The National Rifle Association enjoyed two massive wins last night as they successfully ousted two Coloradan state senators in special recall elections, including the president of the Senate. The lasting legacy of this defeat will probably be a steady stream of recall elections all across the country, as Republicans realize that they have a much better chance of winning low turnout recall elections than high turnout general elections. Remember, they terminated California Governor Gray Davis while we failed to recall Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.
The lesson is that the Republicans don’t have to accept the results of elections and can get a second bite at every apple.
It was a bad night for New York mayor Mike Bloomberg, who not only saw the NRA chalk up giant victories but saw his preferred successor, Christine Quinn, come in third place in the Democratic primary and his nemesis, Bill de Blasio, seemingly crack the 40% mark that will allow him to avoid a runoff. Mr. de Blasio may have to endure a recount before he is free and clear to run as the Democratic nominee.
Yes, expect to see election recall provisions added to ALEC’s bag of “conservative” tricks, to be enacted whenever a Repub takeover occurs. These recall things were largely a Western state phenomenon, as I recall, but they will now be pushed everywhere by the plutocrats, just another way to terrorize elected officials and paralyze them from acting on the issues “conservatives” hold dear.
Dems could advocate for repeal these statutory recall provisions, as their need seems pretty limited and now used mostly for partisan purposes by single issue voters. Many states don’t have them and there’s no real need for them, especially for state legislators who serve 2 year terms usually. But Dems won’t do that because we don’t play hardball. Recalls appear to be used not to get rid of corrupt or criminal pols, like McDonnell, but those who have the temerity to rile reactionary interests.
Why these recall elections had to be held outside the usual rules of CO elections and not use the mail-in ballot procedures is kind of a mystery. Some CO judge apparently ruled that was the case and there wasn’t an appeal. Perhaps GreenC can explain it.
Of course as long as Dem voters can’t be bothered to go to the polls when necessary, actual progress is impossible. This CO debacle is a one-step forward three steps back situation. All those who saw some “movement” and ice breaking in our appalling gun lunacy and NRA Terrorism can now see what happens when some brave legislators act.
Yes, not getting this:
Although it may not have been a factor in Morse’s recall — as he only won by 340 votes out of 28,712 in 2010 and lost the recall by 343. Total recall votes compared to 2010 was 62.15%. Morse 63.11% and GOP 67.23%
However, something seems way off in Giron’s case.
Statistically implausible that the GOP could turn out 95.28% of its 2010 voters without mail ballots.
My take on Colorado…
http://zombieland-nowbrainfree.blogspot.com/2013/09/we-are-sick-country.html
This NYC primary campaign was as much a plebiscite on sexuality as it was on anything else. With the whole Weiner
schnitzel/Spitzerspritzerthing dangling over the campaign and the non-coverage of Quinn’s own sexual orientation…”SHHHH!!! She’s a lesbian!!!”…it was The Dog That Didn’t Bark Syndrome. It’s not PC to mention one’s sexual orientation, but as a result that orientation becomes even more important. The orientation that dare not speak its name. Not too loudly, anyway, and never in the news. Meanwhile, it is PC to snigger about heterosexual males and the lengths that they will go to get off. Deep.DeBlasio won because he emphasized his own sexual “normality.” Bet on it. Over and over again there he was, a classic paterfamilias towering over the little wifey and kids.
The reaction of many white New Yorkers?
Sex trumps race.
Bet on it.
Will he win the mayoralty?
Maybe.
The Dem machine doesn’t want him to do so. Bet on that as well. He’s something of a maverick. Thompson on the other hand is a classic NYC machine pol. You can be positive that the little vote recount gnomes are as we speak busily trying to make sure…by hook, crook or digital magic…that DeBlasio doesn’t get the 40% win that would allow him to run as a Dem without a second, “runoff” primary vs. Thompson. In that runoff…if it happens…the heavy money will flow for Thompson and Quinn’s votes will flow to him as well. If by some chance DeBlasio is elected then the machine will try to “Dinkins” him. One term and out the door. Cain’t be havin’ no interlopers in charge here. It’s bad fer business, don’tcha know.
Watch.
AG
P.S. Bloomberg? Bye bye…
Maybe he can fix up Zuccotti Park now. It’s looking kinda…pallid these days.
As good a reason as any to vote for him.
But the same thing didn’t go for Ron Paul? The machine didn’t want him so vote for him?
I wish…
AG
The Dem machine doesn’t want any Republicans.
There’s only one “machine” Voice.
The PermaGov money machine.
Everything else is smoke and mirrors.
Bet on it.
AG
In CO, the recall is the Lone Frontiersman recall. This is my term for the prevailing Repukeliscum weltschaung – in which a Real Man is a Lone Frontiersman, killin’ his own injuns, rapin’ his own wimmens, and generally being a Heavily Armed Sole agent.
The Democrats passed gun control measures which many, including myself, have long advocated – control on the size of magazines, background checks, etc. These are now dead as doornails. You will not see any gun control measures for 10 years, and you will see a bunch of gun massacres.
Until Democrats can imbue Collective action with as much cachet and attractiveness as the Lone Frontiersman mindset, we are going to be losing the rural votes, the young male votes, and many other demographics. It’s Daddy vs Mommy parties, again.
This is also a strong comment on unionization. It’s in bigger trouble than anyone realizes.
I do hope the Democratic leadership is paying attention because the problem of lower Democratic turnout in non-Presidential elections isn’t a new one, and we have the 2014 elections looming.
Here in Colorado we were inundated with anti-recall ads on TV (both districts are in the Colorado Springs TV area) while the pro-recall forces mostly relied on mailings. Most of the anti-recall ads focused on the extremist views of the now newly-elected GOP candidates. They didn’t get enough people to the polls. The Colorado Springs loss was by only a few hundred votes in a mixed-race swing district and was expected – the Pueblo loss was by a larger margin in a traditionally Democratic, largely Hispanic district and was a surprise for that reason.
What this suggests is that the flood of Hispanic voters who added 4% or more to Obama’s totals in Colorado in 2008 and 2012 didn’t come to the polls in this election.
There are probably many reasons for this. But I’ll note that despite their ferocious anti-government rhetoric conservatives are much more likely to believe that they can make real change through the ballot box than non-conservatives.
What was turnout in these districts in 2012? Are there exit polls from this election?
What about the registration initiatives?
Morse and Giron last ran and won in 2010.
2010
Morse – 13,866
GOP – 13,526
other – 1,320
total – 27,710
Recall
Morse – 8,751
Not Morse – 9,094
total- 17,845
2010
Giron – 24,827
Ortegon – 20,313
total – 45,140
Recall
Giron – 15,201
Not Giron – 19,355
total – 34,556
The lesson is the Republicans know how to win recall elections and Democrats know only how to half-win recall elections.
It has to do with continuing local presence between national election years. Only because of the Moral Monday movement in NC is anybody scrambling to figure out the new voter laws, but Democrats have not thought to recruit people for notary public classes. (Registrations now have to be witnessed either by two people or one notary.) I have no doubt that the GOP is lining up an organization of notaries to witness their voter registration effort.
Who could have predicted? From Charles P. Pierce
Really dislike having been right on this one.
Might have been different if proposed gun control legislation could plausibly have prevented the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, but it didn’t. And what is holding up the public release of the report on that mass killing?