Governor Ritter…ouch. The former one-term Colorado governor used the megaphone of the New York Times today to blast his former colleagues for losing the recall elections because they became the party of Boulder and Denver.
[S]tate officials said that the recalls showed how Colorado’s political pendulum could still swing in surprising directions, and that deep rifts still lay beneath its increasingly blue veneer.
“This is a state with a wide variety of interests at stake,” said Bill Ritter, a Democrat and former governor. “The Democratic Party cannot be the party of metro Denver and Boulder. It has to be the party who understands the values, views and aspirations of people who live outside of those areas.” [Peak emphasis]
Senator Angela Giron’s recall defense campaign may have blasted her opposition as being the work of “extreme groups from Denver” but voters in Pueblo decided it was she that was beholden to the metro areas’ interests over her own constituents.
Back in January we pointed out the fact that most Democratic leadership in the Legislature being from either Boulder or Denver was going to create problems. And a tone-deaf liberal bubble it created.
The arrogance of legislative Democrats is widely credited for helping bring about the downfall of John Morse and Angela Giron. But it extends beyond just taking orders from the liberal wing of the Democratic Party. They simply didn’t listen to the citizens who showed up to testify.
A story by National Review’s Charles Cooke, who was in town for the recalls, takes a look at the women who testified against the gun bills and felt completely ignored and disrespected.
From Katherine Whitney to Kimberly Weeks to Amanda Collins, some truly brave women told their harrowing stories of violence that could have been stopped had the victim been armed.
But legislative Democrats, ensconced in their Boulder bubble of liberalism, refuse to hear them out.
They may want to re-think that strategy for 2014.
Liberals never listen to anyone outside of their echo chamber. It is always liberals/socialists that stifle free speech. They can't stand any dissent. Liberals are always trying to limit dissenting speech. Just a few examples. Sen. 'gun grabber' Feinstein wanting to define who is a real journalist. The left's constant attempt to get Rush Limbaugh et al taken off the air. The only difference between the modern democrat party and their ideological brothers (i.e., Hitler, Stalin, Mao …) is the democrats are still working up to extermination of 10s of millions of fellow citizens for disagreeing with them.
Kristi Coffin & Brooks, I totally agree with both of your excellently written points. They represent themselves as our virtual "parents", or "betters", with their condescending and vapid responses to our questions and concerns. My take on all of this is: it was never about gun control, or for that matter, better health coverage or quality education; it is a matter of trust. They, and I mean these elites, don't trust us to defend ourselves or our families, they don't trust us to raise our kids, don't trust us to know what quality education should be, what to eat, or what our cities should be concentrating on with the taxes they extort from us.
It's gotten out of hand with these elites moving into a district, renting or buying a small apartment or condo (*cough, Morse), representing themselves as locals and then proceeding with what is really a nationwide agenda to dominate, control and contain society, forcing us to live within their bizarre idealism. Some really DO believe they are our personal Saviors, saving us from ourselves, since we're obviously too stupid to comprehend their great vision!
The voters would be better served if we ran extensive background checks on THEM, long before they worry about background checks on legal gun owners!
And Tancredo is what will ensure Hickenlooper's reelection. Keep putting crazies out there and the moderate will always choose the lesser of two evils.
Actually CO Republicans often lose outside of Boulder and Denver too. Just as a lot of conservative backed initiatives (i.e. 'Personhood') fail outside Boulder and Denver as well. But keep telling yourselves that. I have always believed that in Colorado the Republicans are progressives' greatest blessing.
Of course it was Bill Ritter himself who started the Party down this road with his reorganization of the Colorado Oil and Gas Commission allowing it to be dominated by Liberal Boulder/Denver Environmentalists. I find this article as laughable as the lame excuse of voter suppression forwarded by Giron.
Power to the People of Colorado! Out of staters: mind your own damn business so you won't be minding ours!
Calling them libtards is just stooping to their level. However, I agree.
Why must it be Democratic or Republican? Why can't we just be Coloradoans and Americans? Represent THE PEOPLE! The people spoke and Giron and Morse didn't listen. I know not all of the people will agree with which way we go, but we are a Democratic Society, therefore, MAJORITY RULES!! and when Boulder and Denver disagree they still only have one vote: a vote that counts just like Trinidad, Walsenburg, Kim, Statsburg, Montrose, Delta, or even Alamosa. IDK, I'm not real savvy with Politics, just ask Warden Charles Daniels at the USP in Florence, but I see a problem and I say what I think should fix it. Quit Worrying about the Partisan BS and Worry about who you work for: THE PEOPLE!!!!!
Colorado lawmakers are operating in an echo chamber. They are unable to understand the poorly written laws until you smack them upside the head with them – like Caldera did on the voting law. Even then, they want to prosecute Caldera for following the law as they wrote it instead of admitting they wrote a bad law.
I agree with both of you!! I was a conscious effort to hear the "ill-informed" opinons of the masses who, let's just admit it, are not as bright as the liberal elites. That is what the liberal Dems unconsciously think! There is no need to speak or listen to these common folk because they just don't understand higher ideals anyway. Even Hick was clear in saying that it was his fault he didn't get his message across. He was not admitting it was a BAD MESSAGE, he thinks it was because he didn't speak S-L-O-W-L-Y for us and use smaller words that we can understand. They are completely tone-deaf because they believe there is no way any rational person could not buy into their vision of utopia because they are smarter than the common folk. GAWD!!!!!!
Pretty much.
I do believe there was a conscious effort. This was evidenced on the day the hearings were held by restricting the allotted time for testimonies, holding hearings on multiple bills at the same time, and allowing out of state interests to testify as expert testimony while restricting the testimony of our state's elected sheriffs. It was a definite conscious effort.
This is merely party damage control to provide the appearance of being less "progressive/radical"…do NOT fall for this ploy…they still do NOT understand the simple facts: Laws affect the Law Abiding…Criminals do NOT obey the laws….restricting the law abiding only provides the criminals more opportunities for safer work environments !!!!!
There is still no acknowledgement that HB 13-1224 is a very poorly written bill. The law has been given two signing statements, but common situations for gun owners have still not been addressed. It's vague at best, malicious towards gun owners at worst.
I don't believe it's a conscious refusal to hear the opposition. Years of cult brainwashing have convinced them there is simply no other reasoning worth listening to. For example, can you imagine an Islamist taking advice from a Jew? It's just not going to happen. To accept the reality of any conservative position, the Left have to jettison a whole world view. There's really no middle ground between a cult and western rationalism.
Of course the libtards will never take responsibility for their actions, it is always some thing or some one's fault. Two down ,many more to go!!