This morning, the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza came out with a list of “eight politicians who will make you feel good about politics” again. And out of the eight, Colorado Democrats snagged two spots – Gov. Hickenlooper and Sen. Bennet. It looks like a Trump win has brought out Hick’s PR team, again.
What’s interesting about Cillizza’s picks is that the Democrats are, for the most part, go along to get along Democrats. On the other hand, the Republicans are praised for being independent thinkers and for their willingness to buck their party. Shorter – Democrats are good, Republicans are bad.
Take this example. Bennet has an incredible record of voting with President Obama – in some years, voting with Obama as frequently as 99%. And Cillizza praises him for not making waves. From the article:
“He’s on the quiet side and doesn’t seek tons of national press — a rarity for a successful politician from a swing state. But Bennet is smart and serious, and the Democratic Party would do well to study his formula for victory as it tries to remake itself at the congressional level.”
First, we’d like to point out that Bennet’s secret sauce largely has been luck – he’s faced two weak GOP candidates in a row. Had he been forced to run against a politician with Cory Gardner’s talent and infrastructure, he would have been toast. See former U.S. Sen. Mark Udall.
But we digress.
In contrast to Bennet, Cillizza offers hearty praise for little-known U.S. Rep. Kinzinger, who is an independent thinker.
“Kinzinger beat longtime Republican Rep. Don Manzullo in a redistricting-forced race in 2012 and then, two years later, defeated an ideological primary challenge funded by the conservative Club for Growth. Kinzinger, has also been willing to openly criticize Trump when he feels it necessary. He blasted Trump for a tweet praising Julian Assange and has been a vocal skeptic of Trump’s openness to a new relationship with Russia.”
Bennet and Hick may make Cillizza feel good about politics, but much of Colorado still has a hangover from their failed liberal policies and weak leadership.