NRA Shot Blanks in 2008....

[JoseCuervo]

Seems the politics of fear fell on deaf ears..... How many of you contributed to the wasted $40 million that the NRA spent and all they managed to do was increase gun sales for the gun makers?

In 2008, NRA Shot Blanks. American Hunters and Shooters Hit the Target.
b

Tue Jan 06, 2009 at 12:54:57 PM PST

I just got back from spending the holidays with my family out on the Eastern Shore of Maryland where I got in some great time with the grandkids. I was able to sneak out to the duck blind early in the mornings and do a little shooting. That always gives me some time to think. It's been a couple years since we started the American Hunters and Shooters Association (AHSA). And, I have to admit, it's exceeded my expectations especially as I look back at the last year and what we accomplished. So many of you share both my commitment to gun rights and my love for the environment.

It’s been a crazy year, especially because of the NRA leadership’s vow to spend $40 million to scare voters into defeating Obama and his so-called "gun-grabbing" cohorts.

Let me tell you straight out, the NRA failed. In 10 of the 11 states where the NRA Political Victory Fund's efforts against Obama were concentrated -- gun-friendly regions in states like Colorado, Pennsylvania, and New Mexico – they lost. They got Texas right; McCain won, but was that state was ever in doubt? Today, as the new Congress is sworn in, we're seeing a slew of new members who defeated NRA-backed incumbents and candidates. And in House contests, NRA-backed candidates in pro-gun states, like Ed Tinsley (NM), Bill Sali (ID), Steve Chabot (OH), and Phil English (PA), also lost.

For their efforts, the National Journal ranked the group #2 in their "Bottom Five" of effective political groups. On the plus side, the NRA’s histrionics and fear mongering tactics did succeed in bolstering gun sales after the election, which is a good thing in this dreadful economy.

So why is the NRA "shooting blanks" these days? Because they don’t get it. The landscape has changed. With the Supreme Court overturning the D.C. gun ban, our gun rights are secure and government confiscation is off the table. Now, we can actually talk about responsible gun laws, conservation, public access, global warming – and even the economy.

My organization, AHSA, is dedicated to these issues, and when we looked at the two candidates running for president, we saw clearly that only one of them "got it," and that was Barack Obama. Obama didn’t pretend to be a gun owner, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t understand the concerns of sportsmen. In addition, he is a constitutional scholar who agrees that gun ownership is an individual right, and he knows that guns are viewed differently in different parts of the country.

So we went all out for Obama, I was a fulltime surrogate for the campaign and did more than thirty campaign events in Ohio, Florida, Colorado and Minnesota. The campaign aired a radio ad in the battleground states and a YouTube video that featured me, and sent direct mail with my face on it as well. AHSA also ran an extensive outreach campaign to dispel the myths and lies the NRA was promoting in the swing states.The AFL-CIO also touted our endorsement of Obama in mailers to gun owners in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Furthermore, our success against the NRA was mirrored at the congressional level, too. We worked to educate folks about nine Senate and House candidates this year. Seven won and their terms start today. This includes Senate candidates Kay Hagan (NC), Jeanne Shaheen (NH), Mark Udall (CO) and Tom Udall (NM) and House Candidates Walt Minnick (ID-01), Harry Teague (NM-02) and Eric Massa (NY-29). We also endorsed Delaware’s new Governor, Jack Markell.

At AHSA, we spent far less than the NRA’s $40 million dollars, but we didn’t campaign on fear. Time and time again the folks I met said they had enough of the NRA fear mongering and crying wolf. And as we move from the election into the inauguration of our new president, we are glad to see that the extreme right-wing agenda of the NRA has been exposed. Folks are no longer buying their "snake-oil" style politics, and we are excited to see what change the Obama administration brings to our great country. I've already met with the Obama transition team. I'll do everything I can to make sure the new administration keeps our issues front and center.

 

[Calif. Hunter]

Who wrote this?

 

[JoseCuervo]

Who wrote this?

A wild guess, but when I hit the quote button, it says "Calif. Hunter", so I would assume "Calif Hunter" wrote that.

 

[noharleyyet]

Who wrote this?

Ray Schoenke wrote it. A little AHSA info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Hunters_and_Shooters_Association

 

[TLC]

Ray Schoenke wrote it. A little AHSA info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Hunters_and_Shooters_Association

yep. after reading that, explains why Jose is a member, or at least, backs them since they are OK with banning guns.

 

[jabber]

I sure hope Mr. Schoenke didn't hurt his arm.

 

[Calif. Hunter]

Jose - you really are a dispshit. You post something and cannot even cite the author.... once again proving how gullible you are.

(From Wikipedia

The leaders of the AHSA are:

Ray Schoenke, Founding President. A former football player for the Washington Redskins, Schoenke ran for Governor of Maryland as a Democrat and has given "millions" to Democratic politicians and causes according to a January 19, 1998 Washington Post article.[9] Among the groups that Schoenke has donated to are two that actively lobby to ban firearms: Handgun Control, Inc.[10] and America Coming Together. Schoenke was on the Governor's Commission on Gun Violence in 1996.
Bob Ricker, Executive Director.
Jon Rosenthal, a real estate mogul and founder of Stop Handgun Violence. Stop Handgun Violence is credited with lobbying and subsequently helping to pass the licensing and registration system in place in the state of Massachusetts. Jon Rosenthal was a founding member of AHSA, however he has subsequently left the organization.
Joseph J. Vince, Jr., a member of the Board of Directors is the former chief of the BATF's crime guns analysis branch. Currently, he is a principal of Crime Gun Solutions. Crime Gun Solutions has worked for the Brady Center, providing data analysis supportive of the Federal Assault Weapons Act, and has provided ballistics evidence and analysis in lawsuits against firearm dealers. He was a signer on a letter submitted to Congress opposing the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act
Jody Powell, co-chairman of the AHSA Advisory Board
A. Austin Dorr, co-chairman of the AHSA Advisory Board

Bob Ricker, Executive Director of the AHSA, is a former NRA employee who now supports some groups advocating restrictions on the ownership and use of firearms.
President of AHSA, John E. Rosenthal, is one of the founders of Stop Handgun Violence, a group which has been influential in instituting strong restrictions on the ownership of firearms, in state of Massachusett.
Spokesman for the group, Ray Schoenke, has donated over $10,000 to the Brady Campaign, a national organization which advocates strong restictions on the ownership of firearms.

A fine group of folks that you have aligned yourself with.....

 

[ringer]

What a bunch of bullshit! Like gun control would trump the economy, high gas prices and the overall badwill towards Bush. Totally irrelevant article by a bunch of totally irrelevant people. Nice try.

 

[noharleyyet]

What a bunch of bullshit! Like gun control would trump the economy, high gas prices and the overall badwill towards Bush. Totally irrelevant article by a bunch of totally irrelevant people. Nice try.

Hell, Democratic ineptitude is dominating the news...Jose can't even muster a good Palin salon rumor.

 

[BigHornRam]

Hell, Democratic ineptitude is dominating the news...Jose can't even muster a good Palin salon rumor.

 

[JoseCuervo]

Hell, Democratic ineptitude is dominating the news...Jose can't even muster a good Palin salon rumor.

You see where Palin had the State Troopers hold off the investigation of her alleged sister-in-laws alleged drug dealing?

 

[noharleyyet]

You see where Palin had the State Troopers hold off the investigation of her alleged sister-in-laws alleged drug dealing?

Yep, she really should consider changing parties.

No?

 

[TLC]

What a bunch of bullshit! Like gun control would trump the economy, high gas prices and the overall badwill towards Bush. Totally irrelevant article by a bunch of totally irrelevant people. Nice try.

ringer, agree with you completely. but whats scares me is that they will sneak crap thru without anyone really paying attention because of the things you mention.

 

[guppie9]

You see where Palin had the State Troopers hold off the investigation of her alleged sister-in-laws alleged drug dealing?

Did you see where you were full of shit??

 

[JoseCuervo]

Did you see where you were full of shit??

I guess you are calling Alaskan State Troopers liars? And, instead, believe political mouthpieces for Sarah Palin?

Last month, 42-year-old Sherry Johnston of Wasilla, Alaska was arrested and charged with selling OxyContin, a prescription painkiller. Johnston is the mother of Levi Johnson, the young man who just had a baby with Bristol Palin, the daughter of 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.

Now an Alaska trooper is alleging that the investigation and arrest of Johnson was delayed for political purposes.

"[A]s soon as investigators realized who the target was...this case became anything but normal," Kyle Young wrote in an email to the union that represents troopers and other Alaska law enforcement officials.

"It was not allowed to progress in a normal fashion, the search warrant service WAS delayed because of the pending election and the [regional] Drug Unit and the case officer were not the ones calling the shots," he continued. (You can read the whole email, in PDF form, here.)

As the Anchorage Daily News reports, Alaska Public Safety Commissioner Joe Masters and troopers director Col. Audie Holloway dispute the claim.

"We worked very hard to make sure we conducted it just as fairly and as normally as any other investigation," Holloway said.

The union's executive director, John Cyr, told the Daily News that the handling of the case "really does smack of political favoritism."

"And if that be the case, it's another example of the Palin administration's direct influence on the public safety unit," he added – an apparent reference to the so called "Troopergate" case involving charges that Palin and her family applied pressure to get a state trooper fired for personal reasons.

 

[noharleyyet]

The union's executive director, John Cyr,

...of course this guy has no axe to grind. He's about as good a source as Ray Shoenke.

 

[TLC]

and which state troopers would that be Jose?

I guess you are calling Alaskan State Troopers liars? And, instead, believe political mouthpieces for Sarah Palin?

Last month, 42-year-old Sherry Johnston of Wasilla, Alaska was arrested and charged with selling OxyContin, a prescription painkiller. Johnston is the mother of Levi Johnson, the young man who just had a baby with Bristol Palin, the daughter of 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.

Now an Alaska trooper is alleging that the investigation and arrest of Johnson was delayed for political purposes.

"[A]s soon as investigators realized who the target was...this case became anything but normal," Kyle Young wrote in an email to the union that represents troopers and other Alaska law enforcement officials.

"It was not allowed to progress in a normal fashion, the search warrant service WAS delayed because of the pending election and the [regional] Drug Unit and the case officer were not the ones calling the shots," he continued. (You can read the whole email, in PDF form, here.)

As the Anchorage Daily News reports, Alaska Public Safety Commissioner Joe Masters and troopers director Col. Audie Holloway dispute the claim. well chit, who's not telling the truth here?

"We worked very hard to make sure we conducted it just as fairly and as normally as any other investigation," Holloway said.

The union's executive director, John Cyr, told the Daily News that the handling of the case "really does smack of political favoritism."

"And if that be the case, it's another example of the Palin administration's direct influence on the public safety unit," he added – an apparent reference to the so called "Troopergate" case involving charges that Palin and her family applied pressure to get a state trooper fired for personal reasons.
wasn't she found not guilty in this case?

 

[JoseCuervo]

...of course this guy has no axe to grind. He's about as good a source as Ray Shoenke.

NoHarley thinking there is a conspiracy theory here with a trooper whistleblowing and the Union head backing up his guy?

You got Black Helicopters over where you live???

 

[noharleyyet]

You got credibity where you live?

 

[guppie9]

I'm not calling anyone a liar. I simply asked you a question. You know all about questions. They are not statements. One trooper is making an allegation. You will notice that no other investigators are making any kind of statement. If you read the investigation report, you would find that she sold Oxycontin 3 times to undercover agents, with the last buy coming on November 26. Now, I may be a little slow, but I am fairly sure that November 26th came AFTER election day. It sounds to me like they collected evidence and then obtained a warrant.

First remove the tin foil hat from thine own head, and then you will be able to think clearly enough to remove the one from thy brother's head.

And BTW....Palin's sister-in-law was not charged or arrested for anything. Palin's daughter's soon-to-be-mother-in-law was arrested.

Oh and NHY....thanks a lot for giving Jose ideas. You know he doesn't need much of a push to post something about Palin.