Democrats: “Hillary’s Replacement Too Conservative.”
Posted on
January 26, 2009 by
John Martin
There’s a bit of a firestorm among Democrats in New York over Governor Paterson’s replacement for Hillary Clinton.
- She’s a former Republican
- She’s a former staffer to former Republican Senator Al D’Amato
- She’s been endorsed by the NRA for her support of 2nd Amendment rights.
#3 is the one that’s really killing people. Here’s her defense of her views on gun rights:
Incidentally, why do we have to defend gun ownership for “hunters.” Why can’t anyone have the guts to mention that it’s a constitutionally-guaranteed right? I doubt the founding fathers were concerned about preserving our ability to go duck hunting on the weekend.
I stand right with you, John. Although I am a former hunter and no longer hunt, I still have my guns and will not give them up. The Constitution guarantees this right to us, and I will not give that up. That being said, the NRA has lost a lot of their respect by their over the top lack of common sense. If the NRA has their way, they would want RPGs legal. There are a lot of hunters’ groups that I have a lot more respect for, as they understand that allowing for some common sense in gun laws better protects the second amendment. If we follow the NRA “Wild West” philosophy, the second amendment becomes more in jeopardy, as at some point people will get sick of the shooting scenes from the cities and will say enough is enough.
Now that I am off of my soapbox, I will say that I don’t know a lot about this pick, but she appears to be moderate and may be a good pick. It says a lot for her ability to compromise that she was able to get elected in a majority Republican district.
Again, yet something else to create a dust-up. Who cares, no one is taking guns away from anyone except criminals, law abiding citizens have nothing to worry about (that means those who hunt, shoot guns for recreation or own guns to protect their person or property if licensed). This nonsense about NRA and fear of taking guns away and supporting gun ownership is just baffling. Not all guns should be legal, just as all cars aren’t legal if they meet certain government standards.
I don’t hunt nor own a gun, I don’t get why something that’s protected by the Constitution is an issue. She’s from upstate NY, that’s what people do up here. Mike Bloomberg used to be a democrat and is now a “republican.” So we lost one and gained one.
I hate guns personally, but I believe in the right to own them. I hate liver too, but believe you have the right to eat it. Sensible gun laws, especially in cities, are necessary, as are laws against assault weapons, IMO. Beyond that, the right for law abiding citizens to bear arms is a Constitutional one. Period.
One thing about picks like Gillibrand is how it reminds us of how centrist we’ve made the Democrats become. This woman could easily be a Republican, in so many ways.
Gillibrand has been representing the 20th Congressional District of New York which leans slightly Republican. It has a R+3 in the Cook Partisan Voting Index.
So this is a seat we could pick back up if a moderate Republican runs.
This was the one area where John McCain’s record was impeccable, and I think it should be noted. Right now, there are more Democrats with A+ ratings from the NRA than ever in history. Our candidates need to stand strong on this issue.
Brandon:
From today’s NY Daily News…
“[T]he [party's] leaders opted to go for a larger-than-life, outspoken candidate like Tedisco, who doesn’t live in the district.”
http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2009/01/congressional-candidate-tedisc.html
This guy is going to be well funded, but it’s not clear if people will care that he’s not technically in the district (although he’s actually just a few miles out.)
I did not know until today that one did not have to live in the Congressional district they represent, just the same state.
Very good analysis of New York’s Congressional districts at:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/01/gov_paterson_gives_the_gop_thr.html