Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Media Interview While Obama was Winning NH Primary

Earlier this evening as the results were coming in for the NH Primary I received a phone call from the political reporter (MG) of our local newspaper. At the time Barach Obama was leading the Democrat side of the race. (He ended up loosing to Hillary 41% to 39%) MG and I talked for about tem minutes. It was an interesting conversation.

MG's first question was about Hillary Clinton. "Wouldn't Republicans rather face Hillary Clinton (as opposed to Obama) in the general election?" I agreed for three reasons. 1) Hillary is more divisive 2) I think Huckabee will win the GOP nomination and which will give us and apples to apples comparison of the Clinton record and the Huckabee record in Arkansas. 3) Obama's message is very similar to Huckabee's. Both these candidates are talking more about the issues, change, and hope and not so much about themselves. The other candidates on both sides are interviewing for the job of President and Huckabee (and Obama) are talking about their Hope for America. (They understand the problems Americans are facing - not just large corporations) I went on to say that some of the other candidates might struggle with Hope because I think faith and hope are close relatives.

I tried to talk about other things like the GOP candidates but MG brought me back to talking about Obama. He asked if the Republicans are worried about taking on Obama in November and if they have a strategy yet to beat him. I said that there won't be a strategy until we have a nominee. Each one of the GOP candidates is still trying to figure out how to beat the other Republicans. After Huckabee won Iowa all of the candidates changed their message this week to talk about change. When we do face the Democrats we need to play to our candidates strength and the opponents weaknesses. I told him how it will be an interesting race if Huckabee faces Obama. Both are the youngest candidates in their parties. Both are talkig about change. Both are articulate. Both have the power of connection. Both seem compassionate for every day Americans. It should be a true debate about the approach and how we accomplish what we want. Do American's really want a government based health care system or a free market approach?

Earlier in the evening I saw a biography of Obama on Fox News. I told MG about how impressed I was by Obama... as he was portrayed. (I know there is more to the story) Then I admitted that, "I wish he was a Republican" and then modified my statement to say "I wish he was a conservative". It will probably make the paper as "Republican" and all my Republican friends won't understand my point. I told MG that I didn't think Obama has the experience to be President (of US) yet but it would be nice to have a candidate with his skills on the "farm team".

I told MG about the political genius of Joe St.John. Back in September when Fred Thompson first got in the race Joe predicted that SC would come down to Huckabee, McCain, and Romney. He predicted that Thompson wouldn't even make the top three. I think Joe will be proven right on January 19th. In September, we all thought he was crazy.

It will be interesting to see what makes the paper tomorrow, especially since Hillary ended up winning the NH Primary. We'll see how accurate my sentiments actually come through. I know MG tries his best to do a good job - but I also understand he works for an editor that gives him direction on what he wants in an article.

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Fred Thompson Couldn't Win Seat on School Board

GOP Presidential Candidate Fred Thompson finished sixth in the New Hampshire GOP Primary tonight with 2600 votes. (He was behind McCain, Romney, Huckabee, Giuliani, and Paul) Maybe Ron Paul should be invited to the SCGOP debates and not Fred.

I find it amusing that Fred Thompson didn't even get 3000 votes in a state wide race where over 200,000 voters partipated. To put this in context, my wife ran for school board last year in SC and came in last place amoung five candidates with ~3200 votes. She did this with less than $1000 in a small 7500 student school district not millions spent over an entire state.

I don't know what this says of Fred's bid for presidency considering when he entered the race he was considered the last great hope for conservatives. At the time many of the "experts" that now work for Thompson said Mike Huckabee lacked name recognition and Fred was more "electable". Thompson could beat Hillary in the general election. (Dennis Kucinich got ~900 more votes that Thompson tonight in NH) Things sure have changed! During the NH Primary returns, I honestly think the Fox News commentators had to be reminded that Thompson is still in the race so they would mention his name.

For me it's ironic that many of the talking heads on TV were saying McCain would likely be "done" if he didn't win New Hampshire tonight. But by comparison, Thompson's campaign claims they haven't even "started" yet. (Starting late is a new campaign strategy Thompson is developing) Thompson claims to have big things in store for the SC race. Then again, we all know Fred doesn't want to do too much work so how big can the surprise be? Plus, I know some of the folks working as campaign coordinators on Fred's campaign - they've learned how to make a living in politics but they really haven't learned what it is to work hard. (or effectively)

The good news is that soon Fred will be "done". When he finishes in third or fourth (or lower) in SC he will drop from the race. Thompson probably wants to get back to his life in Hollywood anyway. It's a lot easier work for a lot more money. I wonder what his SC campaign staff will do since they've ticked off so many people plus made the blunder of supporting Fred in the first place? Maybe they'll need to find real jobs; nah, they have out of state sugar daddies that will keep them going.

Sunday, January 06, 2008

Some Gun Owners Need to Get a Clue!

Sunday at the gun show:

I arrived at the gun show about noon and began to put out my materials for the day. Before I even finished organizing everything, a man working a neighboring table came up to engage in conversation. The first words out of his mouth,"What is a Republican?"

I admit this caught me off guard. I hadn't even settled in yet and this guy was setting me up with a question that regardless of how I answered could be wrong. I knew too that we would be working within feet of each other all day long and he could make my day pleasant or miserable. Now, I know what makes a Republican but in answering his question - where do you start? (personal accountabilty, small government, pro-life, pro-family, pro-2A, individual freedoms, etc.) I was slow to speak until he threw me a life line by saying he has been a life long Republican.

Just about this point, I put a Mike Huckabee yard sign on my table. His response, "Mike Huckabee is your man?"

I replied, "sure is, we endorsed him last month".

"But Huckabee's a big government tax and spender," he responded.

At this point I am thinking "who is this guy and what have I done to him?" I'd almost lost my patience when I said, "no he's not - that's what Romney's attack ads want you to think - he cut taxes 90+ times in AR". I think at this point he realized he wasn't making a good first impression.

He said, "I know, I am just playing devil's advocate." Next he asked why I didn't like Romney. Things got really interesting from this point on... remember we're at a gun show.

I said, "he hasn't been real consistent on a lot of the issues but if I have to pick one thing; Romney supports an assault weapons ban."

His response, "Yeah, but you know as well as I do that those type guns don't belong in the hands of every day people." (This guys philosophy is SO dangerous for gun owners.)

That's when it started - remember this guy had been trying to "mess with me" since I got there. As politely as I could I asked him what he thought the second amendment was about.

His response, "It's the right to keep and bare arms".

I finished his sentence by saying, "...that's what it says, but why did our fore fathers give it to us?"

He said, "it's about defending ourselves."

I asked "...from who?"

He responded, "from anyone intending to do harm.."

I said, "Yes, does that include our own Government?"

He said, "well... I suppose... but do you really think in this day and age it really makes sense we'd fight against our own government?"

I responded, "I sure hope not - but that's not the point - personal protection and defense from tyranny is the right our fore fathers gave us - they had a reason for giving doing it. Let's not be so quick to give it up."

At this point - he knew he'd lost the argument. When I hammered home the point of what is a "suitable" gun. Romney's measure of which guns are "suitable" comes down to "leathality". (see youtube.com for videos of his interviews in Iowa and NH) Even this Romney supporter understood the danger in measuring "leathality" he admitted all guns can be leathal.

I was happy because we had this friendly exchange and I hadn't made him mad. He was the only Romney supporter I remember talking with all day. I figure I talked with more Huckabee supporters by a margin of two to one over any other candidate.

I don't share this to embarrass this guy or show how smart I am. He's a nice guy and I'm not so smart. We talked about a lot of things through the day, we agreed on most. (His view on immigration was really interesting) The point is this; gun owners need to stand strong against those that would ban ANY guns. Today it's an "assault weapon", tomorrow it's a semi-auto shotgun and the day after that it's a Remington 870 pump. Before long we are defenseless as individuals and as a people. Taking the lethal guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens leaves us with no guns. If gun owners can't understand and defend our positions how do we expect non-gun owners to understand these nuances?

I sure we never have to fight off tyranny. But I sure want to be properly equipped if a gang of thugs wants to break down my front door in a home invasion. (a method that gangs are increasingly using) I can think of no better firearm in this situation than an AR type carbine with the proper ammo.

Experience on the Campaign Trail

I worked a gun show this weekend in Florence, SC. Mike Kent does a great job organizing and promoting his events. (as does SCACA)

I had an interesting experience Saturday evening about a half hour before the show was closing for the day.

After seeing the Huckabee yard sign on my table, an older African-American woman came up to me and whispered in my ear. "That guy Huckabee is being noticed by a lot of people," she said. "My husband, niece, along with others in our community have been watching him for months, they'll likely vote for him."

Using different words than I am here, she went on to describe Huckabee's ability to connect with people. How he talks about vertical politics (raising people up) not horizontal politics (left-right, liberal-conservative). He tries to represent all people, not just those of the same skin tone or are Republican.

She went on to say,"A lot of folks think the African American community will automatically vote for Obama because he's black, that's not necessarily the case." I asked this sweet lady if she wanted a Huckabee sign for her yard. She demured saying, "that would be too much." There are obviously pressures in every community but thank God the voter's booth is still a private.

She made my day!

Thursday, January 03, 2008

Congratulations Mike!

As I sat down to watch the Iowa Caucuses tonight I had several ideas in mind for a blog and as I watched the coverage more and more came to mind.

I was going to blog about the mainstream medias aversion to honestly cover Governor Huckabee's campaign, even some of the Fox guys. (O'Reilly, Hannity, Fred Barnes, etc.) I was going to talk about how CNN flat out misrepresented Huckabee's record and postions on the issues. (Kudlow & Company, Cooper Anderson, and Situation Room)

I intended to blog about the attack ads and how voters deserve better. I intended to prepare SC voters for the worst of the worst. The pundits say that we South Carolinians are particularly susceptible to negative advertising. (I'd already seen some of the effects of lying attack ads against Huckabee)

I was going to blog about how the TV pundits want to claim Huckabee's victory was all about the evangelical vote (which just scares the cr^p out of the elites). This is funny because when Huckabee won the Iowa Straw Poll in August it was because of the FairTax supporters. The irony is that in the Iowa Caucuses the FairTax supporters, gun owners, sportsman, weren't in play at all.

I was going to blog about Romney's flawed media message and how it will come back to bite him by the time the race reaches SC. I was going to blog about the rift between Wall Street Republicans and Main Street Republican and how Wall Street only wants to rent Main Street for their goals.

I was going to blog about how we need a candidate that is one of us in so many ways. Not just an evangelical but one with a blue collar background that is a real gun owner and sportsman because the Republican Party is loosing our hold as the party for the working man, conservation, and real gun ownership. It's important we maintain these tenants of our base, not just play them lip service.

I was going to blog about the long road to the caucus and the reactions we got 15 months ago when we told people to watch Huckabee. The standard reaction was, "who" or "not another Governor for AR", today those same people are Huckabee supporters.

I had high hopes for my blogging tonight - but the Caucuses wrapped up quickly with Huckabee taking an early lead and keeping it. So with that I can only say, "Congratulations Governor Huckabee, we're looking forward to similar results in South Carolina."

Friday, November 23, 2007

"My People are Destroyed for a Lack of Knowledge"

Let me start off by saying that I realize that not everyone may be "down with" me quoting the Bible; so let me say this, there is an old world proverb that says, "Our people are destroyed from lack of knowledge"

If you are a Bible believer, God begins in Hosea 4:6 saying, "...my people are destroyed from a lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will ignore your children. (v7) The more the priests increased, the more they sinned against me; they exchanged their Glory for something disgraceful."

As I travel the Carolinas representing Republican Sportshooters I find the truths represented in these verses to be as true now as when they were written over 2000 years ago.

To help you understand I am going to break this blog posting into a four parts where I compare this Biblical truth to real life experiences and statistics. The four parts of this series will be; My People are destoyed for lack of knowledge, Because you have rejected knowledge, I will ignore your children, and the final blog being, they exchanged their Glory for something disgraceful.

My People are destroyed for lack of knowledge:

As I talk to South Carolina voters, it's typical for me to ask if they are going to vote in January. Of course most gun owners say, "yes". Then my follow-up question is, "have you decided who you will vote for?". It's then that most will say something like, "It's sure not going to be the Democrat". Fundamentally I like that answer but I go on to explain that the election in January is the Republican Primary. I then ask if they have selected a Republican candidate to vote for. The typical answer is, "I haven't decided" or more commonly "I haven't even started my research". It's then that I try to give them hand-outs with information put together by Gun Owners of America. I have a hand-out for each candidate they would consider with a run down of their Second Amendment record. (www.gunowners.org)

I encourage these potential voters to do their research. I emphasis how important being an informed voter is and send them on their way. Will they do their research? Honestly, I don't think most will. Most will go home watch the football game, review the touch down statistics of their favorite quarterback and figure out if their team has a chance of making it to the play-offs. Conversely, can they name six Presidential candidates from either party - most can't. Do they do enough research to sort the wheat from the chaff or the truth from the lies. TIP: In politics, a half truth presented out of context is as good as a lie. Watch out for those.

How did the serpant tempt Eve in the garden? With a half truth presented out of context so it sounded true.

So in conclusion; do your research. Study the candidates. I have done my research and I am convinced the 2008 Republican Presidential field is the best field we've had in my life time. Anyone that tells you, "ain't none of 'em any good this year"; they're exposing their ignorance. Stop listening to them - they are wrong. For pro-life, pro-family, pro-2A voters; there are a couple really good candidates in the race this year. You just need to figure out who they are.

Thursday, March 30, 2006

Republican Sportshooters

In April 2005, five active Republicans formed a team to shoot in the Seventh Annual Christian Sportshooters Classic.

This event, hosted by Mt. Holly UMC in Rock Hill, SC; is held each year at Smokin' Clays Sporting Clay Club, LLC. This is an awesome event. We had a great time
We had such a great time we were inspired to do something similar with our Republican friends. We thought we could get others to join us to raise money for special conservative causes. We wanted to defend Truth

So with this in mind we held our first event on June 11th. Twelve people showed up. It was a great time with about half the group being first time Sporting Clays shooters. (Sporting Clays is addicting - we cannot be held responsible for your new addiction). We immediately began scheduling future events. At this point our group is doubling and tripling with each outing.

Our goals is to allow folks to meet their Republican Representatives, Candidates, Activists, and other Party Faithful while raising money and awareness within the GOP. A benefit of these events is to keep fellow Republicans engaged between elections.