How Not to Win

Looks like a few folks are getting bent out of shape because the NRA stands for the National Rifle Association and not the National Republican Association. Let me be blunt, if Harry Reid goes down, and we don’t flip the Senate (which isn’t really possible), we’re going to be very screwed. Do you know why we’ve been able to make progress on major issues such as National Park Carry? Harry Reid. Do you know why we got a vote and almost got national reciprocity? Harry Reid. Do you know who’s been keeping gun control off the Senate floor and off the agenda? Harry Reid. He’s been willing to do anything asked of him on behalf of the Second Amendment, and as Majority Leader of the senate, he’s the one who makes the calls on what gets to the floor. Behind Reid is Chuck Schumer or DickDurbin to be majority leader, both of which would legislate the Second Amendment into irrelevance given an opportunity.

That said, I am not happy with the man on other issues, but NRA does not and can not concern itself with those other issues.  There aren’t many Democrats I’ll get behind in 2010, who also pushed through Obamacare. I’m making an exception for Harry Reid because he’s been such a strategic asset on this issue in the 111th Congress. I’d prefer to block the Obama/Pelosi agenda by other means, and keep Reid in the Senate as Majority Leader.

11 thoughts on “How Not to Win”

  1. I wouldn’t be willing to put money on it, either. I see a lot of enthusiasm for Pat Toomey here, but Sestak’s post-primary bump doesn’t seem to be disappearing quickly. If we can’t freakin’ take back this seat, we’re not winning the Senate.

  2. Harry Reid *should* go down, because his attacks on freedom by passing health care are much greater than the freedom he’s supported via gun legislation.

    Even if Chuck Shumer or Dick Durban became Majority Leader, they might not dare to introduce anti-gun legislation this time around–for fear of losing the Senate.

    As for finding things to bet on: with Bob Bennett losing his convention bid, and even Barbara Boxer having to fight for her incumbency, we can see we’re in political free-fall. I don’t think it would be wise to bet on anything! I do have hopes, though: that the Democrat Party will be completely destroyed in all this, and that the Republican Party will be, too, and that we’d somehow gravitate to a no-party system (yeah, right! but it’s my dream).

    Having said all this, I agree with Sebastian: the NRA is the National Rifle Association; unless they are willing to take on issues like health care and cap-and-tax, they should base their ratings ONLY on how much they support the Second Amendment. And even if they want to “branch out”, they should ONLY do so by creating scores for different categories (since when do we get A’s for attending High School?), and they should probably stick with the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.

  3. I despise Harry Reid for a whole bunch of reasons, but recognize that he’s carved himself an escape hatch with his gun record – a record that is more faithful to gun rights than many or most of California’s State (little-R) republicans – and I so hope Boxer goes down but I don’t especially trust Tom Campbell (R) or even Bay-Aryan Carly Fiorina (despite her protestations of gun ownership) very much to defend the 2nd Amendment – I voted (already, absentee ballot) for chuck DeVore.
    Campbell’s position is that individuals who end up on a no fly list should not be able to buy a gun even if they have not been convicted of anything. Also Campbell said he was “open” to banning semiautomatic weapons that can be retooled into fully automatic weapons with minor adjustments. And as such the MSM media-mouthpiece San Jose Mercury News supports him.

    Now I’m re-thinking my absentee ballot status because they only open and count them if it’s close enough for a re-count, but this is/was just the primary.

  4. Churchill’s line about giving “a favorable mention to the devil” comes into play here. The senate majority leader has an enormous PASSIVE power – the power to bind and loose bills before they show up in committee or on the floor is much less visible than voting on such.

    That Sen Reid has been willing to use this power for Good(tm) is a powerful argument for keeping him the Dem’s senate leader (majority or minority).

  5. Just about everybody believes the Democrats are going to lose a large number of House & Senate seats. Even if they stay the majority in the Senate, someone is going to have to be blamed for the losses. Don’t expect Reid to remain Democrat leader after the November elections even if he survives his own re-election.

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