Mark Udall Criticized by Fellow Liberal for His Sellout to "Ambition"

Green Party blogger Dave Chandler has a message for Colorado Lefties who have observed Boulder liberal Mark Udall selling out his core principles in a calculated election year cosmetic political makeover:

The thing about Mark Udall as a Colorado Congressman and as a candidate of the Dimocrat Party for the U.S. Senate in 2008, is that his moves to the right -- for the purpose of fulfilling his ambition for higher office -- are so transparent that they further the cynicism and contempt people have for politicians and government.

At a time when Americans are giving voice to a desire for change, Udall sadly represents the kind of dynastic, risk-averse politics that have gotten our country into the current mess -- endless military occupation of another nation, economic malaise, abridgment of our liberties, corrupt corporatized political campaigns, and on and on....

My prediction is the Udall will not suddenly begin to display the kind of bold leadership that the people of Colorado and the United States are now calling for ... because you can't teach a sway-backed old dog new tricks.

That is why the Green Party has a candidate, Bob Kinsey, seeking our party's nomination for the U.S. Senate to run against Udall. For principled, conscientious voters who just don't want to play the "lesser of two evils" game anymore, a real, substantive alternative is available.

It takes courage to begin the process of rejecting the politics of the past for a 'politics of the future' ... the establishment will hurl all kinds of invective at you for "throwing away your vote." But any vote cast out of conviction and principle is more valuable for you and the fate of the Republic than those corporate politicians will ever be able to comprehend.

More proof that it's hard for Udall to be all things to all voters. Imagining that his very liberal voting record in Congress will sew up his support among his Boulder friends, Udall is desperately trying to recast his image as a political centrist. Not only does his recent "rightward" (about the only direction he could move after being so far Left) shift lack credibility with anyone who has observed his record, but the pandering has given rise to increasingly credible opposition on his Left.

Notice the words used by someone closely aligned with Udall's Boulder Left-liberal ideology: saying he is motivated by "fulfilling his ambition for higher office," that he represents a "kind of dynastic, risk-averse politics," and that he is "a sway-backed old dog" who can't be taught "new tricks." Alienating those who should be his natural allies, Udall is slowly pinning himself into a corner. Which way should he go?

Competing for the Left Vote

Claire Ryder, Chairwoman of the Denver Green Party objected to the Denver Post article announcing the entry of Bob Kinsey into the US Senate race. Her objection came in the form of a letter to the editor that stated in part:

With more than 70 percent of the American public against the occupation of Iraq and a majority of the American public in favor of impeachment [according to some polls], I would hardly call this a “narrow group.” [ Mark ] Udall’s insistence of continuing the funding of the war, in the guise of “supporting of troops,” is unpopular with many of his potential voters. These well-informed voters have been following his voting record in Congress.

Her facts are wrong, or at best outdated. If they were right, Harry Reid would again opine that "The war is lost" and be scheduling weekly defunding votes like he was last Spring. We haven't heard a peep out of Congress in months.

Read the rest, here.

Another Wild Card

The Denver Post is reporting that:

Bob Kinsey, a Denver peace activist who in a 2004 congressional race was able to peel off significant votes from the major parties, says he'll run as a Green Party candidate for Colorado's open Senate seat...

Kinsey declared that he'll focus on a core of issues he says are being skirted by the major candidates — immediate withdrawal from Iraq and the impeachment of President Bush among them. Both issues are top concerns for a narrow group of progressive voters who otherwise would likely support Udall.

The last third party candidate to make the statewide ballot in Colorado was Ross Perot, the man who made Bill Clinton President and who may also have gifted the nation Hillary.

Third party candidates can impact the outcome of an election. It will be interesting to see how and if that happens in 2008. Mark Udall's campaign manager, Mike Melanson, didn't seem very worried, perhaps because having a Green Party candidate in the race gives the impression that Udall has moved to the center without his having to change a single position.

Committed Green Party activists will likely remember publicly the ploy Mark Udall's staff used to get Caroline Bninski a one year jail term. It was doubtless intended by his cynical staff as a Sister Souljah moment, but it was ham handed in its execution.

Udall's staff had made an agreement with Bninski for a peaceful anti-war demonstration that lasted over a period of weeks. Until the last day, she followed the agreement.

She announced that she would perform an act of civil disobedience on that last day. The cops were called about 30 seconds later. Udall's staff reportedly told the judge that she had disrupted office operations for weeks. While that may have been true, her conduct was protected by her agreement with the staff and by the First Amendment's right to petition.

The Denver Post reported the incident in the most deceptive way possible, claiming that she got a $500 fine and a month in jail. She actually got a year in jail, all but 35 days suspended, and a $1,000 fine, half suspended.

It will be an interesting election.

The Left's Intensifying Tug-of-War over Udall's Political Drift

The battle is on within the Colorado Left. Last Friday, the Dead Governors called a poll showing a three-way race for the U.S. Senate "mythical." Counting on recent voting patterns, they try to ward off the strong pressure from the Left that their anointed candidate Mark Udall has started to feel as he abandons his Boulder liberal roots to run for the center of the political spectrum. There is no Green Party threat, they say:

That's all well and good for Schaffer, but no third party candidate received more than 1% of the vote in the 2006 gubernatorial race or the 2004 Senate race. Even the most well-known and well-funded Green Party candidate in recent history, Ralph Nader, managed just 5% of the vote in Colorado when he ran for President in 2000. Touting this three person poll is beyond ridiculous, because a Green Party candidate in Colorado will be lucky to get 2% of the vote.

Is this wishful thinking on their part? It well may be. The war in Iraq has changed up the political dynamic, so that relying on figures from as recently as the last 2 election cycles might make the Dead Governors' logic just that: wishful thinking.

A palpable anger is growing among the Nutroots, as witnessed in this post today from the Metro Denver Greens:

Finally, Mark Udall, John Salazar and Ed Perlmutter cast very wimpy votes in the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday. They voted to condemn an ad in a newspaper because the radical Republicans scared them into doing so.

Hey, you guys, it should be the job of the Congress to bring our troops home, not legislate free speech.

Of course, you can (and should) question the judgment of sanctioning the slander of an honorable American general. But how long will the seething rage among elements of the Left in Colorado abide Udall abandoning the faith?

Green Party candidate Bob Kinsey may become all the more palatable for more and more disaffected Left-leaning Colorado voters. After all, principles never die. The Denver Metro Greens' site says it well: "Progressive and tired of wimply, spineless Dimocrats? Vote Green!"

The Poll

Someone at the Colorado Green Party managed to snag the cover letter to the elusive Bob Schaffer poll. Those who want to look at the numbers can go to this pdf document. In big picture terms:

The contest is tight-within the margin of error if there is a Green candidate and just outside it if there is not.
The results follow traditional political lines.
The voters would prefer a generic Democrat, but would also prefer a conservative over a liberal.
Hillary will be a drag, big time.
Schaffer is stronger in his Fort Collins base than Udall is in Boulder.
Three out of five think Udall is a liberal.

That is a set of conclusions that shouldn't give the Mark Udall camp a lot of comfort.

10 Days Down, 20 to Go

Today, we can't help but think of Caroline Bninski, a Green Party protester who is rotting in a Boulder jail cell without the press attention and adulation heaped on Paris Hilton. She has served 10 days of her 30 day sentence.

When we first heard the story of her prosecution, we thought Mark Udall and his staff had acted properly and reasonably. We wrote several posts using that take.

As more facts came out, we have come to believe that Udall and his staff set the woman up and called the police seconds after she violated the agreement she and Udall's staffer had made.

We are thinking of sending her a cake. We wonder if the Boulder calaboose has an X-ray machine that they use on cakes.

Peace Democrats Urged to Sign Pledge

Uncomfortably Numb has posted the names of Democrats who they believe shouldn't receive votes of those who want to defund the war. Mark Udall is among them, with 57 other House Democrats and 20 Senators.

And continuing with the Mark Udall Sister Souljah moment, the Greens are understandably unhappy with Udall as well. One wrote a letter to the editor which ended:

It isn't inconvenient for Udall to continue to fund the Iraq war. I will find it "inconvenient" to vote for Udall for Senate.

Fun With Blog Post Titles

Don't piss off a Democrat...they will throw you in jail. The Green Party is mad as heck over one of their own going to jail. Unfortunately, they don't bother to tell each other that the woman who went to jail was reading names in Mark Udall's office for three weeks!

The Greens assume that Republicans will have them thrown in jail, but this is unjustified paranoia. Only Democrat politicians try to criminalize politics.

Carolyn Bninski: 30 Days, $500

The Green Party's three week occupation of Mark Udall's office has finally been resolved. One anti-war activist got a 30 day jail sentence and a $500 fine. Others paid a $100 fine or community service according to the Denver Post.

Udall issued a statement Friday morning saying [ Carolyn ]Bninski and others have a right to peacefully protest a cause of public importance but that their occupation "had the effect of interfering with the daily duties of my staff" and drew complaints from other building tenants. Police were called when the protesters refused to leave because "needs of other constituents...had to be respected," said the statement from Udall, who in 2002 voted against authorization for the war itself.

Ducking a Demonstration

The Green's held their planned demonstration today but Mark Udall's staff was gone. The office never opened.

Clever, eh?

The Green Party is Protesting Against Udall

This upcoming Monday, there will be a protest against Mark Udall. It seems that someone in his office called the cops about an earlier demonstration. Now, peace activist Carolyn Bninski is facing two months in jail for unlawful assembly. The Green Party isn't happy with that outcome:

The Adams-Jefferson Green Party last evening at its July business meeting passed a resolution in support of a rally Monday at Udall's office in Westminster to express solidarity with peace activist Carolyn Bninski.

The gathering will take place starting at 9:30 A.M., Monday, July 23, in front of Udall's Congressional office at 8601 Turnpike Drive in Westminster, Colorado.