Oregon Democrats take a page from Brian Schweitzer
The Democratic Party of Oregon has approved a Gun Owners Caucus. Alt-weekly paper Willamette Week has the story:
Oregon Democrats are borrowing a page this election from party colleagues in gun-friendly states like Montana, where Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer—a bolo-tie-wearing former mint farmer—has said his idea of gun control is, "You control your gun, and I'll control mine." At a recent Democratic Party of Oregon meeting, state leaders voted to approve the formation of the party's Gun Owners Caucus , which joins the party's Faith Caucus and Motorcycle Caucus, among others.
Over at BlueOregon, Zak Johnson - one of the Gun Owners Caucus co-founders - explains:
As Democrats, we OWN the civil rights issue. The Bush administration daily violates the 1st, 4th, and 5th amendments (unless you consider confessions under torture not to be self-incrimination). Tom Delay's cronies continue to violate the 13th amendment in the U.S. Mariannas. It has never been clearer that the Democratic Party is the nation's primary defender of the Constitution. This is an unequivocal, easy-to-understand position that resonates with voters. It's a uniting position as well, one that should attract patriots to the Democratic banner.But to promote that message requires consistency on the whole Constitution. Frankly, the Party's reputation on the 2nd Amendment is, as Montana Democratic Chairman Bob Ream has said, that people think we want to take their guns away. ...
The perception that Democrats are anti-gun also hurts the party badly among our natural constituencies like hunters, most of whom consider themselves environmentalists, and rural residents in general.
Kari Chisholm | September 23, 2006 | Comment on This Post (2 so far) |
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Comments
It is obvious that gun control as an issue plays out differently in the West, esepcially in rural West, than it does in the East. A national position written in the urban East just won't fit the rural West.
The issues that resonate in all parts of the country are pocketbook issues: healthcare, education, the price of gas, worries about the economy.
Posted by: Leo Brown | Sep 25, 2006 7:07:25 AM
While I support the second amendment, this week's school shooting in Colorado shows we can't ignore gun violence either. This needs careful thought, not just slogans, on all sides.
Posted by: Leo Brown | Sep 29, 2006 6:10:30 AM
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(and yes, we know that sometimes they're very, very wrong. Other times, they're right on.)
