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by Paul Kashmann
The contest for the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate from the great
state of Colorado is deadlocked as far as presidential votes are
concerned. Barack Obama has indicated his preference for the incumbent,
Michael Bennet,
while Bill Clinton has given his endorsement to Andrew Romanoff.
Ignore them both. Mr. President Today is backing his guy because
his
guy backed him in 2008, and Mr. President Yesterday is backing his guy
because his guy backed his wife in the same election.
As a registered Democrat, my vote will go to Andrew Romanoff, not on
the grounds of, “What favors have you done for me lately?” but based
on, “What have you done over the course of your political career serving
the interests of the citizens of Colorado, and what can I expect in the
future?”
Mr. Romanoff acted steadfastly in the interests of Western Slope
ranchers, Front Range urbanites and the farmers on the eastern plains
during his eight years of service in the Colorado House of
Representatives. In his time as Speaker of the House, Romanoff – an
unapologetic Democrat – made successful efforts to reach across party
lines and craft alliances to benefit all Coloradans. He has worked in
and for all 63 Colorado counties, and understands their complex and at
times competing needs, and that a government works best when the
ultimate solution is a blend of the best ideas all sides have to
contribute.
And Michael Bennet? A hardworking man as well. And, as I’ve said
here before, a good man. Following a six-year stint as a corporate
reorganization specialist for billionaire Philip Anschutz, and two years
as chief of staff for Mayor John Hickenlooper, Bennet was selected as
superintendent of Denver Public Schools in June 2005. He was doing an
admirable job piloting the turn-around of that all-important agency
when, in late 2008, Governor Bill Ritter stunned the Colorado political
community by stripping Bennet from an important job he was doing well
and choosing him over Romanoff and other experienced Colorado
politicians to replace U.S. Senator Ken Salazar who Obama chose to serve
as Secretary of the Interior.
Ritter, I believe, to quote a good friend, simply “big-brained” a
simple decision. He chose the wrong guy.
I stated a few months back that this is a unique position in
which I
find myself. For 32 years The Profile has declined the opportunity to
endorse candidates based on the theory that it is up to you to get off
your keister, investigate the options that lie before you and hitch
yourself to whatever wagon you feel will pull hardest in the direction
you want to go.
But, having watched Romanoff from the earliest days of his career, I
think he is uniquely qualified for the post he is seeking. While I
believe he will serve all Coloradans with equal fervor, I feel his heart
is with the common person, and those who need a leg up to stand on
solid ground. Trained as an attorney, I believe he was born to be a
public servant. And I believe his vision is clear and his potential is
without limit.
We find ourselves in difficult times, when Americans are crying out
for politicians who will set aside personal agenda in favor of the
greater good. With that in mind, I am proud to support Andrew Romanoff
for the U.S. Senate.
Bob Kinsey is running for the same seat, for the Green Party,
although he is not in a primary race, and so is not on the August
ballot. While my vote will be cast as indicated above, I am increasingly
interested in viable third party options, and Green is a direction I
lean toward bynature.
My chat with Kinsey (see page 8) was quite refreshing. It is my
experience that major party politicians are so afraid of alienating
potential voters that they operate with an internal governor that clears
each word before it passes their lips, giving a slightly vanilla taste
to everything that comes out.
Not so with Bob Kinsey. It is quite clear that what he says is not
only what he believes, but what he feels, and to hell with anyone that
might offend. You get the full palette from this would-be politician.
Not that this is an offensive man. Quite the contrary. He is an
ex-Marine with a degree in World History from Dart-
mouth, a Master’s Degree in Guidance and Counseling from CSU and a
second Masters in Divinity from Chicago Theological Seminary. Simply a
thoughtful man, not afraid to share those thoughts with others
regardless of benefit or consequence.
Can you imagine Barack Obama having the courage to say, “I guess I
am a kind of socialist,” as Kinsey shared with me? For heaven’s sake, we
live in community on Planet Earth. We pay taxes to support all manner
of social programs. I hate to tell you, folks, but unless you live in
the U.S. of Bill, or Barb, or Sally or Sam, and are fully self
supporting, declining outside contributions, and do not avail yourself
of trash pickup or city water, and are prepared to fight your own battle
should Al Qaeda come to town, you’re a bit of a socialist as well.
If you haven’t had a look at Mr. Kinsey or the Green Party, I’d
suggest it’s worth your time to do so. If that doesn’t float your boat,
keep looking. I think it’s time we had more colors to consider than red
or blue.
Finally, I’d like to see someone take the bull by the horns and
provide the public with answers as to why birds are dying in City Park’s
Duck Lake (see page 1), and what can be done to reverse that trend.
Enough conjecture, enough anecdotal surmising, please, just the facts.
Every agency I contacted – Denver Parks, Denver Zoo, Colorado Division
of Wildlife, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service – spoke of “shared
responsibility” – but nobody is stepping up to guide the ship.
The data is out there, even if it is in disparate shape at the present
time. Pull the facts together on when
birds started dying and in what numbers, release the studies that might
shed light on what is causing these deaths. If more info is needed, then get it. Geez.
Have a good month of independence. See you next time.
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