Colorado
Related: About this forumHoly Crap, Mark Kennedy is a Disaster
Yesterday, the newly-minted sole finalist for the position of President of the University of Colorado, former GOP Rep. Mark Kennedy of Minnesota, began his tour of the CU systems four campusesa crucial opportunity for Kennedy to ingratiate himself with students and faculty, and address the many questions about Kennedys anti-LGBT, anti-reproductive choice record in Congress that have resulted in angry protests over his selection to lead Colorados flagship public university.
As FOX 31s Evan Kruegel reports, yesterdays introduction did not go well:
Mark Kennedy as a leader is problematic, and hes unqualified, said CU Law Student Perdeep Singh-Badhesha. I think this is going to be the easiest of all the forums he goes to. These were softball questions, and I think he still did a very poor job.
Singh-Badhesha says hes concerned with Kennedys political views, at a school system known for welcoming and promoting LGBTQ rights
Kennedy fielded numerous questions from the crowd, saying his political past wont have an impact on how he handles businesses as president.
None of those votes are going to come into play, theyre just not going to come into play. [Pols emphasis] The real question is, how good are you at running a university? Thats the question we really ought to be focusing on.
Read more: https://www.coloradopols.com/diary/120314/holy-crap-mark-kennedys-a-disaster
riversedge
(72,762 posts)Elizabeth Hernandez
Verified account @ehernandez
Apr 22
Kennedy says he doesn't think it's fair for people to keep asking him about his congressional record. "I'm not running for congress."
Link to tweet
Link to tweet
https://www.coloradopols.com/diary/120314/holy-crap-mark-kennedys-a-disaster
............Heres the deal: if you do not think the President of the University of Colorados voting record in Congress against LGBT and abortion rights is relevant to his duties, you are probably not a member of those two classes of people. If you are an LGBT student, staff, or faculty member, having a President of your university who has proven himself inimical to your rights is a huge problem. Its worse than the present example of Bruce Benson, who although certainly a conservative Republican does not have a voting record as a lawmaker openly hostile to LGBT rights.
To us, this statement perfectly captures the disconnect between a man who cast his lot long ago, and present ambitions that simply dont fit with his record. Mark Kennedy may not be running for Congress, but its absurd to suggest that his record in Congress is not germane to the decision of whether he is appropriate to serve as President of the University of Colorado. Perhaps most damning, theres no evidence of contrition over these votes against the rights of large portions of the CU community at all, only the insistence that the beliefsmeaning Kennedys beliefsare largely irrelevant to what the President does.
In short, everyone who imagined this guy would make a good President of the University of Colorado, including his partisan Republican supporters on the Board of Regents, made a mistake that invites fundamental questions about their own competence. Not only is it time to start over with the search for a new CU President, but the next candidate(s) need first and foremost to not insult the CU communitys intelligence like Mark Kennedy did.
ProudMNDemocrat
(18,863 posts)When he decided to run for the US Senate Seat currently held by Amy Klobuchar in 2006. Kennedy represented CD-6. Thus paving the way for loony Michele Bachmann.
mountain grammy
(27,161 posts)I hope this stays in the news here in Colorado.. I'm emailing everyone I can to keep this public. This man should not be president of CU, no way, no how!