August 01, 2010 09:51 PM UTC

Why Michael Bennet Should Be Elected

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• by: botw

(I favor the approach of ‘why candidate x should be elected’ over why an opponent should not be.  I’ll front page similar diaries regarding other candidates.   – promoted by ClubTwitty)

Since we are clearly in the silly season of the campaign, it seems as important a time as any to revisit what we are each for and not just what we are against.

The single biggest reason that Michael Bennet should be elected is because he is extraordinarily smart and thoughtful in the way he approaches public policy. Any objective person who listens to Michael Bennet speak or answer questions understands he is highly capable and thoughtful about difficult problems and he is interested in solutions. You may agree with him on an issue, or not, but you will quickly see firsthand that he is likely the smartest person in the room and he is extraordinarily thoughtful about difficult public policy issues. In this way, like President Obama, he is a welcome antidote to cable news on both sides, to a typical politician’s method of communicating and governing in slogans, and to politics as a contact sport.

This intelligence – and the care with which Michael Bennet thinks about and approaches difficult problems – set him apart from every other Colorado candidate I have ever seen at any level of government. Governor Ritter has cited Bennet’s intelligence, care and thoughtfulness as a reason for his appointment. They are undoubtedly among the things that led Mayor Hickenlooper to choose him as Chief of Staff and President Obama to put him among the top couple of candidates for Secretary of Education. Smart people don’t appoint you to important posts without a good reason; the one overriding thing that so many of us see in Michael Bennet is his high intelligence, his refreshing thoughtfulness about issues, and the care with which he speaks to those who share his views and those who do not. With every statement of a policy position and every answer to any question, he shows care and attention to detail and is unafraid of nuance. He is the kind of person Colorado should want representing us at a critical time. This is the biggest reason I’m for Michael Bennet.

I am also for Michael Bennet because he has a unique combination of experiences that inform the way he approaches public policy. There is simply no other person in the U.S. Senate with the range of experiences Michael has had: significant business and financial experience, significant experience in the federal government working for the Clinton Attorney General’s office, significant experience as Chief of Staff running and cleaning up the finances of a major American city, significant experience as Superintendent of a large urban school district, and significant experience as a husband and father of three little girls, among other things. He brings all of these experiences to bear on the important problems we face. The choices he has made in his life, the range of experiences he has had, and the challenges he has taken on say something important about him. His choice of a mate – a highly skilled environmental lawyer and extraordinary mother, among other things – say something about Michael as well. His smart, spunky, independent three girls also say something special about him, and he often explains how his experiences raising them inform his views about public policy.  This range of experiences in the public and private sector speak well of Michael Bennet, his skill in navigating complex issues, and his ability to solve problems

I am also for Michael Bennet because he has represented us extraordinarily well in Colorado. He has served as a Senator in ways that truly represent our state, from health care reform (including unwavering, longstanding support for the public option), credit card reform, financial re-regulation, the Fry-Ark water project for Southeastern Colorado, Troops to Teachers and other education initiatives, supporting small businesses in Colorado, standing up for responsible natural gas development, standing up for seniors with the COLA increase, and thinking deeply and thoughtfully about how to approach the deficit. He has been a reliable vote for an Obama agenda for which Democrats in Colorado and around the country voted. But he has not been slavish in that support, nor has he shied away from voting against the wishes of the Administration or the leaders of his party when his conscience or his duty to Coloradoans has dictated otherwise. He has also taken on and proposed to reform entrenched, dysfunctional rules of the U.S. Senate.

Even though he has only been in office for 18 months, Michael Bennet’s skill and abilities are already getting noticed by people Colorado Democrats admire and support: President Obama, Secretary Salazar, Senator Udall, every single Colorado Democrat in the U.S. House, and Governor Ritter, and many others. They are also getting noticed by Senate leaders and peers who have put a junior, Senator in highly-important committee positions that have benefited and will continue to benefit Coloradoans. These are not idle or meaningless endorsements of Michael Bennet’s abilities. They affirm that Michael Bennet is the right person and has the ability to represent our state skillfully and well, to the significant benefit of Colorado and its citizens.

I support Michael Bennet because he is the kind of person we should all want representing us and he has proven that he is and always will be a public servant in whom we can be proud.