1. Phony birth control arguments have limits:
Democrats have long relied on the heretofore effective lie that Republicans want to steal the pill right out of women’s purses. In the recall races, Democrats dug right back into that tired, old playbook, running endless streams of ads accusing the Republican candidates of wanting to steal the pill and one ad (below) that claimed they “would allow police to investigate miscarriages.”
But they overplayed their hand, expecting that their phony birth control arguments would suffice. Women, whether Democrat or Republican, just weren’t buying it anymore.
2. Conservatives win when conservatives fight. For too long, conservatives have watched as liberals went scorched earth on them without responding in kind. Romney learned this lesson especially, going silent over the summer of 2012 while the Obama-machine tore his record to shreds.
Not this time around.
Ads, like this one from Free Colorado were vicious, and effective.
It was one of the most vicious that’s been aired in a state full of vicious ads. Along with a late push by the NRA, it was the only thing on the airwaves.
Conservatives win when they fight hard.
3. Conservatives got (ground) game. Conservative groups have been working the door-to-door for months. They knew where their votes were, and they turned them out. Beginning in June, Americans for Prosperity Colorado started pounding the pavement and mobilizing voters with a robust effort not generally seen on the right in Colorado.
They were joined by other conservative groups and the astounding operation put together by the grassroots organizers of the two recalls.
Despite Republicans only representing 26% of the district in voter registration, they ended up comprising nearly 39% of the vote.
On election day, Democrats bragged to The Denver Post that they had 350 “volunteers” and would hit 23,000 doors on Election Day. It was no match for the right.
4. Arrogance kills. As politicians, Giron and Morse were detached and arrogant. People saw that.
Morse seemed to almost revel in his sneering attacks on his opposition, bragging on MSNBC that he told his caucus to ignore their constituents and telling local station KRDO that “an awful lot” of his opposition were “vile and disgusting.”
Lynn Bartels reported that Giron was seen as “arrogant and out of touch” by her critics, including the head of the local AFSCME that signed her recall petition.
Out of touch led to them being thrown out of office.
5. Don’t pick fights with those that buy ink with the barrel. ProgressNow and Democratic backers of Morse and Giron savaged the Pueblo Chieftain and the Colorado Springs Gazette, and it showed. The Gazette editorial page skewered Morse ruthlessly, and the Chieftain responded in kind to Giron.
It’s one thing for media critics to slam the press for stories, but another to launch a coordinated attack on the very press outlets that are responsible for most of the local coverage on the race you’re trying to influence.
In this case, the progressive smear of the Chieftain and Gazette backfired, big time.
6. The Big Dog ain’t so big. The Clinton robodial backfired. As The Colorado Observer noted today, “In what could be characterized as a microcosm of their underfunded effort, pro-recall forces recycled that Clinton call — using it as a tool to mobilize their own voters in the final hours of the campaign.”
Had Democrats listened to Clinton’s advice on guns in the first place, they probably would never have ended up in the recalls.
But TCO‘s broader point is important. The strengths of the Morse and Giron defense efforts – their 7-1 money advantage and ability to rope every member of the national liberal cabal into their campaign – was ultimately used against them. Much as Goliath’s size brought about his downfall, the recalls supposed greatest strengths became their most exploitable weaknesses.
7. Is Pueblo to Democrats what JeffCo was to Republicans? Democrats should be concerned long term about what happened in Deep Blue Pueblo last night. If you are a legislator aspiring to be Governor or US Senator, or if you are currently the Governor or a US Senator, it is time to start fretting about your next election stop in Pueblo.
Pueblo is a major source of raw votes for Democrats. Without it, Democrats like Hick and Udall are going to have problems. And so will all the wanna be statewide candidates who are now legislators who voted for it.
THE COLORADO SUPREME COURT . . . "POLITICIANS IN BLACK ROBES." (AS IT TURNS OUT.) For decades I refused to believe it, but it is now incontrovertibly established. The Colorado Supreme Court is indisputably a political actor. Our Colorado Supreme Court exists to serve Colorado political parties. At present, the Colorado Supreme Court is more rightly considered an adjunct of the Colorado Legislative Branch, than a check on the Colorado Legislative Branch. Rather than "truth-seeking," the Colorado Supreme Court now sees its role as "political-outcome seeking." Litigants successfully use the Colorado Supreme Court to achieve political purposes. In the Ralph Carr Justice Center, rather than meeting impartial guardians of the law, litigants meet their political allies on the bench.
“I think there are many who think of judges as politicians in robes. In many states, that’s what they are.” “They seem to think judges should be a reflex of the popular will.”
Sandra Day O'Connor
In this article, I provide an example of the political and partisan role of the Colorado Supreme Court. I describe a case in which the Colorado Supreme Court summarily erases billions of dollars of debt owed by Colorado state and local governments. That is, one branch of Colorado state government relieves another branch of Colorado government of its legal debts.
The case involves Colorado statutory contracts that create financial obligations on the part of Colorado governments. Over decades, political considerations induced the Colorado Legislature to mismanage those financial obligations. In recent years, the terms of those statutory contracts were deemed politically inconvenient and politically unpopular. The Legislative Branch asked the Colorado Supreme Court to discard the contracts.
In 2010, the Colorado Legislative Branch requested that the Colorado Supreme Court grant this political favor by ignoring the Contract Clause of the US Constitution, ignoring the history of legislative mismanagement of these state financial obligations, and relieving Colorado governments of their accrued legal debts.
In this article, I address the Colorado Supreme Court's lack of independence, integrity, and impartiality. I provide a brief history of the efforts of the Colorado Legislature and the Colorado Supreme Court to escape Colorado governmental financial obligations. I comment on the recent (October, 2014) Colorado Supreme Court Decision itself, which summarily erased these billions of dollars of Colorado public sector debt. I highlight some of the numerous factual and logical errors that exist in the Colorado Supreme Court's Decision in the case. I express incredulity at the Colorado Supreme Court's willful ignorance of public pension administration, knowledge that was necessary to any court claiming to "seek truth" in the case.
My intent in writing this article is to enhance the public record of, and further document, what I consider to be one of the greatest "crimes" in Colorado history.
Visit the following link for the complete article:
http://coloradopols.com/diary/64487/the-colorado-supreme-court-politicians-in-black-robes-as-it-turns-out
Morse also lost, because he had little or no roots in his district. Virtually everyone I spoke with in his SD had NEVER met him after 7 years as their senator. He really took all his constituents for granted and they realized this. Never take the people for granted.
That is a very good idea Rob!
Rumor has it that HickenPOOPER is working on updating his resume! 🙂
As a person who has visited your beautiful state many times, and lives under the oppressive rules and leaders here in California, I congratulate you on the job you did there, Mr. Harris. I only wish we had the power to do such a thing in this state.
I couldn't believe the lies the Democrats were saying you had to be dumb to believe that stuff!!! The truth will set you free!!! YES !! They are FIRED!!!! can they hear us now???
I would like to personally thank the editors of Colorado Peak Politics who provided continuing coverage of the campaign. You were the first media outlet to actually pick up that this election was about more than gun control and that the people were upset because Morse was not listening to his constituents.
I have never been active in politics before running this recall campaign locally, so I have been keeping notes as much as possible along the way. I intend to create a lessons learned document to share with other conservative grassroots organizations to help them in their endeavors.
Thanks again for your editorial support in this historic endeavor.
Great Comments. Now to get rid of the rest of the liberal trash in the legislature, we will be on our way to take our country back from the Bozos in D.C. who are ruining it.
Chickenlooper must be next.
Time to continue to hold our elected officials accountable. Hickenlooper–you're next.
To those who helped on this recall, don't stop. Set up your next round of meetings and organize to elect the best person who will be able to win state-wide and beat the current governor. He signed all of these crazy bills into law and his administration is creating even more crazy rules. It's time for Hick to go.
Excellent observations… Never underestimate the power of the TRUTH!