The Bennet Appoitment: Governor Bill Ritter's Political Shocker
Let's be honest -- everyone was surprised at Governor Bill Ritter's selection of Denver Public Schools Superintendent Michael Bennet to replace Ken Salazar as Colorado's next U.S. Senator. Many also marveled that Mark Udall, without having served a single day as a U.S. Senator, would become Colorado's "senior Senator" (Bennet will take office after Salazar's confirmation so Bennet can't complain about Udall's nomenclature).
While the controversy created by Ritter was unnoticed for the most part by the political Press outside of Colorado -- who were focused on other Senate selections (e.g., the Al Franken/Norm Coleman race in Minnesota, the Caroline Kennedy saga in New York, and the daily headline-grabbing Rod Blagojevich story in Illinois) -- inside the State not a single person had predicted the selection.
Out of the Box Thinking Can Be Good
Bennet is the smart, capable, hardworking Superintendent of Denver Public Schools. He led many reforms and demonstrated an ability to work with diverse groups -- winning over many who initially disagreed with him. A lawyer with great financial success in a short business career in Denver with one of the world's most fascinating billionaires (Philip Anschutz), Bennet grew up in the midst of politics in Washington, thanks to his father, who once worked for Hubert Humphrey.
What was shocking about Ritter's selection was that it totally was based on "out-of-the-box" thinking -- elevating someone who had never run for any political office nor been involved in a candidate campaign in any significant way. "Paying your dues" to the Democratic Party clearly was not a condition of Ritter's selection and, given Ritter's perception of the State and nation's needs today, he likely concluded a new approach in Washington was needed -- and Bennet was the person to help bring it.
The Big Names Fell by the Wayside
There were numerous high profile contestants for the position and they probably saw the selection not as "out-of-the-box" but "out-of-this-world." There is a reason why out-of-the-box thinking needs to be used selectively. It is because you're out of the box! There is no question Michael Bennet is a highly-qualified individual who will bring many talents to the U.S. Senate. And there is no reason he could not be a great Senator. Coloradans will find this out very quickly given the enormous challenges Bennet will face in a matter of days.
Prior to his public announcement of Bennet's selection to become a U.S. Senator, Ritter wisely lined up a series of great endorsements of his pick from many of the same people seeking the post. In a show of solidarity, all the major prospects demonstrated they were good losers and said something nice about Bennet. In a bow to the Internet Age and as a preemptive move seeking to stave off a primary contest, there even was a campaign website available at the time of Ritter's announcement to show the newly-selected Senator was off-and-running for his seat in the 2010 election -- less than 22 months away.
What Were They Really Thinking?
But if we're honest for a moment, we also can imagine what many of the other candidates for the office really were thinking, despite their congratulatory statements. Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, the odds-on favorite to be selected due to his immense popularity and tremendous success getting infrastructure projects approved, probably was stunned to see a former employee (Bennet was his Chief of Staff from 2003 to 2005) selected over him. Hickenlooper, who brought unparalleled positive and bipartisan statewide name recognition and a reputation for getting groups from across the political spectrum to work together -- exactly what Ritter needs for the entire State -- had to wonder why he wasn't selected.
Colorado Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff just came off a hard -- albeit a losing -- fight for Amendment 59 -- in Ritter's own opinion an effort to save the State financially. Romanoff championed the successful Referendum C effort which many perceived as saving the State for a five-year period starting with Ritter's own term as Governor (without Referendum C, Ritter would have entered office facing a financial disaster).
Romanoff was a young yet experienced legislator who proved his adeptness at herding cats during his tenure as Speaker of the House while building a very positive statewide reputation. After now being rejected by Ritter for both Secretary of State (Ritter filled that position by naming Bernie Buescher -- a legislator who was expected to succeed Romanoff as Speaker of the House but who lost his own reelection campaign) and U.S. Senate, Romanoff has to question what he has to do to get a gubernatorial appointment. He probably has concluded the prospects aren't good.
Congressman Ed Perlmutter was another favorite of many to get the nod from Ritter, especially based on his federal expertise on infrastructure funding and the belief he would do well delivering desperately-needed dollars to the State -- resources Ritter needs to help avoid a collapse of the Colorado Economy. With solid campaign experience and connections rivaling anyone in the State, Perlmutter not only could have been a force in the Senate but would have been the ideal candidate for election in 2010. He, too, has to be shaking his head.
On Paper, Others Were More Competitive
Compared to Bennet, other candidates also brought far greater name recognition, more familiarity with the State, broader foreign affairs experience, their own private wealth (although Bennet is wealthier than most of his competitors), extensive Democratic connections, extraordinary campaign experience and expertise, and/or years of recognized public service to the table. Most, if not all, of them had to be miffed by Ritter's decision. They simply did not understand what Ritter was trying to do -- i.e., shake up Washington.
Two common themes existed with both Ritter's December appointments for U.S. Senate and Secretary of State. First, both selections were emotional or "gut-level" in nature. The winners were men with whom Ritter was comfortable. That may have been the most important criterion and perhaps the only one that mattered. State Representative Bernie Buescher worked well with the Governor and was someone Ritter felt he could trust probably more than any of the other candidates for office.
Similarly, Michael Bennet came to the process without the kind of background and political backing which would compete in any way with Ritter -- who stands for reelection at the same time Bennet is up for his first election next year. This lack of being "locked in" to certain people, groups, and organizations gave Bennet a cleaner slate than most of the other candidates seeking Ritter's approval.
The second theme was that no real selection criteria ever were publicly articulated. For the Secretary of State's position, Ritter appointed a committee to recommend three names. It was similar to how judicial nominations are handled in Colorado but was ill-fitted for the task at hand.
If its purpose was to send three candidates to Ritter so he had two to select other than the most recent Democratic nominee for the office -- Senate Majority Leader Ken Gordon (who lost the 2006 race by only two points and who carried extensive election legislation) --- it succeeded. But no criteria were articulated by the committee and the process looked secretive to the public.
Are There Too Many Committees and Commissions?
Hopefully, Ritter will avoid this process in the future. It also reinforced an image of appointing committees or commissions to do the obvious. While they can serve as devices to engender consensus, the committee and commission approach needs to be used selectively --- as does "out-of-the-box" thinking. If one utilizes the former too often, he or she appears to be incapable of making tough decisions. If one utilizes the latter too often, he or she will find him or herself too far out in front of public opinion -- resulting in an inability to effectively lead.
In the case of the U.S. Senate selection, while there also were no real criteria articulated, at least Ritter didn't appoint another committee. Only time will tell but Michael Bennet -- a dedicated public servant -- likely will surprise everyone and become a great Senator. Personally, I am confident he can do just that. Just watch him in action.
Aaron Harber hosts The Aaron Harber Show, seen Tuesdays at 8:00 pm and Wednesdays at 5:00 pm on PBS Station KBDI-TV Channel 12. Please go to www.HarberTV.com for more information. Send your comments and topic suggestions to Aaron@HarberTV.com. You also may view programs on a 24/7 basis via the "Broadcast Videos" section of the Website. (C) Copyright 2009 by Aaron Harber and USA Talk Network, Inc. All rights reserved.