Keyboard and a .45 talks about the importance of downstream candidates for state and local races. This can’t really be stressed enough. Even if you completely hate McCain, and can’t bring yourself to vote for him, there are still a lot of candidates on the ballot who deserve support. We’re seriously looking at the possibility of a fillibuster proof majority Democratic controlled Senate, and a Democrat controlled house. That’s not even mentioning all the states that could go to the Democrats.  Remember in 2010 you have the census, which allows the resdistricting monster to rear its ugly head. This is definitely no time to just stay home.
Category: 2008 Election
New Jersey Politics At Its Best
The opening up of a new ATF field office is such the headliner event that Frank Lautenberg feels the need to keep his party crashing opponent away from all the glory. I hate New Jersey politics, and fail to understand why people there tolerate it. Truth be told, I don’t like Rob Andrews politically, but I like people who don’t play by the rules, especially in New Jersey, where the rules are rigged to favor the powerful.
If I were a special interest in New Jersey, and party hacks told me not to donate to Andrew’s campaign, or there’d be hell to pay, I’d max out on him just as a fuck you for such arrogance and presumption.
Not This Time
Looks like Clayton Cramer didn’t manage to unseat his opponent in the primary. Looking at the results, looks like it was within about 750 votes, out of 3100 or so total. It’s very difficult to unseat an incumbent. Still, if you want to have an impact on politics in your area, primaries are a place where a lot of difference can be made with little effort, since turnout is often pretty low. As we demonstrated in Pennsylvania in our 2007 primary, you can affect considerable turnover in the primary if voters are properly motivated. Sometimes, your side doesn’t win, but you get back on the horse and try again. Eventually, you’ll win a few.
Quote of the Day
“On this Memorial Day, as our nation honors its unbroken line of fallen heroes — and I see many of them in the audience here today — our sense of patriotism is particularly strong.”
To be fair to Barack Obama, it’s the kind of mistake any politician could make, but it’s an amusing screw-up nonetheless. After reading about this gaffe, and others, in more detail, I’ve come to the conclusion that he’s just a stupid politician.
Republicans Running Serious Against McCarthy?
According to Jacob, it looks like the New York GOP mean to front a serious challenger against anti-gun Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy, architect of HR1022, a sweeping semi-automatic ban, and expert on barrel shrouds. I wish they would have done this in a year where it the Republican brand wasn’t smelling like a truck full of used diapers.
Castro Warming Up to Obama
Another Gun Blog has the quote. Seems Castro is worried if he says too many good things about Obama, he’ll help McCain. That’s probably true.
What’s On the Menu
Cam has an interesting sample of some of the requirements the Democrats are imposing on caterers to serve their convention. Why the hell would anyone want these dour idiots controlling the country? Just for contrast, some of the things seen off the floor of the NRA Exhibit hall:
- Pork BBQ
- Baked Beans
- Ice Cream Cone Taco (seriously, with sour cream and all)
- German Roasted Nuts
- Burgers and Dogs
Real food for real people. Sounds like the Democratic National Convention will be about as much fun as trying to pick a restaurant with a Vegan.
McCain on Assault Weapons
John Snow has the video, and commentary.
The Obama Rally
The media made a big deal that Obama drew 72,000 people to hear him speak. Well, the NRA draws nearly that much every year to their Annual Meeting. But apparently there was a concert by a popular band right beforehand. Of course, NRA had John Michael Montgomery scheduled to headline the opening celebration, but I heard he checked himself into rehab a few days before being scheduled to go on, and canceled.
McCain Dissapointment
Sorry for the light posting, but the Annual Meeting has been so busy, I haven’t had time. I wasn’t really all that happy with the McCain speech. I think he could have, well, really should have, hit this one out of the park. McCain has a real problem with the base, and coming to speak to the NRA regulars, the die-hards, and saying you want to shut down private sales, is not a great way to endear yourself to them. That’s not to say I’m not voting for him, because let’s face it, the choice is between getting hit by a bike, or getting hit by a dump truck. I’ll join Kevin Baker’s McCain ’08 Campaign.
We heard Bobby Jindal, Governor of Louisiana, speak at the NRA Banquet last night, and let me tell you, that guy is impressive. Frank talk about what happened in New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina, and the efforts he took in Congress to make sure it never happened again. Why couldn’t we have him instead of McCain? Either way, Jindal probably needs to get an already impressive record in Louisiana further cemented, but if your political reputation can be that you cleaned up Louisiana, there’s no limit to what you can accomplish, including, probably, running for President. If Jindall is what we have to look forward to in the Republican Party, I feel pretty good about the future. Election ’08 is going to be rough, but there is hope for the future.