March 25, 2010 07:26 AM UTC

New lows from Bennet campaign. Or is it?

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• by: JeffcoTrueBlue

The e-mail/press-release below was forwarded to me by somebody who received it from an ardent supporter of Michael Bennet.  

If this is authentic and something the Bennet campaign sent out then Bennet has stooped to new lows in his attacks on Romanoff and he is clearly hearing the footsteps of the masses turning against him. If this is not real and his supporters are sending it around, he needs to immediately denounce it, apologize to Romanoff and the 35,000 people who signed the public option petition and his campaign needs to rein in his supporters. Either way this issue isn’t going away and I think Bennet owes an apology (and a refund) to all of those who bought into his “I’ll introduce the public option in reconciliation” charade.

Release follows (emphasis mine)

ROMANOFF ALIGNS WITH GOP, EMBRACES ‘KILL THE BILL’ STRATEGY

Sen. Bennet’s Commonsense Approach Implements Reforms Immediately,

Looks to Public Option as Next Step

DENVER, CO (March 23, 2010) — Coloradans and Americans are celebrating the passage of historic health care reform that President Obama championed and millions of Americans stand to benefit from almost immediately.  However, Andrew Romanoff is not celebrating.

As final, critical health care reforms are considered in the Senate, Former House Speaker Andrew Romanoff — who has consistently refused to support Democratic health care reform efforts — continues stand with Republicans in Washington in opposition to real health care reforms.

Romanoff has refused to say how he would have voted on health care reform, but appears to be joining Senate Republicans in the obstructionist effort to block a bill that will improve insurance affordability, eliminate the special deals, and close the prescription drug doughnut hole for Colorado’s seniors.

The Republican designed, “kill the bill” strategy that Romanoff has embraced makes most progressives wonder how he has become so out-of-touch with Colorado voters.   Romanoff’s position in December would have forced women to pay more than men for insurance, leave 826,000 Coloradans uninsured, halt the deficit reduction measures, reverse the security granted for young people, remove the prohibition on rescissions and preexisting conditions denial, and force seniors to pay more for prescription drugs.

“Why Andrew Romanoff is playing political games with desperately needed health care reform is lost on anyone who wants a stronger, more accessible health care system,” said Trevor Kincaid, Bennet campaign spokesman. “By embracing the Republican ‘kill the bill’ strategy, Romanoff is running away from commonsense voters and practicing the type of cheap politics that so many in Colorado are sick and tired of.”

The pragmatic approach adopted by Sen. Michael Bennet, every Democratic Senator, and nearly 200 major progressive groups will ensure the passage and implementation of health care reform.  Sen. Bennet has been a champion for even further reforms, including the public option, but knows that this once-in-a-generation opportunity can’t be ignored just to score cheap political points.

“The health care reform that Sen. Bennet championed and President Obama signed will make life better for every single American.  Sen. Bennet is continuing to fight for more reforms and the public option but will not let this opportunity to help millions of Coloradans slip away,” said Kincaid.

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This is starting to remind me of 06 when Peggy Lamm got desperate and smeared Perlmutter accusing him of supporting the rights of rapists over the victims of violence. We know how that turned out for her and at this rate Bennet may well be headed to the same future of obscurity and short-lived relevance in the public eye.

Pretty outrageous for Bennet’s people to accuse Romanoff of aligning with the GOP and basically calling him a GOP collaborator. When Romanoff was building the Democratic majority in Colorado what was Bennet doing? That’s right, he was a corporate raider for Anschutz building the very wealth that would be used to fight equality and every core Democratic principle. That is until he took a stint at DPS to gamble the teachers’ pension and champion charter schools. He has the audacity to call Romanoff a “career politician” – what does that make him? His longest job was with Anschutz so I guess that makes him a career wealth-builder for a right-wing bigot and homophobe. I think I’ll take the guy who has committed his life to public service, building the Democratic party and fighting for those who most need a voice and let the corporate raider go find a job where he’s more comfortable – I hear JPMorgan is hiring Mr. Bennet.