COLORADO GUN VICTORY IN PERSPECTIVE

I have been having problems understanding the situation in Colorado with the recall of two Democrats over their support of gun control legislation.  Because of a discussion this morning on Steve Kornacki’s show on MSNBC, I think I finally understand, the voters recalled them because they are liberals and not because they were for gun control. Yes, gun control was the signature issue, however, there was much more.  The NRA saw an opportunity to march at the “head of the band” after it was already marching, in other words they took advantage of the unrest generated by the numerous votes of the democratically controlled state legislature on social issues of which gun control was only one. Colorado is a western conservative state in the process of becoming civilized or maturing meaning they are turning blue and this is part of the process. As in  grade "B" movie; a place where the law of the six gun is a thing of the past and law and order is the future.

I was unaware of the lop-sided money spent in the campaign; the “vote no to the recall” faction was better funded on a six to one ratio including the New York City Mayor’s huge donation. The belief that the supporters of the “pro gun lobby recall” massively funded their effort was something I was hiding behind to justify the loss but the opposite was not true. However, my interpretation of this is the point of the post.  It was not the power of the NRA lobby that won the victory for them; it was the antipathy of the people in those districts for the democratic agenda. The state legislature passed to many liberal laws to quickly.  

I cry about what happened in North Carolina where the conservatives gained control of the legislature then did the same thing the liberals did in Colorado, only this time, the political philosophy was at the other pole of the spectrum. However, the conclusion that this makes things equal is wrong. What the Democratic legislature did in Colorado is to pass legislation favorable to social agenda; they did things to strengthen democracy: favorable for the people. What they did in North Carolina was to pass legislation that is favorable to a conservative agenda, which was favorable to industry but also passed legislation that is unfavorable to small “d” democracy. They passed legislation dealing with massive voter suppression efforts, gerrymandering election districts, control of all school boards, elections commission, and utility commissions; thus, opened up the system to political and industrial corruption. I see a huge difference between Colorado and North Carolina.

Gun control law formulated in Colorado will bear fruits; it will save people lives. They recalled two Democrats but fortunately they could not repeal the law. Compare and contrast the future outcome in these two states. We will never see a news flash or a headline in Colorado newspapers saying x-number of lives saved but you will see headlines in N.C. newspapers about corrupt government officials, increases in taxes on the poor, increase in utility costs, and increases in taxes on the rich. You will see appointments of conservative judges to politicize justice. You will see a resurgence of Jesse Helms popularity; maybe even naming of schools in his honor: segregated schools of course. But worst of all, you will read about and see on TV the gruesome fruits of ubiquitous gun owner ship . . . my hope is that it is not my family or me under the shroud dead from bad government in North Carolina.  

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