Reply #34: With the right candidate, yes. [View All]

[benEzra]

I'm in Towns County which is about as red as it gets, but I still get so tired of being ignored in national elections. I hear more and more from people who supported * and now regret it, but they often go on to say, "but I can't vote for a Dem because they will take our guns away" or some such nonsense.

Depends on the candidate. S.1431/H.R.2038 was a big deal in 2004, and Brady II was a big deal in the mid-'90s through '00. Yes, those would have banned a lot of people's guns. But look at the Webb/Macacawitz race in Virginia in '06; Webb successfully got the issue off the table by ruling out more bans and whatnot, and running on the other issues.

But with the right candidate, a lot of southern states are definitely in play. I'm in NC, and it should be pointed out that Mike Easley (D) beat his repub opponent 55%/45%, even as the same voters rejected Kerry/Edwards 45%/55% (despite the fact that Edwards is from NC). But our state government is solidly blue.


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Dems and the Gun Issue - Now What? (written in '04, largely vindicated in '06, IMO).