The failed attempts by Democrats and organized labor to unseat Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker on Tuesday should serve as yet another warning to Colorado Democrats who hope to recall Secretary of State Scott Gessler.
Or to put it more nautically, a Republican red sky in Wisconsin yesterday morning, Democrats and liberals take warning.
CBS exit polling found that 60% of Wisconsin voters believe recall elections are "only appropriate for official misconduct" and 9% think they are never appropriate. Only 28% see recall elections as suitable for any reason.
The Denver Post editorial board sounded a similar note after Colorado Democrats announced an intention to recall Gessler, saying recalls "should be reserved for corruption, incompetence and official misconduct, not disagreements, no matter how vehement, about policy matters." The editorial also said Colorado Democrats recall move "is an overreach that threatens to erode their credibility."
Colorado voters agree. In a PPP poll that oversampled liberals by 12% found that only 20% of Colorado voters support a Gessler recall. Of course, you could probably get 20% of the electorate to support recalling any politician.
Colorado Democrats, led by by their flailing and failing Chairman Rick Palacio also "misunderestimated" Gessler's political savvy. Gessler has embraced his role as political warrior, and even the sarcastic nickname given to him by the Dems — Honey Badger.
Monday night at the Denver GOP's annual Lincoln Day Dinner, GOP Chairman Ryan Call presented Gessler with a T-Shirt declaring "I Am The Honey Badger."
Gessler has come to embrace his "Honey Badger" nickname so-bestowed, according to 5280, for his "rampaging through the Legislature, chewing up his opponents and creating all kinds of chaos." As we've noted before, he just doesn't let the ankle-biters bother him:
It cracks me up, because if you look at the [Honey Badger] video…the snake bites the Honey Badger, yet he still defeats the snake and survives and just goes on his merry way. If I’m the honey badger, [the Democrats] are the poisonous snakes—and by the way, they get their heads bit off and the honey badger prevails.
In case you haven't see the viral Honey Badger video, check it out here.