But I live in a liberal area. What are my emails, letters, and calls going to do to sway a liberal democrat that got 90% of the vote?
Well, tell me about it. I live in that, too. It could be worse, my state senator could be Frosh. ~shiver~
But that rep or senator has been around the block. Certainly that district has, if they are a freshman. Votes on guns happen every year. They know how many calls they got last time. If they got a handful last time, and they know other district of political allies got plus or minus that handful, depending on where it is.
But this time, the momentum is on the gun controller side. We could make Maryland like New York.
They weigh that momentum and compare it to the calls and letters. What if they got a hundred time that handful? And their political allies that keep them in the majority got a similar proportionate increase. And they opposition got a similar response supporting their efforts at maintaining 2nd Amendment civil rights. That changes the equation and how the momentum is swinging. They want to help themselves, and help their allies. And they don't want to hurt themselves, or their allies. Now they won't get hurt much in their 90% district. Might not move their needle at all, or move it little. But their buddy is in a 55% district, and if he loses the next election, he loses all the favors he or she owes, loses a supporter that scratched his back last time he needed it. And that ally might be squawking and pleading.
They want to ride governor O'Malley's coattails maybe into their own better jobs. Hard to ride it when he is backing a contentious issue that loses and hurts him.
So an outsized response in a 90% district helps the whole cause. It changes their calculation. Maybe they say supportive things but let a bill peter out. You have greater impact when you write from to you rep than you do writing to representatives in districts you don't vote in (but do both, just concentrate on 'your' critter. Remember, you are the boss.)
I think we are more up in arms this time than any time before. An outsized attack is eliciting an outsize response from our side. And we happen to be in the right.
So send the letter and the email. Even if their is no hope it will change their mind. It helps make it "politically profitable for the wrong people to do the right things." Even if you are influencing some other unknown wobbly pol by overwhelming your own known stubborn pigheaded pol.
I don't know. It looks like in the U.S. Senate, there's MAYBE 5-6 Dems who MAY not support Gun-Control Legislation. And you can bet that they'll be a whole lot of Arm Twisting by the Obama Administration to get them "On the Bus or Under the Bus."
ReplyDeleteIt's a little better in the House, but if ONE RINO lets something get out of Committee, I would NOT feel Comfortable that it would be killed on a Floor Vote. Remember the Shenanigans that was pulled back in the 90s to get Clinton's AWB passed? I think it was only passed in the House by 1-2 Votes, and that was because some RINOs jumped ship.
And as far as your State Gooberment, I think you are all Screwed in Maryland.
But exercise your Constitutional Right for a Redress of Grievances. I just don't think it'll work. I think Maryland is going to go down the New York State Hole, and it'll take years in Federal Court to try and restore your Civil rights.
You see, I've been chatting with OldNFO, and I think that the Godless Jacobean Red-Commie Rampaging Hordes feel as if the Re-Anointment of Barry is the "Green Light" for them to make "The Big Push" to bring about the "Utopia" they've been Dreaming of since they were all Students back in the 60s. Just look at all the Uber-Liberal Laws that have been passed on the State Level that have nothing to do with the RKBA.
Like New York, Maryland is just one Battlefront, and I'm not sure that we have a Patton on our side.
But if it is stopped in Maryland, and get's hamstrung here, the momentum has shifted and Fed level there is no hope of passage.
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