A recent Denver Post editorial scolded Sens. Mark Udall and Michael Bennet for bowing to the gun lobby as they joined a minority of renegade Democrats and almost all Senate Republicans in support of permissive legislation on concealed- carry of firearms across state lines.
It’s more than noteworthy that this legislation failed. For Udall, Bennet and the Democratic leadership, this was a case of no harm, no foul.
The dynamics of this political ballet were more interesting than the legislation itself. Dana Milbank, a Washington Post political insider, reported that Udall, Bennet and other Democrats were prepared to vote against this pro-gun amendment if their votes were needed to defeat it. Sen. Chuck Schumer was the man counting noses. When the tally reached critical mass to defeat the amendment, Schumer granted selective political absolution to fellow Democrats in states where anti-gun votes and low National Rifle Association ratings can cost Democrats their seats. According to Milbank, as the votes were being cast, Schumer released Udall and Bennet to safely support the doomed amendment, taking them off the hook with Coloradans in the Wild West who covet their guns and Second Amendment rights.
Udall and Bennet dispute Milbank’s account of the events, deny the political wheeling and dealing, and assert that they voted for the bill strictly on its merits. Bennet’s spokeswoman lauded her man’s statesmanship, proclaiming that he asks for no one’s permission on his votes, considers only the effect on Colorado, and comes to his own decisions.
I find Milbank’s account more credible. Udall and Bennet are both rookie senators with little political leverage. To accept their explanations at face value, one would have to believe that the power of their party’s leadership elite in the Senate is negligible. Politics doesn’t work that way. Newcomers are beholden to the likes of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his senior henchmen for everything from committee assignments to desirable office space.
Udall’s pro-gun vote and his convoluted rationalization in a Denver Post guest column last Sunday don’t square with his voting record in the U.S. House over a decade, where he routinely received failing scores from the NRA. The contradiction is explained by his changing constituency. As a representative from the 2nd Congressional District, Udall was attuned and sympathetic to the political culture of Boulder. If he were still a congressman, I suspect he’d have voted against this concealed-carry measure. Now, to win statewide reelection in 2014 in a state that’s somewhat more conservative than Boulder, he’ll have to appear to be less liberal than he’s shown himself to be.
Bennet’s problem is more acute. Appointed to his Senate seat by Gov. Bill Ritter as a replacement for Ken Salazar, he has no prior voting record. Facing election in a mere 15 months, he’s been finessing his stance on divisive issues to avoid making political enemies back home. In response to inquiries from constituents seeking to pin him down on controversial legislation such as card check and cap and trade, his staff replies with frustratingly vague and evasive stock responses. In fact, you’ll get a form letter tailored to placate you, depending on which side of the issue you stand. One can only guess whether he voted his true beliefs on this gun legislation or only took the politically expedient course.
If you believe nothing any politician says, you’re a cynic. If you believe everything, you’re naïve. The truth is somewhere in between and unavoidably subject to speculation. To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, you can’t fool all of the people all of the time, but you can fool enough of them to have a long career in politics.
Mike Rosen’s radio show airs weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon on 850-KOA.
