In an effort to rally a Democrat base that has lost interest, pro-gun control Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) voted to declare climate change a “national security issue” on March 26.
While this may get the attention of a small percentage of Bennet’s base, rabidly green in their thinking, it is also certain to sacrifice the votes of many in energy-rich Colorado who understand that the result of Bennet’s vote will mean more taxes, regulation, and government oversight on oil, natural gas, and other types of energy production.
But Colorado Peak Politics (CPP) suggests Bennet may have had no choice, that he is quickly going the way of former Senator Mark Udall (D-CO), and the writing is on the wall.
Udall was another strong gun control proponent and one, who, like Bennet, voted for Senator Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) 2013 gun control bill. Voters rejected Udall during the 2014 midterms, and Bennet is now working to avoid the same fate in 2016.
Bennet is currently struggling to poll higher than 50 percent among this own base. They see a senator who voted for the Keystone Pipeline just two months ago, then turned around and voted “yea” on energy-crushing climate change legislation just last week. They see a senator who voted for a massive federal gun control bill in 2013–and whom On the Issues records as voting for bans on “high capacity” magazines and new restrictions on guns shows, yet claims he does not want “restrictions on the right to bear arms.”
His base is, no doubt, confused.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.