Colorado has a new Junior Senator designee named Michael Bennet. As the news of this appointment broke, approximately 24 hours before the press conference in which the Governor made the announcement, the airwaves and newspaper blogs where filled with opinions ranging from illogically radical support to equally unthoughtful political doomsday prophesy.
I am in general a supporter of Governor Ritter, though as all politicians that I support he sometimes disappoints me. I am disappointed that since the Governor in his choice of Bennet, has demonstrated his ability to be independent did not appoint a non-Front Range person. As I stated in this post, for the interest of equal geographic (and by extension ideological) representation and political advantage ahead of a re-election campaign, the appointment of a political dark horse from the western slope or hero from the eastern plains would have been pretty practical.
I was prepared however to be disappointed. I realize that my dogged dedication to equal representation, particularly representation for those with whom I disagree is naive in the context of the political realities of an appointment. I further recognize that preventing the undue influence of urban Colorado on rural Colorado is a paranoid concern as a working majority of our leaders in Colorado recognize and celebrate the cultural and economic symbiosis of the various regions of our state. But I was prepared to be disappointed because I just assumed the Governor would have chosen a more predictable appointee. The bench is long with Colorado Democrats. Granted most are Front-Range but Speaker Romanoff, Mayor Hickenlooper, Congressman Perlumutter and former candidate Miles would have all been reasonable, expected and safe choices.
A friend of mine opined,(see paragraph 7) with which I agree, that the national party will take care of Colorado's junior senator. The challenge is how to rally the state party, which seemed to support Romanoff (unofficially), the progressive left who supported Miles (very officially) and build a coalition that not only elects Bennet but also re-elects Ritter in 2010. An interesting criticism on the appointment from the supporters of other people for the post was "he's not the people's choice". There was some objective and valid criticism of his record at Denver Public Schools, and that he's never held elected office, but the majority of critics were upset that he was not "their" choice.
Ok so he wasn't "your" choice. But unless you happen to be Governor Bill Ritter, it wasn't supposed to be your choice. This was an appointment, and it's over. Instead of hand-wringing over whether Bennet can keep the seat for the Democrats, or prematurely condemning him for positions he hasn't taken yet, let's give him the benefit of the doubt. Let's decide if he's a good Senator once he becomes a Senator. Further let's trust the people of the State of Colorado to determine if he should continue to represent us in 2 years. If democrats want to keep this seat, then we must help Mr. Bennet be a great Senator for Colorado, however as Americans, our first priority and first loyalty must be to sending the best representation for Colorado to Washington D.C.
This past election was about change, about a different style of Government. And the driving force behind that mindset was the people. Now without a hint of irony, the people are decrying our Governor for departure from the very business as usual politics we voted against. Would Michael Bennet have been my choice? No. But to hang the blame of loosing the Senate Seat and Governorship around the necks of Governor Ritter and Senator designee Bennet 2 years before the election is unfair. We have nearly 2 years, and in that time, not for the sake of my party, but for the sake of my State and my Country I intended to give both Our Governor and our full Delegation Including Congressman Lamborn (R CD5) and Congressman Coffman (R CD6) and Senator Bennet, my full support. Remember that fully supporting our leaders means paying attention and questioning them when we disagree. With that in mind, and in the context of the urgency of our nation's struggles, now is the time to rally together to heal our democracy's wounds. Let's give our Governor and our delegation the benefit of the doubt, the tools to work effectively on our behalf, and the ability to make their electoral success or failure a condition of their work.
Let's worry about partisan victories two years away, two years from now. Today let's focus on ensuring Colorado's delegation to Washington has the full support of her people. Let's today put Colorado and America first and worry about our party later.
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