The Boulder Daily Camera Obscura opines about the GOP Senate primary, taking Coors to task for inexperience, Schaffer for going negative, and both candidate for trying to outflank each other on gay marriage.

This is one of the most competitive Senate races in the country, and at first it was relatively civilized. The campaign between Democrats Ken Salazar and Mike Miles still is. But the race between Coors and Schaffer has taken a turn so negative that the state GOP chairman deplored it, warning that the divisiveness would hurt the party in the general election.

What happened? Well, for one thing, the GOP candidates began sparring over their respective credentials as opponents of gay rights.

The paper goes on to assume that Coors is acting out of expediency and not conviction, and uses that to convict to the entire Republican party of homophobia. It also fails to distinguish between Bob Schaffer and Bill Armstrong.

The Camera is a liberal paper writing for a left-wing audience in a communitarian town, so if Ken Salazar were to switch parties tomorrow, they'd endorse Mike Miles. But it's always good to see what kind of tactics the other side is up to.