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Gun Control and Secessionitis

And now for something completely different…

Now that the campaign is over and Barack Obama has emerged victorious, we must now consider the far-left proposals he is bound to enact now that the pandering is over. Though President-Elect Obama has repudiated gun control for the purposes of the election, it is likely he will return to form soon enough. Throughout his barely mediocre legislative career, Obama was a champion of gun control in all its various forms. In 1998 Obama proposed banning all semi-automatic weapons (which is most of them short of hunting rifles) as well as keeping all firearms out of the inner city (never mind how he would be able to achieve this). Now are we likely to see a new assault-rifle ban or hand gun ban? Moreover, what is the likelihood that Obama appoints anti-gun Justices to the Supreme Court (count on it)? In any case, it is probable that Second Amendment rights will come under attack by Obama and his Democratic colleagues in the Congress. Beyond the expected protests and waves of indignation that will emanate from the NRA and gun owners, another unexpected consequence may complicate Obama’s crusade to protect us from ourselves: secessionitis.

The voice of reason…but for how long?

Ok, so I can already gauge the reaction of readers out there. What state in their right mind would threaten secession over gun control? As amazing as it may seem (or not) the State of Montana has threatened secession once before over Second Amendment issues. I am not speaking of a few militia nuts or libertarians; I am referring to a joint resolution from the legislature of Montana warning the Supreme Court that they would secede from the Union if the proper decision was not reached in the recent D.C. vs. Heller case.

If Obama returns to form and begins an assault on gun rights will we see Montana once again threaten secession? Would other states use the Second Amendment as a pretext for secession? It is no secret that several states already have secessionist movements. Groups in Texas have longed cherished a dream of independence ever since Texas joined the Union and agitate for it still (though with no real success). Alaska has a substantial secessionist movement in the form of the Alaska Independence Party that, incidentally, has already elected a governor in the recent past (Hickell in 1992).

Old timey beards prevent the AIP from garnering more than 10% of the vote.

Though the possibility of secession remains remote, Montana’s recent resolution reveals that the polarization of partisan views in the US is more than politics and is a real symptom of a vast difference of opinion as to the very nature of the United States. Are we a nation built upon a pioneering spirit and the can-do spirit of Horatio Alger? Or are we a nation that must improve on its rustic origins and join with the nations of Europe and have the government guarantee a certain standard of living for all citizens? If the latter were to occur is there a right to secession based on an attitude of “I didn’t leave America, America left me?” Questions to ponder, as far-fetched as they may be, though it wouldn’t be the first time the election of a President has created a bout of secessionitis.

Monday, November 10th, 2008 Across the US, Obama, Random 2 Comments

5 reasons why some might believe the rumor that Joe Biden is stepping down

If you’re a news junkie like me, odds are you’ve seen a couple dozen stories discussing a rumor that Joe Biden is planning on stepping out of the race in a few days, citing “health reasons”.

The rumor as mentioned on AssociatedContent.com:

“On or about October 5, 2008, Joe Biden will announce his resignation from the race as Barack Obama’s vice presidential running mate. He will cite health reasons and quietly withdraw. Hillary Clinton is poised to take his place as the Democratic vice presidential candidate. Or so this latest rumor goes.”

Obviously this isn’t the first time that rumors have been started about candidates that have turned out to be nothing, and I guarantee that this won’t be the last.

However, it’s not hard for someone to make an argument that would make this rumor seem like it could be a possibility.

While I am not completely confident in the rumor, here are five things that could lead people to believe that Joe Biden will be leaving the race:

1. - Joe Biden hasn’t been a staunch supporter of the activities of the campaign his name on. Here is Joe Biden commenting on an anti-McCain commercial recently run by his campaign (not a 527): ”

Asked about the negative tone of the campaign, and this ad in particular, during an interview broadcast Monday by the “CBS Evening News,” Obama’s running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, said he disapproved of it. “I thought that was terrible, by the way,” Biden said.

2. - There is no doubt whatsoever that Joe Biden is a “family first” kind of guy. Even after his kids grew up, he still came back to Delaware every night to spend time with his family and always did what he could to keep his family close. Now that he is running for Vice President, his family has been a prime target for the RNC, particularly his lobbyist son Hunter who according to the RNC:

was until recently a registered Washington lobbyist whose clients received earmarks from Obama, and Federico Pena, Obama’s campaign co-chairman who has close ties to big electricity.

Random commentary: Honestly, I’ve always thought that this was a pointless argument by the RNC, because I’m quite confident that I can connect Hunter Biden to some of the lobbyists working for McCain. This whole lobbyist argument is getting old anyway, so focus on the issues!

3. - Even Joe Biden himself has said that he thinks Hillary Clinton might have been a better choice than him for the VP:

“Make no mistake about this,” said Biden. “Hillary Clinton is as qualified or more qualified as I am … She’s qualified to be president of the United States of America and easily qualified to be vice president of the United States of America. And quite frankly, it might have been a better pick than me.”

While some might argue that this was just Joe Biden being humble, the tone of his voice really had me thinking that he believed what he was saying.

4. - Joe Biden doesn’t agree with Barack Obama on a variety of core issues, and it’s starting to show:

Asked by NBC’s Meredith Vieira whether the Fed should bail out insurance giant AIG, the senator said no: “I don’t think they should be bailed out by the federal government.” Unfortunately, the remark had more in common with McCain’s initial position on the bailout (instinctive opposition) than Obama’s carefully cultivated claim that he would not “second-guess” the government. When the bailout went through, both Biden and McCain bowed to reality. But the shift left Obama in a tricky position-as Matt Lauer pointed out this morning on “Today.” Noting that Obama had been hitting McCain for flip-flopping on the AIG bailout, Lauer asked the Illinois senator how he could criticize his Republican rival when his own running mate had made the same mistake. His answer? “I think Joe should have waited, as well.” Awkward.

Random commentary: Why does the media consider any deviation from talking-points as a gaffe? Is honesty or an individual point of view no longer allowed in the political arena?

5. - One could argue that even the Obama campaign seems to be reluctant to put Biden’s name on key campaign materials:

In a controversial move sure to upset millions of people, Barack Obama’s campaign has decided to forgo the traditional time-wasting distribution of chum (yard signs, bumper stickers, etc.) to try and win the election.

Random commentary: As a former campaign staffer, I understand the argument for forgoing the campaign signs. They take up a lot of time, and if both sides are good at what they’re doing, those signs wont be in people’s yards anyway come election day ;)

In conclusion, yes, I can see how over the past few weeks some might see Joe Biden’s departure as an inevitable event. However, Barack Obama is still beating John McCain in many polls, and it appears that Obama still may be gaining some momentum. While I don’t think that Biden is essential for Obama’s victory, I don’t necessarily see him doing much damage to the campaign either.

While there are a variety of things that make this rumor seem more legitimate, at present I have a hard time believing it. But as this post reflects, I can’t rule anything out.

Blogs covering the “Biden Rumor:”

Is your blog covering this story? If so, mention it in the comments and include a direct link to your post!

Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 Across the US, Beltway Politics, Campaign '08, Democrats, Joe Biden, John McCain, Liberals, Obama, RNC, Random 6 Comments

CNN.com Homepage Randomness

I guess this is just my overly-analytic mind in action once again, but doesn’t it seem odd to release these two stories (1, 2) at the same time? (see image below)

digg story

Wednesday, June 18th, 2008 Random 5 Comments