pro gun political question

[aardwolf]

Barack Obama is all about what this country wasn't, and unfortunately, all about what it will be.

Think of all the cheap surplus 9mm flooding the market when President Obama brings the troops home.

[srothstein]

Mike,

If I read the election predictions correctly, along with what you are saying, then any vote for anyone other than the Democrat in the race this November will be a wasted vote. After all, the media has been saying all along that the Republicans cannot win because of the Bush administration, the war, and the economy.

In truth, I consider anyone who votes for someone they do not support to be wasting their vote. When we vote based on the myth of electability, we make it a self-fulfilling prophecy. Any candidate is electable if enough people vote for him.

But one of the great things about our country is that we each do get to have our own opinions, and we each get to decide how we want to vote based on our own criteria. Some of us look at issues and principles. Some of us look at issues and chances of winning. Some look solely at party. And some look solely at gender or race. I disagree with the chance of winning but I can at least understand it. I have never understood people who vote on the basis of party, race, gender, or anything other than the candidate himself.

[Mike1951]

Well, I voted for Huckabee in the primary. That was my 'statement' for whatever it was worth. Hopefully, McCain will be forced to acknowledge that Huckabee's numbers represent many dissatisfied conservatives.

But I do feel that McCain can at least make it a horse race come November and therefore deserves every vote not committed to the Democratic candidate.

I usually try to avoid political discussions because, (1) I'm not as well informed as many here and (2) I'm terribly narrow minded.

Besides, maybe the Democrats need a chance to mess up as bad as the Republicans have.

[Venus Pax]

Mike, many people would say that you "wasted" your vote on Huckabee.
Although I'm not a Huckabee supporter, I find him MUCH more pallatable than McCain. I think part of the reason that Huckabee didn't do as well in the primaries is because people listened to the media (and people on blogs and message boards) that told them that a vote for Huckabee was a wasted vote.

I'm wondering how much better Huckabee could have done if more people would have "wasted" their vote on him.

I realize Ron Paul didn't have a snowball's chance in hades of being elected. I chose to cast such a vote b/c it was my opportunity to send a message to both parties that I am unhappy with the other options.

I don't feel that I wasted my vote, nor do I feel you wasted yours. Elections are our opportunity to have a say in the process, and that's what we did. There is a lot of "waste" that occurs in our society, but the vote is never one.

[longtooth]

Excellent post maam.

[flb_78]

This 20% who voted for Perot are 100% responsible for electing Bill and Hillary.

If this 20% couldn't bring themselves to vote for Bush, then they should have stayed home.

People voted for Perot because they believed he was the best.

There were "experts" who said that Perot actually pulled votes from Clinton, not Bush.

[flb_78]

If it comes down to McCain and Clinton, I'd rather see McCain because Hillary is just that horrible.

If it comes down to McCain and Obama, I'd rather see Obama because I think that the gubberment will deadlock and nothing will be accomplished whereas McCain will draw Conservatives to vote with the Liberals in legislation such as McCain/Feingold 1st amendment attack, McCain/Lieberman environmental bill, McCain/Kennedy Amnesty bill, McCain/Lieberman Gun Show bill.

[stevie_d_64]

I see a trend here...Pretty much, nope...All of what is left is not worth a flip for the job...

I would probably reside myself to the inevitable that what will be residing in the WH for the next 4 years is not going to be a friend to our cause...

So...

Make sure we pay attention to our down ballot races, get out and vote, and get others to get out there and vote, turnout is going to be the winner here this time once again...We got a little taste of that back in 2006, and unfortunately it appears the leadership in the Republican party has once again failed to heed that lesson by allowing less conservative, or RINO's to take the moderate, country club republicans' agenda into this election cycle...

The way we keep the liberals and moderates on both sides in check is to do what we do best...Vote...You know for whom I am alluding to...

And yes, I do know that ther are some Democrats that are A and A+ rated as far as our issue goes...There just may be a few other things that might need to be addressed that might need a little more conservative bend to the debate...

Just my opinion...

[bdickens]

Yes, yes....

Down ballot races. Much of the real stuff happens locally. And, since it's congress that makes the laws, that's where the focus should be anyway.

[thejtrain]

When we vote based on the myth of electability, we make it a self-fulfilling prophecy. Any candidate is electable if enough people vote for him.

Amen to that. Just ask Tom McClintock (CA gubernatorial election 2003) & his exit poll approval ratings, which blew away the Governator by 7 percentage points (+25 to +18) in a losing effort. What that tells you is that more people would have preferred McClintock over Schwarzenegger, yet enough people believed all the claptrap about "only Arnold has a chance" to hand him the election anyway. Bleating sheep, all of 'em.

[stevie_d_64]

The full faith and credit clause does, in fact, apply to marriages in gereneral and as such there has been quite a controversy regarding whether this must be extended to non traditional marriages that are not recognized by most states.

If Hawaii and Mass and Cali and New York don't have to give full faith and credit to a Texas concealed handgun license, then Texas doesn't have to give full faith and credit to their same-sex or polygamy marriage license.

And we don't...

[bdickens]

Hey, is it just me, or does the Osama, I mean Obama, poster look like one of those old communist propoganda posters?

[CHL/LEO]

And, since it's congress that makes the laws, that's where the focus should be anyway.

With the expanding use of Presidential Directives and Executive Orders, which have the "full force and effect of law", it's more important than ever to elect a president that won't abuse this power. Maybe even more important are the Supreme Court Justices who might keep it in check, and in effect interpret the laws as they are to be applied.

Let's say a President wants to implement a very restrictive form of gun registration or gun control. If they couldn't get it passed through Congress then they could use some form of Presidential Directive to dictate their will. It would be up to the Supreme Court to possibly protect us from this type of abuse of power, and then it could take years to get that done.

Beware of the power that these directives provide to a President with an agenda. The democrats have been screaming for years that Bush has abused this regarding the "War on Terror" - tomorrow it could be conservatives saying the same thing regarding gun control or some similar type issue.