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Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category

Virginia’s Tightening U.S. Senate Race

Posted in gun rights, Politics, tagged , , , on September 30, 2014| Leave a Comment »

National Review has this piece that talks about Virginia’s NRA Endorsed U.S. Senate Candidate Ed Gillespie:

While Gillespie is focused on selling positive solutions, there is plenty in Warner’s record that should turn off not only conservative voters but also centrists aplenty. For one, Warner has slavishly voted for every one of President Obama’s nominees to the courts and executive agencies — even for radical lawyer Debo Adegbile, infamous for playing the race card while pushing for the release of the vicious cop killer Mumia Abu-Jubal. Seven other Democrats — but not Warner — joined Republicans in killing Adegbile’s nomination to head the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. This put Warner to the left even of Delaware’s leftist Chris Coons, who has a rating of 100 percent from Americans for Democratic Action and a lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union of just 2 percent.

Add to the above list that Warner voted to criminalize the private sale of firearms between longtime friends and gun club members.  Warner has worked hard to carefully craft the illusion that he is a “radical centrist.”  Don’t believe it.  Warner has done nothing to move any of the bills passed in the House but languishing on Harry Reid’s desk.  Gun owners can make the difference in this race.  Off-year elections are about who shows up on election day.  You can find out how to volunteer for Gillespie by going here.

 

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Quinnipiac University Has Warner Lead over Gillespie at Single Digits

Posted in gun rights, Politics, tagged , , , on September 25, 2014| Leave a Comment »

The Richmond Times Dispatch reports this morning that a new Quinnipiac University poll has Mark Warner’s lead at nine points and under the magical 50% number with the election less than six weeks away.  The RTD notes that Warner may have more to fear from outside the Commonwealth than inside referring to a possible “GOP Wave” that could take Warner down much as the Democrat wave of 2006 took down then Senator George Allen:

Sen. Warner probably has more to fear from outside rather than inside Virginia. If the election turns out to be the kind of national wave for which Republicans are hoping, he might be the kind of incumbent who could find himself tossed around like Republicans were in 2006 and Democrats were in 2010,” Brown said.

Brown added that while Gillespie is within single digits of Warner, significant challenges remain for the challenger in the closing days of the campaign.

 “Actually Gillespie is tied with Warner among independents but the incumbent’s lead rests on Sen. Warner doing about 15 percentage points better among Democrats than Gillespie does among Republicans,” Brown said.

The article also noted that Warner has been able to maintain a lead and remained popular in Virginia because he is “one of the more conservative Democrats in the Senate.”  That is more appearance than reality.  While Warner was forced to govern more conservatively as Governor of Virginia because he had a GOP controlled legislature, he has voted in favor of initiatives supported by President Obama 97% of the time, including a vote to criminalize the private transfer of firearms.

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Other polls released in the last couple of days show Warner with a larger lead.  The sample in the Quinnipiac poll is just a little over a thousand people with a margin of error of approximately 3%, which is considered a good size sample.

Yesterday, the NRA Political Victory Fund endorsed Ed Gillespie.  You can download an NRA flyer here that can be distributed at your gun and/or hunting club.

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Will You Let One Man’s Money Take Away Your Rights?

Posted in gun rights, Politics, tagged , , on September 16, 2014| Leave a Comment »

I hope not.

Click the tab above to join NRA or renew your membership and save $10.

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Bad News For Gillespie in CNU Poll

Posted in gun rights, Politics, tagged , , on September 10, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Warner leads Gillespie 53-31.  Bearing Drift has the story here .Warner is benefitting from stronger support among Democrats than Gillespie has among Republicans, and strong support from independents. He also has significant support from Republicans.

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NRA-ILA Calls Out Warner in New Mailing

Posted in gun rights, Politics, tagged , , , , on September 9, 2014| 1 Comment »

In the latest mailing to Virginia gun owners, NRA-ILA calls out Mark Warner for his vote in April of 2014 that would have criminalized gun sales between lifelong friends and family members:

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As the above graphic shows, NRA-ILA also reminds gun owners that Mark Warner has voted for every anti-gun U.S. Supreme Court nominee.

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In their last mailing, NRA-ILA simply noted that GOP nominee Ed Gillespie would stop the Obama/Bloomberg gun ban agenda without any mention of Mark Warner.  In this mailing, they have stepped up their support for Gillespie by calling out Warner for his voting record.

warner2014This race is still considered a safe Democrat seat.  However, Warner has made the unusual move to agree to six joint appearances with Gillespie between now and the end of the campaign.  Incumbents who are in races that polls show a double digit lead usually ignor their opponents.  Be that as it may, Warner has agreed to meet Gillespie in two televised debates: on Oct. 7 in Fairfax County and on Oct. 13 in Richmond.  They will also have four joint appearances: two in Northern Virginia in September (one of which was held yesterday), one in Danville in October and another TBA.  It should be noted that in the four “joint appearances” the two candidates are unlikely to interact as they would in a debate.

In a Q&A that the Richmond Times Dispatch published this past Sunday, Warner told the paper that while he was a supporter of Second Amendment rights, he believes that “reasonable rules” should be passed to strengthen background checks.

Gun owners should do all they can to help Gillespie defeat Mark Warner.  You find the closest Gillespie office to you by clicking here.

 

 

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Will NRA Ads Hurt Gillespie in Virginia?

Posted in gun rights, Politics, tagged , , , , , on August 25, 2014| Leave a Comment »

That’s the question the Washington Post asked in this article over the weekend:

In addition to airing TV ads in several states, the NRA blanketed its home state — the group’s headquarters is in Fairfax County — with direct-mail material touting Republican Ed Gillespie, the former lobbyist who is running against Sen. Mark R. Warner (D). Gillespie, the mailer says, is the antidote to the “Obama/Bloomberg gun control agenda.” And more are expected.

The ad could have unintended consequences for Gillespie, who secured the nomination in part by courting tea party conservatives but who is now trying to woo more-moderate general-election voters.

Gillespie risks alienating the electorate in vote-rich Northern Virginia who may be turned off by Second Amendment rhetoric, especially after mass shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007 and an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., in 2012.

As the article goes on the Post points out that in some parts of Virginia, that message may resonate but in others like Northern Virginia and Tidewater, they may alienate “moderate” voters that Gillespie needs to pull an upset.  But the Post should know that the NRA is mailing that piece to friendly voters – either NRA members, or lists they have purchased or acquired of like minded voters like hunters.  So, that flyer is likely not to have a negative impact on Gillespie.

However, Tom Gresham brought up a more important point on his radio program yesterday about the larger NRA ads hitting Michael Bloomberg, ads also discussed in the Post article.  The ads in question start out talking about how “liberals” view our country then goes on to talk about Bloomberg and “elitists.”  Gresham question if the term liberals might not turn off some people who are with us on gun rights.

Gresham is not the first to make this point.  Shortly after this year’s NRA Annual Meeting this year, Sebastian over at Shall Not Be Questioned asked if NRA’s messaging was getting too doctrinaire conservative:

If we’re going to have long term security for this issue, it needs to be bipartisan. I believe the Republican Party may enjoy some short-term success over the next several years, if only because of overreach by the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. But over the long-term, if the Republicans do not adjust their own message to be more palatable to younger voters, demographics will turn to the Democratic Party into the dominant party. And then what? Any strategy for preserving gun rights has to recognize that there are a lot of gun people out there who are not doctrinaire conservatives, and even liberals. I’m always surprised by how many liberal gun owners read this site.

I don’t presume to know more than NRA on this subject, but I do think both Gresham and Sebastian make good points.

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Kroger Tells Bloomberg to Mind His Own Business

Posted in gun rights, Politics, tagged , , , , , on August 20, 2014| Leave a Comment »

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week that Moms Demand Action would begin pressuring Kroger to ban firearms in their stores.

Yesterday, Townhall.com reported that Kroger has basically told Bloomberg’s astro-turf group to go pound sand:

So far, Kroger seems to being doing right by its customers. They have yet to cave to Bloomy’s intimidation tactics. Kroger has done exactly what a non-partisan business should do: They told a bunch of activist liberals that if guns are that big of a problem, the appropriate action should be taken with the city council, state legislature, or federal lawmakers. Not their local purveyor of milk and produce.

Good for Kroger.

 

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Brat Likely to Be Next Congressman from 7th District

Posted in gun rights, Politics, tagged , , on August 18, 2014| Leave a Comment »

That’s the summation of this article from yesterday’s Richmond Times Dispatch.

Since at least 1996, no Democrat has carried the 7th District in a statewide race for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general or U.S. senator — with the exception of former Gov. Mark R. Warner’s 2008 Senate victory over Republican Jim Gilmore.

And if you are looking for the last time the 7th District had a Democrat as a congressman, you have to go back to the 70″s.  That doesn’t mean gun owners should take this for granted.  Dave Brat‘s opponent, Jack Trammell, doesn’t even address the Second Amendment as one of the important issues on the campaign web site.

November 4th will see two elections taking place at once for the 7th District, a special election to replace Congressman Eric Cantor, who steps down today, and then the general election contest.  Brat and Trammell face off for both and there will be a Libertarian on the General Election ballot as well.

 

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NRA-ILA Gets Behind Gillespie in Virginia Senate Race

Posted in gun rights, Politics, tagged , , , , , on August 15, 2014| 1 Comment »

I got this mailing piece from NRA-ILA yesterday:

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It’s clear that incumbent U.S. Senator Mark Warner’s support for both of Obama’s anti-rights Supreme Court nominees and his vote for Manchin/Schumer/Toomey cost him his previous “A” rating and any chance of an endorsement for re-election.

Please contact the Gillespie campaign today and take some time to volunteer in your area.  You can find a campaign office near you by clicking here.

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Did DC Police Chief Throw Gun Ban Lobby Under Bus?

Posted in gun rights, Politics, tagged , , , , , , , , on August 1, 2014| 1 Comment »

Yesterday, the Washington Post had this article where District of Columbia Police Chief Cathy Lanier said she isn’t worried about law abiding citizens being able to carry firearms in the District, but being able to provide security for the dignitaries and special events in the area.  One has to ask, if she isn’t worried about law abiding citizens using firearms to commit crimes, why would she worry about them being a security threat?  It also appears the chief may have come off the gun ban reservation with her comments about law abiding citizens carrying firearms not being a criminal threat.  That’s not what we usually hear from those wanting to restrict our rights.

Lanier also questioned the position that armed citizens have a deterring affect on crime:

“When Heller came out in 2008, people said, ‘Oh, street crime’s going to go down.’ Well, Heller only allows you to have a handgun in your home, and guess what happened? Burglaries went up. So I don’t know that there’s any valid debate on the crime side. My one focus, really, now is going to be security of our dignitaries in those really highly sensitive large events.”

NRA News’ Cam Edwards talked about this yesterday (and suggested was throwing the gun control crowd under the bus) and he said when he went back and looked at the numbers, he had to wonder what the chief was talking about because while robberies were higher in the first part of 2008 than they were for the same period in 2007, the Heller decision did not come out until June of 2008, and the final robbery numbers for ’08 were lower than the final numbers for 2007.  He said they were also lower in 2009 than in 2007.  While robberies did spike in 2010, they went down again in 2011 and were lower than 2007.

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