Mixing Bill Richardson and rurals could help turn Nevada blue

[bigtree]

Mar. 11, 2007
Las Vegas Review-Journal

{snip}

When you travel outside Las Vegas and talk to voters in Elko, Lincoln and Nye counties, you find plenty who could go for Democrats if the candidate was fairly fiscally conservative and “doesn’t try to take our guns.”

Kristian Forland is an Elko Democrat who goes to Lincoln Day dinners. Bipartisanship isn’t a dirty word in Elko. And plenty of Republicans are planning to attend the Elko Democrats’ Kicking Ass Skeet Shoot next month at the Wells Gun Club. The winners get shotguns.

“You can’t really get too more gun friendly,” Forland said.

If Roberta Lange, Richardson’s new state director, decides to drop by, watch out. In addition to being a highly regarded Democratic operative, she’s also a former rifle champion.

Richardson, the New Mexico governor with the best resume to be president, knows the West. Democrats rightly believe the path to the White House in 2008 runs through the West, where voters like their guns and open space almost as much as they dislike taxes and government intrusion.

Nevada has done nothing politically to suggest it doesn’t fit that mold. Voters have declared the state pro-choice and approved medical marijuana at the same time they have sought to restrain taxes and have elected fiscal conservatives statewide.

But unless Democrats reach out to Republicans and independents in Elko and Esmeralda counties, you can forget about Nevada going blue. And unless Democrats reach out to all voters nationally, the White House isn’t going to change parties . . .

more: http://elkocountydemocrats.org/WordPress/?p=32

[skipos]

1. If Kerry would have taken 12% more of the hispanic vote in NV, he would have won it

NV is trending blue

Nevada:
'88: 13.22% more Republican than the national average
'92: 2.93% more Republican than the national average
'96: 7.51% more Republican than the national average
'00: 4.05% more Republican than the national average
'04: 0.13% more Republican than the national average

[sandnsea]

2. If stupid rural Democrats

would stop perpetuating the myth that Democrats want to take anybody's guns, then maybe we could make some headway in rural America. I live in rural America and even the rural Republicans support reasonable gun regulation. God damn I hate these stupid fucking Democrats that say this shit.

[rockymountaindem]

3. Yep. nt

[Redneck Socialist]

4. "...reasonable..." I do not think that word means what you think it means

:D

Oh and just which "...stupid rural Democrats..." are "...perpetuating the myth that Democrats want to take anybody's guns..."?

[sandnsea]

7. If you have to ask

it's pointless to tell you because you're probably one of them.

[Redneck Socialist]

11. Did you have an extra bowl of cranky flakes for breakfast this morning?

I'm curious because I fail to see any Democrats suggesting that fellow Dems are out to take away anyone's guns in the article linked in the OP. 'Dems 'ell grab yer guns' is a favorite right wing talking point, but I don't see it spread to often by Democrats, but then again I don't know many "stupid" rural Democrats.

The ones I know are pretty damn smart.

[sandnsea]

12. “doesn’t try to take our guns.”

Right there in front of your face. Or are you not aware that quotation marks means somebody said that shit??

You fuckin' a right this makes me cranky. It's bad enough when we have to fight this favorite right wing talking point, but when STUPID RURAL Dems repeat it, it gets under my last nerve.

And just watch this thread if you don't believe it's true.

[Redneck Socialist]

17. Gee, thanks for the punctuation lesson

I wondered what those little thingies were.

When you travel outside Las Vegas and talk to voters in Elko, Lincoln and Nye counties, you find plenty who could go for Democrats if the candidate was fairly fiscally conservative and “doesn’t try to take our guns.”

Perhaps you noted that the quote is unattributed. We have no idea who might have said it. Perhaps one of the "...voters in Elko...who could go for Democrats..." We have no way of knowing if the person quoted was a Dem, a pub, or a Guns and Dope Party member.

Again I don't hear the gun grabber meme from Dems too often. Would you be OK with it if stupid urban Dems said it? Just curious.

[sandnsea]

19. "and talk to voters in Elko, Lincoln and Nye counties"

Punctuation and reading comprehension??

[Redneck Socialist]

20. Pray tell, which party might those voters be registered with? n/t

[sandnsea]

21. I have work to do n/t

[benEzra]

9. H.R.1022...

If stupid rural Democrats would stop perpetuating the myth that Democrats want to take anybody's guns, then maybe we could make some headway in rural America. I live in rural America and even the rural Republicans support reasonable gun regulation. God damn I hate these stupid fucking Democrats that say this shit.

Perhaps if gullible urban politicians would stop trying to ban some of the most popular civilian guns in America, the "Dems'll-take-yer-guns" meme would stay dead.

H.R.1022 @ thomas.loc.gov (currently has 18 cosponsors)

This little gem would ban all shotguns holding more than 5 rounds, all rifles and pistols holding more than ten rounds, self-loading rifles and shotguns with handgrips that stick out, plus Ruger mini-14's, M1 carbines (on the civilian market since the 1940's), M1 Garands, etc. etc. etc. Despite the fact that rifles are almost never used in crimes...

A lot of gun owners are scared shitless about this bill passing. I personally don't think it's going anywhere, as the party leadership seems to have realized after '04 that tilting at that windmill is counterproductive and the result of its passage would be 1994 times ten. But it is crap like that, and the 1994 Feinstein ban, the mid-90's Brady II proposal, S.1431/H.R.2038 (2003-2004, identical to H.R.1022), etc. that perpetuate the "Dems'll-take-yer-guns" meme, and it is high time for crap like that to go away.

Webb, Tester, Casey, Strickland, showed how to win on the gun issue. The DLC "gun rights for hunters only" approach most assuredly did NOT work.


-----------
Dems and the Gun Issue - Now What? (written in '04, largely vindicated in '06, IMHO)

[sandnsea]

10. Which isn't confiscating all the guns

When are supposed Democrats like you going to work WITH other Democrats to get reasonable gun regulations instead of fighting every blessed thing anybody tries to do. You are personally a prime example of what I'm talking about. All you do is repeat NRA bullshit when the truth is YOU are in the minority in this country when it comes to guns.

[benEzra]

22. Confiscating half of what we have left isn't OK, either...

Which isn't confiscating all the guns

I don't give a flying crap if you don't want to confiscate ALL our family's guns, if you are trying to confiscate half of them.

Like the vast majority of gun owners, I don't hunt, so I have no use for a high-powered bolt-action hunting (sniper style) rifle. The only guns that matter to me are handguns and small-caliber carbines.

The Moral Majority doesn't want to ban all books, either. Just the ones they don't like. So no big deal, right? After all, they're not trying to take away all your books...

When are supposed Democrats like you going to work WITH other Democrats to get reasonable gun regulations instead of fighting every blessed thing anybody tries to do.

You mean like the National Firearms Act? Yeah, we are OK with that. Gun Control Act of 1968? That too. Kevlar-piercing bullet ban of 1986? NRA helped write that law. Ban on X-ray transparent firearms? Gunnies got on board with that. Background checks? Most of us support the NICS point-of-sale background check system. Requiring a license in order to carry a firearm? No problem, as long as it is administered fairly and equitably.

The problem is, you don't want reasonable regulations. You want pointless crap like bans on popular small-caliber rifles that are almost never misused. You want to harass the law-abiding, NOT deal with criminal possession and use.

http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/05cius/data/table_20.html

We could probably find common ground on fighting gun trafficking, or perhaps even background checks on all private sales. We will not work with you on confiscating what guns we have left.

You are personally a prime example of what I'm talking about. All you do is repeat NRA bullshit when the truth is YOU are in the minority in this country when it comes to guns.

As a nonhunter? As a pistol owner? As a recreational target shooter?

What the hell do you think the majority of gun owners are? Only 20% hunt. Most gun owners are nonhunters. Over half own handguns, many of which would be affected by the magazine limits you want. There are more "black rifle" owners in this country than there are active hunters.

The most popular lawfully owned centerfire rifles in America are the SKS and the AR-15 platform, not your World War I-style bolt-action repeaters that you'd "let" us keep for now. AR sales are going like gangbusters, and Winchester just went out of business. The most popular rimfire is the Ruger 10/22 semiautomatic, not the old-fashioned bolt guns. The most popular handguns are Glocks, not single-action revolvers.

REASONABLE gun control is NOT what the ban-more-guns lobby is currently after. They are primarily after bans on the lawful and responsible ownership of modern-looking rifles, and apparently couldn't care less about the illegal .38 revolver in your local felon's waistband.

[KingofNewOrleans]

5. From a strictly demographic and voting history standpoint

the article is wrong. Nevada is extremely and increasingly weighted to urban area--Las Vegas and the Reno-Carson City area comprise almost 90% of the vote. Doesn't mean you have to be rude to voters in Elko but the swing voters are in Las Vegas and Reno, not in rural Nevada.

[michreject]

6. Richardson has my vote

But I'm in Michigan. It's already blue.

[Rusty MacHenry]

8. I agree

I am tired too of uninform conservative pro-gun Democrats thinking that the party is basically trying to take the 2nd admendment out of the constituion. Although I myself is a big gun supporter and supporter of the NRA i'm not stupid to believe that theory cause if it's true why aren't the Democrats passing some type of groundbreaking piece of legislation that will restrict the sales of firearms. If any the Liberal Democrats just want to impose restrictions on guns and pass laws that put safety features on guns to protect the children. I don't see the Democrat Secret Police breaking down everyones doors taking every firearm in sight.

Anyhoo the point is moot, the Democrats aren't trying to take away the 2nd admendment away from anyone and this is coming from a pro-gun Democrat.

[w4rma]

13. Agreed on your gun statement and Richardson in the general.

From another pro-gun Democrat.

[Rusty MacHenry]

14. Are you talking to me

Or the OP?

[w4rma]

15. You. (nt)

[Rusty MacHenry]

16. Oh why thank you

And it's true about what I said.

[w4rma]

18. You're welcome. Thank you, too. (nt)

[michreject]

23. Welcome to DU

I am pro gun. While they're still anti gun leaders in a position or power, the election of pro gun Democrats in the last election gives me hope in the direction the party is headed.

[Blue_In_AK]

24. I've said it before and I'll say it again...

I believe Richardson is the ONLY Democratic candidate currently running would could take Alaska. Only three electoral votes, I know, but it could make a difference.