Senator Michael Bennett (D-CO) sent this shocking email to me today.
Sen Bennet is a very rich man (a net worth up to $15 million), an Ivy Leaguer who made his money doing deals with big time Republican billionaire Philip Anschutz as a corporate raider. He has received a huge amount of money from the finance industry.
In less then six months, Colorado Democrat has received $401,000 from campaign donors linked to a combination of hedge funds, securities firms, insurance companies and real estate interests. Bennet's take is bested only by four senators, including Harry Reid, the powerful Senate majority leader, and Banking Committee chairman Chris Dodd, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics.
http://www.denverpost.com/...
He was nominated to fill Ken Salazar's seat when he became the Secretary of the Interior in January 2009, even though he never held elective office. Subsequently, he beat the progressive Andrew Romanoff in a fiercely fought primary.
Bennet is the man who has it all, he played Conservadem when he first took office, fighting Wall Street, banking and consumer reforms. Now he is sending an email that I would expect from a tea party Republican.
Here it is:
A little while back, I dragged my daughter Caroline to a town hall where we talked about what Congress was doing to address our unsustainable national debt, which is currently on course to consume our federal budget.
As we were leaving, Caroline looked at me and said “Dad. Just so we’re clear, I’m not paying that back.”
She was making fun of me because I say “just so we’re clear” a lot, but she was right. Our kids shouldn't have to foot the bill of this nation’s debt because their parents couldn’t figure out how to pay their bills.
Our national debt is out of control and we need to take significant, practical steps to pay down our debt and reduce the deficit. And it needs to happen soon.
Last weekend was the third anniversary of Wall Street reform. When it passed, my "Pay It Back" plan passed with it -- a common sense measure that required repaid money from the bailout to go directly to paying down our debt and reducing the national deficit.
American taxpayers signed the tab. It's only fair that when that money is returned, the taxpayers see a benefit on the federal balance sheet.
If "Pay It Back" was the modest first step, then steps two and three have to be new ideas that materially address our deficit and debt, do it in a bipartisan way, and recognize that we're all in this together.
If you agree, add your voice to mine -- sign our open letter today.
Too many Colorado families lost everything in the economic calamity of 2008. And too many are still struggling to recover.
We owe it to them to have a rational and honest conversation about our fiscal challenge.
If we are going to actually do something meaningful, the burden of proof has to shift from the people who want to change the system to the people who want to keep it the same.
The incredible irony is his daughter saying "I’m not paying that back.” Coming from the family of one of the richest Americans, she will most likely not be the one to pay it back - at least not an equitable and fair share. So she had quite a mature view towards the actual situation.
I am intrigued by the comment about "a common sense measure." Anytime you hear that phrase you know it is being applied to the lowest IQ levels; it is used here to make a blunt statement that is anything but common sense. Sort of like when Congress talks about reform - it really means "hold on to your wallet."
How paying down the debt is of benefit to taxpayers (meaning the people who actually pay taxes) when we have serious unemployment at 15% (the real number after you actually add in the unemployed) is totally beyond me and defies any common sense that I can see. Why this is coming from a Democrat is shocking. I guess he wants to step into Max Baucus's bipartisan shoes.
Shame on him.