Colo. governor suggests gun-control groups stay away

[hack89]

Source: USA Today

WASHINGTON -- Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper suggests national gun-control groups stay away from a looming recall battle that could switch control of the state Senate to the GOP. The groups poured money into an unsuccessful defense of two state lawmakers recalled over their gun votes earlier this year.

"Colorado is a state that people like to be themselves and solve their own problems," the Democratic governor said in an interview with Capital Download, USA TODAY's weekly video newsmaker series. "They don't really like outside organizations meddling in their affairs, and maybe the NRA gets a pass on that.

"But (it is) probably not a bad idea" for gun-control groups, such as the one established by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, to curb their efforts if gun-rights activists collect enough signatures to force a recall vote on state Sen. Evie Hudak, a two-term Democrat from a suburban district north of Denver, he said.

In September, Senate President John Morse and state Sen. Angela Giron — both Democrats — were ousted from office by recall votes. Bloomberg's group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, contributed $350,000 to the anti-recall campaign, but the efforts by groups from outside the state became an issue itself for some.

Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/10/14/colorado-gov-hickenlooper-suggests-gun-control-groups-stay-away-from-recall/2969257/

---

Lets hope Bloomberg is smart enough to listen to Hickenlooper.

[TwilightGardener]

1. Hickenlooper is a smart guy (except for the time he drank a glass of fracking fluid)--

he's pretty in tune with Coloradans. Probably should heed his advice.

[TheCowsCameHome]

2. He should tell both sides the same thing.

n/t

[hack89]

3. He can't control his enemies. It is his "friends" that he is concerned about. nt

[Blue_Tires]

4. Funny how the RWers never feel compelled to control their "friends"

and the only mistake Bloomberg's "friends" made was not hiding their financial bankrolling as well as the NRA...

[hack89]

5. Their friends don't hurt them politically. Unlike Bloomberg. nt

[Blue_Tires]

7. The Tea Party (among others) says hi

[hack89]

8. When a Democratic Governor says Bloomberg did more harm than good

then I can't see what the Tea Party has to do with it.

[Blue_Tires]

9. I meant the actions of the tea party in a bigger picture

but yeah, keep playing dumb

maybe one of these days you'll finally tell me who your "friends" are...

[hack89]

10. My friends are Dems

there is a reason I chose to live in a progressive blue state. You don't like guns - I get it. But that is your problem, not mine.

[Blue_Tires]

11. I have no problem against guns; I hate the nuts and the single-issue voters

But I get it -- You've shown time and again that you don't care for black Americans or any of our issues, so I guess we're even??

If gun issues mean that much to you, I don't know why you don't move down to VA here with me....A state like Mass. must piss you off to no end...

[hack89]

12. Where did you get that from?

I don't care for Black Americans? What are you talking about?

[Blue_Tires]

13. I hate guns? What are you talking about?

Where did you get that from?

[hack89]

14. Point taken

you were antagonistic towards me - I just assumed you were another anti-gun proponent that is unwilling to accept pro-gun Dems. Sorry.

[Blue_Tires]

16. So let's reel this shit back into the boat, then

My original question stands: WHY is it that the Republican Party (on a national as well as local level) never, ever feels compelled to control or criticize the interest groups which are damaging to their image?? WHY is it that it's always the Dems who must show 'control' and 'restraint' while the opposition party has free reign to fly off the handle and turn the crazy up to 11? Where is the consistency?

More and more in recent years, it seems like when Dems lose races, it's because so-and-so issue or interest group was a turnoff for voters...When the GOP loses races, it's because their candidate was weak, but their issues (no matter how insane) were solid...Why is that??

[hack89]

18. The issue is winning elections, not image

the Democratic Governor of Colorado thinks that out of state gun-control groups do more harm than good. Who are we to question him?

I could care less what the repukes do.

[Blue_Tires]

19. Last I checked, the governor signed that bill into law...

So where is his fuckin' recall? Why don't you have any vitriol for him?? I'd have thought that act did more "harm" (lalz) than some mythical omnipotent out of state gun-control groups (and fwiw, the naked hypocrisy of some out-of-state interest groups supposedly being "better" than others is beyond the pale)...

hint: these recall elections in Colorado have much less to do with guns than you think...I know, the whole "voters angry over the new gun law" -meme is the *official* storyline since it's simple, easy, and doesn't require most voters or journalists to think...

[TwilightGardener]

20. Yup, guns are just the excuse to keep holding elections until the state Senate

goes Repub. The gun crazies will show up for shit like this, when regular, less-motivated voters won't bother voting.

[hack89]

21. Why would I have any anger towards him? I support the laws he signed.

I like him - he is a good Governor. I respect his judgement regarding what is best for his state.

[LanternWaste]

34. Vox Populi

Who are we to question him?"

Vox Populi... which often overlooked by the dogmatic and the sub-literate.

[hack89]

35. There certainly was a lot of opposition to Bloomberg and other outside groups

so perhaps it would be wise this time to listen to popular opinion as expressed by the governor.

[rrneck]

22. Thisay be the first time

I've ever seen anyone offer to "reel this shit back" and continue the discussion.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

28. Do we care if the TP hurts the GOP? Is that a thing now?

[Blue_Tires]

29. He was just trying to say that the GOP's "friends" don't ever damage them politically...

[Nuclear Unicorn]

31. I dunno. I'm pretty sure Romney wishes he could throttle Todd Akin

Women's health control is a loser for the GOP. Gun control is a loser for the Democrats.

[Paladin]

6. +1. (nt)

[samsingh]

15. supporting gun owners is sometimes like supporting organized crime

[hack89]

17. Has nothing to do with supporting gun owners and everything to do with Dems winning.

the Democratic Governor of Colorado thinks that out of state gun-control groups do more harm than good. Who are we to question him?

[coldmountain]

27. I agree, the gun culture is despicable and the sooner it's dead the better

If a macho nation like Australia can go after the guns why can't America? Oh, I forgot, the minorities. The Tea party types are afraid of minorities and need guns to shoot them.

[Blue_Tires]

30. I seperate decent gun owners from the NRA's political juggernaut

[samsingh]

43. well said - it's not that i'm against guns or want to ban them

I'm sick of the gun culture that makes people need to buy weapons for self-defense and equating gun ownership with patriotism - which is complete bullshit.

[locks]

23. Crazy talk

Who are we to question our governor? He is not "in touch with Coloradans" when he blames Colorado citizens who simply accepted money trying to match the millions the NRA and gun lovers spent on vicious, dishonest ads to recall two outstanding Democratic lawmakers who did nothing but vote for two very sensible gun control laws.

Kowtowing to gun owners and the NRA is not politically smart, not Democratic, not liberal, and certainly not wise. Not when our beautiful state has had two tragic gun massacres. Not while three citizens die from gun violence every hour of every day in our beloved country.

[hack89]

25. Are you aware that the NRA was outspent nearly 5 to 1 in Colorado?

It is not a question of money - the last recall emphatically proved that.

[Decaffeinated]

33. Fuck facts!!!

I wanna be ANGRY!!!!

[samsingh]

45. we just want to make sure what the facts are

[samsingh]

44. are there links to this?

[Ranchemp.]

46. Here's a link.

http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/23411768/colo-recalls-show-risk-of-supporting-gun-control

DENVER (AP) — Democratic voters in Colorado helped remove two state senators of their own party who voted for tighter gun control — an ouster that was both intensely local and a national test of what can happen to lawmakers who support gun restrictions in battleground states.

The well-organized activists who sought to recall Senate President John Morse and Sen. Angela Giron got the backing of gun-rights groups such as the National Rifle Association. It turned out they didn't need much assistance because voters were already so incensed by passage of the gun-control package.

Democrats, who maintain control of the Legislature, said the losses were purely symbolic. But they could be a sign of things to come in 2014, both in Colorado's governor's race and in scores of other political contests around the country.

After last year's mass shootings, Colorado was the only state beyond Democratic strongholds New York, California and Connecticut to pass gun-control legislation. Gun-control measures died in Congress, as well as Minnesota, Oregon, Washington and Delaware.

Outspent by about 5-to-1, recall supporters cited a big anti-recall donation from New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to make one of their main points — that Democrats controlling the state Legislature were more interested in listening to the White House and outside interests than their own constituents.

[samsingh]

47. thanks. Incredible

[hack89]

48. Sure

Democrats dramatically outspent Republicans. Combined, Democratic-aligned groups spent $2.3 million, while GOP-aligned groups spent just $482K

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.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/09/10/1237859/-As-we-wait-for-Colorado-recall-results-here-s-some-trivia

[samsingh]

49. thanks. i would not have expected that

[Lasher]

24. Hickenlooper wasn't smart enough to listen to Bill Clinton.

From January:

Clinton warned, the issue of guns has a special emotional resonance in many rural states — and simply dismissing pro-gun arguments is counterproductive.

While some polls show that the public by-and-large supports several proposals for increased gun control, Clinton said that it’s not the public support that matters — it’s how strongly people feel about the issue. “All these polls that you see saying the public is for us on all these issues — they are meaningless if they’re not voting issues,” Clinton said.

<snip>

“Do not be self-congratulatory about how brave you for being for this” gun control push, he said. “The only brave people are the people who are going to lose their jobs if they vote with you.”

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/01/bill-clinton-to-democrats-dont-trivialize-gun-culture-86443.html

State Senators Morse and Giron were brave people who paid the price.

[earthside]

26. This latest recall is not in a rural area.

I live in this state senate district -- we are a bedroom community, western suburb of Denver.

Hickenlooper is wrong in this case; this is not Colorado Springs or more 'rural' Pueblo -- money spent well by the Bloomberg group will be highly effective if this recall gets to an election.

Plus, I have party insider friends who were involved with the other two recall strategies and the mistake may very well have been that neither Morse or Giron specifically defended their gun votes ... those campaigns tried to bury the gun issue. So, voters who agreed with Morse and Giron were not instilled with the passion for their pro-regulation votes.

Here in Arvada-Westminster there are plenty of Democrats and unaffiliated who like the new gun regulations. If it gets to an election, Sen. Hudak's campaign should forthrightly defend her votes. Bloomberg money will work here.

The gun nuts failed earlier this year in their attempt to get enough signatures to force a recall here in this district; emboldened by their success, they may get enough signatures this time. But this is a Democratic leaning senate district and Sen Hudak is an unabashed liberal -- everyone who voted in 2012 knew exactly how she would have voted in the legislature on gun issues if they came up. She is representative of our area. She will win a recall election if she doesn't let the cautious-types (like Hickenooper) scare her off of defending herself.

[Lasher]

32. Giron lost by 12 points in a district that is 47% Democratic and 23% Republican.

One reason is that in blue collar districts like Pueblo, there are plenty of Democrats who value their gun rights. 20% of the voters who signed the Giron recall petitions were Democrats.

I don't see how you can be so sure that Bloomberg money would promote a Hudak victory, when Morse and Giron were defeated with a 5:1 spending advantage. But OTOH, she might prevail with or without the extra funds. After all, Clinton did not predict that every supporter of new gun control legislation would be defeated at the polls.

[sweetapogee]

36. OK, so is it safe to say earthside

that your party insider friends are more connected, more knowledgable on the recall than the Governor? Just asking.

[earthside]

37. Could be.

I doubt that Gov. Hickenlooper was intimately involved with the strategic decisions of the Morse and Giron campaigns.

I was told that there were two camps: one wanted to face the gun votes head-on as issues; the second wanted to make the recall campaigns more of a referendum on Morse's and Giron's whole legislative careers and try to minimize the gun issue.

The second camp won the day and we saw the results. Furthermore, I was told (and I don't know this for a fact since I don't live in the Pueblo area) that there were internal Democratic Party fissures surrounding Giron that really hurt her base turnout.

And, don't forget, because of a Libertarian Party lawsuit, there weren't any mail ballots on those elections.

If the gun-nuts/TeaPublicans/proto-insurrectionsts get the signatures necessary to put the recall to an election, there will be an all-mail ballot. Having lived in this district for more than twenty years, I know that there isn't a very big contingent of gun-nuts/TeaPublicans/proto-insurrectionsts here. If Bloomberg and other "out-of-state" money can help turnout a good Democratic and unaffiliated mail vote, then I think Hudak ought to take it.

I, for one, even think that the Democrats here should be very aggressive and do everything they can to fight the petition signature gathering process. The gun-nuts couldn't get the signatures here back in the spring and I suspect that with a campaign against signing, they may not get them this time either.

[sweetapogee]

39. Could be, but... probably not

The mayor of NYC, located 2000 miles away pumped millions of dollars into this and you doubt that the Governor wasn't involved.

[earthside]

40. I think you have an inflated ...

... notion of how much a very busy fellow like John Hickenlooper can spend advising, planning and making decisions about a local campaign.

And the Bloomberg PAC doesn't need permission from the Governor to spend money here or anywhere else.

Otherwise, of course, why did Hick make the comments about the Bloomberg organization not spending money here in the first place?

[sweetapogee]

41. I hereby nominate you for

The Political Genius of the Year Award. Amazing insights you have.

[earthside]

42. Thank you.

I accept.

It is just what you get after 40+ years of political experience, that's all.

[SlipperySlope]

38. Bloomberg has the right to be crazy, but he doesn't have the right impose his craziness on us.

It reminds me of his support for Mexico instituting a soda tax.

"Bloomberg ... has the right to be crazy, but he doesn't have the right to come here and impose his craziness on us," said Cuauhtemoc Rivera, leader of Mexico's National Association of Small Stores, a little-known business chamber that bought full-page ads in Mexico's main newspapers for several days running.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/11/soda-tax-fight-mexico_n_4084253.html

Sometimes it isn't good tactics to get labeled as an outsider trying to meddle.