It's a fascinating turning point. Senator Michael Bennet is using the gay issue to his advantage against his Republican rival in Colorado. Buck recently compared being gay to being born with a tendency to alcoholism. The issue emerged in the debate:
“The homosexuality question occupied all of maybe 20 seconds of the debate, and yet it's going to produce most of the headlines out of the debate,” independent Denver-based political analyst Eric Sondermann said. “Those are not the headlines Ken Buck wanted.” … Bennet jumped on Buck's remark. “I absolutely believe he's outside the mainstream of views on this,” Bennet said. Buck spent much of a debate insisting that he hasn't changed his positions to appeal to moderate voters in a Senate contest that has become one of the nation's most competitive.
A generational issue here too? Bennet is 45, the cusp of the generational shift on the gay question; Buck is 50.
(Full disclosure: Bennet is also my editor's brother.)
The Dish 