Colorado gun grabbing senators lose recall elections

Image: OUT Colorado Democratic State Senate President John Morse, left, and state Sen. Angela Giron, D-Pueblo.AP

One of the great advantages the Yanks have over us with our electoral system, is the ability to petition for the recall of elected representatives if enough voters get pissed off with them enough to sign petitions.  One of the best known of these was the election of Arnold Schwarzenegger in California, possibly a bad example as he turned out to be about as useful as a pocket in a prophylactic.

Colorado voters have used this ability though to remove two of the state senators who voted to support restrictive gun control measures in that state:

Two Democratic lawmakers in Colorado, including the president of the state Senate, were recalled Tuesday in elections brought about by their support for tougher gun control laws. 

According to unofficial results, voters in Colorado Springs favored recalling state Sen. John Morse, the body's president, by 51 percent to 49 percent. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, state Sen. Angela Giron of Pueblo was defeated in her recall election, 56 percent to 44 percent.    

The Colorado Republican Party called the vote results "a loud and clear message to out-of-touch Democrats across the nation" in a statement released late Tuesday. Colorado's Democratic governor, John Hickenlooper, said he was "disappointed by the outcome of the recall elections" before calling on state residents to "refocus again on what unites Coloradans -- creating jobs, educating our children, creating a healthier state -- and on finding ways to keep Colorado moving forward." 

"We as the Democratic Party will continue to fight," Morse told supporters in Colorado Springs as he conceded the race. Republican Bernie Herpin, a former Colorado Springs city councilman, will replace him. Giron will be replaced by Republican George Rivera, a former deputy police chief in Pueblo. … 

… Reported contributions to Morse and Giron totaled about $3 million, dwarfing the reported amount raised by gun activists who petitioned for the recall, though some independent groups didn't have to report spending. Both the NRA and Bloomberg contributed more than $300,000 to the pro- and anti-recall campaigns. 

In addition, dozens of elected county sheriffs have sued to block the gun laws.One of the Morse recall organizers, Timothy Knight, said supporters are upset that lawmakers limited debate on the gun legislation and seemed more inclined to take cues from the White House than their constituents. 

"If the people had been listened to, these recalls wouldn't be happening," Knight said.

This does not remove the Democrat control of the senate but will give a stern lesson to lawmakers that voters are not going to let them get away with riding roughshod over the wishes of the voters, no matter how convinced they are that the opinions of the common herd are irrelevant and that they need the intervention of the ruling class to keep them in line.