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Recall Elections Smoke Out Two Colorado State Senators

Recall Elections Smoke Out Two Colorado State Senators

More politicians are joining San Diego’s former mayor, Bob Filner, for early retirements.

Colorado citizens held historic recall elections Tuesday and removed two state senators:

Two Democratic lawmakers in Colorado, including the president of the state Senate, were recalled Tuesday in elections brought about by their support for tougher gun control laws.

According to unofficial results, voters in Colorado Springs favored recalling state Sen. John Morse, the body’s president, by 51 percent to 49 percent. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, state Sen. Angela Giron of Pueblo was defeated in her recall election, 56 percent to 44 percent.

These two Colorado Democrats provided crucial support for a package of restrictive new state gun law proposals offered after mass shootings at an Aurora, Colorado movie theater and a Newtown, Connecticut elementary school. Interestingly, Giron tried desperately to save her seat by appealing to Colorado college students. Colorado State University student and former Giron constituent Katie England filed this report on a campus rally:

State Sen. Angela Giron (D-Pueblo), when asked about her backing of proposed legislation that would have banned concealed weapons on college campuses, said she supported it in committee before she did not support it as it moved further through the legislative process.

“I was not a sponsor of that bill,” Giron said at Colorado State University – Pueblo on Aug. 29. “After doing a little research, I felt comfortable (supporting it). I supported it in committee, but then some things came up that I didn’t expect. I spoke to (Associated Student Government) representatives of the CSU system, and they didn’t like it.

The flip-flopping was to no avail.

Morse has another set of potential problems related to his term in the state senate, not very different from fiscal issues that plagued Filner.

After Senate President John Morse conceded defeat in the historic recall last night, we reached out to an old nemesis of his: Stephanie Cegielski.

In 2011, Cegielski filed an ethics complaint against Morse for abusing tax-free per diem payments — taking per diem for 331 of 365 days in 2009 alone. Morse’s boss, then-Senate President Brandon Shaffer, convened an ethics panel to investigate the claims.

Morse was livid. Furious. Seething with rage that anyone dare question him.

When asked about the complaint, Morse made a veiled threat against Cegielski, telling the Colorado Springs Gazette: “If I were a private citizen, I would own these peoples’ homes.”

It looks like Morse will now have the opportunity to explore the possibilities.

This election offers a sneak peak of what the 2014 elections are going to be like for purple politicians who turned blue after the 2012 elections. That the Democratic Party is in a panic about Tuesday night’s results is shown by the response of Democratic National Committee head Debbie Wasserman Schultz: This was voter suppression, pure and simple.

Meanwhile, Filner headed off to San Francisco with his ex-fiance after resigning in disgrace.

The signs are all pointing to the fact that citizens are completely involved, engaged, and enraged with politics at all levels — federal, state and local. 2014 should be a very interesting year.

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Comments

I am generally opposed to recalls except for criminal or official misconduct. I opposed the recalls of Gray Davis and Scott Walker. On that same basis I was opposed to the Colorado recalls.

On the other hand I am a strong 2A supporter, so my sympathies were with the gun owners.

    Seems to me that willfully ignoring the concerns of one’s constituents would qualify under a definition of “Official Misconduct” and therefore you ought to have supported the Colorado recall effort.

    Just saying, by your own logic, you should have supported this recall.

    Same Same in reply to myiq2xu. | September 12, 2013 at 6:29 pm

    “Criminal or official misconduct” is when impeachment is proper. When your state rep goes on national TV and brags about ignoring your concerns that’s when you recall the b&stard.

    And just so we’re clear – the “criminal or official misconduct” BS is what the Dems have been preaching in CO all along. It’s their line. They like to appeal to people’s sense of fair play, even though they don’t believe in fair play themselves. They only believe in winning. Don’t fall for it.

    NC Mountain Girl in reply to myiq2xu. | September 12, 2013 at 7:20 pm

    The state’s sheriffs were told their input on gun control wasn’t needed and yet the bill is so poorly written that parts of it are unenforceable. Most of the sheriffs have joined a suit to have it overturned. Then Morse threatened to holding up law enforcement bills if they didn’t fall in line.

    That sounds like misconduct to me.

I live in Arizona, where John McCain is a conservative for a year to get re-elected and then turns into a liberal for the other 5 years of his term. I would support – even advocate – a recall of this liar. Recalls are the only way to get the politicians attention up close and personal. If they have that threat hanging over their head for the entire period of their term, mores the better, in my humble opinion.

    Zhombre in reply to cdtaxlady. | September 12, 2013 at 4:27 pm

    My parents retired to Arizona 30 years ago and I’ve been to the state many many times. McCain needs to retire or be retired. As for Morse and Giron, I hope they never hold public office again. They should be sent into exile to another state. Illinois perhaps.

According to the AP, the voters might have supported some gun regulation, but the laws in question and the procedures used to pass them, were considered over-reaching.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/colo-senate-president-in-trouble-in-early-results-of-recall-election-over-gun-control/2013/09/10/f88ab660-1a84-11e3-80ac-96205cacb45a_story.html

    Archer in reply to Valerie. | September 12, 2013 at 5:08 pm

    There’s a grain of truth to that.

    I’ve said it elsewhere and I’ll say it here. I don’t believe the recall was only about the Second Amendment or the gun laws. In Pueblo (Angela Giron’s district) in particular, it was about not getting straight answers to simple questions, being ignored and belittled, and getting shut out of the debate entirely.

    Morse, as Senate President, allowed endless hours of public comments and debate on other issues, but cut the “gun control” debate short by imposing very restrictive time limits and closing the comments early, shutting out hundreds of people from all over the state, including dozens of county Sheriffs. He also reportely advised other Senators to ignore their constituents and support the new laws – advice Giron took to heart.

    The Second Amendment and gun laws may have been the catalyst, but at its core the recall was about reminding the “public servants” who works for whom.

      NC Mountain Girl in reply to Archer. | September 12, 2013 at 7:51 pm

      The more I read about it the more it looked to be to be an abuse of trust issue because the legislative hearing process wasn’t followed. A poorly drafted bill was rammed through, a bill that makes criminals out of ordinary citizens for doing the kind of things they have always done.

That’s what democracy looks like.

I dunno they were “smoked out”…

so much as just SMOKED. People don’t like their civil liberties being messed with.

NC Mountain Girl | September 12, 2013 at 7:33 pm

Morse sounds like a type. A short timer at lots of jobs as he acquired multiple advanced degrees. One of those jobs was as a town’s police chief. He gets elected to the State Senate, where he supports the usual liberal causes. Then he gets elected President of the State Senate and decides to push through a wish list of liberal bills.

Along the way Morse seems to have made a huge enemy of the sheriff in his county. The guy is very popular and was all over Morse and not just on gun control.

CO Governor is up for re-election next year. We need the momentum to continue here.