-> JP> Come November, I intend to PUNISH Bill Clinton for his past,
-> JP> anti-2nd Ammendment actions.  I will do so by casting a vote for
-> JP> the ONE candidate Bill Clinton DOESN'T want me to vote for - the
-> JP> Republican.
->
-> The other side of that coin is that you are rewarding Dole and the
-> RNC.
-> Which is not to say I necessarily disagree with you...
->
-> But after that poltroon announced that he was going back on his
-> promise to repeal the AW ban I'm gonna have a lot more difficulty
-> voting for him in November.
Well, you are 100% right, Paul.  It's obvious that the Republican Party
is taking gun owners's votes for granted.  I believe the late Lee
Atwater was heard to chuckle, "Where are they gonna go, to the
Democrats?"
The problem, as I see it, is LONG-TERM vs SHORT-TERM.  Long-term, we gun
owners would probably be better off if we all said "fuck you, Bob Dole"
and cast a protest vote for the Libertarian Candidate.  If we did this a
few times, The Republicans would learn they can't take us for granted,
and they would have to cater to us to get our votes.
The religious right is using this strategy re: abortion.  The
Republicans know that these people WILL stay home on election day if the
Republicans don't toe their line.  So they're falling all over
themselves to cater to these people.
The problem is, how much short-term damage will we take if we follow
this strategy?
The religious right can get away with this because, after all, they've
got nothing left to lose by staying home.  It's not like (from their
point of view, now) abortion could get any worse than it already is.
That's not true for us gun owners.  For example, the most recent
e-newsletter from the Second Ammendment Foundation included this:
BEGIN QUOTE ***********************************************************
If the gun-banners take control of the next Congress, you can expect a
wide-ranging ban on many different forms of ammunition to be the first
bill that will pass. You can also expect Bill Clinton, if still
president, to sign it enthusiastically.  You can also expect a
crackdown ban on militias with language broad enough to turn any
political discussion at a hunting cabin into a federal felony.
END QUOTE **************************************************************
You can see the dillema.  I'd LOVE to tell Dole to Stick It!
Frankly, I'm beginning to think it's becoming moot.  It appears, so far,
at least, that Dole has screwed this campaign up royally, and that we
are in for four more years of Hillary & Co.
Question is, will there be a "coattail effect" on the Congressional
races?  We really need to work like Hell to keep them from taking
Congress back too.
I'll probably still vote for Dole, if for no other reason than to
qualify for the DON'T BLAME ME I VOTED FOR DOLE bumper sticker I've got
a sick feeling we're gonna be seeing a lot of for the next four years.
"If you are part of a society that votes, then do so.  There may be no
candidates and no measures you want to vote FOR . . . but there are
certain to be ones you want to vote AGAINST.  In case of doubt, vote
AGAINST.  By this rule you will rarely go wrong."
                                                      RAH
Regards
John
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