How many more gun massacre memorials do we need before the NRA wisens up? They won't. So let's support those who fight them.
During the debate over a sweeping package of gun safety legislation in Colorado, state Sen. Angela Giron had to deal with
this kind of shit:
During Colorado's gun debate, the general manager of the Pueblo Chieftain, Giron's hometown newspaper, wrote to her opposing the gun control measures, identifying himself as a gun owner who is "responsible for the entire newspaper, including the newsroom."
"They reign here in Pueblo," Giron said of the newspaper's influence in her district. "The new general manager sends me an email while we're debating the legislation, and he says, 'I want you to know that I'm not only in charge of the newspaper but every piece of news that goes out, and I don't like these gun laws, and I don't want you to vote for them.'"
Of course, that newspaper has been a driver of the recall effort against Giron. The recalls are
quite unpopular in the state at large, but the state isn't voting on these individual recalls. Voters in their districts are.
The scuttlebutt from people who have seen the numbers are that Giron is relatively safe (or as much as you can be in a summer special election with an uncertain electorate), but that state Senate President John Morse, the other recall target, lags slightly among likely voters. The NRA certainly smells blood in the water (they have lots of practice with that), and are trying to close strong.
Meanwhile, Democrats have shifted strategies. Rather than fight over the gun issue that dominated the early parts of the race, they are expanding the playing field, particularly focusing on women's reproductive rights. These are Democratic districts, and the approach seems to be to remind people that they can't be single-issue voters.
A newly established 527 group, “We Can Do Better, Colorado”, is already out with a mailer attacking Republican Bernie Herpin, a former Colorado Springs councilman who is seeking to replace Democratic Senate President John Morse on the recall ballot, for his past support of Personhood.
And Colorado Springs residents are about to see television ads to that effect.
"What would you call someone who supports a ban on common forms of birth control? Interferes with our personal decisions?” a female narrator asks in the spots set to hit the airwaves in Colorado Springs and Pueblo starting Thursday.
Democrats need women to turn out to balance out motivated gun nuts. The race will likely hinge on the success of those efforts.
Guys, we're two weeks out. There are lots of great people fighting to make sure the NRA can't throw its weight around. You can join them by chipping in a few bucks.
A total of 8,770 of you have already donated as I publish this. Let's get that to 10,000. Today.
