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July 10, 2014 11:34 AM UTC

Yes, Mayor Bloomberg, Colorado Springs Has Roads

  • 21 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERADowntown Colorado Springs. Photo via Wikipedia

UPDATE: Sen. Mark Udall responds via FOX 31:

“Not since New Jersey Governor Chris Christie attacked Colorado’s way of life has an east coaster gotten us so wrong,” said Udall spokesman James Owens. “Christie and Bloomberg should stick to what they know best: traffic jams and tiny sodas.

“Mayor Bloomberg is way off base about Pueblo and Colorado Springs, two of Colorado’s strongest and proudest communities.”

—–

As FOX 31's Eli Stokols reports, an embarrassing gaffe from former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has local Republicans up in arms today–and frankly, there's not much anybody can say to defend this:

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is popping off about Colorado in a new Rolling Stone interview and Republicans here, who have been blasting Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper for taking cues from Bloomberg on the state’s new gun laws, couldn’t be happier about it.

Asked about three Colorado Democrats being forced out of office by a recall movement that arose last summer after the legislature’s passage of laws expanding background checks and banning magazines of more than 15 rounds, legislation Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Illegal Guns lobbied hard for, the former mayor said this:

“The NRA went after two or three state Senators in a part of Colorado where I don’t think there’s roads. It’s as far rural as you can get. [Pols emphasis] And, yes, they lost recall elections. I’m sorry for that. We tried to help ‘em. But the bottom line is, the law is on the books, and being enforced. You can get depressed about the progress, but on the other hand, you’re saving a lot of lives.”

As our in-state readers know, and we're happy to clarify for Mr. Bloomberg, Colorado Springs and Pueblo are pretty far from "as rural as you can get." The almost 450,000 residents of Colorado Springs, and 700,000 residents of that city's larger metropolitan area, do not get around on foot. And how many roadless places are home to the biggest steel mill in the Rocky Mountain West?

With that said, this kind of ignorant dismissal of the West by Eastern politicians isn't new–witness Chris Christie's nonsensical comments about "quality of life" in Colorado compared to (don't laugh) New Jersey, which the whole state condemned without partisan considerations. We expect there will be few if any Colorado Democrats to defend Bloomberg today, because what he said is plainly indefensible.

Republicans, of course, would like to turn this into a casus belli against all Colorado Democrats, but it's a weak case. Democrats are certainly aware that Colorado Springs and Pueblo have roads, and won't have a problem saying so. Bloomberg may have supported the 2013 gun safety bills, but that shouldn't stop Democrats from criticizing him for making these foolish statements. Bloomberg's own reputation in Colorado won't be helped by this, but the bottom line is, everyone likely to be alienated by Michael Bloomberg already has been in the last year and a half of political warfare over guns. Nothing Bloomberg says can change the fact that 80% of the public supports the state's new universal background check law, or that the courts have upheld the state's new gun safety laws as constitutional.

And lastly, if all politicians are to be judged by what their donors say, Republicans might come out the losers.

Comments

21 thoughts on “Yes, Mayor Bloomberg, Colorado Springs Has Roads

  1. Sorry, Dems, you let Bloomberg take over the agenda in the Colorado legislature. You took millions from him. Now you own him. Thanks for winning Herpin's seat for the GOP for the next four years at least!

    1. You mean the same way gardner is owned by the kochs as they become more known and less popular. Thanks for winning re-election for senator Udall.

    2. Bloomberg did not take over anything in the Colorado legislature. He contributed money like your rich reds do. And you won't hurt many Colorado Dem's feelings by calling out Bloomberg for his idiotic remarks. Most of us aren't Bloomberg fans in the first place.  New Yorkers are like that. I once had to explain to one of my Mom's New York friends in Florida that no, being able to get Thai food wasn't a special treat for me because, yes, we have lots of great Thai ( a lot better than the place they took me), Japanese, Vietnamese ( ours is way better than anything I ever had in Florida), Indian, etc. food right here in Colorado. Indoor plumbing, too.

      At the time the legislation was passed a majority polled in favor of what was actually in it, regardless of Bloomberg. Then your rich folks funded as much hysteria as they could muster and plenty was raised on being able to point to Benghazi….. I mean Bloomberg. So he really did your side a favor. You managed to succeed with your recalls. You've got nothing to whine about.

      1. Why did Hickenlooper lie about talking to Bloomberg? Admit it, Democrats have dug their own graves. You allied yourselves with a man who knows nothing about our state and is contemptuous of us.

        The voters are going to make you pay…

        1. Admit what now? I wouldn't be so sure about those graves. Get back to me if we wind up with BWB as our Guv and Gardner as our Senator. You know, like how we wound up with Gessler as Hick's opponent? Mittens as our Prez? 

          1. And Mod's allied himself and his party with a pair of mooks who want to undermine everything American in favor of an 8% increase on profits. 

            Now go play with your pals, who are in a heap of denial about how that name is actually pronounced, while we deal with the Yankee scum Western style. 

    3. Hey, Moddy – you want to eat this comment now? What was it, 12 months?

      Idiot RMGO wasted a lot of money and people's time for nothing – just to harass good people and legislators. 

      Enjoy Mike Bloomberg Mayor Against Illegal Guns senator from the Springs.

      Epic fail for RMGOs who bamboozled a lot of people out of a lot of money for nothing put to pad its own coffers, it seems. 

  2. NYC mayors traditionally are a little isolated in their world view, and get in trouble for it.  In 1982, Koch (Ed, not Charles or David) was running for gov of NY State when he made some really derogatory comments about ppl who lived in the burbs around NYC and the folks upstate.  The result:  Koch carried NYC in the Dem primary but got his ass kicked in the burbs and rural upstate.  End result was that Cuomo (Mario, not Andrew) went on to be gov.   Bloomberg may be rich but he can put his foot in his mouth like the best of them.

    1. In defense of anyone from NYC, I'd imagine if I lived in a place the size of Denver-metro with 10 times the number of people, my worldview would be a little warped too. 

      1. A warped perspective would be mocking someone who said Denver is a big city by saying that the population is barely bigger than Staten Island's.

        Saying that the Springs and Pueblo are "as rural as you can get" makes you a schmuck.

  3. Notwithstanding his common sense views on gun control, Bloomy is a mostly social and fiscal conservative, in saner times known as a Republican.

    1. He changes party affiliation like most people change socks. He pretty much shares the GOTP's elitist vision but with fewer guns and smaller sodas. Colorado Dems with any sense would just as soon see him stay out of our faces. So  Modster can have a free pass insulting him all he wants for alI I care and for all the good it will do rightie fan boy's heroes.

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