Mike Rosen’s piece in today’s Denver Post (Jul 8), “Honor the 11th Commandment”, speaks some overdue truth regarding the GOP Colorado U.S. Senate race.  Jane Norton and her team of advisors have so badly wanted to claim the Grassroots Candidate banner, but it remains in the firm grip of Weld County D.A. Ken Buck.  Rosen points squarely at the one attack ad Ms. Norton is running on conservative talk radio stations in Denver and Colorado Springs.  Her ad misrepresents a case Buck was involved in and even though another Denver Post article that ran on Jul 4, “Buck Didn’t Sabotage Case”, clearly explains all the details which in turn show that Buck was not the scoundrel Norton wishes to paint him as, she is still relentless.  She has attacked her fellow GOP primary opponent with much more vitriol than she’s directed at either candidate on the Demcrat side. 

Mike Rosen was right today to call attention to this situation.  It is despicable that a Republican that continues to announce that this race is about integrity continues to approve of an attack ad that is malicious and unfair.  Perhaps she’s taking a page from Hillary’s handbook, assuming since she’s the girl in the race, the boys will play nice.  Hillary lost.  If Jane Norton and her staff don’t pull back on the attacks, stick to the issues, show Coloradoans that she’s a woman of extraordinary character, grace and ethics, she, too, will not win. 

The core essence of the grassroots/tea party movement is about rejecting the very thing Ms. Norton is engaging in–politics as usual which includes mud-slinging and petty bickering.   The old play book of “win at any cost” doesn’t sell these days.  The Republican friends Ms. Norton associates with lost the ’06 and ”08 elections.  If we are to change the change, most Republicans have no interest in putting our faith and trust in failed leadership.

Maybe Ms. Norton thinks she should put on the gloves and take swings to try and convince voters that she’s the tough one in the race.  She diminishes herself, her campaign and certainly the Republican Party at a time when that’s the last thing we need.  Ken Buck isn’t Jane Norton’s enemy.  He is a good and decent man who still calls Jane a friend.  She should stand on her merits and be judged for them.  Right now, the only policy position she has that anybody is talking about is her attacks and that they are not working.  There is a bright spot in this silliness and that is Ken Buck’s composure, maturity, ethics and values.  He talks about the job he wants to do for Colorado and the nation should he go to Washington, D.C.  He emits a positive message that resonates.  He enjoyed the company of Sen. Jim DeMint at a Denver rally today and his message was clear–he’s ready to go to work and he won’t back down.  

There’s too much work to do if we are to save this great nation.  Attacking friends and dividing our state using misrepresentations is an embarrassment that could have tragic results in November.  We need leadership, not water cooler gossip.

Ken Buck and Jane Norton, both GOP candidates vying for the U.S. Senate, debated last night in Colorado Springs, following a recent launch of negative campaign ads levied by the Norton camp.

Ken Buck is consistent in his policy positions and overall demeanor.  As Jane Norton fired first one and then another verbal attack, he remained composed and responded with thoughtful, respectful answers to her claims.  Even though he clarified in specificity his position regarding Afghanistan, Ms. Norton returned to the topic over and over. 

The Norton camp has been more negative toward Ken Buck and more caustic in its attacks on him than anything they’ve levied at either  of the Democrat candidates, Bennet and Romanoff.   Even though she was booed several times for staying in attack mode, Ms. Norton was unrelenting until the final question when both candidates were asked if they will support the other should they lose on Aug. 10.  Both pledged support to their opponent should they not win the primary.  Press coverage can be viewed at www.gazette.com  Buck’s camp has posted responses to some of the attack ad’s currently running in Colorado at his website:  www.buckforcolorado.com

As our group left the building, we heard comments over and over that this was an important debate because Jane Norton keeps saying this campaign is about integrity and the consensus was she revealed her own last night.  Buck holds the lead as the grassroots conservative candidate, with recent polling by the Denver Post showing him ahead by 16 points.  He lags far behind Ms. Norton, however, in money which will continue to be a problem for him going in the final stretch of the primary race.   The other major candidate in Colorado’s grassroots movement, Republican Dan Maes,  who is in a heated race himself for governor, was in attendance at the debate and was greeted with rousing and enthusiastic applause when introduced.