January 10, 2009 07:43 PM UTC

Bennet wows Fort Collins, Loveland

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• by: twas brillig

( – promoted by Colorado Pols)

The Ritter-Bennet tour came to the northern Front Range yesterday. Republican 36 was at Loveland. Later in the afternoon, Gov. Ritter and US Sen.-designee Bennet spoke to a standing room only crowd at the Aztlan Center in Fort Collins (and more from Rocky). The experience reinforced my suspicion that Bill Ritter’s non-traditional choice of Michael Bennet may yield dividends as the 2010 election cycle gears up.

The Denver Post writes after the first leg of the tour:

He spoke without notes, talked authoritatively about policy and used his answers to sketch a compelling personal narrative – the last a tried and true political skill that advisers say also will be key as he defines his political persona in the coming months.

In Fort Collins, after giving Ritter’s State of the State talk to a standing ovation, the crowd received Bennet warmly. They were obviously pleased as he began outlining his views on the issues. The Fort Collins Coloradoan quotes a part of Bennet’s talk that received an enthusiastic response:

“We need dramatic policy changes to get this economy moving again and to get the credit markets unfrozen,” Bennet told a crowd of about 200 people Friday evening at the Northside Aztlan Community Center.

“But it needs to be smart, not stupid, and it can’t be like the bailout last September that resulted in a bunch of the money going to bank vaults in New York where it still sits today and it’s had no effect on Colorado or any of the other states.”

I’ve been saying that Bennet brings to the table a unique combination of public and private service, and in both fields has demonstrated he can walk the talk as a budget hawk. That’s the sort of credibility Colorado voters resonate to. In Fort Collins at least, Bennet definitely struck a cord with a crowd heavily peppered with local political and business leaders from both parties.

State Senator Bob Bacon, D-Fort Collins, said he likes Bennet more as he learns more about him. “He’s saying all the right things,” Bacon said. “I was very impressed with his passion for so many of the issues that I’m concerned about.”

Republican 36 noted the ease with which Bennet can work a room of big wigs and handle a crowd. His obvious comfort with talking about big picture issues stands out, considering he’s had just over a week to build out his positions on a huge range of national issues.

So to report from Northern Colorado, the Ritter-Bennet tour is yielding early dividends.