09 November 2016

Well, That Sucks.

Unless you are a far right Republican, this year's election was decidedly disappointing, to vastly understate the situation.

So, President Trump. Either 52 or 53 Republican U.S. Senators. Republicans still control the U.S. House. Pretty much a worst case scenario election. The Denver Post headline: "World gasps in collective disbelief following Donald Trump’s election" pretty much captures it. So, Republicans will control Congress and the Presidency and will tip the balance of power in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Almost nobody (except the author of the comic strip Dilbert) predicted this would happen. Trump's strength in the Rust Belt was greatly underestimated.

The stock market plunged in reaction and the Mexican Peso is also down.

Colorado, as expected, sent its electoral votes to Clinton and re-elected its Democratic U.S. Senator, but didn't flip the 6th Congressional District seat held by Republican Mike Coffman who easily won re-election and Republican held onto control of the state senate. Democrat Beth McCann is Denver's next District Attorney. Many ballot issues were considered in Colorado:

Winning were:

Referendum T (end slavery and involuntary servitude, even as a criminal punishment)
Denver 3A and 3B (Denver Public Schools funding)
Denver Metro Area 4B (Scientific and Cultural Facilities District funding)
Denver 300 (allow private marijuana consumption clubs)
Amendment 70 (minimum wage)
Amendment 71 (making new constitutional amendments harder to pass)
Prop 106 (right to die - drug assistance)
Prop 107 (open Presidential primaries)
Prop 108 (open primaries)

Losing were:

Referendum T (end slavery and involuntary servitude, even as a criminal punishment)
Referendum U (property tax exemptions)
Amendment 69 (universal health care)
Amendment 72 (increase tobacco taxes)
Pueblo 200 and 300 (end retail marijuana in Pueblo)

The defeat of referendum T despite an all American tag line, almost no money spent to oppose it, the lack of any organized campaign against it, and bipartisan legislative support in the state house and state senate, is pretty shocking.

UPDATED WITH RESPECT TO REFERENDUM T on November 10, 2016 in response to the comments.


2 comments:

Dave Barnes said...

Amendment T lost.
We still have slavery in Colorado.

andrew said...

Oh. The early results must have not been quite complete.