Colorado House opens under first gay speaker, Democratic control

[Redfairen]

Source: Denver Post

The Colorado House of Representatives opened the 2013 legislative session with its first gay speaker, Democrats back in power and 27 new members.

Newly sworn-in House Speaker Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver, noted his historic moment in history as the state's first gay House speaker, but he lamented that two of his family members, older brother Michael and grandfather, Teddy D'Amore, were not present.

The speaker also discussed his philosophy of governing and outlined plans for a bipartisan session after receiving the gavel from outgoing speaker, Republican Frank McNulty.

"They are the more conservative members of the family, and my arguments with them have prepared me for the coming discussions with Minority (Mark) Leader Waller," Ferrandino said in his speech.



Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_22339548/colorado-house-opens-under-new-democratic-control

[DonViejo]

1. Focus on the Family must be going absolutely ape shit crazy. n/t

[Buzz Clik]

2. There is collecting sobbing wafting up from Colorado Springs.

The fundie idiots are dying inside, if only just a little.

[alp227]

4. I wonder if someone from CS started a secession petition yet.

CS = the right-wing complement of Denver, the home of James Dobson and Michelle Malkin.

[dickthegrouch]

3. Please tell us this is a direct result of Amendment 2

Make the damned fundies think twice about curtailing gay power. I invite Speaker Ferrandino to tell them just when he became political, and I really hope it was a result of the outrageous attempt to take all our rights away with Amendment 2.

[alp227]

5. No, because Ferrandino was a high schooler in the NYC area in Nov. 1992.

Then in 1995 Ferrandino went to college and majored in econ and poli sci. In 1997 he became an intern for then-Rep. Chuck Schumer (that was the year before Schumer was first elected to the senate). He first lived in Colorado in the early 2000s. (Source: Wikipedia entry about Ferrandino)

[mountain grammy]

6. Colorado became my home in 1984

and it's hard for me to imagine living anywhere else. Of course we are home to Co. Springs and the idiot Doug Lamborn they send to Congress every year. Up here in the mountains where I live, we have our own set of Obama hating, librul hating, gun loving ubber patriots, but in 2012, just enough sane citizens stepped up and turned our legislature blue. Of course the state rep from my district is a corrupt ALEC member who can barely read and write but he's an Obama and librul hating republicon, so he's won the hearts and minds of the majority of voters in my district. This year his margin of victory was a bit smaller, so we're making progress.
Anyway, dispite Columbine and the theater shootings last summer, we have some of the weakest gun laws in the nation and our education spending is piss poor. Last year the republicon majority wouldn't even allow a vote on marriage equality because there were enough votes to pass it. This session I expect some progress on so many issues.