As most of you know, I am a career military man, recently retired.  I don’t mention it too much because I wasn’t a hero or anything like that.  Having been in the Air Force my entire adult life, I had always avoided political events.

Well, I’m a private citizen now, so I put on my ostrich skin boots, American eagle bolo tie, and with the sexy Mrs. Silverfiddle on my arm, I went to a candidate’s forum featuring Republican US Senate hopefuls Jane Norton and Ken Buck.

Buck is the underdog, but I came away a fan after initially leaning towards Norton because she is the establishment candidate with Reagan administration and Lieutenant Governor experience.  Nothing against Jane.  If she beats Ken in the March Caucus I’m voting for her, and the praise I heap on Ken Buck is no way is a slap at her.  The only bad thing I can say about her is she sounded “canned,” like a well-polished politician, while Buck had a more sincere and populist patina.

Ken Buck for US Senator from Colorado

Ken Buck’s unrehearsed but articulate and candid manner really impressed me. I got to look him in the eye and shake his hand as we discussed the ACLU and La Raza attacks against him for going after illegal aliens involved in identity theft.  He’s a sincere man with a populist streak.  Here are some random thoughts from the evening:

The woman sitting next to my wife announced that she recently abandoned the Democratic party!  We welcomed her warmly into the Republican Party bosom as a church would welcome a reformed drunk.

The Moderator Led Off With Two Of My Questions!

Amy, the ResistNet District Coordinator for our congressional district, was the moderator, and she started off by asking the candidates two of my questions!  One concerned the 9th and 10th Amendments to the constitution, and the other invited their views on Article 1, Section 8 of the US Constitution, specifically the enumerated powers and how broadly the candidates interpreted the interstate commerce and the general welfare clause.

Both candidates gave good answers, but Buck specifically mentioned housing and schools as issues the federal government should not be involved in.

Mr. Buck also spoke eloquently of avoiding foreign entanglements, citing George Washington.  No more ambiguous congressional kinda sorta approvals of some type of presidential action.  Declare specific objectives, get the troops in and then bring them home.  No more endless commitments.

To much applause, he gently poked at John McCain as one of the Senators he would not be seeking out.  Jim DeMint and Dr. Tom Coburn are more his style.

He stated flatly that George Bush spent too much and grew government too much (more enthusiastic applause), and then added on that Barack Obama is expanding upon this madness at a frightening pace (applause increased).

I could hear echoes of pre-17th Amendment days in his vow to meet with Colorado’s state representatives at least quarterly to get feedback on how federal policy was affecting the state.

The evening was capped off  by the exciting announcement that Scott Brown had been declared the winner in the Massachusetts senate race.