Bloomberg's gun control group targets VA state races

[AlanM]

Bloomberg's gun control group targets Virginia state races

Billionaire Michael Bloomberg's gun control advocacy group is pouring $2.2 million into TV ads backing two Virginia candidates for state Senate, in a bid to wrest control of the chamber from Republicans.

A victory on Tuesday by one of the Democrats backed by Bloomberg's Everytown for Gun Safety would switch control of the 40-seat Senate in the state, home of the powerful National Rifle Association gun lobby.

That could be a big boost for Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe, a gun control advocate who is seeking legislative victories as he heads presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's election effort in Virginia.

"Guns are always a hot-button issue in Virginia," said Stephen Farnsworth, a political analyst at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg. "It's a wise investment to put money in a campaign that matters."

The Virginia races are an Everytown national focus in the off-year election. The issue of gun control has gained a higher profile nationally after a spate of mass shootings, and President Barack Obama has called gun deaths a "political choice."

Everytown has bought $1.5 million in TV ads to back Jeremy McPike, an Alexandria city administrator, in his campaign against Republican Hal Parrish, a mayor in Washington's suburbs.

The advocacy group founded by Bloomberg, a media tycoon and former New York mayor, also is pouring $700,000 into ads for Dan Gecker, who faces Republican lawyer Glen Sturtevant in a Richmond-area district. Both races are for seats from which incumbents are retiring.

[OakRidgeStars]

My beloved home state of Virginia is so blue now I hardly recognize it. I'm afraid we have some hard lessons to learn over the next 5 - 6 years.

[Reverenddel]

Agreed, but Yesterday's election?

I think we're finally telling those that have come to our Commonwealth. "Here, we draw the line. We're done being Southern Polite, while you ruin our culture, communities, and home state. Either accept you're ways are not our ways, or leave in disgust."

[M1A4ME]

Don't just leave. Leave and never show you face here again, even for a vacation/visit.

We don't like you. We don't agree with you. We don't want your ways/beliefs to dirty the places where our families live/work.

Go away. Stay away. Stay in your own toilet and learn to like it. Don't try to "share your wealth" as it's not wealth down here, it's what floats in the toilet you live in.

Sorry if that offended anyone down here, hopefully it tells those jerks how I feel and I don't care if they're offended.

[SHMIV]

Reminds me of the bumper sticker on my first van.

It said:

"Teach a Yankee to drive; point his car north!"

Added bonus, it featured a Confederate battle flag.

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[seeknulfind]

Uh, excuse me but, just because someone was born up north doesn't mean s/he is your enemy.

I don't know about you but my ancestors were immigrants. Most had a Celtic heritage. While you would be hard pressed to guess that if you met me, THEY didn't immediately abandon their roots when they landed on US soil.

The same holds true for emigrants. I came to Virginia looking for economic opportunity. What little of said opportunity in the VERY conservative region of the People's Republic of New York existed where I grew up was and still is throttled by the communists in power.

Believe me, I do NOT want to see what happened to New York happen here! And yet I see Virginia becoming more and more blue as time goes on.

You want me to leave? If attitudes like I see in this thread persist you may get your wish. I daresay my departure will not leave this commonwealth more conservative but more liberal.

I would rather stay and fight shoulder to shoulder with you for the conservative values I believe I share with many of you. But be forewarned I will no more conform to all of your ideals any more than I expect you to conform to all of mine. In other words, I reserve my God-given right to disagree with you as I respect your own God-given right to disagree with me.

Now if you can set aside the fact that I was born in the North, I'd like to share some of my own thoughts about what is happening to Virginia from my experience as well as from a lifetime of observation and reflection. (if you can't get over the fact that I am a "Yankee" then feel free to ignore me.)

First and maybe most importantly, I am not sure there is any escaping this communist horde bearing down on us - our commonwealth and our nation. Okay, so I sound like a crackpot because I've decided to refuse to sugarcoat my words.

IF we are to defeat this common enemy, we MUST see them for what they are and WHY they are.

All of this is about Power and Money.

These "progressives", these "moderates", these "liberals" - whatever you want to call them, they all bow to the Keynesian economic model. John Maynard Keynes was a communist. His economic theories, which are now in practice, are communist by nature. The State controls everything. This is their mantra. This is what they live for. This is the lie they cling to. The "State" they so dearly love is not the "People's Paradise" they dream of. It is power in the hands of those few at the top of the heap. This is true in North Korea. It is true in China. It is true in Russia. It is true in the United States of America. (More on this last in a bit.)

Our fight is not with communists. It is with those who wield this political and economic weapon. Ultimately and in actuality our fight is spiritual and therefore victory is already assured. But just as our forefathers secured our constitutional rights in the Revolutionary War, I cannot say that our only course is to abandon the economic and political battles ahead to focus on the spiritual.

If you look, really LOOK at our political system you will see the truth staring us in the face all along. Ask yourself this: could you right now, decide you wanted to serve the commonwealth by running for political office? If the office is local - then the answer is possibly "yes". But what are the realities of running for any higher office? Look.

My point is that "representing the people" in a state or federal elected position is mostly in the hands of one of two political parties. And those parties are run in back rooms by people most of us could not name. "We the people" is more fantasy than reality.

This is the first reality we must all face.

The second reality is more frightening because it appears beyond anyone's control. A steam engine fully stoked with no brakes heading for a crowded square. This reality? Population.

In 1965 the US population was under 200 million. In 2015 it is over 318 million and growing. And yet many rural areas are declining in population. While cities seem to be actually shrinking, the suburbs are booming. But the heart of conservative ideals - our rural areas is drying up before our eyes.

One fact I am not sure I can counter is the greater the population density the more liberal the population. I do not know if this is reversible. Even in my hometown, the village I lived in tended toward the liberal while the surrounding town was conservative. It seems the larger the population center is the more liberal they become.

Thus our other battlefront is the hearts and minds of the population. People who tend to think more government is good, more laws will protect them, and it is okay to give up one's rights for the sake of "security". Unless we can convince them the price they pay for more and more government is too high, all our efforts may be futile.

So the first question to ask is... are you willing to put up a fight or do you just want to piss and moan on a forum?

Assuming you want to do something other than complain - what CAN you do?

First, know your enemy. As I said before, your enemy is not me, even if I was born on the wrong side of the tracks.

Overall the enemy is the devil - a supernatural being seeking whom he may devour. He is devious and will use anyone and anything he can... even you and I. Keep this in mind because EVERY TACTIC, EVERY STRATEGY DEPLOYED AGAINST US WAS AUTHORED BY THIS EVIL SPIRITUAL CREATURE. I will go no deeper into this. If you come to understand this, fine. But if you reject it or don't care about it then I ask you to just continue on anyway.

This enemy motivates our earthly enemies using money and power. Money is a means to power. While money and greed alone motivates many at the lower levels, power is the drug of choice of the upper echelons. (Note: only power means anything to the spiritual enemy)

For decades I believed in working within the system. I registered Republican and participated in that party believing I could make a difference - believing my opinion counted. It did not. I not only no longer believe this but I am convinced it matters not what party one cares to support. In the end any party that comes to a position of power will become corrupt. So what is left?

Surprisingly, technology may have the answer.

What if electronic communication teamed up with the lowly write-in vote?

Anybody could run for any office - AND PRESENT THEIR CASE ON A SHOESTRING BUDGET.

While I have many thoughts and ideas on this, at this point I'm asking you to simply consider the possibilities.

You don't have to run for any office. You don't have to do anything really. Just let the idea stew for a bit. If anything comes to mind, post your ideas. Yes, even if you disagree. I almost asked naysayers to abstain but in retrospect, I think any debate on this idea would be helpful. Maybe it simply will not work. Okay. What WILL work then?

Andy

P.S. About the what I alluded to concerning communists in the United States of America. Granted, you will hear few people in this country stand up and declare themselves to be Communist or openly embrace communist ideals. But the fact remains that for the past 100 years we have systematically handed over more and more of our constitutional rights others and have allowed for more and more state control of everything. This has filtered down to now our own real property rights are dictated by overzealous zoning officers and committees. In one county (that I know of) right here in Virginia one must apply for a permit to camp on their own property. I don't know about you but no one ever asked me what I thought of the idea (now building code if I understand correctly) that says that every electrical outlet in my house must be the same brand to comply with said code. These are just two examples of how long these controlling fingers reach.

My point is we may not call it "communism" but whatever name is popular at the moment the result is the same - the law of our land is no longer of the people or by the people. I contend we are at the point where we decide to act or resign ourselves to the reality of our failure to act.

[MarcSpaz]

seeknulfind, that was a long and shameful rant for someone who clearly misunderstood the meaning of the pots. Its not toward people escaping the Libs and Socialism of the north. It is directed specifically toward the politicians spending millions and millions trying to come down here and screw up our state, because they aren't satisfied with wrecking such a small area of people. They have to force their will on the world.

I'd hate to say it, but with you crappy attitude, failure to accurately read and understand the comments here... maybe you are the type of carpetbagger that's not wanted in VA. I don't know... I'll give you the. Benefit of the doubt for now.

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[seeknulfind]

MarkSpaz,

Thank you for taking the time to respond.

It appears something I posted struck some sort of raw nerve. My apologies if I offended you in any way.

My own nature is to be blunt so maybe I was trying to be too subtle.

All I meant to say was "While I was born in the north, please do not count all of us with the Bloombergs of the world."

If you re-read some of the posts before my own, you may see where one might get that impression. As someone who IS from the north, I may also be overly sensitive to the many comments I've heard and read throughout the years about us with no distinction made.

And now I've dedicated as much space to this subject as I had previously. The rest of that post concerns how we here who are conservative may try to turn things around.

[WRW]

I, personally, think that the threat to "take marbles and leave" was a bit much.

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[MarcSpaz]

seeknulfind... I was born and raised in Providence Rhode Island. I know all about being a Northerner. Most of the members that are here in this forum daily know it too; yet I am a heartily welcomed member of the community. The folks here don't care about where you're from. They care about your morals and principles.

There is nothing wrong with being from the North East if you come here and assimilate. I came south of the Mason Dixon to get away from the crazies... not to bring that garbage with me and mess this place up. The complaint isn't that everyone in the North is somehow a problem. The complaint is we don't want Northern Socialist coming here messing with our way of life.

And you didn't strike a nerve. You made a comment that echoes the sentiment of defending the Northern Socialists and made a point to imply (twice now) that other members attacked you or said that they wanted you to leave. Then you went on a long and misguided rant. I simply pointed out that your whole premise was based on a misunderstanding, I am assuming (I know, don't assume) because you failed to either completely read and/or comprehend what was posted. In my opinion, you are actually guilty of what you accused the other members of doing. I was trying to point out the hypocrisy I saw in your post.

[seeknulfind]

MarcSpaz - your comments are duly noted.

[kelu]

I don't think people here judge other by where they were born. For instance, I was born and raised in full blown communism, but I'm more conservative that a redneck.

[MarcSpaz]

Hahaha! Exactly my point!

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