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Did gun control cost McAuliffe and Democrats the Virginia election? washingtonpost.com‘s headline asks. Because a one-word article wouldn’t fill up the spaces between ads, writer Robert McCartney paints a picture of a band on the run. “When Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and his fellow Democrats study what went wrong for them in Tuesday’s crucial legislative elections, one possible mistake stands out: Their aggressive advocacy of gun control in a pivotal Senate race in the Richmond area may have backfired by producing a pro-Republican backlash.” Possible mistake? May have backfired? Just in case that isn’t enough qualifiers to distance McCartney from the reality at hand, the jobbing journo quotes unnamed “analysts.” Like this . . .

In a race that proved decisive in enabling Republicans to retain control of the Senate, Republican Glen H. Sturtevant won the 10th District seat after benefiting from a huge turnout in conservative Powhatan County, which analysts attributed in part to the gun issue.

Sturtevant beat Democrat Daniel A. Gecker [above] after GOP supporters ran ads blasting Gecker for trying to win the seat with $700,000 of outside help from pro-gun-control TV advertisements paid for by a group linked to former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg.

A group linked to former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg? That’s like saying the totally awesome F-35 program is “linked” to the United States government. Dude, Michael Bloomberg owns Everytown for Gun Safety, which paid $700k for a pro-Decker TV ad campaign with money supplied entirely by Michael Bloomberg.

“The gun thing — I would have done it differently,” Sen. J. Chapman “Chap” Petersen (D-Fairfax) said. “It’s speculation at this point, but I feel the Gecker seat was one we thought we were going to win. . . . [The gun issue] was one variable that was thrown in at the last minute.”

A Richmond Times-Dispatch editorial said Gecker “made a massive mistake” by accepting the ads from Bloomberg. “A campaign focused on guns redounded to Gecker’s despair,” it said.

“Redounded.” There’s a word a pro-gun right advocate can savor, for some time to come, hopefully. Meanwhile, McCartney’s done calling a drubbing a drubbing, albeit deploying weasel words and unnamed sources to soften the blows. It’s time for some serious spin!

Other leaders from both sides said the gun issue cut both ways because it helped energize the Democratic base in the district’s liberal neighborhoods in Richmond.

“It certainly increased the intensity for some people who were pro-Second Amendment but also for some people who were pro gun control,” said Sen. Ryan T. McDougle (R-Hanover), chairman of the Senate Republican caucus.

He and others also said that hotly contested local races, such as for sheriff and county supervisor, had boosted turnout in Powhatan.

McAuliffe stayed out of the spotlight Wednesday, and his spokesman directed questions about the election to the state Democratic organization. There, press secretary Morgan Finkelstein said it was “too early” and data were “too inconclusive” to say whether the gun issue had helped or hurt the party overall.

“I think the biggest takeaway is that we don’t have to be afraid to talk about guns,” she said.

Right. Just like the biggest takeaway from the Gulf War is that we shouldn’t be afraid to withdraw our troops from politically unstable, militarily weak middle eastern countries prone to religious extremism and tribalism (i.e. any of them).

The rest of McCartney’s article abandons the entire gun rights question. But the point’s been made: gun control advocates start with lies, spread their lies and then lie about Americans’ rejection of their lies. What did Bloomberg and his statist minions learn from the voters in Virginia? Nothing. Some people never learn.

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34 COMMENTS

  1. “It certainly increased the intensity for some people who were pro-Second Amendment but also for some people who were pro gun control…”
    Well, among those who voted, obviously there are more of us than there are of them.
    Something they might want to remember in future elections.

    • I think their only takeaway is that they need more propaganda. The billions of dollars in free propaganda from the anti gun media included of course.

    • Tom said “Well, among those who voted, obviously there are more of us than there are of them. Something they might want to remember in future elections.”

      They do know that, so that is why they are throwing the borders open.
      If they can’t beat us at the ballot box, they will play the long game, and let changing demographics do it for them. And it is not just firearms, or gun rights.

      Hell, it is already well underway in Europe:
      http://conservativefiringline.com/hungarian-pm-viktor-orban-european-elites-are-traitors-video/

      We may have won this particular battle, but there is a much bigger longer culture war coming. And it will be for ALL the marbles. Let’s not forget that.

      • Right on the mark! Anyone who doesn’t understand that the Democrat’s strategy on immigration has specifically to do with creating more and more Democratic Voters has not been paying attention (to be charitable in characterization). It is a long game and has been going on for years. It can only be stopped by serious immigration reform that controls who enters the US and who stays. The Dems won’t even support a real common sense measure that protects all Americans from illegal aliens, namely, Kate’s Law, that the despicably evil and demented Harry Reid (D)-NV just blocked in the Senate.

  2. Reality divorce is hardest on the kids.

    I was hoping it cost the evil (D)’s some coin, but it probably just went into walk-around $, advertising, news media, and candidate’s pockets, so that cr_p will likely be recycled (tax free) like rain.

    • I keep hoping that Bloomers will get tired of spending money on this. The problem is that the amount he spent, $700K by some reports, is less that he makes in one day in interest on his money. He can afford to continue to finance his treasonous activities.

  3. “Redounded.” There’s a word a pro-gun right advocate can savor

    Good, because we’re going to redound the hell out of them in November.

    • Redound is a new word to me. I actually had to look it up. It appears that you should use it with a qualifier to say if the redound was positive or negative. 🙂

      verb (used without object)
      1.
      to have a good or bad effect or result, as to the advantage or disadvantage of a person or thing.
      2.
      to result or accrue, as to a person.
      3.
      to come back or reflect upon a person as to honor or disgrace (usually followed by on or upon).

  4. Anti civil rights democrats have not changed in 70 or more years. They continue the big lie even after defeat.

  5. Little Danny was supposed to have an easy win, the polls had him up by 5 points a week before the election. Shannon’s Sugar Daddy poured in 700 thousand dollars at the last minute so he could take credit for an anti-gun political victory. The fool thought he was betting on a sure thing. If he were to admit to reality, his money is toxic, he would have nothing left.

  6. Liberals in Maine an put anti-bear hunting question on the referendum in 2014 and it cost them the Governor’s office and many seats in the house and senate. It was a record non-presidential voter turn out. Let this be a lesson to the left; Threaten to take our guns or our hunting and we’ll come out in droves.

    I hope Killary sticks to her anti-gun rhetoric. It will be a record day at the polls and a sad day for her.

  7. When are the antis going to comprehend the fact that gun control is toxic? People with half a brain resent money-bags Bloombag throwing his dollars around attempting to manipulate people into how to think. That works as well as the ad for Sears saying “America Shops at Sears” or “Gentleman Prefer Hanes” Oh really? says who? Sears and Hanes? I don’t shop at Sears and I prefer a women is blue jeans riding a horse bareback. God that’s hot.
    The democrats better figure it out and damn fast that this anti-gun agenda is going to cost them in the next election and I don’t give a hoot what any particular poll says what. Polls conducted by the Venus Group based off the planet Mars means zilch to me. It’s just more attempts of the mainstream media to manipulate peoples thinking. It worked since the days of the earliest newspaper, but those days are long over and done.
    Bloombag already knows folks resent him and his attempts at distancing himself from his money trails isn’t working. Hey Bloombag, you’re not that smart and people aren’t that stupid and you can take your money and shove it up your a$$

    • When is the GOP going to realize that women’s issues/choice is a toxic issue as well? Both consider their pet lunacies as sacred quests, or some such. To win decisively, you need to at least downplay your fanaticism. As Obama did, twice!

  8. The Left just does not get it. America is not a communist country. America, supposedly, is capitalist. You work harder and you get ahead.

    Obama has done one, and only one, important thing during his Presidency. He saw that he had all branches of the government in Democrat hands. With that in mind he laid his cards on the table and showed America his vision of the future. I hate to say it, but that was not the hope and change I was hoping for. It seems most Americans agree with me.

    When he showed us all that we were headed for Socialism, ala Europe, he awakened the silent majority of Americans. That became the Tea Party. That is what is driving Trump, Carson, Cruz and Rubio now. The Conservative movement was actually created by Obama, Pelosi (“You have to pass it to see what’s in it.”) and Reid.

    Had they just continued to nickle and dime us to death, if they had been happy with slow, incremental advances in their agenda, they could have won. Instead, Obama totally screwed up (again) and showed everyone what they have in mind.

    Yep, Obama will be known for one thing during his terms as President. Well, he will be known for two things if you count being the Worst President Ever. (Jimmy Carter is thankful for that. He no longer holds that distinction!)

    • In 2009:

      Rasmussen: Young adults prefer capitalism to socialism by … four points
      […]
      Adults under 30 are essentially evenly divided: 37% prefer capitalism, 33% socialism, and 30% are undecided. Thirty-somethings are a bit more supportive of the free-enterprise approach with 49% for capitalism and 26% for socialism. Adults over 40 strongly favor capitalism, and just 13% of those older Americans believe socialism is better…

      It is interesting to compare the new results to an earlier survey in which 70% of Americans prefer a free-market economy. The fact that a “free-market economy” attracts substantially more support than “capitalism” may suggest some skepticism about whether capitalism in the United States today relies on free markets.
      […]
      hotair.com/archives/2009/04/09/rasmussen-young-adults-prefer-capitalism-to-socialism-by-four-points/

      In 2015:

      Democrats divided on what’s best, Socialism or Capitalism
      […]
      Rasmussen Reports found that 66 percent of Democrats view Capitalism favorably and 56 percent view Socialism favorably, proving that both philosophies are embraced.
      […]
      By comparison, 80 percent of Republicans strongly embrace Capitalism, while just 12 percent have a favorable view of Socialism.
      […]
      http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/democrats-divided-on-whats-best-socialism-or-capitalism/article/2575231

      • I think the word “capitalism” brings, to most peoples’ minds, the concept better known as “crony capitalism” where people get rich(er) by getting the government to do them favors by quashing competition, getting sweetheart political deal, etc.

        None of which has anything to do with a truly free market. Robbing peter to pay paul is not a free market. Neither is robbing paul to pay peter. The point needs to be made that corporate welfare is NOT, properly, a part of a capitalist system.

        We actually agree with the proggies that corporate welfare is bad. The problem is, they think A) that’s a part of capitalism and B) that such government favoritism towards elites will magically disappear once they are in charge, when the fact is, if the government has MORE power than it has today, there will be more favors to be sold and more reason for connected people to buy OR sell them. This sort of thing is dramatized not only in Atlas Shrugged but also Ayn Rand’s novel of early soviet Russia (which is based on what she got to see personally), We The Living.

        • If politicians were required to wear sponsor’s name on their suits like NASCAR drivers, more people would understand exactly how crony out “capitalism” is…

      • Polls have shown, convincingly, that 98% of young adults have no idea what the terms “capitalism and socialism” mean. Asking which they prefer is nonsense.

  9. I hope they haven’t learned their lesson. The fewer of them there are in office, the more secure our country’s future.

  10. A two seat majority is not a resounding victory. The anti-freedom progressives already know they need only win one senate seat to control the senate. Expect a radical push for more immigrants into Virginia, especially the northern counties, where all the government types live in order to avoid rubbing up against the permanent underclass that is DC, proper.

  11. Except that using the F-35 as an example is not appropriate at all. The F-35 is the poster child for what’s wrong with the Pentagon and Congress. “Totally awesome”? No. Totally embarrassing. If you had used it in that context, then that might make more sense when compared to just how embarrassing Bloomberg and his sycophants are.

  12. I disagree with this statement: “What did Bloomberg and his statist minions learn from the voters in Virginia? Nothing. Some people never learn.”

    The dingleberry in the story was quoted thusly: “The gun thing — I would have done it differently,” Sen. J. Chapman “Chap” Petersen (D-Fairfax) said.

    And by “done it differently” he means “Next time I’m going to lie out my butt and hopefully fool some of the Fudds who vote Democrat.” This is what the clever ones do.

  13. There’s nothing they could have done, ads or not. The VA Citizen’s Defense League (VCDL), our state gun rights organization, really got the vote out on this one. Especially in a low turnout election like that one (only about 22 percent IIRC) getting a sizable number of gun owners out to the polls made all the difference.

  14. Totally awesome F 35 Program. Seriously, are you kidding me with that? What an enormous mess and waste of taxpayer dollars. Another kickback laced with cronyism to Lockheed and others. There are dozens of variants because of palm greasing that has resulted in numerous different contractors making parts that don’t interchange. The much touted VTOL feature is never used, because it can only be used with no payload and only a half full fuel tank.

  15. I think there is about to be an anti-Democrat backlash all over the Country in November 2016. Even in ultra commie Kalifornia the incumbent Sheriff of San Francisco, Ross Mirkarimi, who defended the Sanctuary City and refused to hand-over Kate Steinle’s murderer to ICE, which would have prevented her death, lost his re-election in mega-commie San Francisco.
    I encourage Hilary C to Campaign on Gun Control so we can get the truth in front of the American People, particularly now that CNBC has exposed the Leftist controlled News Media for the Democratic Socialist controlled shill it is.
    With regards to the VA Election I think it was a combination of backlash against the Democrats exacerbated by the Bloomberg-financed Gun Control push that influenced the outcome.

  16. Gecker didn’t win all of Richmond city or much of Chesterfield county. He was a weak candidate with an unappealing message before taking Bloomberg’s money. Hey, never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.

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