And that a GOP judge doesn't rig the mail-in voting for this election.

The Dems and the GOP were on the same side in that court battle - it was the Libertarian party that went to court because the voter law regulating recalls was in direct conflict with the state Constitution and they were not given the constitutionally mandated number of days to gather ballot signatures. The judge said the state constitution took precedence, which is what you would expect any judge to say.

<snip>

several Democrats working on the ground told The Huffington Post that if either Morse or Giron is defeated, it will be because their opponents were able to suppress voter turnout by making it difficult for constituents to cast their ballots. Turnout is typically low in recall elections, but one Democratic official estimated turnout of less than 15 percent across both counties.

"That's just astronomically low," the official said. "It's a race made up of an endless number of things that will just confuse voters and have an effect on the election itself."

Much of the confusion stems from a decision that prohibited voting by mail, even though Colorado voters have overwhelmingly relied on mail-in ballots in the past. District Judge Robert McGahey ruled against the use of mail-in ballots last month, even though a state law passed earlier this year guaranteed a ballot by mail to every registered voter in Colorado, including in a recall election.

Ellen Dumm, an anti-recall operative stationed in Pueblo, said it wasn't until about 10 days ago that the decision was overturned to allow some voters to cast their ballots by mail. But at that point, the deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot was just four days away, which made it difficult to educate most of the public on the process...

<snip>

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/10/colorado-recall-voting_n_3897481.html

it was the Libertarian party that took the issue to court.

Nonetheless, Dems have to be open to the feints and parries of the NRA, and actually get out to vote, should the gun lobby muster enough signatures for recall, once again.

Morse's and Giron's pollsters predicted the exact result at least a week before. Besides, it wasn't GOP v Dem. it was Colorado residents vs MAIG and NYC employees working as MAIG lobbyists.

And yeah, actual Dem turnout could've "mattered" after all.

To get how the my west works. Suck up to out of state interests, treat your constituents with contempt, and make Michelle Bachman look like a MENSA member your own voters kick you to the curb. They were voted out by Dems.

That does not seem like an attempt to suppress voter turnout.

The mail in issue was a red herring that some "less informed" types still cling to as the only reason those 2 seats were lost.

After all, anyone with "common sense" knows that gun control is very popular and motivating , so much so that people that believe in it couldn't even get their ass up off the couch to go vote.

I think Hickenlooper realizes that Bloomberg's involvement, from start to finish, was a major rallying point for the opposition and would prefer none of that for his own chances next year. I think some political types are starting to realize that those nice fat checks from Bloomie, in the right situation, can be the "kiss of death" for a political career.

I don't know how Hudak's district looks, from a standpoint of the D to R ratio though? I know it's much larger than the previous 2 were.

about Democrats needing to get out and vote. I've "bitten the bullet" many times and voted repeatedly for Democrats who have voted for meaningless gun control legislation. Democrats in Colorado should do the same.

Last edited Mon Oct 14, 2013, 05:42 PM - Edit history (1)

because "meaningless" also means won't do anything positive for public safety, which means there is no compelling State interest and valid reason for the restriction.

...reasonable gun regulation?

Of course, I agree that most Democratic efforts have been badly compromised by fear of the gun manufacturer lobby.

I detest weasel words because it indicates lazy thinking at best. The problem with gun laws "reasonable" or not, is that they are almost always written by the misinformed because of the dogmatic. Almost all are uninformed about current laws or even the basics of the technology. The ignorant can not write reasonalbe regulations. That is true of telecommunications regulation as it is firearms. I'm not saying they have to know the difference between an Nambu and a Browning. The should at the very least know what a barrel shroud is and that magazines can be reloaded. They should also know current federal law and be honest in their claims.
BTW, the manufactures lobby supported the federal UBC, they have nothing to do with the NRA. The NRA in many ways controls US manufactures. See Bill Ruger's proposal for magazine limit size and the founder of Cooper Firearms. Yes pundits claim otherwise. Pundits are generally uninformed ideologues and fools. I have no use for them, left or right.

That said, I support UBC if done right. That does not mean I would support a half baked system like Colorado's that bans "buy backs" written by employees of NYC and supported mostly by two out of state billionaires.