after the party leadership shuffle, Ryan literally walked past me as I was standing on the same downtown sidewalk. He turned his head to the right as he passed while I stood to his left.

Last Monday, Ryan tweeted a comment about Steve’s resignation text to Attorney General Cynthia Coffman and the subsequent social media firestorm. He said: “Well, that didn’t take long.” This is not his first Twitter snark towards those on his right. In May, Call wrote about U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and Rand Paul: “Cruz&Paul: Washington is broken. Americans: But you’re US Senators and in the majority. C&P: Shut up. Because, Liberty. Americans: *sigh*” and “Cruz&Paul: We hate government. Americans: But you’re running for President. C&P: Shut up. Because, The Constitution. Americans: *sigh*”

These public rebuffs and expressions exemplify a selfishness and a pettiness unbecoming one seeking to be, or rewarded by having been, a major elected leader under the Big Tent (as opposed to, oh, a talk show host!).

Still, in spite of elation over the change in leadership, it has become clear as we approach the proverbial first hundred days, that Steve is not the man to unite the state party and boldly grasp the future. Steve made express promises about the team he would build in exchange for the vocal and active support of skeptical but influential Liberty leaders. He has come down on both sides of issues, including gun magazine limits and whether Colorado should hold a presidential primary. These early missteps or reversals could be chalked up to not initially understanding all the dynamics in play as state chair and, perhaps, to changing opinions or priorities as he settled into his new dynamic role.

Unfortunately, Steve’s handling of the recent effort by Cynthia Coffman, Pueblo County GOP Chair Becky Mizel and former Congressman Tom Tancredo to privately meet and encourage him to resign cannot be explained away. These three people, especially the attorney general, were perhaps the most influential supporters of his campaign. For the AG, who received the most votes of all 2014 statewide candidates, her advocacy and support came at significant political risk. She stood alone among the other major elected Republican officials, who either stayed silent or campaigned for Ryan Call. The initial response by his team to Steve reconsidering his resignation — admittedly, perhaps drafted in haste due to the breaking story — said “[t]hese false rumors are coming from the same people who continually try to bring down the party for their own gain, year after year.”

And then, Steve himself doubled down, saying “there are some who are more concerned with their own personal gain than doing what is best for our Party as a whole. These are the same exact people who fought against past chairmen, and they are going to try to take out the next chair as well.” He publicly characterized this private meeting as one where there was anger that he didn’t appoint one person to one position coupled together with a threat to sue and to spread rumors of his infidelity. He said last night at a Liberty Libations event I attended that, in essence, these things sometimes happen in politics. “These things” involve people with, personally and professionally, much to lose and little to gain, people who would not make bold demands over petty grievances and, of greatest significance, people who were his most influential public supporters. People I admire. People I trust.

The Republican Party has survived much worse. The Liberty Movement grows stronger, nationwide. There are big fish to fry in 2016 and much to do beforehand. Steve House can end this potential serial drama with a true act of leadership, his final one as state party chair. I encourage him to step down. Soon.

Attorney Randy B. Corporon chairs the Arapahoe County Tea Party and hosts the “Wake Up with Randy Corporon” radio show 5-8 a.m. weekdays on KLZ AM-560.