Posted on 11/17/2015 8:20:29 AM PST by SeekAndFind
You may recall that just before the election at the beginning of this month we talked about the school board recall initiative in Jefferson County, Colorado. Three conservative board members had been elected in 2013 and they had proceeded to work on school choice initiatives, expanded support for charter schools and a variety of other agenda items which completely outraged the teachers unions. The ensuing battle over attempts to have them recalled was epic, bringing in millions of dollars for campaign war chests on both sides, with the national teachers unions facing off against Americans for Prosperity and a few other backers on the side of the conservatives.
In the midst of all the other news which broke in the wake of the election we never got around to catching up on that race, but to make a long story short… the unions won decisively. (WaPo)
In a striking upset, voters in suburban Denver on Tuesday recalled three conservative members of a school board who had worked to weaken the local teachers union while boosting funding for charter schools and pushing through other market-driven policy changes for public schools.
By a margin of 64 percent to 36 percent, voters opted to replace Julie Williams, Ken Witt and John Newkirk, who had been elected in 2013 to form a majority power bloc on the five-member Jefferson County school board. About 40 percent of registered voters turned out.
"It looks decisive," Witt said Tuesday night, moments after he conceded.
Ron Mitchell, who won Witt's seat, said the new board will take the county in a new direction. "Our mission will not be to privatize and charterize and voucherize our schools," he said.
This recall election turned out 180K votes for JeffCo school district R-1 in an odd numbered year. Compare that to the turnout for a different ballot initiative for the same school district in 2012 for a presidential election. They managed around 270K. Any of you who follow elections on a regular basis have already caught on to the remarkable nature of this. That’s a simply insane turnout for an odd numbered year. They didn’t just get all of the four in four voters… they managed to get most of the two in four and a fair number of the one in four constituents.
Even more to the point, as we discussed prior to the election, this isn’t just any random county out west. Colorado is evenly enough divided that we color it purple, but it has its blue city centers and red rural areas like most states. These are the suburbs which are fought over vigorously by campaigns. In that battle the two sides were both able to muster a huge GOTV effort, but the Democrats came out on top. Hillary has been courting the teachers unions heavily this year in one of her latest flip flops so you can expect them to be out in force trying to win this same region for her next year. If the GOP can’t find a way to counter that union money and their volunteers, it’s going to slip away again.
Just take this small time school board race as a warning sign. Round one went to the Democrats.
If the attacks happen it won’t change the voting habits of the soft socialists who just want government to take care of their every want.
Democrats are losing all over the county ... they’ve been losing since Obama ran the first time. If we don’t get Colorado this time we’ll get them next time.
Democrats are liars and paid trolls... the country is catching on to them.
Snow board dudes can never go “red.”
That applies in this case. The national unions dumped tons of money. The school board members didn't have any campaign money. The unions lied their asses off about the situation and there was very little response to it.
Think of it more like wanting a fever to break. Sometimes the illness has to get worse before it can get better.
No one celebrates being sick, but once you’re sick (as our country is under Obama) you want the illness to break before it kills you.
Likewise I want the sickness that is Islam to break before it kills us. Which it absolutely will do.
Someone who does emissions test of cars in Colorado posted here that most of the out-of-state vehicles he sees come from Minnesota. That kinda blows holes in your theory about California supplying the new blood, but I doubt that will change your mind. Seems like small minds are always looking for a scapegoat for problems they see.
I’d like to hear Mr. Trump, in one of his speeches, call out this travesty in Colorado — and then remind conservatives that there is a heavy cost to “staying home” on election day!
An election centered around Boulder -might- not be the bellweather they imagine it is.
Small minds call others ‘small minds’.
People can be exceptional conservatives (They're Conservative, except...) and the goring of their personal oxen will swing their vote, even as they complain about other policies they don't like.
As for voting "red", I don't expect that. Just guessing the legal weed influx, the Spanish speaking vote, and the Liberal contingent there along the Front Range and elsewhere may take it blue.
Yes
Exactly.
People want two things: free stuff and more free stuff.
Its hard to beat Santa Claus.
There are two lines:
1) FREE STUFF (until it runs out)
2) UNLIMITED STUFF (but you have to work for it)
Which line is longer?
How do you move them from line 1 to line 2?
You have a really hard time moving them until the FREE STUFF runs out.
Colorado Ping ( Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from the list.)
If the election was held today between Trump and Granny Trump wins 60/40 60% of people don’t believe a word she says and this Trump not Willard. Trump wants to win and will smother her with crushing TV spots He has 31% of Hispanics 25% of blacks you might not believe that but Granny does because she already planning how to win the black vote. A Democrat has to plan to win the black vote? Really?
Won’t make any difference, Colorado will be filled with ISIS anyway.
Won’t make any difference, Colorado will be filled with ISIS anyway.
The Front Range north of Colo. Springs might be. They’ll be shot if they mess with the Western Slope and points in between.
“Our mission will not be to privatize and charterize and voucherize our schools,” he said. “It will be to see to it that the children do not get an education.”
The recent flip of the PA Supreme Court to majority Democrat was a national teachers union-funded adventure also.
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