Politics – Page 20 – Shall Not Be Questioned

Bloomberg Piles on the Hillary Train to Save Her

Hillary is starting to feel the Bern ahead of the California primary, with some polls showing Sanders pulling ahead. I’m cheering for Bernie. I worry he might actually be harder to beat in the general election than Hillary, but I think we have to worry less about the Joe Biden switcheroo if Bernie can take the race outright. That’s probably why Obama is endorsing Hillary.

I’m also cheering Bernie because Bloomberg’sÂ gun control groups have endorsed Hillary Clinton, like that comes with more than a few thousand votes nationwide.Â You can read their article in the Sacramento Bee:

Our litmus test for candidates is that simple. Do they side with the public, or with the gun lobby, whose vision is at odds with creating a safer country?

Oh, that is rich. NRA has five million members, and generally speaking is supported in increments of 25 dollars from its mostly-not-rich members.

Everytown and Mom’s Demand Action is funded almost entirely by a single megalomaniacal billionare, and suddenly they are the public? The gun control movement was dying before Bloomberg came along and flushed it with fresh cash, and it was dying because the publicÂ wasn’t engaged enough in the issue to keep these organizations alive.

I’ll be cheering for Bernie tomorrow. A Bernie win would show their endorsement isn’t worth much, even in a Dem primary.

NRA Seems to be Preparing a Serious Campaign Against Nevada Ballot Measure

Local news is reporting NRA has hired a campaign manager to run the campaign to stop Bloomberg’s Question 1 on the November ballot. A few days ago they were promoting a new infographic:

November will be here before you know it, take action NOW- Donâ€™t let @MikeBloomberg NYC your Gun Rights #2A #Nevada pic.twitter.com/GnfW91PRtI

— NRA (@NRA) May 31, 2016

The fight in Washington State seemed to be mired in strategy disputes, but hopefully we’ll have a unified front in Nevada and at the least trim Bloomberg’s margin if not outright beat him. Remember that Bloomberg also has a ballot measure up in Maine as well.

Ballot fights are hugely expensive, and while Bloomberg has the money to keep doing this, he might be reluctant to blow a lot of money on a risky proposition. We have to make these ballot measures risky for him. As long as it’s a sure thing, he’ll keep doing it. Bloomberg is already back in Washington State for another slice of the cake in 2016.

“Philadelphia Up To Its Old Tricks”

The quote in the title is from NRA Pennsylvania State Liaison John Hohenwarter, in an Inquirer article about Philadelphia’s new “gun safety” bills. Any time the media promotes the other side’s preferred terms like “gun safety” they cease to be journalists and instead make themselves propagandists. The bill in question is a “safe storage” law that is a middle finger raised directly at the Heller decision. But as we saw with the Jackson case, the Supreme Court is unwilling to enforce this provision of Heller, even while Justice Scalia was still alive.

John Hohenwarter is right though. The City can pass all the ordinances it would like, but it can’t enforce them. That would raise standing and allow us to defeat the ordinance. Eventually we’ll get enhanced preemption once again, where we don’t have to wait for enforcement. It may take another eight years, but eventually we’ll get it.

More on the Trump Endorsement

A comment of mine on other Social Media corners of the Internet, even though I hate social media like a smoker who can’t quit really but ought to:

Seriously, if you had told me at the 2014 convention in IndianapolisÂ that NRA would end up endorsing a dark horse candidate from Manhattan as their preferred candidate for President at the 2016 convention in Louisville (where he won that state), I’d have testified at your commitment hearing. But hey, it’s 2016, and we’re all crazies now.

It’s a mad, mad world.

In NY, Cats Must Be Armed. People Not So Much

New York is considering a ban on declawing cats. But of course: in New York, we declaw people instead. I get that declawing is pretty gruesome, but like most feel-good legislation (gun control being only one example)Â things aren’t so cut and dry. The unintended side effect (and there always is one when you use the force of the state to bend people to your will) will likely be more cats being put down after frustrated owners dump their problem felines on overflowing shelters. Pick your evil.

Is Trump the Death of Social Conservatism?

Ace of Spades notes:

But I don’t think I’m going to be adapting my views to the socially-conservative mainstream any longer, because I’m not sure these views are actually the Republican mainstream any longer. I knew social conservatism wasn’t quite as believed as was claimed; I knew many politicians claimed to be pro-life who were in fact pro-choice, and I knew many of the Beltway class of advisers, think-tank workers, etc. were pro-choice, or more pro-choice than the GOP was as a formal matter. They were certainly more pro-gay (if not always actually pro-gay-marriage).

This is what I’ve been saying.Â Trump took every southern state East of the Mississippi. The SoCo emperor has been shown to have no clothes. Whether you vote for Trump or not, I think there’s opportunity here for those who don’t believe in fighting culture wars using government. I’m just now sure how to exploit it.

I think the overall issue of this election is that the workingÂ class never recovered from the Financial Crisis of 2008, all the while DC elites were busy waging culture wars rather than helping said working class. Trump is the backlash. To a large degree Bernie is that same backlash reflected in the Democratic Party, but they’ve been able to keep Bernie down better because the Dems are actually less Democratic.

At the end of the day people will vote their pocketbook before anything else, and Trump and Sanders are talking pocketbook issues. That’s why “free shit” works on people, provided other people are paying for it. Cracking down on immigration sounds great if you’ve seen your wages depressed through competition with people who can live on less than you do. I think people who work for a living are tired of culture warrioring, which is honestly an hobby for elites. While they are falling further and further behind, the elites are arguing about bathrooms. Think of the absurdity of that, and you can understand why they’re willing to elect someone like Trump or Sanders.

Cruz and Kasich Out of the Race

Still quite busy with clients. Tomorrow should be better. But Cruz and Kasich have thrown in the towel. Part of me wants to celebrate with a drink! But then I have to consider that makes Trump the presumptive nominee for the 2016 race, which makes me want to have several drinks, maybe enough that I black out until after the elections in November.

I know at least one lobbyist in DC who is happy with the current state of affairs because the right people are hyperventilating over the idea of Trump being the nominee. I think the silver lining (for me at least) is that the SoCo groups in DC that claim to speak for christians and evangelicals are the most hyperventilating of the hyperventilators. So are the K-street consultants that have made a living ruining talented candidates with their bullshit, then moving on to ruin the next campaign. Trump won nearly every state east of the Mississippi, including southern states in the Bible Belt; states that Huckabee did very well in talking about what kind of “Jesus juice” he drank. All Trump did was say he was a Presbyterian. So where does the DC religious right political establishment stand from here? Their best hope is for Hillary to beat Trump, as seems likely if you believe the polling (which I don’t). I could almost enjoy this except for the fact that a lot of other issues I care about will likely get flushed down the crapper too.

The choice is made! The Traveler has come!

TrumpDestructor

How Much Did the Gun Control Rhetoric Help Hillary?

Hillary laid the gun control rhetoric on strong in Connecticut, and it also happens that of all the states Hillary took in the “Acela Primary” she won Connecticut by the thinnest margin. While the fairly parse polling in Connecticut showed the race close, she didn’t effectively beat the margin of error in the polling averages. Additionally, while she took Newtown, she lost 5 out of the 8 surrounding towns to Bernie.Â She had been building on her lead earlier in the month. I’ve noticed that Hillary tends to do better the less she opens her yap.

I’m not saying guns was the prime motivating factor here, it’s just that often Democratic candidates retreat to the gun control rhetoric believing it will help them, when it’s pretty apparent it doesn’t.Â Donald Trump is running on a pro-Second Amendment platform, and comfortably blew Hillary out of the water on primary vote count in both Newtown and in every community surrounding it.

Tomorrow’s Pennsylvania Primary

Because of a desire to cast a vote for Fred Thompson some years ago, am still registered as a Republican. I never got to vote for Fred, because he didn’t make it all the way to Pennsylvania. They said he didn’t act like he really wanted the job, which for me is a plus. No sane person would want to be President. But because I did not switch back to Independent, I get the sheer joy of casting my vote tomorrow in the primary. I say that with the upmost sarcasm, but I do have a Congressional primary race I want to have a say in.

For the PA-08 Congressional primary, I am voting for Mark Duome. Andrew Warren got a C on his questionnaire from NRA. Unsurprisingly, Brian Fitzpatrick did not even bother to turn in his questionnaire. His brother was not very strong on the issue, and I always believed him to be a weasel. I believe if the chips are down, Fitzpatrick will betray us, and I don’t have much faith in his brother either. He’ll be way to afraid of Bloomberg’s money.

For the State Attorney General, NRA has not issued any endorsement. Last time John Rafferty ran for his PA Senate seat, he was rated A- and endorsed. Joe Peters has an AQ rating for this race, meaning he answered well on his questionnaire, but does not have a record on the issue. Rafferty probably has better name recognition in these parts, and that’s going to be key to getting the AG’s office back in the hands of someone who won’t muck about with reciprocity agreements, and who isn’t claiming power to ban private transfers of long guns, as some Dem candidates are doing. That probably tips me more into the Rafferty camp. We have to win this one.

Then we get to the big race. It looks like Marco Rubio is still on the ballot, so I will vote for him in protest to the remaining candidates, or I just won’t vote at all. I could write a whole overly long post of all the problems with Trump, but I’ll go with my gut instinct that he’s a swindler. Now, to a large degree all politicians are swindlers, but I get the same bad feeling about The Donald I got about Obama. I think they share a good many weaknesses. I’m also still not convinced Trump isn’t a stalking horse for Hillary, joining the race to put the GOP in disarray, but who has beat all expectations.

Despite polls that show Cruz polls better than Trump against Hillary nationally, Cruz doesn’t change anything. He’s still going to be struggling in the same swing states. He will have to win Florida and Ohio to win, and Cruz has lost everything west of the Mississippi except Maine and Wisconsin. He lost The South to a guy from New York City. I don’t think he’s a naturally likable candidate. The only strength he would have in the general election is that neither is Hillary. That leaves Kasich, who I’ve heard enough stupid crap from to just say no. He’s also only won one state, and it was his home state. Obama has successfully driven Republican voters bat shit crazy. He deserves credit for that. Very well played.

Be sure to check your delegates. Remember, it’s likely to be very very close, and these delegates are not bound on the first ballot. They can vote for whoever they want. So be sure who they say they are pledging to in your Congressional District. For those of you in the 8th Congressional Distict:

Barry Casper, Trump
Deborah Evangelou, Cruz
Jim Worthington, Trump
Sean Shute, Trump
Robert Loughtery, Popular Vote
Marguerite Quinn, Popular Vote
Gene DiGirolamo, Unknown. He’s the PA rep for the district down from mine.

You only vote for no more than three. I could not find any information on alternates, but you can only vote for three and there are three running. I will vote for Evangelou and DiGirolamo. The ones who are committed to the popular vote are likely to be Trump supporters. This only reflects my preference for Cruz over Trump if things at the convention go down to the wire. This is the only strategic voting I’m doing in this primary.

So that’s my slate. Be sure to head to the state store and stock up tomorrow. You deserve it if decidedÂ to pick from this sorry lot!

PA Gun Rights Group Pushing Write-in Campaign Against Toomey

Senator Pat Toomey has no primary challenger in Tuesday’s Republican primary. Pennsylvanians for Self Protection are urging GOP primary voters to write in “2A” in place of voting for Senator Toomey:

Pennsylvanians For Self-Protection (PA4SP) a non-partisan, non-profit gun rightsÂ advocate based in the Southeast yesterday recommended it’s members to write-in “2A”Â for 2nd Amendment when voting in the Republican U.S. Senate Primary. The write-inÂ vote is a protest for Senator Pat Toomey’s strong support for gun control legislation. AsÂ Toomey is running unopposed in the Primary Election, the write-in vote is symbolic andÂ a message to Toomey. PA4SP cites Toomey’s campaign ad where he is endorsed by aÂ board member of the anti-gun group CeasefirePA as the final straw. In the past,Â CeasefirePA has called for laws that would restrict the rights to own and purchaseÂ firearms placing them at the mercy of criminal predators.

“Pat Toomey has consistently sided with the gun grabbers. He wants to do somethingÂ about mass shootings in this country, we all do, but making it harder for law abidingÂ people to protect themselves with legal firearms isn’t the way. We need to send him aÂ message to remind him that the 2nd Amendment is a right.” said Dave Sager, PresidentÂ of PA4SP.

Toomey is the co-sponsor of the infamous Toomey-Manchin Gun Bill introduced afterÂ the Newtown Shooting in 2012. Critics slammed the bill as bad legislation, doing nothingÂ to stop mass shootings and creating more problems than solving.

“Pat Toomey can’t point to a single mass shooting that would have been stopped byÂ Toomey-Manchin. It’s bad legislation and we don’t need more laws for the sake of laws.Â We need to enforce current federal gun laws that provide strict penalties for guns usedÂ in crime.” offered Carlo Grilletto PA4SP’s Vice President.

Pat Toomey has betrayed legal gun owners. It is important for legal gun owners to letÂ him know it.

I’ll be honest, I’ve never done a write-in before, and have no idea how you’d go about one with the new electronic ~~fraud~~ voting machines. Instructions on how to do a write-in would probably help boost this effort, since a lot of people aren’t going to want to ask poll workers.

The only thing that makes me wary of something like this is that if you set out to send a message, you really need to be sure you can send it. If you throw down, and don’t end up generating enough momentum for the targeted politician to really take notice, you signal weakness.

It’s a shame there was no primary challenger this cycle, but I suspect the GOP is concerned about holding the seat. Next election Toomey will be running in an off year, which to me is when a primary challenge will have better odds of success. The big question in my mind is whether we’ve only lost Pat Toomey on this one issue, or whether he’s embracing a strategy of trying to survive as an full on anti-gun Republican, like Mark Kirk. Time will tell.