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December 19, 2008 05:15 PM UTC

I'm Mike Miles, Dammit!

  • 63 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

As the Rocky Mountain News dutifully reports:

Supporters of former U.S. Senate candidate Mike Miles say he was ahead of his time.

His campaign slogan in 2004 was “Be the Change.” He opposed the Iraq War and championed universal health care.

Although Miles edged rival Ken Salazar at the state Democratic convention in 2004 for top line position on the ballot, he lost to Salazar in the primary.

Now Miles would like Gov. Bill Ritter to appoint him to the Senate seat he once sought, but so far he’s gotten little attention.

Oh look, he just got some. Now go away.

It’s amazing that, four years later, Miles still holds onto this misplaced sense of entitlement. Reading the article above, he sounds like a guy who just can’t believe that he isn’t mentioned in the same breath as people who, you know, have actually gotten elected. But he deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Ed Perlmutter and John Hickenlooper and Andrew Romanoff, because…well…because he does.

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63 thoughts on “I’m Mike Miles, Dammit!”

  1. He was destroyed by Salazar 73%-27%.  And his followers didn’t take that defeat gracefully.

    He has been out of view as far as state politics go for so long that I doubt any of us here even connected his name with this appointment until he and his acolytes started making noise.  I was reminded by a letter to this weeks CS Independent:

    http://www.csindy.com/gyrobase…

    Forget it Mike, you don’t have the political juice to get the appointment, and it’s doubtful you would be able to hold it in two years.  The Democrats have a decent list of people who would be better than you on multiple levels.  Go back to ruining the schools in Fountain.

    2. Mike never had the backing of the state Democratic Party.  Yes, he was a bit ballsy for running for the senate without working his way up in the party.  THAT was the big issue as I see it.  

      The minute Ken announced that his (cowboy) hat was in the ring, the state donated $35K to his fundraising.  

      Now, I’m not saying Mike could have won against the brewer, but with that lack of support he was toast before he started. By resume and intellect Mike was the most qualified candidate.  Unfortunately, those criteria are only part of the electability.  (See: George W. Bush.)

      1. Miles ran a terrible campaign. His campaign manager took a vacation during the summer, for crying out loud. People run for office and people lose. It happens. But Miles ran a shit campaign, and that’s not anybody else’s fault but his.

        1. He ran the kind of campaign that Republicans like to emulate.

          But you have to admit, the State Party openly endorsed Salazar in just about every single way. They made it quite clear, in not so subtle ways, that they felt Salazar was the only one that could beat a Republican in 2004. The way the State Party played kingmaker in 2004 genuinely turned me off party politics.  

          1. Salazar had broad support even among many Republicans.  Miles had NO CHANCE of winning statewide.  Of course the party made damn sure it was Salazar.  And that was a major victory contributing to the turn around that has brought us to where we are today compared to where we were then here in Colorado.  

            And despite all the grousing, having had a Senator who voted with progressive Dems over 80% of the time these last few years sure beats having had a Republican Allard clone voting against everything we care about 100% of the time. That’s what we would have had if we had shot ourselves in the foot with Miles.  

            It’s the party’s job to pick, promote and support potential winners. In 2004 the party did its job.

            1. As a matter of fact, it’s written into most party rule books that they are explicitly NOT allowed to weigh in until the primary is over.

              I don’t need or want kingmakers. I can make up my own mind.  

              1. and what happens more unofficially. Getting Dems elected IS the Dem party’s job.  We can nitpick but that’s the bottom line. The results since 2004 have been nothing to complain about.  

                1. Because I’m no more likely to come around to your idea of what the State Party is supposed to do during a primary than you are likely to come around to mine.  

        2. ….it was a terrible campaign, in that we got stomped. But considering we were constantly getting screwed over by the State Party and the DSCC, we did a fantastic job.

          I want all the insta-pundits on this issue to remember this – Mike jumped in and ran when every Dem in this State was acting like complete candy-asses about running against an incumbent Repub.  Not a single person in the State Party had the guts or integrity to do what Mike did ON HIS OWN with a small bunch of dedicated Democrats.

          It’s quite easy to play political critic with Mike’s campaign, now that it’s ancient history. But ColoradoPols is kindly invited to kiss my ass until it’s white as a soda cracker if they think they could’ve done any better under the circumstances we were under.

          1. And it’s always conveniently overlooked. But this is the key factor: Mike Miles ran for Senate for TWO YEARS, and by March 2004 he had about $40,000 in the bank. Anybody running for Senate for that long with that inability to raise money is sending a clear message that they cannot put together a winning campaign.

            If Miles had had even $200,000 in the bank by March 2004, nobody would have challenged him. But an inability to raise money indicates that you don’t have the necessary support to win.

            1. that for those two years it was a Quixotic challenge to a wildly popular, or at least mildly acceptable, senator who had won election as both a Democrat and a Republican. It’s a wonder he had that much in the bank before Campbell dropped out.

            2. …that I would prefer NOT to have online. But, please, as someone who was not there, you don’t know shit about it.

              Yes, he had only $40K when got into the serious part of the campaign, but remember he had no chance in challenging Switchhorse Campbell, according to the pundits-at-large. That was money from the few committed Dems who weren’t afraid to be Democrats, unlike the rest of this candy-ass State that was content to be Repub-Lite and hope to catch some crumbs on  Election Day.

              Once things broke open when Switchhorse stepped out, the State Party made up their mind who was running, and cut us off. Completely. Chris Gates and his loyal goons made it know that if you donated to Mike, you were “out of the club.”

              So we did the best we could with what little money we had. And again, I defy anyone who’s done a campaign in this State to pull the numbers we did with the money that we had.

                1. So, since you run this website, you could send me an email to my personal address, and tell me where the media team meetings were. And who ran them.

                  Otherwise, you weren’t there, you don’t know Mike personally, and you still have no clue what happened.

                  1. Those of us who were there know what really happened — Mike was elected and is serving his first term in the U.S. Senate but is stepping down to accept an appointment as secretary of education. So if you weren’t there stop denying us our reality. Just stop it!

                    1. Make up your fuckin’ mind – either you were the crap that Gates and the State Party threw at us, or not. If you don’t know what went down, then shut the fuck up.

                      You can criticize the campaign we ran, and point out the mistakes we made. I know I learned a lot from the failures. But don’t spout this shit about  how badly things went when you don’t know the whole story.

                      Most importantly, don’t post a carefully edited snippet from a paper, and then proceed to spout crap about Mike and his “sense of entitlement.” You started this thread by misleading everyone into thinking Mike was hooting and screeching for the vacant Senate seat, and then ripped him for something he didn’t do.

          2. …unless and until he got stomped by KS.  Either way, Mike never had any chance of victory.  Those who thought otherwise were delusional.  Running a doomed campaign is not a sign of nobility, especially when you can’t do it well.

  3. The reminder of Mike Mile’s 2004 campaign should bring up a reminder of one significant factor that should be considered.

    If Governor Ritter appoints a conservative Democrat (like Stickland or John Salazar) it is inevitable that there will be a progressive backlash that will result in a bitter primary that will not help any of our 2010 candidates.

      1. How come you have a dog in this fight??? I thought that tag line about Miles wanted “some attention” was cheap. Why the bitterness after all this time??? The man lost.

        Now, I will tell you what I know from the outside looking in. We got the word from the local political establishment that Salazar was hands on favorite; we voted for him at the caucus and wound up at the State Convention as Salazar delegates. It was dispassionate on our part, besides…who would pass up a chance to go to Pueblo, for gods sakes.

        MIles gave a speech which had the crowd on its feet, screaming and yelling…and then we all voted for Salazar.

        Which is exactly what happened when Gene Nicols ran against another appointed one..Tom Strickland.  Only, this time we were Nicols delegates and the state convention was in Denver, if memory serves me right….which it rarely does.

        We showed up, wearing green.  Every Denver hack also showed up…wearing baby poo yellow t-shirts which said “Tom” or Strickland”…or some such slogan.

        Gene stood up, gave a speech which had the crowd on its feet, screaming…tears streaming…because he sounded like Bobbie Kenney…..and he was good and doomed…

        So we applauded like mad….and then everyone voted for Strickland.     The race is not to the swiftest, etc…but that is the way to bet, if you are a democrat in Colorado.

        Miles did not have money or backing. He is multi-racial before being multi-racial was cool…PLUS…he was ex-military…and the prejudice against ex military runs strong and deep in Colorado…

  4. All I can speak for is La Plata County, but Mike Miles provided a rallying point for Dems of all stripes.  The best and most dynamic volunteers came out of his campaign.  And he established an important marker:  the state party should stay out of primaries.  

    I’ve never seen such hand wringing as I did in 2004.  People were worried about what would happen if there was a primary.  It would just give ammunition to the Republicans in the fall.  Yada, yada, yada.  To me, the primaries forced Ken (and other Dems) to step up and articulate a platform.  That what he articulated was pretty non-controversial and played to all sides was a good indicator of where he has gone as Senator.  

    Whether Miles could win in Colorado is a tough question.  I think he could be a great Senator.  His experience in education would be of the greatest importance in rewriting No Child Left Behind.  Plus, I think he would work effectively across the aisle.  His self-confidence makes him capable of working with people of a different political bent.  If he has the money, I think he could win.  And he would have two years as Senator to show (or not) his ability.

    All of that said, I think there is no way he can get the seat.  I really doubt that Ken Salazar would let that one go by without saying anything.  He would exert a lot of pressure to keep his finger in the decision.  I would bet on Pena.

  5. Mike Miles’ ego needs a major deflation.  He should have started off at State House or Senate and said, okay, now I’m gonna run for U.S. Senate.  He is arrogant and created a cult-of-personality with his followers, a trait no doubt he learned from experts during his status as a “diplomat” in Russia.

            1. I’ll see the other Middle’s response and try to remember when I posted or why I would say that and then I remember, “Oh wait a minute. That’s the other guy.”

              🙂

    2. It’s funny that all you fair-weather Dems are content to lecture now about the quality of candidate available in ’04, but remember – NO ONE ELSE WOULD RUN.

      It was worse for the Dems then than it is for the Repubs now. No one wanted to be a Democrat. Everyone wanted to be Repub-lite.

      Mike believed in the values of his party, and stepped up when no one else would. He made personal sacrifices to run that no candidate has done since.

      He has no ego – and ColoradoPols carefully edited RMN repost makes Mike sound horrible. If you read the entire article, he didn’t submit his name, his supporters did. And he shot it down in a return email.  

      3. Yes, Miles stepped up and made personal sacrifices. But he was NEVER going to win statewide then and he still couldn’t win statewide today, regardless of any actions taken by the powers that be in the Democratic party.  

    3. Agreed, you don’t have to have a lot of experience in life or psychology to see what’s going on here. This guy thinks somebody owes him something for reasons only he understands. And he seems to feel justified gutting anyone who would get in his way. On the bright side, he doesn’t stand a chance in hell of being appointed.

      1. Huh? He might not be realistic (and his followers even less so) expecting to be a top-tier candidate to replace Salazar, but c’mon, that doesn’t make him some kind of monster.  

    4. Beyond a very small circle of activists, Mike Miles never thought it would be worthwhile to get a real constituency behind him. That’s why he doesn’t resonate with the public and holds no sway inside the party. Somebody without a real base of support isn’t going to do to well in a state-wide race. Hence, in 2004 Miles got thrown under the bus for someone who actually did have such a base of support. That’s just good politics.

      So now having his supporters once again wave the resume in the air and bellyache about 2004 just serves as a reminder of why he never got anywhere four years ago. (And talk about self-defeating.)

  6. There are two factors about Mike Miles’ run in 2004 that the two sides keep conflating.

    One is whether he could have won or not, in any manner.  That is not the same as how effective he would be as a senator.

    As a hard working MM supporter, I agree that winning the primary, let alone the general, was a tough hill to climb.  But if everyone rolled over for the presumptive winner, why politics? If the state Dems didn’t have Salazar in the wings, maybe, or had at least been neutral, maybe Mike would have been able to raise money.

    As to being an effective senator, I’m positive that he would not have voted for the Military act that took away Habeus Corpus, or the new bankruptcy bill, or introduced Alberto Torquemada to the senate for confirmation.  He would have been pushing for universal health care, tried to end the Iraq debacle, and done right for the people of Colorado.  

    Don’t forget, he wasn’t just in the military, he was Army Ranger and wounded in a helicopter crash during a training session. He was also an expert on Russia, IIRC.

    So, pro-Miles people, can we agree that it would have been tough to win the election?

    And, anti-Miles people might you not agree he would have been a great senator?  

  7. I supported Mike when he ran for Senate, and like all his supporters were a bit miffed when Campbell abdicated  then everyone else jumped in, and within a few days the deal was struck that made Salazar the anointed nominee of the party.

    But the fact is, Miles could not have been elected. Sure, he would have gotten the front range liberals, but that was about it. I was living in the San Luis Valley in 2004 and Salazar would campaign there in favor of the war and against universal health care. Election 2004 Bush took those counties, but Salazar (who is from there) took the same counties Bush took.  Miles couldn’t have done that. A lot of liberals complain about Salazar’s weak stands, but where else are they to go? And both the Salazar brothers know that.

    Miles is the darling of the liberal wing and the organization that emerged from his campaign, Be The Change, is now campaigning for his appointment. But the fact is, he would get crushed in 2010.  

  8. After losing Mike Miles did not lift a finger to help Senator Salazar and did nothing but whine childishly.  Mike Miles had a great future even after losing the primary. Listening to the same group that gave him bad advice during the 2004 run and refusing to act graciously is what has destroyed what might have been a promising career. Contrast Miles with Barack Obama who after losing a nasty primary did very well. Obama did not whine about the party from Bill Clinton on down backing his opponent. Obama looked ahead. Mike Miles and his team will always look back and complain which is far less productive than looking forward.

          1. I referred to Obama losing a primary and than doing very well later in his career.

            What else could I have been referring to other than the 2000 loss to Rush? Telepathic powers come on dummy you did not know anything about Obama losing in 2000.  Read something other than blogs and you might know something

  9. Yet another POLS post attacking imaginary positions by the old Miles supporters.

     It is clear from the vigor with which you build strawmen that you have unresolved issues over Miles.  Were you a Salazar delagate to the State Convention?  The only thing I can figure is you retain anger over so many pledged delegate who switched their vote.  

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