Listen to U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., at a town hall in Colorado Springs two weeks ago…

“My favorite rooms over the last 20 months have been the rooms where there are Republicans, unaffiliated voters, Democrats, and other people, you know, people in other parties,” Bennet said. “Because at least I know that for the hour that we’re gonna be together, everyone’s got to listen to each other. And it’s amazing what kind of progress you can make.

“And the way that I try to do it is by focusing everyone’s attention on the next generation. You know, I was born in 1964, which is the last year of the Baby Boom generation. I don’t think there’s a generation in the history of the planet that’s been given more than the Baby Boom generation was given in the United States of America. And yet, we’re at risk of being the first generation to leave less opportunity, not more, to our kids and our grandkids.

“I go to places in the state and people say, ‘Well, you know, you’re a socialist or you’re . . .’ and I say, ‘You know what, I drove over roads to get here, I drove past schools to get here, a town hall. We’re in a park together that someone else built for us, for you. How dare we not honor the legacy of the people that gave us all of that?’”

There’s a lot to chew on here. But let’s start with some background. I attended the Aug. 27 event, intending to videotape it, but there was this sign on the wall: “Please no Video or Audio Recording without prior consent from the Bennet Campaign.” The video footage above comes from another citizen journalist who was in the room, with camera rolling.

Now, on to the content of Sen. Bennet’s remarks…

- I’ll give him a pass that his “favorite rooms” are ones that include Republicans (though clearly those Republicans wouldn’t include ME, or others, who intend to document his remarks for everyone else to review).

- Every politician cites “our kids and our grandkids” as the ones they’re fighting for, but Sen. Bennet gives it a generational spin. It’s his Baby Boom generation (he implies) that’s falling down on the job, unwilling to suck it up and do what’s necessary to provide for present and future Americans what’s been provided for them.

Just one problem: as a nation, WE’RE BROKE, as in a $13 trillion national debt, which is approaching the value of our gross domestic product. So it seems like the rational approach is to figure out what federal spending is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY (not just desirable), pay down that debt and get our financial house in order so we can provide ANYTHING to future generations.

Instead, Sen. Bennet has been on board Pres. Obama’s stimulus/health-care reform/deficit-spending blowouts. He then had the nerve to criticize fiscal conservatives of the Tea Party sort as “trafficking in a kind of nihilistic vision” but later proclaimed that “we have nothing to show” for the $13 trillion in debt.

But even the former superintendent of Denver Public Schools seems to be grokking the new math, as Bennet (eight weeks from Election Day) finally took the Stimulus Expressway off-ramp rather than sign on to yet-another multi-billion-dollar spending plan from Pres. Obama.

- Lastly, I would love to see video of ANYONE saying to Sen. Bennet, “You’re a socialist…”. If the Bennet campaign has such footage, please post it! And, of course, if anyone else has it, reach me at whosaidyousaid@gmail.com.