May 03, 2019 10:48 AM UTC

GOP Recall Leader Says Legislative Session Wasn't So Bad After All

• 5 Comments
• by: Jason Salzman

(Recalls talk, reality walks – Promoted by Colorado Pols)

A leading Colorado Republican, who’s been saying for months that Democrats should be recalled from office for proposing extreme laws, now believes the “system” worked and the results aren’t so bad.

“No, it wasn’t a complete clean sweep,” Republican House Leader Patrick Neville of Castle Rock said this morning on KNUS 710-AM’s Peter Boyles Show. “I mean, there’s a lot of bad stuff that they did get that we don’t like. A lot of climate change stuff going through. The oil and gas stuff. But even that, we were able to get some amendments to make it not as bad.

“I think the system’s working. I think we had tremendous support from you, and your station that helped got the message out. It helped get the message out and caused quite a bit of chaos down at the Capitol to make sure that they were actually hearing the people’s voice. And that was effective.”

How does this view of the legislative session square with Neville’s comments over the last few months that, essentially, the Capitol dome was melting due to “unprecedented overreach” that warranted the ousting of any and all Democrats.

“This is unprecedented overreach. We need to do something,” Neville, the state house Republican leader, said on KHOW radio March 9. “If there is a grassroots effort that starts percolating up, then I am going to help them,” he said.

Neville formed a Recall Colorado website to help fund the recall efforts, listing six pieces of “overreaching legislation.”

Here’s a recap of his list:

o An oil-and-gas bill regulatory measure was amended to the point where the oil-and-gas industry has accepted it with trepidation, and the Colorado Oil and Gas Association and oil companies aren’t supporting the recall elections.

o A bipartisan sex-ed bill will likely become law, with amendments that address some of the most controversial elements, leading Republican Larry Crowder of Alamosa to say on Facebook that the legislation “was an overreach and was brought down to Earth.”

o The national popular vote bill, conditionally removing Colorado from the electoral college passed, as did a measure allowing courts to apply guardianship proceedings to immigrant minors.

o A proposal to make Colorado a sanctuary state died.

o A red-flag bill, allowing a judge to allow the confiscation of guns from dangerous people, passed with amendments.

That’s just the six bills listed on the Recall Colorado website. Many others moved in the GOP direction, including a now-dead proposal to save the lives of drug addicts.

So you can see why Neville said the system is working for him.

Now, will he still push ahead with recalls anyway?