We are going to soon announce our new plan for civic education in Colorado. It's very possible this site and our companion Facebook Page Good Neighbors We Vote http://Facebook.com/GoodNeighborsWeVote had no impact on the election that were just held. Then again, maybe our civic education, focused on the grassroots tool, the recall, did make a bit of a difference.

  "Before Tuesday's elections in Colorado, only 36 state legislators nationwide had ever faced a recall effort, and roughly half survived. Colorado is one of 11 states that allow for a political recall of elected officials." From Reuters (click here for article.)

From that same Reuters piece:    "What Coloradoans really hate is extremists on either side," said Katy Atkinson, a Denver political analyst... "Overall, it was a sense of arrogance," Atkinson said.

 Denver independent pollster Floyd Ciruli agreed. "There was a sense that people were not being listened to and felt shut out from the aggressive agenda put forward by Democrats in the legislature," he said, noting that an 8-to-1 spending advantage by recall opponents failed to stave off defeat. 

 The Colorado recall battle drew more than $3.5 million in campaign contributions. But the bulk of it - nearly $3 million - came from opponents of the recall drive who support stricter gun control, figures from the secretary of state's office showed. And that's exactly the problem recall and the threat of recall was intended to solve.

 Referendum, recall, and initiative, along with the caucus-assembly system for nominating to the primary ballot. were the progressive reforms intended to stop some of the abuses of power that had become common place.