Jason Says Vote, Colorado!

Let me just start by saying that this one is very personal to me. Having campaigned for candidates up and down the ballot in Colorado in 2010, I have a special place in my heart for The Centennial State.

Candidates: 

• Senator Mark Udall (D): first elected to the U.S. Senate - 2008. Prior to that he was a Member of the Colorado State House (1996-1998), and a U.S. Representative (1999-2009). Senator's campaign website.
• Congressman Cory Gardner (R): first elected to the U.S. House - 2010. Prior to that he was a staffer for U.S. Senator Wayne Allard from Colorado (2002-2005), a Member of the Colorado State House (2005-2010), and U.S. Representative (2011-present). Senate campaign site.

Jason's Bottom Line:

• This election comes down to whether or not the people of Colorado are going to be fooled by pretty new wrapping paper on Representative Cory Gardner, a far-right fringe candidate. 
• Mark Udall is Colorado. He believes in strengthening the middle class, making college more affordable, protecting our rights, and encouraging responsible solutions to everything from balancing the budget to saving the environment. 
• Gardner, on the other hand, is a "Hard-Core Conservative" who has an 85% approval rating from the Tea Party; voted to privatize Medicare, raise the eligibility age, and gut federal Medicaid safeguards; and voted to shut down the government - while Colorado families suffered from devastating floods - cutting off valuable (and direly needed) disaster relief. 

Issues:

Access to Affordable Health Care

• Udall: Supports fixing the Affordable Care Act (ACA - aka "Obamacare") to ensure that the protections that exist in the law remain (these include those under 26 being able to remain on their parents insurance, protection from pre-existing condition denials, ending yearly and lifetime caps on insurance benefits, etc.) and that we work in a bi-partisan way to increase access and reduce costs. 
• Gardner: Opposes the federal governments role in health care. Gardner voted with Republicans over 50 times to repeal the ACA (in whole, or in part) - including the vote that shutdown the government during the devastating Colorado flooding last year. Gardner, as well as other Republicans, says that they will replace the ACA's popular provisions after they repeal the bill. However, they are unable to provide any specifics or a comprehensive health care plan.
• Winner: Udall
• When it comes to increasing access to affordable health care - and having plans to back up those statements - Senator Udall wins every time. He supports the ACA, but recognizes that it is not a perfect law. We need to fix some of the unintended consequences, and strengthen access for those who still cannot gain coverage due to insurance costs. 
• Congressman Gardner pays lip service to the popular aspects of the law, but has offered no plan (other than repeal the ACA) to backup those statements. In addition, his over 50 votes to repeal the ACA with no alternative legislation to put in it's place make me question his beliefs. 

Education/Student Debt

• Udall: Stands with Senator Warren (D-MA) on lowering interest rates on federally-backed student loans. Senator Udall is against school vouchers and supports improving public schools instead of destroying them with vouchers. He supports hiring more teachers, having smaller classes, and reinvesting in our public education system.
• Gardner: Not only does Gardner not support actions to make college more affordable, he voted for the 2014 Republican Budget that eliminated in-school interest rate subsidies for Stafford Loans - cutting student loans for 150,000 Coloradans. He voted for the 2013 Ryan Budget that cuts per capita education investment by 47%. Gardner voted for the 2012 Ryan Budget that cut per captia investment in education and training by 48%. Gardner voted for the 2011 Ryan Budget that gut education and training investment by 53%. Each of these votes - if the policies had been enacted - would have cost students billions of dollars. Thankfully, strong voices like Senator Udall were able to prevent them from becoming law!
• Winner: Udall
• Not only does Senator Udall co-sponsor Senator Warren's legislation to lower student loan interest rates, he has been a lifelong champion of strengthening public education through reform and investment. Likewise, he has been a strong voice for Colorado students in the Senate to lower student loan repayment limits and make Pell Grants more accessible. He firmly believes in strengthening the middle class through quality higher education.
• Congressman Gardner, on the other hand, has repeatedly voted to cut support for public schools and to increase costs to college students and their families. The Congressman's lack of dedication to Colorado students - while championing tax cuts to the richest 1% - speaks volumes about where his loyalties truly lie. 

Pay Equity/Workplace Protections/Expanding the Middle Class

• Udall: Senator Udall joined his Democratic and Republican colleagues as a co-sponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and has been a career-long champion of equality in and out of the workplace - regardless of gender, orientation, race, religion, etc. Senator Udall was a strong champion of ending Don't Ask Don't Tell for service members. Senator Udall also has a 100% rating from both the National Small Business Association and the National Retail Federation (even being recognized as a "Hero of Mainstreet"). Udall also boasts a 91% lifetime score with the AFL-CIO for standing up for worker's rights. The lowest score he has ever received from pro-equality groups over his entire career was an 88% rating. 
• Gardner: Gardner voted against the Paycheck Fairness Act, he voted against consideration of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, fought to protect Don't Ask Don't Tell, and Gardner has a long history of favoring employers over employees - whether it is to make it harder for workers to unionize, supporting the Hobby Lobby decision, or fighting to protect companies that ship jobs overseas. Gardner has many great scores with business groups as well. He also has a 0% rating from the HRC and Equal Rights Colorado. Gardner scores a dismal 9% lifetime score with the AFL-CIO for standing with workers.
• Winner: Udall
• Hands down, 100%, without a doubt, Udall. No further discussion necessary. 

Reproductive Rights/Women's Health Care

• Udall: Senator Udall has a 100% rating with NARAL Pro-Choice America and has spent his entire career protecting a woman's right to her own body. I don't need to say anymore than that.
• Gardner: Senator Udall has been criticized by the Denver Post for making this a one issue campaign - all about reproductive rights. When you are running against a man as far to the right on women's issues as Gardner, it's a fair issue to bring before the voters. Gardner has a 0% rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America and a 100% rating from National Right to Life Committee (bonus points for the biblical quote at the top of that endorsement - and my favorite quote from their website..."When we stay home on election day babies die..."). Gardner has spent his career in politics trying to ban abortion. He has supported personhood which would likely lead to bans on common forms of contraception, and is still (to this day) a co-sponsor of the federal personhood bill living up to his campaign promise in 2006 - but he doesn't think that voters are smart enough to read the bill, they'll just take his word (and he is the ONLY person saying this) that the bill he's a co-sponsor of is NOT a personhood bill (even though it is). Gardner even voted to shut down the government (back in 2011 this time) if $70 million in Title X funding (a decades-old program to provide contraceptives, cancer screenings, and pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease testing) were not barred from Planned Parenthood. 
• Winner: Udall
• 100% Udall. But, if you have a few seconds, it's worth watching Gardner try to lie in a debate about the Federal personhood bill. The moderator wasn't having any of it! My favorite part from the moderator...."It would seem that a charitable interpretation would be that you have a difficult time admitting when you are wrong. And a less charitable interpretation is that you are not telling us the truth, which is it?" (It gets good at about 0:18)

Marriage Equality

• Udall: This one is easy. Udall supports marriage equality and has a 100% rating from HRC (the lowest rating he ever received on equality issues was 88%).
• Gardner: Gardner is anti-marriage equality and has spent his career milking the divisive issue for votes and campaign contributions. Gardner has a 0% rating across the board with equality groups.
• Winner: Udall
• 100% Udall. Again, have you been reading? 

Bipartisanship/Willingness to Work Across the Aisle

This is a big one for me as I deal with Congress every day for work. The willingness of a member to bridge the partisan divide is so important to get anything done. The super-partisanship of Washington is the reason that Congress is dysfunctional and has the lowest approval ratings ever. 

• Udall: Senator Udall proved it in the State House, in the US House, and the US Senate. He is willing to work with whatever colleagues are willing to come to the table to make life better for the middle class and the people of Colorado. When the devastating floods hit the state in late-2013, Senator Udall was instrumental in brokering a bi-partisan aid package to quickly rebuild roads and restore services to the affected Coloradans. The fact that the Senator was able to bring both sides together - during one of the most polarizing times in this Congress - shows his unique ability to put the people of Colorado above politics.
• Gardner: Mr. Gardner is ranked as the 10th Most Conservative House Member by National Journal - more conservative than, not just the rest of the Colorado delegation, but the entire delegations of Mississippi, Arkansas, South Carolina, Alabama, Nebraska, Arizona, and Oklahoma. His own colleague, Rep. King (R-NY) said that Congressman Gardner showed "real hypocrisy" in voting for disaster aid for Colorado after voting AGAINST emergency aid to the states hit by Hurricane Sandy. Speaking of disaster aid, Congressman Gardner's vote AGAINST the relief for the Hurricane Sandy victims was actually a vote AGAINST the funding that later came to Colorado to assist in the recovery through additional HUD grants. While Udall was fighting for additional disaster relief, Gardner was shutting down the government (then voting 16 separate times to keep it closed) over petty partisanship that everyone knew would hurt the economy and would fail to repeal Obamacare.
• Winner: Udall
• When it comes to bridging the partisan divide to get things done for the people of Colorado, Mark Udall is the man.