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A problem-solver for the U.S. Senate

Rocky Mountain News

Published January 3, 2009 at 5:31 p.m.

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State Senate President Peter Groff put his finger on the nature of Gov. Bill Ritter's surprising - even stunning - selection of Michael Bennet as Colorado's next U.S. senator. "It's a pick that goes with the changing times in Washington," Groff told us Friday just after hearing the news.

We'll say. Bennet is many things - smart, focused, articulate, tough, relatively young - but a traditional politician he is not. In fact, until his name surfaced as a possible candidate to replace Sen. Ken Salazar when he resigns to become Interior secretary, we'd never thought of the Denver schools superintendent as a politician at all.

There was certainly little chance that Bennet - who is largely unknown outside metro Denver - would have run for statewide office without a break like the one he just got. Now voters will have two years to get to know him before they are asked to extend his tenure in the Senate.

We've made no secret of our respect for Bennet's decisive, tireless performance as superintendent of Denver Public Schools, a job he's held since mid-2005. When he saw a failing school that was hemorrhaging students and hardly educating those who remained, he didn't flinch. He closed or revamped it as soon as possible in order to improve the learning environment; he has done this, moreover, even in the face of sometimes hostile parents and community leaders - and an almost always grumpy union.

Meanwhile - to mention just one more accomplishment - the Denver district's new system of measuring individual student and school progress, compared to their peers, is a model of its kind.

We're not going to run through Bennet's biography here. You'll find that elsewhere in the paper. Suffice it to say that even though he was a definite dark horse for the Senate, in some ways he's been preparing for it his entire life, given his politics-saturated upbringing. Indeed, his selection as superintendent was in some ways more unlikely than his pick as senator since he had no experience in education at the time.

Since moving to Colorado, Bennet has excelled in three very different jobs: as a deal-maker for billionaire Phil Anschutz, chief of staff for Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and superintendent. His problem-solving approach is well-suited for the U.S. Senate, too.

Still, we do have reservations regarding the selection despite our admiration for Bennet's accomplishments. There is something vaguely disturbing about the governor selecting a man whose political views are a mystery to 99 percent of the public and who doesn't have deeper roots in the state. Ritter has every right - and in fact a duty - to choose the person he thinks will do the best job, but in this hyperdemocratic age it's somehow unsettling to have a single man wield this power.

Yes, Bennet comes from a Democratic family, has worked for Democratic figures in Ohio, Washington and Colorado, and was an early supporter of Barack Obama's presidential bid. But what does he specifically think about any important issue, save education, that he'll soon be voting on in Congress? Only his family, friends - and apparently Ritter - know.

The governor is saying "trust me" to Coloradans, and of course they have no choice.

Fortunately, politics has its own unique check on such appointments: an eventual election. If it turns out that voters don't like Bennet's performance as senator, they can reject him in just two years, when Salazar's term would have ended. By then, it's safe to say, we'll have a much better feel for whether Ritter's unexpected choice is a stroke of genius or closer to a bust.

Comments

  • January 3, 2009

    6:15 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Dub writes:

    Quite frankly,I don't have a strong opinion about Bennet. Some say that he pi**** off the NEA, which I consider a big plus, but exactly what does he think of the Constitution? Will he defend it, or spend more time and effort trying to get re-elected? Is he just a rubber stamp for "The Party" or will he actually inject his opinion into the process. Time to man up and defend this great nation. I wish him success but will wait and see how he performs.

  • January 3, 2009

    8:48 p.m.

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    pslwd writes:

    What's the big deal if a Senator has no experience? Our president-elect has no experience either.

  • January 3, 2009

    8:59 p.m.

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    HopiMedicineMan writes:

    Nothing like getting your start in politics as an incumbent US Senator. For Ritter this is not governing. It's a game.

  • January 4, 2009

    5:16 a.m.

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    44roger writes:

    Sure beats an entrenched politician. The lobbyists will be crowding around him now. Now to make sure we change the Governor next election, and some of the state legislators who are worried about the lost cats.

  • January 4, 2009

    9:33 a.m.

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    rlperlman writes:

    Michael Bennett has taken a number of different tasks while here in Colorado in which he has displayed a great deal of intelligence and ability to accomplish his goals. He is a first rank problem solver. Whether or not his skill sets will translate into more pure political skills is a question only time will tell. Hopefully, he will not just be a pretty talking head as is the last politician that he worked for is but will work for real solutions that are best for the entire state. Mr. Bennett has been given a two year apprenticeship in which he will show us if he can handle the job.

  • January 4, 2009

    10:56 a.m.

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    bassman writes:

    RF excellent post. "Will his skill set translate?'' is a great point. I wish he would've stayed on at DPS as he was turning that wretched system around. He wasn't afraid to bang heads with the teacher's union and was acheiving real results. But, politics is about the art of compromise. Perhaps it is my cynicism talking, but maybe Ritter appointed him to the senate in order to help his union buddies at DPS stop the reforms he initiated. Bennett does show an independent streak which we need in DC.

  • January 4, 2009

    3:22 p.m.

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    Cwillyrun1 writes:

    BUST! Ritter should've told the public what to expect from Bennett as a Senator representing Colorado that the voters of Colorado DID NOT put there.

    Then again, Ritter doesn't care much about the citizens of Colorado. Only a few more years for him as well as Bennett, and then we can speak about how his administration has failed this state.

  • January 5, 2009

    8:23 a.m.

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    hogarm writes:

    Where did we get this idea that politicians make the best legislators?
    We need pragmatism to get us out of this mess, not right, left or religious ideology.

  • January 5, 2009

    1:24 p.m.

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    pope858 writes:

    He's never been elected, he's not a public servant, makes me wonder who he'll serve in Colorado? My guess is he'll serve the governor and the mayor of Denver (Buddies); otherwise he is beholden to NO ONE! Good Job, Governor Twittor.

  • January 6, 2009

    1:08 p.m.

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    BetterEducated writes:

    I've pondered what bothers me so much about this, and finally reached a conclusion.
    The message this appointment sends to people who have spent their whole lives in public service and/or education, is that it's not What You Know, but Who.
    This person has lived a privileged life and just received another cherry on top of an already well-iced cake. There are so many people out here working, struggling and hoping someone will notice them, that the way the appointment was carried out was a slap in the face.
    The inescapable conclusion is that "some people" are so close to positions of power that they can move ahead, while others (like us) have no Dream to live for anymore. The deck is stacked against us and we're not going to survive out here, while pictures of this elated, grinning man show up on the first page.
    One would never know, from looking at them, how much turmoil, sorrow and pain has accompanied Bennet's time in Denver for older teachers, parents seeking a good education, and children whose schools closed during his time there. Yes, those were poor schools, but that was not the kids' fault, still they ended up crying at Board meetings while this gentleman apparently felt he had a "vision" so lofty that their tears were insignificant.
    It's his smile I will remember, while the rest of Denver is still struggling along. If he'd been committed to DPS he wouldn't have let his hat enter the ring in the first place.
    In short -- I feel Used.