What the Heck Were Republicans Thinking?

GOP pulled the plug on a die-hard gun rights advocate.

Gun Owners of America
Gun Owners of America

Washington, DC –-(Ammoland.com)- Well, the results from Tuesday’s high-profile gubernatorial elections are in.

A moderate-to-liberal gun control advocate (Chris Christie) won in New Jersey, while a die-hard pro-gun advocate (Ken Cuccinelli) barely lost in Virginia.

Cuccinelli lost a squeaker (48.0 to 45.5 percent), even though he was outspent 4-1 by his anti-gun Democrat opponent, Terry McAuliffe, who was able to blast $15 million more dollars into the state for advertising.

Gun-grabbing advocate, Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City, also pumped in more than a million dollars into the race.

So how did the national GOP counter?  Well, according to The Washington Times, “The Republican National Committee spent six million dollars less this year than it did in 2009 [for Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell]. Cuccinelli was outspent three to one during most of the campaign and as much as ten to one in the closing days.”

During the last two weeks of the race, the Cuccinelli ad campaign went “dark,” as they were unable to answer the vicious lies and attack ads that were filling the northern Virginia airwaves.

Conservatives in Virginia are furious.  Says The Washington Post“The election loss [in Virginia] reignited anger among conservative Republicans who believe that the party’s moderate wing … had not backed up their candidate with money or support.”

Indeed, gun owners wonder if the additional $6 million — that was spent on Bob McDonnell four years ago — would have helped get an additional three percent of the vote for Cuccinelli.

Sadly, while Republicans were holding back in their support of their candidate, the Democrats were funding a third party candidate to take votes away from Cuccinelli.

Libertarian Robert Sarvis received immense help from an Obama-fundraiser, Joe Liemandt, who helped Sarvis get on the ballot.

According to a report in The Blaze on the day of the election, “A major Democratic Party benefactor and Obama campaign bundler helped pay for professional petition circulators responsible for getting Virginia Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Robert C. Sarvis on the ballot — a move that could split conservative votes in a tight race.”

This Obama benefactor was the BIGGEST contributor to the Libertarian Booster Pac, and the Sarvis candidacy had the desired result — as Cuccinelli fell short of McAuliffe by less than three percent.  (Sarvis took six percent of the vote.)

Why didn’t Republicans adopt the same strategy?  If a Green candidate had drawn votes away from McAuliffe — the way Sarvis did for Cuccinelli — then it would be the Republican candidate who would be the governor-elect today.

Bottom line: It appears that the national GOP, by sitting on its collective hands, views the enemy to be conservatives and Tea Party activists.  They would rather have a Clinton fundraiser like Terry McAuliffe be governor of Virginia, rather than an accomplished public servant who brilliantly articulates Republican goals.

This is truly a travesty.  It’s important that gun rights supporters ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY contact the Republican National Committee and voice their displeasure.  Otherwise, we’ll see these same types of sellouts occurring everywhere in 2014.

ACTION:  Please contact Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus and let him know how disappointed you are that the national GOP would not get fully behind a solid, pro-gun conservative Republican.  Tell him that he needs to quit if he’s not going to support real Republicans.

CONTACT:

You can contact RNC Chairman Reince Priebus at the contact form for the RNC:  https://www.gop.com/contact-us

Or you can call the RNC at:  202-863-8500

NOTE:  The contact form has a 1,000 character limit.  The pre-written letter below is just barely under that limit.

—– Pre-written letter to Reince Priebus —–

I am very disappointed about your meager “support” for Ken Cuccinelli in VA.

It was reported in The Washington Times (11/6/13) that you slashed by 2/3 the support you gave to Cuccinelli, compared to the millions of dollars the RNC gave Bob McDonnell four years ago.  That missing support — $6 million total — could have helped get an additional three percent of the vote (and the victory) for Cuccinelli.

The big issue of the campaign was the anti-gun ObamaCare law.  Cuccinelli almost won the race by emphasizing what a disaster this horrible law is.

You have made it clear by sitting on your hands that you view the enemy to be conservatives and Tea Party activists.  You would rather have a Clinton bagman be governor of VA rather than an accomplished public servant who brilliantly articulates Republican goals.  Evidently those goals are not yours.

If you are not willing to support real Republicans, please go home.  You are as useful as a bicycle for a fish.

Gun Owners of America
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102
Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585
FAX: 703-321-8408
www.gunowners.org

About:Gun Owners of America (GOA) is a non-profit lobbying organization formed in 1975 to preserve and defend the Second Amendment rights of gun owners. GOA sees firearms ownership as a freedom issue. `The only no comprise gun lobby in Washington’ – Ron Paul Visit: www.gunowners.org to Join.

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VT Patriot

I just filled out and mailed (on their dime) a survey for how repubs think and which way we should go ‘forward’. I filled in all the squares, and then with a big magic marker across the ‘donations’ part, wrote that since the RNC had abandended the conservative wing, that I was not going to donate again. I followed up with a letter in no uncertain terms that I would not support or donate to RNC pick rinos ever again unless they openly support conservatives. I wonder if I’ll ever hear from them again.

James A. "Jim" Farmer

Be sure to read my latest letter online via the Lake County Examiner in Lakeview, Oregon for Wednesday, November 6th, 2013. Simply access http://www.lakecountyexam.com. Then click on “commentary”. In my letter I aggressivly take a swipe agains our socialist two party system and lay it on the line hard! As the late Alabama Governor George C. Wallace rightly stated back in 1968: “There isn’t a dime worth of difference between the Democrats and Republicans!” It’s simply Socialist Party A. (Democrats) vs. Socialist Party B. (Republicans)! The obvious moral answer to this is a third party. On the net: The Constitution… Read more »

Lou

I’m all about the preservation of gun rights but what about women’s rights. I’m married to one and probably so are you guys. Let’s think about them and value them as much as we do our guns. One of the main reasons I carry is to protect her. Political policy that prevents me from protecting her of her from making important decisions about how she wants to manage her body present a serious problem for both of us

FrankInFL

For years… for decades, the GOP has told its traditional conservative and libertarian factions “Just hold your nose and pull the damn lever.”

Now, those same factions are telling the national GOP “You want to win this election? Give us a candidate we can vote for with one hand.”

Two-hand candidates are the reason Obama won in 2008 and 2012. Gosh, I sure hope the GOP gets the message soon before it become’s America’s next third party.

Darwin

The libertarian candidate didn’t ‘steal votes’ from the Republican. Republicans are really just Democrats with a different arrangement of fangs. They’ve still got fangs, and they’re still poised for your throat. In fact, I suspect the Republican and Democrat stole votes from the Libertarian, in much the same way Pepsi and Coke steal customers from RC Cola.

Jerry Stillings

The GOP better take Tea party and conservatives into their fold or they will be the big losers again and again. I believe the GOP is getting their marching orders from the Dems.

Jay W

The RINO’s and D’s are part of the DC establishment and they are all threatened by the Tea Party.