COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., November 13, 2013—The recall effort against the third—and one might say most notorious—of three Colorado Democrat senators, Evie Hudak, is within 19 days of its deadline to collect a goal of 26,000 signatures. Organizer Mike McAlpine says he is confident that they will reach their goal and will be successful in recalling her. Hudak is the one who was famously indifferent to rape victim Amanda Collin’s testimony, telling her that even had she been allowed to carry her concealed carry pistol on the night she was attacked, statistics were not in her favor. In keeping with that cold attitude toward victims of violent crime, those supporting Hudak have been harassing people collecting signatures and intimidating people trying to sign the petition to recall her. The tactics are similar to the ones used by the committees defending Morse and Giron—only intensified. Volunteers for the Recall Hudak Too recall effort report men in cars following volunteers and taking pictures with cameras that have large telephoto lenses. In addition to taking pictures of the volunteers, pictures of license plates are also being taken. But the harassment doesn’t stop there. Hudak supporters verbally assault both volunteers and people wanting to sign the petition. In one case, an African-American woman drove up to a sign-and-drive location, but was blocked from getting out of her car by a man standing next to the driver’s side door and refusing to move. Eventually he did move, but the woman was further harassed as another Hudak supporter rang a noisemaker in her ear while she signed. This is how Democrats treat women with respect. It’s not only women. A Hudak supporter described as an aging female accosted a high school-age male volunteer of Chinese descent by telling him he was selling out his people—and then hurling a racial epithet at him. A similar incident occurred to an African-American male. This young man was surrounded by Hudak supporters and taunted him with “You’re killing Trayvon.” No racism in the Democrat camp. Today, a Hudak supporter went so far as to threaten to shoot recall supporters. The death threat was caught on video and posted on the recall’s Facebook page. In response to these tactics, petition gatherers go out in pairs and have been told not to engage. Who are these thugs that support Hudak? McAlpine doesn’t know exactly, as they hide behind a number or organizations. Recall Hudak volunteers have seen three people who seem to be leading the effort driving around in rented cars—the most recent ones, he says, are Mini Coopers. There are advertisements on Craig’s List—a favorite recruiting tool of the Obama campaign—for $15 per hour to protest the recall. Where are the police? Organizers say the police have been slow to respond and slower to take action. The Arvada Police Department’s web page says “They are committed to maximizing the quality of life for Arvada residents while reducing crime, and the fear of crime, in the city” but they are the least responsive and the most indifferent of any of the municipal police departments, according to McAlpine. In Pueblo, the police did warn Giron supporters to keep their distance. That’s not happening in Jefferson County as the intimidation has escalated. And it is not only physical intimidation. Hudak supporters have made robo-calls into the district, claiming petition-gatherers don’t have background checks (none are required) and that they are collecting “personal information” (name, address and signature are required). They’ve also had two waves of door hangers hung on the 80,000 homes in the district, an expensive undertaking. Who is funding all this bad behavior? Again, it is hard to say for certain what the extent of it is but the Colorado Secretary of State’s TRACER site shows a number of new front groups. The Democracy Defense Fund registered on October 10, for example, and its entire donation of $25,000 came from a Washington D.C. group called the Environmental Majority. The previous recall defense efforts were coordinated by the Colorado Democratic Party and the Democratic National Committee in Washington, D.C. Organizers of the Recall Hudak Too effort, meanwhile, have been aided only by individual donations and the Colorado-based Rock Mountain Gun Owners. The group is entirely grassroots-organized. They are making good use of social media: there is both a Facebook page where they post information and videos and a web page where they accept donations and solicit volunteers. If the Republican Party of Colorado has been slow to adopt social media, grassroots recall groups have not been. This recall effort faces greater opposition and seeks to collect almost as many signatures as the other two campaigns combined. Being David in this David versus Goliath contest doesn’t faze McAlpine or his fellow activists. It just encourages them to work harder. communities.washingtontimes/neighborhood/red-pill-blue-bill/2013/nov/14/petition-drive-against-colorados-third-senator-end/
Posted on: Thu, 14 Nov 2013 23:16:57 +0000
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