Denver Post Outrage

William Dean Singleton, Publisher of The Denver Post, at the American Society of News Editors Convention in Washington, DC (April 3, 2012).  Photo by Carolyn Kaster

The Denver Post published an editorial on Saturday (9/6/2013) expressing outrage over the recall elections being held in Colorado this week.  The headline was “Recall elections are an unhealthy trend.”  The complaint is that Democratic Party lawmakers being recalled “did not engage in malfeasance, commit crimes or ethical violations.”

The Denver Post knows what Colorado voters should do: “We hope they’ll see the greater good in rejecting the recall as a tool to solve policy disagreements.”

A year ago, The Denver Post had an opinion on another recall election.  In Wisconsin, Republican Governor Scott Walker was being recalled for enacting a law that ended collective bargaining rights for most state workers in Wisconsin.

Here The Denver Post placed a different characterization on the election.  The headline was “A ray of hope in Wisconsin recall election.”  The election suggested “a willingness of the public to stand by candidates who make hard choices.”

In 2012, The Denver Post saw recall elections as “a ray of hope” but in 2013 they became “an unhealthy trend.”

Why the change of heart?  What might cause the editorial board of The Denver Post to see one recall election as “good” and another recall election as “bad?”

UPDATE 9/11/2013:
Despite the lecture from The Denver Post, voters recalled both Democratic Party politicians yesterday.  This is despite the Democratic Party having a 5:1 spending advantage in the election.  Dave Kopel explains the outcome.

ADDITIONAL UPDATE 9/11/2013:
DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz characterizes our recall election as "voter suppression, pure and simple."  The Denver Post editorial board says the election "closes an ugly chapter in Colorado's political history."

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