SUNDAY UPDATE: We've seen a few photos now from Senate District 19 recall protests and counter-protests, but here's one forwarded photo that may win the irony prize:
Thanks for sharing, middle-aged white dude.
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We have yet to see news coverage of this, but for the second weekend in a row, an energetic counter-protest in response to the paid signature gathering crews working to recall Democratic Sen. Evie Hudak of Arvada is visible on many street corners in this northwest Denver suburb today:
No word yet on any thugs or counter-thugs as threatened by right wing talk radio this week, but we'll update with developments and coverage as we see it published. We're interested in reports, photos, etc. from the scene in Senate District 19–please post them in comments or send them to webmaster@coloradopols.com.
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I hope they aren't all SEIU and OFA employees, but they probably are.
He says, based on absolutely nothing and leaving aside the fact that SEIU and OFA members have just as much right to express their opinions as anyone else in any case. They're just as American as the lying gun nuts who keep whining about having their guns taken away, something that is simply not happening.
Of course you call them employees, implying they aren't real citizen protesters but hired help. You have no problem with hired help signature collectors though, do you? Try listening to yourself once in a while. You might be surprised at all the contradictory things coming out of your mouth.
Unlikely. They are individuals that hate morons that constantly recall decent legislators and replaced with morons.
Your RMGO boys are about to see a charge called RICO once we have a new AG next year. And your Republicans will stand to lose this year, next year, and for the next 20 generations.
actually Mod, I'd be hopeful that union members would be able to help legislators, councilmembers, congressional candidates and presidential candidates that have their back. top of the ballot to the bottom
There are probably union people volunteering to "stand with evie" right now. If the recallers get enough signatures,and if the recall survives any legal challenges, then both sides will hire more paid staff and canvassers.
At that point, (December, after sigs are submitted) it's likely that SEIU will send one or two paid staff to help.
But let's hope it doesn't get to that point.
I was there today…with 7 others that I can attest are totally volunteers. All the others I was standing with were VOLUNTEERS.
This is national domestic violence awareness month, and Evie Hudak was the primary sponsor of a bill to enforce
federal laws on firearms possession by abusers. Abused women (and it is predominantly women who are victims
of domestic violence) have much to be thankful to Evie for her courageous stand. That's one of the many reasons that
I'm standing with Evie…..and totally as a volunteer.
So…please cease the snarky comments.
Thanks, doremi. I'm virtually standing with Evie, because she did sponsor the gun legislation to keep guns out of the hands of domestic violence perpetrators, and also just because she's a great legislator.
She was awarded "Legislator of the Year" in 2012 for her work on behalf of the Colorado Community College system. She's made it her business to know what's going on with Colorado prisons, as well.
I understand that an anti-recall committee has been formed, and that the website should be up soon.
Way to go doremi. Apparently Hudack has more enthusiastic support than Giron did.
BC, you just can't stop twisting that knife, can you? Giron had plenty of enthusiastic support – 100s of volunteers before paid staff were brought on. If you know differently, please cite your sources.
We'll see, won't we? if Hudak hangs on that will show she has more supporters who are sufficiently motivated. Not just volunteers but voters. It will show a better campaign keeping those supporters motivated. If not… not.
I'm really sorry you can't wrap your head around the fact that Giron's loss was too big to have been entirely due to voter suppression tactics. One doesn't need to have been a fly on the wall to hold that view. One only has to have observed and participated in elections in general over time.
One more time, dirty tricks can make the difference in close ones and that's all they can do. Period. That's why Obama couldn't be denied the way Gore was. That's reality. I find to living in the real world and dealing with it works better than expecting the real world to conform to what I would wish it to be.
That doesn't mean you don't work for change. It means you don't come up with an excuse every time you don't get what you want, an excuse that makes you or whoever you were rooting for the poor little victim.
Example: Your favorite team loses a close one on a bad call. Well if they had played better and been well ahead one late bad call wouldn't have lost the game for them and they've probably won a few close ones on a late bad call against the opposition so face it. They didn't play well enough to win. Curse the call but don't whine about it all week.
I'm sorry I can't share your obsession with holding Giron and her campaign completely blameless victims here in spite of everything I have ever learned about the reality of elections and how they work. I'm sorry it annoys you. I wish Giron had won. I'm just being objective.
BC, you're being very condescending, and I resent it. Also, you misread me. I do not hold Giron and her campaign as "completely blamesless victims" and never said that. I don't whine, or "come up with an excuse every time I don't get what I want". I'm not an immature child, nor am I naive about political realities. I'm not going to repost it all again, complete with links, but, in order, this is what I think were the main deciding factors in Giron's loss:
1.The recall forces deliberately created an off-cycle election, knowing that there would be lower turnout. This is happening again with the Hudak recall.
2. The recall forces started fundraising early, and brought in millions in NRA, right wing 504 issue committees, Koch Brothers, and out of state contributions . So far, Recallhudaktoo has about $23,000 on hand, about 40% of it raised from internet contributions from out of Hudak's district 19. They've also seized the narrative on all of the high intensity right wing blogs. What do Dems have in terms of funding and media for Hudak? Nothing I can find.
3. The recall forces deliberately forced a judicial decision to disallow mail in ballots, since Democrats "turn out" at 71% with mail ballots. This will happen again with the Hudak recall, if they get enough signatures, and if Marilyn Marks, who has already worked once in Mesa County with the registered agent on the Hudak recall, again recruits a third party candidate for a recall ballot.
4. Mistakes were made in the anti-recall campaign. I bolded this since you don't read my posts. Mistakes I've posted about way too much: emphasizing the "personhood" issue to the exclusion of talking about water rights and gun legislation. Refusing to debate the recall successor candidate. Relying on "push polls". Being overly confident. Not reaching out more to unaffiliated voters.
And this is some petty shit, I know. At least the disagreements between you and I are petty, since I do generally respect your ideas.
It's worthwhile looking at it again, because, IMHO, history is repeating itself. Hudak seems to have the same quantity of dedicated volunteers as Giron. The anti-recall committee, Stand With Evie, is forming about a month after the recall committee formed, same as Giron's. Hudak is not talking about gun legislation, just as Giron did not. The gunzos already have money and media, while Dems do not. I really hope that Dems can do a better job this time, and learn from the failures.
Yes, I do think voter suppression (forcing off cycle recall election and polling place elections) were the main factors. No, I do not think that they were the only factors. You'll probably continue to misrepresent what I write.
I realize that you're probably still going to go with your meme that I'm just a naive excuse maker refusing to "wrap my head around" and acknowledge reality as posited by knowledgeable people such as yourself, even though, yet again, I'm posting reasons for failure that include, but are not limited to, missteps by campaign and candidate.
I hope that the Hudak folks are more open to learning from history.
OK already. And I have read your posts and all I've ever said is, the Morse race was close enough for the voter suppression attempts to have made the difference. The Giron race wasn't. There must have been other factors to account for such a big fat loss. Otherwise her loss would have been by a small amount like Morse's. She lost and clearly would have lost in any case, just by less, regardless.
And now are we finally done because you aren't budging me and I'm not budging you and I don't want to be rude but this has already been pointless for a very long time. I made one little comment, not addressed to you, not meant to pull your chain, that you could easily have just ignored since you know we've been over and over this and nothing changes. You might want to try not to let it bother you so much.
The all-mail ballots will defeat the recall efforts again.
It shall be done.
I don't know how many times I have to repeat this to you, but 20,000 democrats DID NOT VOTE in the Giron recall elections. If those democrats that did not vote got off their butts and did vote. Giron would have defeated her recall. Recall elections have shown this tiny fringe of gun nuts are motivated to get out there and vote. We must convince the many more democrats to get out there and vote. If mail in ballots were allowed to be used, both Giron and Morse would have defeated their recalls. The gun nuts are single issue voters and most democrats are not. Sometimes we democrats need to become single issue voters when special circumstances arise. George Rivera and Bernie Herpin will both most likely lose their seats in 2014 and be replaced with democrats.
nota: Yes. 20,000 Dems did not vote in the recall election. Why didn't GOTV work in Pueblo? I have some ideas of course….
And yes, the photo now at the top of this thread makes sense in wacko rightie land, because that is the new talking point: Women should have the "right to choose" to bear arms. But they should not have the "right to choose" to have an abortion. This is coming from Laura Carno's site, "I am Created Equal", from the recall Hudak people's constant replay of Hudak's conversation with the rape victim who had wanted to conceal carry, and much more.
So yes, these people have the intensity to get to the polls. And Democratic complacency or being in denial (which is where BC thinks I am) will lose us good legislators as quickly as the gunzos with their fake "right to choose" talking points will.
To answer your other question, about Hudak resigning, I'm not at all sure that this is the way it works. I don't know that Hick can just appoint someone to fill her seat. But, If they do get 19,000 valid signatures, and if she resigns, and could be replaced by an appointed Democrat, enough to put off the election until 2016 (Hudak's up for re-election in 2016), which would be a "big turnout" election in Colorado, I think that would be a reasonable outcome, save everyone a lot of grief and money, and block a radical right wing agenda, as you say.
As I understand it, if Hudak is recalled and Hick puts another democrat in her place, that democrat will have to run in 2014, not 2016 which is the year Hudak's term ends. This sucks, but maybe someone can tell me if I am wrong or right about this. The reasonable outcome would be Hudak being this recall if there are enough valid signatures, but we are talking about control of the senate. Sometimes it is better to be safe or sorry. We'll see what happens.
A recall appointment is the same as a vacancy appointment. Hudak's potential replacement would have to run in the next general election, rather than serve out Hudak's entire term.
It wouldn't be a recall appointment exactly. She'd have to resign prior to any recall election in order for Hick to be able to appoint a temporary replacement until the next election. That would be the safest way to go but I don't see that happening.
It would be pretty stunning if Hudak decided not to fight. As close as Morse got, even with the last minute suppression tactics, I don't think she's going to throw in the towel and I don't think the party will pressure her to.
After all, her critics failed to get enough signatures the first time so it would be hard to argue she should fall on her sword in a hopeless situation to save the seat for Dems.
True, it's going to be tougher this time with the gun nuts' successes under their belts. But it would look really bad. Next election the R ads would say that the Dems used a slick trick to steal the people's chance to replace Hudak.
The only way forward for her and the party is to fight and win.
And Nota, I don't know how many times and by how many posters it's been explained that even in the major presidential year elections, it isn't the norm to get anything like full participation. In a special election taking place the year before an off year election, turn out will always be especially small.
Most of those 20 thousand "missing" voters you keep talking about wouldn't have voted in an election like this under the best of circumstances so, no matter how many times you repeat that figure, it doesn't really mean what you seem to think it means.
If the gun nuts get 19,000 valid signatures, will you support Hudak stepping aside so she can be replaced with another democrat or do you think she will fight the recall? If Hudak fights the recall and loses, the right wing wingnuts will have control of the senate. This will not be good news for us democrats. I am all for advancing a democratic agenda, but what I want even more to is block a radical right wing agenda that is bad for this country.
I was there too, as a volunteer. If they are hiring signature gatherers it must be because they are way behind and can't get enough volunteers. Funny, If everyone in SD19 hated Sen. Hudak as much as they claim, they shouldn't need to hire paid petitioners.
About 40% of the Hudak recall contributions are from addresses out of Hudak's district. Gunzos from other places in Colorado and the country are contributing via the internet.
I can't tell yet if recallhudaktoo is paying the canvassers out of the committee funds, or if another PAC such as the NRA's Committee to restore Coloradans rights is paying their petition gatherers, as they did in the Morse & Giron recalls.
NRAILA will probably have to generate another "popup" committee to fund recall signature gatherers, all the while complaining about Hudak supporters being paid by "big money from out of state".
Thanks, doremi, for being involved.
I have been away from home for too long. I am becoming increasingly eager to rejoin the fray… two more weeks… I am missing the changing of the Cottonwoods in Palisade…to my dismay.
I have spoken about oil and gas issues to many communites over the years, and I often tell them to look at the person sitting next to them. And then I say to them "that person is not going to solve this communities' problems. Only you can do it."
Have you, my progressive and moderate friends, been sitting it out? feeling jaded? tired? Busy? Well, if so, …stop it. No more excuses…Join the Hudak recall opposition, attend COGCC meetings, join a local environmental group and volunteer, register, organize, VOTE…!
We have allowed these people (the GOTP) to punish our lives and steal our futures. We must stop them now, while we still have a chance.
Do something..whatever you can do… to re-establish a Democratic majority in Congress and at every level of government. Now is the time…you are the one…
Great. These courageous Hudak supporters are the true heart of democracy.
My boy Roland standing up for Evie Hudak with Colorado Senate President Morgan Carroll today in Arvada.
These wingnuts love to lie in hoping they get misinformed people to sign their stupid recall petition. When did Hudak ever say that women don't have a right to defend themselves? These gun nuts hate democracy and hate anyone who has common sense and isn't a rabid NRA gun nut like them.
Your poster-child middle-age white guy holding the ironic sign was THE second MOST rude person at the site we were at today. His behavior was quite juvenile….
The first was a woman in a white shirt who totally lost it when we arrived and started screaming at us, something about "conspiracy." We didn't listen or respond, just looked away. She must have been off her meds.
HEY! You show some respect for that guy, doremi! If there's one thing middle-aged Republican White Dudes are experts in, it's Women's Rights. After all, who do you think granted the womefolk those rights in the first place?
You could have called the cops on the insane woman and ask them for a mental health hold on her – 72 hours…
Better would have been to videotape her. Everyone has a video camera on them now, if they have a cell phone.
When I was "standing for Giron" against the petition gatherers in Pueblo, I wish I had gotten some of these jokers on tape. My camera picked that day to not work. One guy was calling me a "f*cking b*tch" because he just thought I was going to touch his "recall giron" sign.
He was an older guy with, probably, kids and grandkids. I can just imagine his reaction if his own children had used language like that to an adult and a teacher.
Bottom line, these are some extremely paranoid, possibly violent people, who live in a news bubble of their own making. We can't allow them to hijack our democratic process.
As the story goes, the women's right to vote was actually gained because a Tennessee legislator listened to him Mom and voted for emancipation. So we women are all very grateful to him and his mom. By the way, Texas' new voting registration law is making it very difficult for married women to vote.
I'm enjoying that three of our female legislators (Hudak, Fields, and McCann) are advocating for gun control laws which protect victims against violent abusers. Evie Hudak is not running away from talking about guns! Good for her.
CBS news covered this rally in front of the State Capitol last Saturday.
Actually, Colorado now has a law for enforcing federal firearms prohibitions by domestic abusers. This was a bill (SB197) that Evie Hudak carried this year.
It passed with nary a single Republican vote. All Democrats voted for it except one. Governor Hickenlooper signed it and it is NOW the LAW. Colorado is ahead of most of the states in protecting domestic violence victims from their victimizers (with regard to firearms)!!! Good Job Sen. Hudak and also the Colorado Coalition Against Domestic Violence, which pushed the bill this legislative cycle.
Oh…and the NRA and RMGO folks all testified against it…for some time. Some men even stated that they have domestic violence convictions…and felt it was unfair they couldn't own a gun. AWhhh.
doremi, you're right of course. I didn't write that clearly. Hudak's sponsorship of HB197 is one of the reasons I'm backing her strongly.
I wonder if sex-ed teachers will weigh in. Now that the Senator has made efforts toward mandates that the teachers teach "alternative sexual practices" (or something like that). They might oppose the recall effort, or, perhaps support the recall effort.
If "sex ed teachers" did weigh in, you'd probably be surprised at what they'd say.
HB1081, the "Expands Sexual Education Curriculum" bill, provdes age appropriate curriculum designed to be medically accurate and inclusive.
So no phony abstinence education which doesn't work. (although abstinence is included and valued in the curriculum). During the Bush years, abstinence ed was all the sex ed that was allowed, and I think you know how well "Just Say No" works.
Because there is misinformation out there on this, the bill does NOT mandate teaching sex ed to third graders:
And because suicide and bullying because of (perceived) sexual orientation or "slut shaming" are still horribly prevalent in middle school through high schools, rural, urban, charter, religious, and every other kind of school, HB1081 establishes a way to provide dollars to schools and school districts to establish a comprehensive human sexuality curriculum.
Parents can still opt out, but they have to do it in writing.
Real sex education teachers or "health class teachers", as they are euphemistically called these days, would probably enthusiastically support Senator Hudak, as this legislation allows them to provide accurate and inclusive information which helps students survive and thrive in those troubled and hormonal teenage years.
It's not as if anyone is talking about offering training in sexual practices, either those you refer to as alternative or those you personally consider, what? Normal? Whatever. It's about giving kids accurate information on something all kids are intensely curious about, sex, and will speculate about, obsess about and exchange wrong information about in the absence of good, honest, factual information.
I would think any decent teacher would be all for providing the best, most comprehensive information in that area as well as in any other subject they teach. And, let's face it. For most of us a basic understanding of the range of human sexuality, reproduction, contraception and STDs is going to come in handy in our day to day lives more often than will a basic understanding of trigonometry. No offense to mathematicians or to trigonometry.
I probably would have gone for basic understanding of the battle sequence of the Civil War or ancient Greek civilization, but – yes (and with the same "no offense" disclaimer to history buffs).