Colorado Democrat Michael Bennet apparently doesn’t believe in leading by example. Bennet is sponsoring a bill that would re-work campaign finance laws. The Center for Public Integrity has the details:
But Bennet’s bill would severely limit high-octane lobbyists’ ability to “bundle” campaign contributions — the act of raising money from people and delivering it to campaigns in one bundle. … Bennet’s legislation would require lobbyists to count money they raise from other people against their own personal contribution limits, which vary for different kinds of political committees. For example, a lobbyist could only bundle up to $2,700 for a single federal candidate per election.
Under Bennet’s leadership last cycle, the DSCC accumulated “nearly three times as much ‘bundled’ money from lobbyists than its counterpart,” the NRSC. For this and his own practices, Bennet is being a labeled a hypocrite, and rightly so:
Asked whether Bennet, a Colorado Democrat, would personally continue to accept contributions bundled by lobbyists, Bennet spokesman Adam Bozzi said the senator wishes campaign finance rules were different and is fighting for reforms, but “until then he will continue to abide by the rules.”
That’s certainly convenient. So while Bennet participates in the same behavior he wants to ban, he’s asking Coloradans to trust him in Washington. Good luck with that.