Lately in Colorado, the Republicans have pretty much gone crazy - with
Tom "bomb Mecca" Tancredo launching an independent bid in the Governor's race and Republican Senate candidates Ken Buck and Jane Norton having a standoff about wearing high heel shoes.
I was hoping that we were going to stay civil on the Democratic side of the aisle, but in the Senate primary, Michael Bennet's campaign and his supporters are trying their level best at matching the Republicans' insanity with their tactics against Andrew Romanoff.
This week, Andrew Romanoff made the bold move to go 'All In' on the race and sold his house to fund ads for the last 2 weeks - a move that will add an additional $325,000 to the nearly $700,000 raised in the last quarter - all by small dollar donations.
"I'd like to create a democracy where you don't have to sell your house to win the U.S. Senate, but we're not there yet," he said. "I expect to win and repay the loan. I happen to believe Americans of modest means deserve representation, too."
Whether you agree with Mr. Romanoff's decision to sell his house or not, Mr. Romanoff is showing the volunteers and supporters across our state that he intends to fight to win this race and prove that the country can elect Senators exactly in the same way Barack Obama was elected.
But the Bennet supporters are hurling all kinds of insults and unfounded accusations towards Mr. Romanoff.
One Bennet supporter wrote this diary Romanoff and the balloon boy
which said this about Mr. Romanoff:
He is so sincere about it(not taking PAC money), he is apparently willing to become homeless for the cause.
Homelessness is a serious societal problem, causing immeasurable pain to it's victims.
yes, the author is stating here that Romanoff is using Homelessness as a campaign gimmick.
Another blogger - in that diary, goes so far as to accuse Andrew Romanoff of lying about his public service as a teacher in Central America - read it yourself
"I'm also still looking for what year he claims to have taught English
in Nicaragua. I think he made it up. I was illegal to do business from 1982 to 1990.
Was he there as a guest of Daniel Ortega or the Contras?"
So Mr. Romanoff - not only made up teaching in rural schools in Central America and Nicaragua, if he did, he was working with the Contras!
(and this guy said the same on his facebook page)
And it is not just supporters, the Bennet campaign is also doing the same: by sending their spokes person to crash the Romanoff Press conference at campaign Headquarters: As the Huffington Post calls it -
"Rockies Gone Wild: Colorado Politics Devolves Into All-Out War"
Mr. Romanoff's campaign and his supporters have done their best to keep this civil.
I fully disclose that I have gone on the offensive on the facts on Mr. Bennet, such as his ties to Right wing Multi Billionaire Republican Phillip Anschutz,and that I have been upset about Senator Bennet's conservadem votes:
Votes like Senator Bennet's vote against Cramdown, or how he voted against the bill to Break up the Big Banks and how Senator Bennet joined with Republicans to vote against the Sanders amendment which would have closed a 35 billion tax loophole for Big Oil.
I have even interviewed people who knew him professionally - such as the Teachers who worked under him after he was appointed to be the superintendent of Denver Public Schools and did not appreciate how teachers were treated.
But I have not accused Mr. Bennet of lying about his career or using homelessness as a gimmick.
I believe that Mr. Bennet's appointment and candidacy represents the calculation that Democrats must be in bed with corporations just as much as Republicans to win - even if those corporate interests are fully Republican themselves.
Someone has to take the stand and follow President Obama's lead to stop the corporate buyout of our elections.
That can start here with the people funded Andrew Romanoff campaign.
I'm one of many volunteers for Romanoff. I don't have a lot of money, but I've spent a lot of time volunteering to help elect a man with progressive ideals and a vision of cleaning up Washington.
Andrew Romanoff is all in. So are all of his volunteers. There are 14 days to go, and he needs our help.
Donate to his campaign and help us prove that the people are more important than the corporations.
Visit Actblue to donate to Andrew Romanoff.