Last night’s blowout defeat of the billion dollar tax hike Amendment 66 will reverberate far beyond the first Tuesday of November 2013. There were lessons to be learned well beyond the statewide ballot, from a clear cut rejection of union influence to the limits of money in politics.
Colorado, it appears, is not a liberal state, nor a conservative one, but a libertarian state that likes to make up its own mind free of outside influences.
1. The pendulum is swinging back: Last night’s election portends bad things for Democrats in 2014. Colorado is not a red state that has turned blue, but a purple state that historically swings back and forth between the parties. Between the recall elections and the drubbing Amendment 66 took last night, it’s clear voters are rejecting the left-wing legislative overreach Democrats pushed this year. The right has all the momentum at the moment.
2. Mo’ Money, Same Problem: Democrats are beginning to learn the limits of money in politics. Despite outspending their rivals 7:1 in the recalls and 500:1 for Amendment 66, voters refused to be bought. On tax increases in particular, all the money in the world isn’t going to get Coloradans to cough up more to the government. In 2011, a tax increase backed by $600,000 lost 63-37. In 2013, with $12 million, the tax increase lost 65-35. How long will Democrat donors accept that dismal rate of return?
3. School Reform Slates Sweep The State: In perhaps the most underreported news of the night, school reform candidates from Northern Colorado to Jefferson County to Denver swept the school board races. The JeffCo school board “sleeper slate” victory surprised even us. Everyone had their eyes on Douglas County, where reformers beat back a union challenge backed by Obama’s senior Colorado advisor and bankrolled with big national union money. But school choice supporters racked up victories in nearly every race they ran.
4. Unions Not Welcome: Last night was a crushing loss for unions in virtually every race they competed. The Colorado Education Association and National Education Association put at least $4 million behind Amendment 66 only to watch it crash and burn. They also saw their school board candidates lose in Denver, Douglas County, JeffCo, Mapleton, Thompson, Adams 12, and the list goes on. Coloradans don’t take kindly to union types in school board races, it seems.
5. The Obamacare Drag. When asked why Amendment 66 did so poorly, despite allegedly stronger internal polling for supporters of the ballot measure, Senator Michael Johnston laid some blame at the feet of Obamacare.
.@MikeJohnstonCO tells me A66 polling looked good until a week ago; “bottom just fell out”, due, he thinks, to Obamacare issues. #COpolitics
— Eli Stokols (@EliStokols) November 6, 2013
While liberals had their knives out for Johnston for his analysis, there might be something to it. When the government bungles something as badly as they have Obamacare – the President’s signature legislative accomplishment – trust in government is likely to plummet. To an average voter watching the botched Obamacare roll out it probably wasn’t a big confidence booster. If the government can’t handle a website, why give them another billion dollars of your hard earned money?
6. Stemming The Fractivist Tide. After years of environmental groups paying canvassers to go door-to-door warning citizens that fracking would kill their kids, supporters of the oil and gas industry were able to successfully beat back the fractivists in the swing county of Broomfield. Fracking bans passed in Boulder, Fort Collins and Lafayette, but those were foregone conclusions for college towns. The real story was Broomfield, a Democrat-leaning swing county, rejecting a fracking ban. It should give national environmental groups looking at pursuing a statewide ban some pause.
7. Guns, Gays and Ganja. The last couple of election cycles have now sent a very strong signal — Coloradans want more freedom, not less. More rights, not less. We’re a libertarian state that prefers government small and our liberty large.
Russ, can you please direct me to your source for the 1.5M number? Thanks.
Great summary.
This wasn't Katrina you know. Hands out? I think people here pretty much took care of themselves. You don't mess with the folks in the mountains. Why are you so anti Colorado?
look up TRACER
they did this by the Obama administration bank rolling the Libertarian candidate. Watch for more of this to come.
Now let's keep the pressure on the Obamacare voters and flip Udall's slot. Get ready for a drag out media fight. I hear he has over 4 Million in his campaign account. Let's prove that money can't buy votes.
DougCo: Big national union money? Where? You forgot to report the Koch Brothers (et al) influence on this election. $1.5 million spent on a school board election! Three times as much as the losing side.
The big problem is the massive swarms of leftist locusts fleeing Democrat strongholds that are now in financial ruin. They are moving here from California, Illinois, Mexico, etc. and bringing their socialist mores with them.
We're glad you don't live here too.
glad I don't live in your state. please secede andwhen you have your next natural disaster, don't hold out your hand for FEMA money!
Nice summary on how Colorado's independent, free-thinkers voted vs. how the brain-dead, college-town greenies voted.
I agree…..Colorado has spoken. Hopefully we will continue to hear the voices of our Colorado citizens loud and clear. Government on all levels need to reform, monitor and use very, very, very wisely the tax dollars they receive. We, the citizens of Colorado have had enough of big, incompetent government that just keeps asking for more and more money that they can waste on programs we the citizens don't want or need. And the last thing we need is more government regulations that continue to ONLY damper and cripple our economy.
8 lessons. The people of Boulder and Fort Collins better stock up on candles and fire wood. No fracking means no gas. No gas means no energy.
Johnny Rios haha Johnny. i was talking about letting obamacare be pushed on us.. the whole Benghazi thing. People don't even care that we lost lives and didnt even attempt to help due to bad decision making in washington. I cannot stand obamacare man.
Stupid ignorance? Watch it kid.
Colorado voters do not want the government, whether state or national, telling us what we "have to do." I'm just glad that the "Colorado" voters turned out for this election.
After seeing Obama win colorado, i am finally proud of my fellow coloradians after last night. THANK YOU for helping me realize that this state isn't just full of stupid ignorance
EXCEPT IN VA WHERE THEY ELECTED A CLINTON GROUPIE WITH NO EXPERIENCE AND OBAMAWANNA BE(AGAIN).
starve the beast to death… no new taxes and let's quit paying the ones they're trying to extort out of us in the present. They can't lock us all up.
hope this is a indication things to come in Colorado maybe the people have seen the true left and rejected it
Good feeling to know that people do have a pulse and they will rise up when they need to.
Frack all progressives.
Don't get too excited about Broomfield's vote.
One bad incident and those 12 votes could shift.