Michael Bloomberg’s personal lobbyist Adam “Machine Gun” Eichberg penned an email explaining away the major losses of Angela Giron and John Morse on Tuesday, and lamenting the fact that liberal legislation will have a harder time passing because of it.
In the email, Eichberg makes some startling admissions, including the fact that trial lawyers made “sizable” contributions to the pro-Morse and Giron efforts.
Also in the email, Eichberg hopes that Senate Majority Leader Morgan Carroll, an ambulance chaser herself, ascends to Senate President, but acknowledges there are other Democratic Senators with their eyes on the top prize.
When it comes to excuse making for the loss, Eichberg throws out everything but the kitchen sink, claiming civil unions and the ASSET bill to provide in-state tuition to children of illegal immigrants were partially responsible. Nothing could be further from the truth. The ads against Giron focused on their arrogance, support of Bloomberg’s gun bill, ethical troubles and vote for a bill that will jack up rural energy rates.
But nice try, Adam.
What isn’t acknowledged is that it was Eichberg’s lobbying on Bloomberg’s behalf that begat these recalls in the first place.
UPDATE: A reader writes in to note that Eichberg’s lobbying for Bloomberg ended up costing his other client – the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association (CTLA) – dearly. Heckuva job, Eichy.
Read Eichberg’s email below in full:
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Wednesday, September 11, 2013 11:13 AM
To: Colorado TLA Mailing Listserv
Subject: CTLA Members–Recall Elections
CTLA Members –
Last night, in an historic recall election, Senate President John Morse and Senator Angela Giron were recalled from their seats and replaced with republicans [SIC] Bernie Herpin and George Rivera.
The recalls, started by second amendment advocates upset over the passage of bills to require background checks on all gun purchases and to limit magazines to 15 rounds, ended up being referendums on the Senators’ support for a host of issues including clean energy, civil unions, and new rights for undocumented Coloradans. In excess of $3.5 million was spent defending our allies, including sizeable [SIC] contributions from many CTLA members. The remainder poured in from more than 2,000 supporters including our progressive allies in the labor movement, gun control advocates, environmentalists, and regular citizen’s [SIC] from across the state. The pro-recall side was fueled by the NRA and their allies, the Koch brother’s Americans for Prosperity, and others. Most of the pro-recall funding was hidden from disclosure but our best estimates are they spent an equal amount to our efforts. The money on both sides paid for a barrage of television advertising, phone calls, and a field campaign on the anti-recall side that was unprecedented.
The election leaves the Senate in Democratic hands but lowers the margin from 20-15 to 18-17. Both Morse and Giron were strong CTLA advocates and will be sorely missed. The new Democratic majority is significantly less friendly towards our issues and will be controlled, by virtue of the one vote margin, by one or two conservative Democratic members who are not great friends of CTLA. The good news is that we still have a pro-CTLA majority and leadership in the State House where we have some level of confidence that we will be able to kill bad legislation if it passes through the new senate. What this means for our legislative agenda is uncertain, but we should unfortunately plan on playing more defense and will need to ensure that our pro-active agenda is moderate enough to pass through the new Senate.
The Democratic caucus will also elect a new Senate President in the coming weeks. There is a chance that CTLA member Morgan Carroll will be elected by her colleagues but there are several other Senators considering a challenge. Outside interest groups and lobbyists are strictly prohibited from playing in leadership elections so we will be watching the action from the sidelines.
While we lost both the elections, CTLA should be very proud of our efforts. The message we sent to legislators is the same that you send to your clients everyday – – when you are faced with adversity, we’ll have your back, we’ll never back down from a fight, and if you knock us down, we’ll get right back up and keep on fighting.
Adam Eichberg and Will Coyne
CTLA Lobbyists
Headwaters Strategies
1576 Sherman St., STE 300
Denver, CO 80203
The Dems will never learn, It wasn't just about gun control, it was about going against your constituents wishes. Sure they voted for / sponsored the gun control bills- which the majority of people in their districts were against. Let's not also forget they voted for the rural renewable energy bill- which the majority of their constituents were against. They voted to raise taxes. And then in hearings they treated their constituents with contempt and disrespect. And still the Dems think it was only about gun control. Let them. It will make them easier targets in the mid terms.
Lying is all that they do.
They only know how to lie!
A delightful outcome, that recall election! I feel empowered, as an American who values his freedom…
These people still have their head up their ass! Must be a tight fit with our boot too! The money isn't hidden it was GRASSROOTS you idiots
It's always been "People Control". The person who looks around and buys a gun just might look at what else they can accomplish without government.
And that attitude is utterly destructive to the liberal cause.
"…Most of the pro-recall funding was hidden from disclosure but our best estimates are they spent an equal amount to our efforts." What bothers me most is all the lying. We were outspent by 5 – 1 at least. They can't buy a bad issue in Colorado and taking into consideration Scott Walker of Wisconsin… if this is any indication, this will be the start Nation wide! Maybe if they spent their money telling us why they thought their bad issues were good ones, they might have had a chance, Instead they were just cowards and hid behind Women's rights issues (which had NOTHING to do with the recall) in all their adds. We can clearly see that even they don't believe in their cause when they won't even defend it. Those legislations were for people control .. not gun control and they know it. What they won't admit is; Now we do too.
I certainly hope not people like Morse, Giron and Eichberg should be shunned and ridiculed publically if at all possible. Not because they are anti-gun but because they want to impose their ideology on others by using govenrment/political force, this is an immoral act and that's why they should be shunned and ridiculed.
Do you think Senator Brophy extended an invite to Adam this year for the annual watermelon shoot?
Oh, and I have an apology to make, here. I was very cynical about the recall- I supported it, but was sure it would fail and that it would hurt Republicans. I was pretty adamant about it. So many lies in the media these days, I have been very discouraged. But I have never been more glad to be totally wrong- great job, Colorado conservatives, and mea culpa to anyone I tangled with on this. I feel the pendulum swinging a little, and it gives me hope.
My husband attended a Colorado Bar Association lunch this week- he is a sole proprietor civil practice attorney. And a conservative, and a gun owner- we both worked two jobs for 10 years while he graduated from DU Law nights, 9th in his class. No trust baby, no big firm grooming. There are a few good lawyers out there. But not that many. Hubby came home so pissed about the far-left stumping at the lunch, and all the posing and glad-handing makes him sick. Did you know that we can't even keep the interest we make when we collect fees? We have to have a trust account, a COLTAF, and all the interest goes to legal services for the poor. Us little guys get it in the shorts, no matter what kind of small business you own. I am GLAD the trial lawyers got stuck- bunch of brown-nosing snobs.