This page is part of an undergraduate assignment at Davidson College
Candidate Representation: National Defense in Colorado
Pete Coors:
…emphasizes that the military must be provided with the proper resources to fight terrorists “in their own back yard” ("Transcript...chat").
…advocates preemptive strikes against Iran should that country continue to develop its nuclear capabilities (Morson) and says America should not delay direct action in order to build coalitions.
…believes that the U.S. must remain in Iraq throughout reconstruction and the role of NATO troops should be to provide training for Iraqi security forces (Crummy 10/10/04).
Ken Salazar:
…wants to strengthen America’s “fist line of defense” by upgrading air and sea travel security systems and security for nuclear facilities and increase the number of border patrol officers and INS agents ("Keeping...Abroad").
…would vote to pass the SAFE Act to amend the Patriot Act and believes that there must be an increased dissemination of intelligence to all sources, both federal and state (ibid).
…has stated the U.S. must fulfill its duty to reconstruct Iraq and that NATO forces should be stand alongside American troops for security purposes (Crummy) as a method of going after terrorists in “a global way” ("Mason...Margin").
How are the candidates representing constituents on the issue?
Coors:
»Does not want to be viewed as President Bush’s “rubber stamp” (ibid) by moderates and independents, so he has not elaborated as extensively on issues of national defense as in other areas like the economy and health care ("Transcript...chat").
»Actively targets smaller interest groups in his campaign (example: his remarks regarding preemptive strikes in Iran were given during a debate hosted by several Jewish groups (Morson)).
Salazar:
»Focuses not as much on interest groups but rather endears himself to Colorado’s entire Republican voter pool by emphasizing his support of the military and especially homeland security.
»Points out non-conservative aspects of Coors’ platform as well; Salazar wants to be on Senate Intelligence Committee while Coors favors the Finance and Appropriations Committee (Crummy 10/11/04) and one Salazar ad describes how Coors does not support the death penalty, even if Osama bin Laden were captured alive (Kane).
How well are constituents being represented by each candidate?
Salazar:
»Emphasizes the dimension of national defense immediately affecting Colorado voters (border security, etc.),
»Takes a delegate approach by representing Coloradoans’ own ideas and concerns.
Coors:
»Adopts a principled stance by discussing foreign policy aspects, which is more difficult for the average voter to assess.
»Assumes a trustee position by focusing on more abstract issues.
Both candidates represent their constituents well in the different dimensions of national defense that they have decided to stress in their campaign.
Created by Carolyn Gilmor (cagilmor@davidson.edu) for POL 318 at Davidson College
Created: 10/14/04. Updated: 10/15/04