Over the weekend, Kurtis Lee of The Denver Post profiled the real political muscle behind the recall of anti-gun Senator Angela Giron. Spoiler: It’s not the NRA, but a 28-year-old plumber from Pueblo named Victor Head.
Of course, we enjoyed the article the first time we read it, when Valerie Richardson of The Colorado Observer wrote it a month ago. But we digress.
What Lee’s article helped illuminate is important. The recall elections are not some NRA-driven effort, but real grassroots efforts aimed at removing politicians who are not listening to their constituents.
Unfortunately, many journalists are lazy and use the NRA as shorthand for all Second Amendment activists. Just look at the New York Times editorial that endorsed Morse, claiming the recalls came about directly from the NRA’s efforts.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Neither the NRA nor Rocky Mountain Gun Owners did diddly squat to get the recalls on the ballot. These recalls, and most especially the Giron effort, were grassroots at their most raw.
As Lee reported:
The way Victor Head accomplished what may have forever changed how petitions are gathered — and what stunned Colorado’s political landscape this summer — originated with an iPhone and a 4-year-old voter law.
Those were the tools, along with a mix of tablets and laptops, the 28-year-old plumber from Pueblo and a little more than 80 organizers utilized as they scoured parking lots and sat perched at folding tables outside businesses collecting petition signatures to recall Sen. Angela Giron, a Pueblo Democrat, from a heavily Democratic- leaning district…
Head, a Republican, insisted that his organizers take the extra step of checking voter registration in real-time online in their effort to recall Giron for her votes on stricter Colorado gun laws implemented this month.
“We were doing the secretary of state’s job before his office had to do it,” he said. “We used their technology and had a good idea of what would be validated.”
Political observers predicted he would never collect enough signatures, but Head and his allies, including two other plumbers, one of them his brother, saw the technology as a viable tool to make the recall effort a reality.
Hopefully Lee’s article represents a shift among mainstream reporters in covering this recall and we can flush the bullshit about the NRA running the recall.
Eliminate the bs, and a majority of the Dems go with it. Great job
Ron Armstrong Too many politicians forget what a "representative government" really means.
You want your agenda to be successful you call in a plumber! Examples that come to mind are Palin and Nixon.
Her tv add ,she states she does what she thinks is right for the community..
That's what is going to cost her the job.. She should do what her constituents ask her to.. Not what she thinks is best..
What amazed me was the simplicity of a vetting procedure that was nearly foolproof if utilized correctly. Then it was a matter of making sure addresses matched, signatures were as registered and people's printing was readable. Oh, and my Smart iPhone could be utilized all day and still have battery life. Viva Victor! Viva Recall!
Amen to that Andrew and Craig!!
Andrew, talk about a high paying job!! All the BS there and at the federal level, they would have to work 24/7/365!
Plumbing is hard work that most people either can't or won't do. Not surprising that a "plumber" is good at cleaning "debris" out of the system.
Maybe just maybe there should be a plumber in the senate to clear up a lot of this crap.
These folks have done a great job and used the system in the manner it was designed. This recall should wake the rest of the politicians up. The rest of the country is watching and learning.
I am very proud of this community effort. vic you and your bro are to be commended.
You are a gun loving wacko piece of shit.
Someone send this to the Gazette. They Parroted the NYT article that said the same thing AND tried to claim Bloomberg had nothing to do with Morse.
proof that a common man can effect change.
True American Patriots who will go down in the history books with this historic recall election! We will get her recalled & replace her with a Representative who listens to their Constituents & not the nut jobs in NY & the WH. So proud of our Pueblo boys & all who made this a reality. Now we must all get out and VOTE! Let's see this thing thru.
Two men can do anything!
One man can make a difference!