NRA endorses Tim Walz, MN Dem (DFL) Congressman

[Wickerman]

I've often been critical of the NRA endorsing Republicans over Democrats but for this one I'll give credit where credit is due.

Walz is a fine man and a very able politician. He acts for constituents interests, not for his own. His work on farm bills and veterans issues has been brilliant and his in his first term his opposition to Bush was a breath of fresh air. Hearing him speak a few times over the last several years has been inspiring; he is articulate (nice switch from Bush and the other mumblers we've been subjected to) and inspires confidence. I look for him to run for Senate with a few more terms under his belt.

http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=16&a=361246

NRA endorses Walz

Democratic Congressman Tim Walz scored a political coup last week, receiving the endorsement of the National Rifle Association's Political Action Fund.

The Walz campaign was clearly pleased with the development since the organization typically gives its endorsement to Republicans, which are often thought of as the NRA's staunchest supporters. A Walz aide cited the endorsement as proof of the freshman congressman's centrist orientation and ability to work in a bipartisan fashion.

"During his first term in the House, Congressman Walz consistently supported the constitutional rights of law-abiding gun owners and sportsman and demonstrated a strong commit to the second amendment and our country's rich hunting heritage," said Chris W. Cox, chairman of NRA-PVF. "Because of his unwavering pro-gun support, Tim Walz earned an 'A' rating and an endorsement from NRA-PVF."

http://www.timwalz.org/

-snip-
After 24 years in the Army National Guard, Command Sergeant Major Walz retired from the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion in the spring of 2005. Prior to retiring, Walz served overseas with his battalion in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

-snip-

Prior to his retirement, Tim Walz was the highest ranking enlisted National Guard soldier in southern Minnesota. In 1989, Walz earned a B.S. in social science education from Chadron State College in Nebraska. That year he earned the title of Nebraska Citizen-Soldier of the Year.
(edit - removed pic, too big, don't have access to editing stuff at the moment)

-snip-
Walz helped coach the Mankato West High School football team to two state championships in four years. Over the years, Walz has also served as a visiting Fellow of International Relations at the Macau Polytechnic University, a position that helped develop his knowledge of China’s unique international status.

-snip-

[one-eyed fat man]

1. Pro-gun, veteran, NRA endorsed..................

sounds just like the kind of Democrat DU has banned to the Gungeon. I like him already.

[Wickerman]

2. wow, nice vitriol for the first post in the thread.

look around the board, there are pro-gun veterans all over it. I have no idea why you would offer that slur of DU and DU policies. Yes, discussions of guns are most often kept in the Gungeon. Vets, like myself, and pro-gun folks, and a mix of both, are free to travel wherever they like on DU. If one chooses to only post on guns, then yeah, most of your posts will be in the Gungeon. :eyes:

You are free to post anywhere on DU.

Did you miss this thread yesterday?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x7162298
One of many threads that support Veterans.

Somewhere here in the gungeon there are links to numerous polls that show DUers personally tend to own guns.

Before you slam DU get your facts straight. And/or, venture out on the big boards a bit, 'kay?

[one-eyed fat man]

12. you may be right

perhaps my perception that, DESPITE the numbers of veterans and gun-owners, the attitude on SOME other parts of the board that we aren't real Democrats is just hyper-sensitivity. Or maybe it was just tongue-in cheek way of saying I think pro-gun veterans share more of my Democratic values. Whatever blows your skirt up!

[aikoaiko]

3. Good on you for posting this Wickerman.

:hi:

and cheers for Democratic Congressman Tim Walz. May you win all your elections and live a long life.

[jody]

4. Thanks, Project Vote Smart “Guns Issue”, has ratings of GOA, NRA, Brady, and Coalition to Stop Gun

Violence by party.

Project Vote Smart “Guns Issue”

I've been looking at the contrast of congressperson positions on RKBA in various states

Northeast states; e.g. NY, MA, NJ; tend toward "A" by anti-gun groups and "F" by pro-gun groups.

Other states; e.g. PA, OH, MI; tend toward "F" by anti-gun groups and "A" by pro-gun groups.

IMO that's a strong message for any presidential candidate.

[jody]

5. More on state views of RKBA

Project Vote Smart “Guns Issue”

More on MN campaign.
Project Vote Smart shows for MN congresspersons:
2006 NRA rated
2 @ A
1 @ B
1 @ C
1 @ F

2002 Brady rated
1 @ 100
1 @ 64
1 @ 21
1 @ 11

Project Vote Smart shows for MA congresspersons:
2006 NRA rated
1 @ D
9 @ F

2002 Brady rated
11 @ 100

Project Vote Smart shows for PA congresspersons:
2006 NRA rated
11 @ A
4 @ F

2002 Brady rated
3 @ 100
1 @ 88
1 @ 66
8 @ 0-28

[SteveM]

6. Thanks. This is the kind of thing that works...

I think one-eyed fat man may have confused the rattlings of a VERY few gun-control contributors, demanding consignment to the nether reaches, with a policy by DU. The movement of threads here & there on occasion seems reasonable enough. But I agree with Fat Man's sentiments regarding Tim Walz!

[iverglas]

7. can you tell us the chance of him being elected

i.e. w/o the NRA endorsement?

The NRA having a sharp eye to which side its bread is buttered on, and all.

[spin]

8. The NRA supports candidates who are pro-gun...

Just as NOW supports candidates who are pro-abortion.

The day that the NRA supports an anti-gun candidate will probably be the same day NOW endorses Sarah Paulin.

[iverglas]

9. I give up

The day that the NRA supports an anti-gun candidate

What might this have to do with ... anything?

Do we know of any races in which the NRA doesn't endorse anybody? I'll bet we do.

I'll bet there just might be situations in which the Republican who is likely to lose is more, uh, "pro-gun" than the Democrat who is likely to win, and the NRA just doesn't endorse anybody at all.

Whence my question.

[spin]

10. True, sometimes the NRA will not endorse a candidate...

in a race.

The NRA doesn’t always endorse a candidate. If you can remember back to 1996, the Republican Candidate, Senator Bob Dole, failed to earn the NRA’s endorsement because of his decision to flip-flop on a ban on assault rifles, eventually coming down on the wrong side of the NRA.
http://ktracy.com/?p=1824

The NRA ratings for 2008 will come out on Oct. 1. I'm really interested in how they rate John McCain.

Those voters who put a lot of emphasis on the second amendment and traditionally vote Republican may be in for a rude surprise when they look into the record of John McCain. As it turns out, Senator McCain’s record on the Second Amendment is sketchy at best, earning him only a C from the prestigious National Rifle Association (NRA).

The NRA has the distinct privilege of being the nation’s oldest civil rights organization. But that doesn’t mean they’ll necessarily be backing the oldest presidential candidate. In fact, there’s another candidate with a far better record than Senator McCain on issues relating to gun rights and the Second Amendment.

That candidate is Bob Barr, who proudly sports an A+ rating from the NRA for every year of the man’s career in the United States Congress. That’s no small accomplishment and gun owners and advocates of the Second Amendment, who are among the most well informed voting blocks in the country, are going to realize how inadequate John McCain is to represent them on issues important to them.
http://ktracy.com/?p=1824

One of the reasons McCain might have put Sarah Paulin on the ticket is to stop Bob Barr from gaining the NRA endorsement.

Enter Sarah Palin, a lifetime member of the NRA and now the Republican nominee for Vice President. She is well known in conservative circles for her staunch support of gun rights. Certainly selecting her is reassuring to the NRA.

While I'm not suggesting that the NRA's endorsement of a Presidential candidate was the only factor in McCain picking Palin, the mere possibility that they might have endorsed Barr very well could be a much bigger factor than the mainstream media and the Republican Party will ever admit.

Could it be that he's courting the NRA to make sure that they don't end up not endorsing anyone for President? That too is a possibility. This author can not say exactly what they were thinking. These are questions that only the McCain campaign can answer. Hopefully they will be asked and answered honestly.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Did-McCain-Choose-Palin-As-by-Darren-Wolfe-080830-375.html

[russ1943]

18. Questions raised over McCain's NRA endorsement

The National Rifle Association's endorsement of Sen. John McCain over former Georgia congressman and NRA board member Bob Barr has raised questions over whether the gun rights organization has betrayed traditional allegiances in endorsing a Republican over the principles of its members.

As such, the group's decision to endorse McCain has left some supporters puzzled. McCain isn't an NRA member.

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Questions_raised_over_McCains_NRA_endorsement_1013.html


The Raw Story

[ManiacJoe]

19. Based on what I have read here and elsewhere,

the better interpretation of "McCain's endorsement" might be "best option against Obama" given the two track records, mostly picking the lesser of two bads.

[tburnsten]

20. I think so too

In the magazine I get from them, have to be a member to join the local range, while they do have plenty of commentary about Obama's shortcomings on the Second Amendment, I can't recall ever reading anything pro-McCain either. Definitely feels less like support for mccain and more like distrust of Obama's multiple claimed stances on firearms vs his documented voting record and things he has said and supported in the past.

If only he could take a strong, meaningful position to not try to modify existing firearms laws, we already have 20,000 of them, criminal enforcement would achieve all the goals of gun control far more effectively except civilian disarmament. And if he could repeal the executive order stopping the importation of surplus ammunition as well, I think the NRA would switch to support for him. That has ruined many recreational shooters ability to shoot for hours, cheaply.

[one-eyed fat man]

11. NRA endorsements

Looking at local elections, the only consistent "favoritism" I have seen is that with two equally rated pro-gun candidates they generally favor the incumbent, regardless of party. "Dee" Huddleston had consistently strong NRA endorsements as a Democrat before he lost his Senate seat to Mitch McConnell. Bill Natcher, KY-2nd District, had the NRA's endorsement until he died in office.

I have seen races where the NRA endorsed no one because both were anti-gun.

I'll bet there just might be situations in which the Republican who is likely to lose is more, uh, "pro-gun" than the Democrat who is likely to win, and the NRA just doesn't endorse anybody at all.

I think you ask the wrong question. Endorsements are free. I would wager the NRA would still give it's endorsement but would apply the "triage" method of campaign contributions. No point in spending money on either races that are "in the bag" or absolute "lost causes." Just like the ANY advocacy group does.

[Chevy05truck]

13. As gun owners; we deserve better than Obama!

Richardson would have been the best candidate. Hell Hillary would have been better than Obama and his gun record. I'm betting he changes his tune after the election.

[pipoman]

14. We deserve better than Obama?

Of all the issues we are facing would you rather vote for Mc*? As most anyone here will tell you, I am pretty pro 2nd . There are quite few pro 2nd Dems on Capitol Hill. We should be lobbying them instead of knocking down our one imminent chance for the Presidency. If anti 2nd legislation never makes it off the hill O will not be signing any. I would have liked to see O choose someone other than the most anti 2nd person on the hill as his running mate, but dream teams in Presidential elections just rarely happen.

[derby378]

16. Gotta disagree with you there

Hillary voted in favor of confiscating firearms from law-abiding Americans during a natural disaster. Obama voted to prevent it. So at least there's that difference.

[davepc]

21. Get bent

[DonP]

15. Another D from the NRA - Halvorson (D) in the Illinois 11th endorsed by NRA for Congress

The race for our congressional seat (G. Weller R, 11th district "retiring" in disgrace) has become hot and heavy over the last few weeks with a bunch of 527 groups mailing stuff every day from both sides.

I was pleasantly surprised when I received a mailing Saturday from the NRA and the ISRA that endorses Debbie Halvorson (D) for Congress in the 11th over the Republican. The Republican is a member of the ISRA but doesn't have a voting record.

Debbie has an A rating from both the NRA and the ISRA and has repeatedly voted against the Illinois version of the AWB and 10 round magazine limitations in the State Senate as well as a number of other of Daley's pet gun control bills.

In fact, in the attached material in the mailer the ISRA has endorsed an equal number of Dems as they have R's for the Illinois State Senate.

It's been said here many times before, the NRA will endorse the candidate from either party that has the best record of voting for gun rights and supporting the 2nd. If neither party has an established candidate running they will choose the one that responds to their questions best or sit out a race if it's not clear.

[TxRider]

17. As has been said...

If the dem party dropped the gun control issue and embraced Heller... The party would be on easy street right now.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

22. Kicked