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Not seen in this photo: Mark Udall.
Slate.com political reporter Christopher Beam writes this week about the shifting hue of Colorado politics, and whether the newish, blueish tint will be enough for Barack Obama to actually carry Colorado.
It focuses on Obama’s reliance — actually, his lack of reliance — on fellow Dem Mark Udall.
Here’s an excerpt:
Why isn’t there more coordination between Udall and Obama? At his appearances in Colorado last week, Obama was introduced by Ritter and Salazar. Udall spokeswoman Tara Trujillo unconvincingly cites logistics: “We don’t know if Obama’s going to be in town until a couple days beforehand.”
More likely, the reasons are deeper. In Colorado, fiscal conservatism is not exclusively Republican. Guns and religion are important issues, not simply things for people to cling to. Bipartisanship is practically a fetish. “If there’s a gang, [Salazar] joins it,” says independent pollster Floyd Ciruli. Thus Udall is more of a barometer for Obama’s success — if he’s doing well, then Obama should do well — than a model for it.
Read the full story at Slate.com. — Joe Tone
