Colorado update

The only good news coming out of the place is that some politicians who foisted new gun control laws on the public are facing recall elections, if the signatures are there, and I am pretty sure they are. The legislators broke an unspoken rule. If you are a Colorado Democrat, you are supposed to respect Western custom and culture, not go lockstep on everything with the national Democratic machine. That includes being at least a little circumspect on the gun issue. It certainly does not include climbing onto New York City Mayor Bloomberg's anti-gun bandwagon.

All hat and no cattle.

The way things used to work was that Democrats got elected on the understanding that there is a conservative streak in Colorado voters, even in a lot of Democrats. If you are a Democrat politician you may work all you like on a selection of public spirited causes, but you should soft-pedal it if you want to infringe gun rights or promote the idea that boys should marry boys.

Now that the legislature has broken this unwritten agreement, it will be interesting to see the public's response. Will the people of Colorado sense that the rules have changed, and their formerly moderate Democratic Party is now an extension of the Obama Left?  It seems the obvious conclusion for them to draw. Voters who formerly voted Democrat on the basis that Colorado Democrats could be relied upon to make culturally sensitive accommodations to Colorado voters will need to reconsider that, as the recall process goes forward.

I think what is going on in the legislature these days is overreach and arrogance. The Democrats have exceeded their warrant because they have betrayed the public's expectations. Not everything they can do, under the legal authority given to legislators, is something that they should do. I think the people are starting to feel this and are looking for the right words to explain the way they feel. I hope the Democrats' comeuppance is sharp and the damage to the party long lasting.