Colorado recalls: Sen. John Morse concedes, vows to "continue to fight"
Source: Denver Post
COLORADO SPRINGS Colorado Senate President John Morse thanked and urged fellow lawmakers to continue fighting Tuesday as voters ousted him from office for his support for stricter Colorado gun laws.
"It has been an honor to represent the 11th Senate District," said Morse, who is the first Colorado lawmaker to be recalled and thrown out of office. "It's been hugely rewarding."
With about 86 percent of returns counted in the historic recall election of Democratic Senate President John Morse show 52 percent have voted "yes" and 48 percent "no."
Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_24064007/colorado-recall-morse-says-turnout-lower-than-he.html
TwilightGardener
(46,416 posts)Good for him for standing up.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)We need to regroup and figure out a way to win these things. This is the second recall we have lost that I can remember. We lost in Wisconsin with Governor Walker and now Colorado. I wonder what we can do to get people to vote in these recalls.
sendero
(28,552 posts)... because the people who favor the small common-sense reforms of gun laws don't care enough about it to go to the polls. The people against the reforms care a lot.
I am a gun-rights supporter but I favor universal background checks and magazine capacity limits. They are not an unreasonable infringement on my right to have a gun any more than requiring a license to drive is some kind of infringement.
But the rabid pro-gun folks are masterful at convincing folks that these things are the camel's nose in the tent and so they win.
This is an unfortunate loss for CO and the country.
totodeinhere
(13,058 posts)mwrguy
(3,245 posts)for subverting democracy like this.
brooklynite
(94,571 posts)...but how is voting in an recall election "subverting democracy"?
WCLinolVir
(951 posts)bossy22
(3,547 posts)you might be correct. But you can't ignore big money on our side (Bloomberg et al)
There were special interests on both sides- the only difference is the NRA and pro-gun groups are good and mobilizing voters
Laelth
(32,017 posts)How exactly do Bloomberg et. al. make money from gun control laws? Perhaps they do. I honestly don't know, but I find it hard to call the groups fighting for gun control "special interests." The NRA, on the other hand, is undoubtedly a "special interest" because it's largest contributors stand to make a lot of money from keeping the gun trade unrestricted.
Does this difference (those who advocate bad public policy primarily to increase their own profits vs. those who want to do the right thing and stand to make no money from their advocacy) factor into your own use of the term "special interests"?
Should it?
-Laelth
sir pball
(4,742 posts)Plug "special interests" into Wikipedia and this is what you get:
Advocacy groups (also known as pressure groups, lobby groups, campaign groups, interest groups, or special interest groups) use various forms of advocacy to influence public opinion and/or policy; they have played and continue to play an important part in the development of political and social systems. Groups vary considerably in size, influence, and motive; some have wide ranging long term social purposes, others are focused and are a response to an immediate issue or concern.
Motives for action may be based on a shared political, faith, moral, or commercial position. Groups use varied methods to try to achieve their aims including lobbying, media campaigns, publicity stunts, polls, research, and policy briefings. Some groups are supported by powerful business or political interests and exert considerable influence on the political process, others have few such resources.
While the NRA's donors stand to make money, I'd still consider MAIG/Brady/et al to be "special interests", same as I'd consider Focus on the Family or PETA - all groups that exist more or less solely to promote sociopolitical agendas.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)people were allowed to vote who said, "they may move to that district someday"
That's what 2014 and future vote chances will look like if Rs are allowed to get away with this.
wild bird
(421 posts)Link please.
Somehow I find that hard to believe, but if you have a reputable link, then there was something fishy going on.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)search the persons name and it's explained in great detail in several articles. Here's one of the articles.
Jon Caldera, the president of the libertarian-minded Independence Institute, changed his registration from Boulder, Colo. to El Paso County, Colo. He was only required to affirm that he intends to make Morses district his permanent home in order to vote in the election to recall Senate President John Morse.
http://dailycaller.com/2013/09/09/how-almost-anyone-can-vote-in-the-colorado-recall-elections/
wild bird
(421 posts)Sen. Giron was the sponsor of this bill?
Talk about the ultimate irony!!!!
I wonder how many people actually took advantage of this new law.
Would be interesting to find out if it affected the outcome at all, it could just as easily be used by both sides.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)We will never know how many got a registration change just to vote in that local recall
I don't think registration changes are public record for counties. Who knows how many counties, local districts have that in their registration form? This could be a common tactic to get local votes.
Mojorabbit
(16,020 posts)hack89
(39,171 posts)The new law is getting its first trial run during the recall elections in Pueblo and El Paso counties. Sen. John Morse, D-Colorado Springs, and Sen. Angela Giron, D-Pueblo, are facing recall elections where voters will decide whether to keep them in office or oust them over gun laws they supported last session.
http://gazette.com/county-clerk-discounts-voter-fraud-allegations-in-colorado-recall/article/1505965
The repukes had nothing to do with it.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)Who knows how many people claimed they were going to move to that district someday and voted in that recall election? was a smallish election a few hundred could have done it.
hack89
(39,171 posts)what exactly did the Rs get away with? That you can actually prove?
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)How many 'pretended' they were going to move to the recall district someday just so they could vote?
wild bird
(421 posts)both factions might have taken advantage of this new law.
Personally, I don't think this law made a difference one way or the other, they probably cancelled each other out.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)This type of 'may be a future resident so I can vote now' could be in many local counties across the USA.
A definite win district can move a couple thousand votes to a swing district and make the difference. It's 'legal' this kind of loophole will be abused.
wild bird
(421 posts)my point is that if one side took advantage, it stands to reason that the other side did also.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)I think it's better and fairer to fix the loophole. Besides Rs will amend a means test to the law and find out I can't afford a house in Colorado Springs. and that will be a felony charge
And this idiot did cast the ballot (albeit blank), committing a felony.
hack89
(39,171 posts)and those running the elections say it did not impact the results.
Laelth
(32,017 posts)I find it more useful. To each one's own.
-Laelth
Mojorabbit
(16,020 posts)Robb
(39,665 posts)brooklynite
(94,571 posts)...but I don't define "subverting Democracy" as people voting in a way other than I would.
warrant46
(2,205 posts)In this case the republicans motivated their base more effectively.
Also according to my cousin in CO the "natives" took more umbrage at "16 ounce soda man" New York Bloomberg spending half a million to educate them than the gun lobby. We need to take a lesson from this and motivate our base.
Also Bloomberg turns a lot of people off by his condescending attitude ----he doesn't need to be the point man
Eleanors38
(18,318 posts)and Bloomberg has filled it. He KNOWS there is a national stage in this because of MSM's big bias against guns; he can gin up a local election, step in and dominate with all the publicity attaching thereto, create a national "issue," and walk away the winner no matter the ourcome.
It's about him and his future plans.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)thing as anti-semitism...and a bias against "New York". We don't like to talk about it, but it does exist...and I am sure it was exploited to hell and back by many on the recall side of this...
warrant46
(2,205 posts)CTyankee
(63,912 posts)tho your using that example is interesting.
warrant46
(2,205 posts)I guess I wanted to tell you I suspected that particular brand of prejudice is more widespread and very non-politically correct
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)belief later), then I don't get your point.
bossy22
(3,547 posts)Though the outcome is not what we would like I don't see this as "subverting democracy"
Maybe the silver lining will be that we will stop delving into gun control and start worrying about more important things
Wabbajack_
(1,300 posts)Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)There's more to the Progressive agenda than gun-control. Please stop trying to derail it.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)Please don't talk to me about the Progressive agenda.
Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)But that doesn't change the fact that gun-control is a losing issue.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)They want us to give up.
The answer is NO.
wild bird
(421 posts)Never surrender on gun control.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)We need some help in common sense gun control and I am not seeing it anywhere. What has happened? Why don't our DUers who proclaim their allegiance to "sane gun control laws" get traction? If it is true that what they say about most Americans wanting just those kinds of gun laws, why aren't we getting them? I don't get it...
I am waiting patiently for a swell of support for these common sense gun safety laws but I am not hearing it. Why isn't there a national movement of rational gun owners to form such a group? If the majority of Americans are FOR the 2nd amendment but want these laws, why hasn't that group materialized?
These are real questions I have going forward. I want to believe, but it is hard....
wild bird
(421 posts)I thought after the horror of Sandy Hook, we could get something done, now it's like it never happened with most of the American people.
What happened in CO. wouldn't have happened if people had just gone to the polls and voted, but no, they were too busy watching Ameican Idol, or some such nonsense.
Some days I wonder why I even continue to try. It's like , but, we've got to keep on plugging along hoping against hope that the people come to their senses.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)accustomed to doing, just as I am accustomed to in-person voting (except when I am out of the country and need to use absentee ballots). When there is confusion about where/how to vote, it causes fewer people voting. In CT we have good faith efforts whenever your polling place changes for that very reason. Our secretaries of state have been very good assuring that every effort is made to get the word out, but it still causes problems.
The way I see it, if lots of voters in CO didn't know they wouldn't have the mail in option and at the last minute had to either curtail work time (resulting for some in a reduced paycheck which lots of people can't afford), find/hire/pay for a caregiver for a child or elderly/disabled, arrange for a ride, etc, well, that could very well negatively impact the exercise of their right to vote. So I am not so swift in condemning people for not voting under those circumstances.
Of course, the NRA knows this! All they need to do is throw enough confusion and actual hardship at average, non fanatical, voters and hell, yes, they can limit the franchise! They are a very powerful organization, leading a band of gun fanatics, supported by VAST sums of money from the very right wing Koch Brothers.
Is THIS the way we want our democracy to work? And all for the glorification of a radical interpretation of the 2nd amendment which was vigorously dissented from by the liberal wing of the Supreme Court? I like to remind the gun enthusiasts here, who engage in this kind of glorification, that they are in essence admitting that they are out of step with the most basic philosophy of this web site. This is a far cry from saying "some Democrats have guns." No, they think the liberals and progressives here should tolerate their advocacy of everything we are against!
davepc
(3,936 posts)If the pro gun control movement cant encourage voters to go to the polls to protect politicians who carry their water then they have only themselves to blame.
liberalhistorian
(20,818 posts)cult doesn't have a ton of politicians in their own very deep pockets? Please. Fucking gun nuts.
davepc
(3,936 posts)If pro gun control supporters went to the polls and voted to protect their representatives who voted for their issue the recall would of been a failure.
Gun control has massive appeal. 90%+ according to the polls that are often quoted.
WCLinolVir
(951 posts)The mailers. The gun lobby. It's not about rights, it's about money.
bossy22
(3,547 posts)but big donors like Mike Bloomberg were involved supporting democratic candidates
WCLinolVir
(951 posts)And you left out the NRA. The state of Colorado paid for the balloting, yes.
davepc
(3,936 posts)Did all that NRA money go to physically restraining these Obama voters to keep them from the polls?
sweetapogee
(1,168 posts)write a 500 word essay educating the public at-large on how much money was spent and how the money was used on both sides of this election! Don't forget to footnote!
hack89
(39,171 posts)if it was a matter of money then the recall would have failed.
Democrats have run 2,346 of the 2,490 ads aired in the campaign. The Republicans running in the recalls haven't run a single ad. Now if either Democrat loses this recall, it'll be further proof for my theory that TV advertising is increasingly irrelevant. But this is a special caseRepublican wingnuts don't need to be told by the TV box that there's a recall. They're activated and motivated. It's lower-performing Democratic voters that need to be educated and mobilized. Thus it follows that every single Republican ad in the race has been negative, but only two of the nine Democratic ads follow suit
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/09/10/1237859/-As-we-wait-for-Colorado-recall-results-here-s-some-trivia
7962
(11,841 posts)So it wasnt the amount of money that took this
wild bird
(421 posts)How?
The voters spoke, I don't like the results, but it was done fairly.
StevePaulson
(174 posts)Plain and simple. Disagree? Name one thing Republicans have done to protect children or others from gun violence. (crickets chirping)
This is like Walker escaped recall in Wisconsin. By having the billionaires he works for outspend his opponent 8 to 1.
Anyone that thinks we live in an democracy simply can't count......
http://www.RepublicansAreADisease.com
davepc
(3,936 posts)You guys contributed about $150K of the $913K raised by Angela Giron (16 percent), and $160K of the 658K raised by John Morse (24 percent).
Democrats have run 2,346 of the 2,490 ads aired in the campaign. The Republicans running in the recalls haven't run a single ad. Now if either Democrat loses this recall, it'll be further proof for my theory that TV advertising is increasingly irrelevant. But this is a special caseRepublican wingnuts don't need to be told by the TV box that there's a recall. They're activated and motivated. It's lower-performing Democratic voters that need to be educated and mobilized. Thus it follows that every single Republican ad in the race has been negative, but only two of the nine Democratic ads follow suit.
Is he wrong or lying?
Eleanors38
(18,318 posts)gopiscrap
(23,761 posts)John_Carter
(15 posts)warrant46
(2,205 posts)When the base voted in Nov 2012 they elected PROGRESSIVE (D)Tammy Baldwin to the US Senate and re-elected Barack Obama.
Tammy is a jewel in the cesspool Senate
world wide wally
(21,743 posts)Colorado. The recall was limited to his district which is in the heart of the most conservative county in the country... El Paso County. This is the Vatican of Evangelism and home of rootin' tootin' gun freaks. It was a miracle that he was elected to begin with.
What was proved was that if you don't vote the way the NRA wants you to... fuck general elections. They will just spend the money to recall you and get their lackeys to get out and vote their way. The entire vote count was under 25,000 people in the most conservative county in the nation so don't try peddling the polls are wrong bullshit. I know where we are and El Paso county has absolutely NOTHING going for it except the natural beauty.
Fuck the NRA
hack89
(39,171 posts)so it would appear that there are a bunch of Dems that support gun rights.
warrant46
(2,205 posts)Union workers voting for pukes because guns, god and putting down gays is more important than keeping their nice jobs.
And a certain religion also helps the pukes with its priests railing against abortion
hack89
(39,171 posts)and ignoring them comes with a price?
warrant46
(2,205 posts)I have relatives that love hunting, hated Bush and the corporate types, but are mislead by ads which show Pelosi, Bloomberg and Feinstein saying " If I was in charge I would round them all up" and voting for the same Clowns that eventually will ship their jobs to Viet-Nam of China
sir pball
(4,742 posts)I probably wouldn't have.
hack89
(39,171 posts)world wide wally
(21,743 posts)El paso county went 58% for Romney...nice try
hack89
(39,171 posts)his is the most liberal. It went to Obama by 59%.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0Av8O-dN2giY6dFRHMDVYc1JUcEI0NEpJOUVnUnFRcmc&single=true&gid=9&output=html
world wide wally
(21,743 posts)ProudToBeBlueInRhody
(16,399 posts)Meanwhile, the gun nuts will have blood on their hands again before long.
Response to ProudToBeBlueInRhody (Reply #22)
Name removed Message auto-removed
The Last Dem.
(76 posts)with this recall is, the whole state should have been able to vote on this recall issue. As a whole he represents the whole state so the whole state should have been able to vote, not just his district. Having said that, he still done well even though he lost he had 48 percent of the votes against 52 percent, not bad. El Paso County has not heard the last of this.
S_B_Jackson
(906 posts)there is now a grass roots effort in the works to have a constitutiona provison placed on the 2014 November ballot which would rescind the magazine capacity restrictions that the CO legislature enacted.
http://putittothepeople.wordpress.com/
The ballot title and submission clause designated and fixed by the Initiative Title Setting Review Board is:
Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado Constitution prohibiting any restriction on the purchase or possession of ammunition storage and feeding devices other than a restriction enacted by a voter-approved law?
The proposed Constitutional Amendment is:
SECTION 32. GUN MAGAZINES NO LIMITATION OR RESTRICTION
NO LAW, EXCEPT A LAW ENACTED BY A VOTE OF THE PEOPLE, SHALL RESTRICT OR LIMIT THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE TO PURCHASE OR POSSESS AMMUNITION STORAGE AND FEEDING DEVICES OF ANY CAPACITY.
It's likely that the the petition will be successful, and this November it will be on the ballot state-wide. I suspect that gun control mavens, Michael Bloomberg and his Gang of Illegal Mayors, and Gov. Hickenlooper will not be pleased with the result.
Koko Ware
(107 posts)And won't even get the signatures they want.
In fact, if a moron approaches me with it, I'll just sign Mickey Mouse and tell them to shove it. If Mr. Mouse is suddenly a Colorado resident and a registered voter, then I'll know these people are morons.
DFW
(54,379 posts)The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
If not enough Democrats saw fit to turn out to defeat the recall, then they have no one else to blame. This was a serious defeat despite the local nature and relatively small numbers involved. I hope it serves as a wake-up call. Tip O'Neill was not wrong when he said that "all politics is local." It's where most people get started, as witnessed by one Barack Obama. When people mention "community organizer," the key word is "community." These two districts were predominantly red, but obviously still winnable.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)Money alone cannot do it. It has to be the people's fight. I don't know anything about this district, but if the messaging was not clear and did not answer questions in people's minds then that could certainly result in this outcome.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)Hmm, that shows that there was more afoot than we thought...voter suppression tactics...lovely...
onehandle
(51,122 posts)And often do, literally.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)Co state law requires mail-in ballots for all elections, even recall elections.
The Colorado Supreme Court struck this law down.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)if they got away with this today, then bend over for 2014.
wild bird
(421 posts)It was challenged by a Libertarian.
hack89
(39,171 posts)regarding the time allowed for candidates to gather signatures to get on the ballot. A judge says the constitution took precedence over the voting law - which one would expect.
The voting law was flawed and needs to be fixed.
Koko Ware
(107 posts)It was still ineffective.
1) Morse was term-limited anyway, and it leads the way to Morgan Carroll who happens to be more progressive than Morse. Not only the gun-owners had issues with them, but people who have worked hard with legalizing marijuana (Amendment 64) also had major issues with him - especially when it came to taxation on marijuana - he wanted and endorsed Amendment AA that will fail this fall. What that does is increase retail marijuana (as opposed to medical marijuana) taxation by 15%. That is an unfair taxation, and should be taxed and regulated like alcohol. So it wasn't just them, but also us who had problems with Morse. Now with Morse out, Carroll who is next in line for Morse's post, who is a backer of Amendment 64, won't allow any unnecessary changes what is now set as a model legislation for legalizing marijuana.
2) Even though with Giron gone, it still doesn't do any good for the Republicans, as both the idiot Teabaggers are going to be assigned where they are non-essential to the business of the State of Colorado. Even the Republican caucus wants to bury both of them so far deep that they'll be rendered useless and replaced again for the 2014 elections, knowing Pueblo (Giron's district) is heavily Democratic, and Morse's district is still a 33/33/33.
And not to mention that it's still all-Democratic legislative body.
bossy22
(3,547 posts)making a signifigant change to who controls the legislature- yes, but the recall proponents knew that.
What it will be significant in doing is neutralizing MAIG and making many other swing states think twice before taking up gun control. In the world of political consequences, these results are among the most harsh.
ileus
(15,396 posts)It's too late....hitching won't help. Our job now is to run a 2A progressive democrat.
Eleanors38
(18,318 posts)BainsBane
(53,032 posts)CTyankee
(63,912 posts)we shall see...