October 24, 2010 08:25 PM UTC

Ken Buck's Views Don't Matter

• 2 Comments
• by: harrydoby

… At least, to hear Ken Buck tell it.  As a way of allaying fears that his opposition to abortion rights, sometime support of a constitutional ban on abortion, and deliberately fuzzy position on supreme court nominees that may support abortion rights might actually have an impact in the Senate — his response goes something like this:

Buck replied, “I don’t think abortion’s going to be criminalized anytime soon. …

Suppose he’s right — so what?  

Because it goes to the mindset that will be used in deciding what goals and priorities will be emphasized in the hundreds of pieces of legislation that will come before our Senate each year.

Coupled with the Citizens United ruling, that Corporate “Persons” have first amendment rights to unlimited speech, it would seem that in Ken Buck’s view, the most important “Persons” are either wealthy corporations or zygotes.  The rest of us are just unimportant, but necessary-evil voters (at least until corporations are granted the right to vote too).

With the Tea Party know-nothings threatening to take over the Republican Party, and further weaken Congress’s ability to pass meaningful legislation to get us back on the road to prosperity, I can think of nothing more important than the need to pass stronger campaign finance laws so that Citizens United does not become “settled precedent”, and the Supreme Court does not gain anymore anti-abortion sympathizers.

What campaign finance reform measures has Buck proposed?  Yeah, you’re right – nothing.

Because the current system of unlimited anonymous money is working out pretty well for him and his Tea Party cohorts.

We already can presume a smaller Democratic presence in the Senate and House.  Therefore inevitably there will be more of a rightward shift in legislation, with more compromises that will not be to most Dems’ liking.

So yes, this is a plea to vote for Michael Bennet.  Anyone thinking that Ken Buck’s views won’t matter if he happens to win this Senate race — even if you disagree with him — will be profoundly disappointed, just as we were the last time Republicans were behind the driver’s seat.

As the polls show, this race is a squeaker — every vote counts.