Monday, December 20, 2010

In defeat, Strickland shows the NRA his true colors

This fall, to the frustration of many conservatives, Ted Strickland won the endorsement of the National Rifle Association and Buckeye Firearms Association.

According to the NRA, Strickland earned an A+ for being "a legislator with not only an excellent voting record on all critical NRA issues, but who has also made a vigorous effort to promote and defend the Second Amendment."

Well, it seems his bitter loss this past November has helped show Ted Strickland's true colors.

Twice the Governor had an opportunity to put forth a "vigorous effort to promote and defend the second amendment". Twice he failed.

First came the opportunity presented to Strickland from State Representative Danny Bubp:
Rep. Danny Bubp says he has collected the 50 signatures needed to force a House floor vote on a controversial bill that would allow Ohio permit holders to carry concealed handguns into bars and other places that serve alcohol.

The West Union Republican, is utilizing a rare discharge petition to force a pair of bills out of a House committee and into the full House, circumventing Speaker Armond Budish's control of the matter. Both bills have already passed the Senate.
This is a bill that would have passed the House and been sent to the Governor for signature, if just given the opportunity by Speaker Budish.

While the Governor announced he would sign the bill, he never utilized the bully pulpit to call for his fellow Democrat to allow the bill to go to the floor for a vote. It was so simple. If Strickland had publicly lobbied the Speaker, the pressure would have been too great and Budish would have needed to relent. Alas, he didn't, and Budish never reconvened the House, leaving the bill to die. Is that a "vigorous effort"?

But it's Strickland's appointment to the Ohio Supreme Court that was a full-on moon to the NRA and Buckeye Firearms Association.

In mid-December, Ted Strickland appointed his running mate, Yvette McGee Brown, to the highest court in Ohio.

Yvette McGee Brown received an F from the NRA.

What do F's mean? "True enemy of gun owners' rights. A consistent anti-gun candidate who always opposes gun owners' rights and/or actively leads anti-gun legislative efforts, or sponsors anti-gun legislation."

And this is the person Ted Strickland deems most qualified to interpret and rule on Ohio's gun laws.

When he appointed her, the Governor said Brown would be "a wise and compassionate voice for the most vulnerable."

With all due respect, that's ri-damn-diculous.

The job description of a Supreme Court Justice has nothing to do with working to represent one constituency over another. Instead it requires interpreting the law equally and fairly, no matter who it affects.

So is this appointment Strickland's way of putting forth a "vigorous effort to promote and defend the second amendment"?

Absolutely not.

In fact, it's just the opposite. His rationale for appointing her speaks directly to her politics and perspective - not her ability to do her job properly. Well, Governor, her politics and perspective earned her an F from the NRA and you deemed her fit to have a seat on the Supreme Court.

Ted Strickland is not the champion of 2nd amendment activists that they thought he was. And now that he's leaving office, he's shown his true colors.

12 comments:

  1. Funny, the word in the legislature is that Bubp did this at request of Kasich and ORP staff out of fear that Kasich will never sign the bill come January. Can't wait to see what happens.

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  2. Haven't heard that, but it's irrelevant to the topic at hand - that being the genuineness of Strickland's 2nd amendment commitment.

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  3. LOL, I think Keeling just confirmed that as true.

    Keeling, of course, is lying. Strickland, unlike Kasich, publicly called on the General Assembly to immediately pass the law so he could sign it. Where was Kasich?

    The fact of the matter is Governor could publicly express his displeasure all he wanted, Budish wasn't going to allow it to come to a vote, and there was nothing Strickland could do to make him since he's leaving office soon. Budish should be ashamed of intentionally putting his personal will ahead of the majority of the legislature and the Governor.

    The fact that Keeling wait weeks after the House left to come up with this nonsense tells you how important of an issue it was to Kasich's folks. Where's Kasich's statement that he will call on the legislature to quickly pass this bill for him to sign it?

    What, Keeling, you're going to claim Kasich is suddenly biting his tongue?

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  4. Um, Yvette McGee Brown never served in a legislature, so how did she earn an F rating?

    John Kasich also earned an F from the NRA. John Kasich supported D.C. unconstitutional ban on handguns. John Kasich supported a ban on so-called "assault rifles" and then opposed Republican efforts to repeal it numerous times.

    And you encouraged people to vote for him.

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  5. Modern, can you provide a link that shows Strickland publicly calling on the House to pass the bill?

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  6. Keeling, of course, is lying. Strickland, unlike Kasich, publicly called on the General Assembly to immediately pass the law so he could sign it.

    He did? When? Have a link? I really hope that you are right, and that BFA and NRA didn't waste their endorsements on someone who claims they are pro-2A but stays silent when his own party sits on a 2A bill they know would pass.

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  7. Strickand said on multiple occasions that he called on the legislature to pass the bill. Heck, he even said that while Senate Republicans dragged their feet in passing it.

    The fact is that Budish wasn't going to listen to Governor Strickland on this one. Heck, Budish wouldn't even listen to a majority of his colleagues in the House, including fellow Democratic members who were asking Budish to allow a vote before they left office. Strickland wasn't going to go out of his office with being rebuffed publicly by his fellow Democrat in the House leadership. Keeling is planting a red herring to gloss over the real issue:

    Danny Bubp, who tried to give Kasich political cover by filing a frivilous Elections Commission complaint, is again trying to spare Kasich from having to deal with this legislation next year because even he fears Kasich wouldn't sign it.

    Bubp would never had pursued his discharge position in the first place if there wasn't deep concern among gun rights supporters that Kasich would veto such legislation.

    Shows you how much trust Danny Bubp has in Kasich on gun rights legislation than anything else.

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  8. In other words, no, Modern can't give us a link.

    Yet another case of the guy trying to feed us bullshit.

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  9. Exactly, anon.

    Modern can't give us a link, because he's lying and it didn't happen.

    I am a member and a regular reader of the BFA forums. If he had made such a public statement, it certainly would have made news there. It didn't happen.

    Many members were very unhappy about the endorsement, but then figured maybe Stickland would return the favor, and actually do something to earn it.

    Like maybe... PUBLICLY call on Budish to bring the restaurant carry bill to a vote. He didn't.

    While Kasich's 2A record is certainly spotty, Strickland got a lot of cred for votes he made while in Congress. But as governor, he didn't do -squat- to aggressively defend 2A rights.

    Everyone knows that the bill would have passed a floor vote by a wide margin. Budish is anti-gun, so simply never allowed it to get that vote.

    If Strickland deserved the A+ rating and endorsements he enjoyed, he would have publicly pressured Budish to stop burying this bill.

    He didn't. He made fools of the pro-2A groups in Ohio and turned his back on them.

    Whether Kasich will sign them or not, is certainly debateable. But Ted had his chance to back up his pro-2A rhetoric, and he chose not to. Period.

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  10. Gov. Strickland calls for passage of restaurant carry in campaign letter; Contrasts record with his Republican opponent
    http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/7434

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  11. Anon,

    That was from a letter to gun owners way back in the middle of September!

    When the bill was petitioned by Bubp this month, when gun owners needed the Governor most, Strickland was silent. He didn't make any "vigorous effort to promote and defend the Second Amendment", as the NRA said he would.

    He sat on his hands, just like he has his whole time as Governor.

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  12. Anon,

    That letter says "I look forward to signing" it. He does not "call on" the House to move the bill out of committee and give it a floor vote.

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