The Gun Fight In Virginia
BY Herschel Smith11 years ago
If you were told a Republican has a 30-point lead in one of the two states that hold off-year gubernatorial elections, in the past you would have guessed Virginia, seat of the old confederacy, certainly not New Jersey. But the politics have flipped. Republican Chris Christie is cruising to victory in the blue state of New Jersey, and Democrat Terry McAuliffe has a big lead in Virginia, topping a ticket that could sweep enough Democrats into elective office to install a Democratic attorney general for the first time in decades and break the GOP’s lock on the Virginia General Assembly.
I’m not so sure, and the author may be whistling through the grave yard. But continuing:
Seeing opportunity in this once red state on the issue New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg cares most about, gun safety, his Independence USA super PAC, which he founded last year, contributed some $2 million to McAuliffe’s campaign and to the Virginia Democratic caucus overseeing state legislative races. On Tuesday—just seven days before Election Day— Independence USA directed another $1 million into the race for attorney general, where Democrat Mark Herring has a real chance to defeat Republican Mark Obenshain. As a state senator, Obenshain voted to repeal the one-handgun-a-month law and to allow guns in bars and daycare centers. He also supports the bulk purchase of guns and opposes closing the gun show loophole.
If McAuliffe wins, as the polls indicate, he will break a long-standing curse that whatever party holds the White House loses the governor’s race in Virginia. And he will buoy hopes among Democrats that Virginia is reliably purple, if not blue, in the 2016 presidential election.
Seeing opportunity in this once red state on the issue New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg cares most about, gun safety, his Independence USA super PAC, which he founded last year, contributed some $2 million to McAuliffe’s campaign and to the Virginia Democratic caucus overseeing state legislative races. On Tuesday—just seven days before Election Day— Independence USA directed another $1 million into the race for attorney general, where Democrat Mark Herring has a real chance to defeat Republican Mark Obenshain. As a state senator, Obenshain voted to repeal the one-handgun-a-month law and to allow guns in bars and daycare centers. He also supports the bulk purchase of guns and opposes closing the gun show loophole.
If McAuliffe wins, as the polls indicate, he will break a long-standing curse that whatever party holds the White House loses the governor’s race in Virginia. And he will buoy hopes among Democrats that Virginia is reliably purple, if not blue, in the 2016 presidential election … The top three statewide candidates for the GOP are walking billboards for extremism, which gave McAuliffe plenty of running room, even among more rural voters, to the point where he could be more assertive on issues of gun safety than anyone had previously dared, calling for expanded background checks and limits on the size of gun magazines.
For my readers in Virginia, this is awesome. This is where it’s at. The fight is on your doorstep, and you must repel the invasion and take it to the enemy. The State is where the battles for our liberty should be waged, and if you lose I don’t want to hear any bullshit excuses and plans for taking your loss of gun rights before the totalitarian federal court system and whining about the second amendment.
I don’t intend to sound unsympathetic or mean spirited, but if your state elects the ass-clown Terry McAuliffe to the office of Governor, you deserve everything you get. Again, I’m sorry, but win or move. The battle lines are drawn, and the federal leviathan will not help you maintain your rights.
Win the battles or move from Virginia and take everything with you when you go.
On October 31, 2013 at 9:11 am, Paul B said:
Yes, we need to take back the states. ALL of them. I pray the pendulum is about to start the return arc as it has gone as far this way as we can allow.
On October 31, 2013 at 12:11 pm, Chuck said:
“…if your state elects the ass-clown Terry McAuliffe to the office of Governor, you deserve everything you get.”
As a Virginian (by choice) I agree with you on this point. Too many in the gun rights (and liberty) movements in the Commonwealth are loudly proclaiming their support for the Libertarian-in-name-only (LINO) gubernatorial candidate Robert Sarvis and are set to throw their votes away instead of voting for Cuccinelli, who, while not perfect (and what politician is?) is clearly the liberty candidate, to the point that he has been endorsed by both Ron and Rand Paul.
When all the nonsense took place in New York, Colorado, California, Maryland, etc. following Newtown, I remember smugly thinking how much better off we are living in a free state here in the Old Dominion.
As the Boy Emperor is fond of reminding us: elections have consequences.
On October 31, 2013 at 6:17 pm, The Wolfhound said:
I may have a lot of bullets but only one vote. Repelling the boarders is not so easy armed as such. The Key is turnout. Once again we are saddled with a Mainstream Republican that is easily tarnished by the Dems. We don’t particularly want him but we definitely do not want McAuliffe. There is no enthusiasm FOR Cuccinelli and enthusiasm against McAuliffe is too fleeting to count on. Only a fool of a gun owner would vote for him. There are unfortunately a lot of fools in this world and in this Commonwealth. A lot of them will turn out.