Short Answer: It's Over for the Reactionaries in the Republican Party
Lost in all the it was close, or it could have gone the other way, or it was a lot closer than most thought it would be, and all the other spin coming out of the mouths of the sore losers regarding the race in Virginia this morning, is this startling and mostly unreported fact: McAuliffe has a lifetime F rating from the NRA. He ran a campaign on strengthening gun laws in Virginia and Cuccinelli had the backing of the NRA! Of course, the other things are true too: Cuccinelli was a gay bashing bastard and Cuccinelli pushed an intrusive Vaginal probe law. So yeah, he was a huge bastard and even with the NRA he couldn't win this thing! But that fact has ben largely covered over by a pro-NRA press, and that is exactly why it needs to get wider exposure so that the myth of the NRAs power is finally destroyed.
Terry McAuliffe Win Disproves Media Myth Of NRA's Electoral Dominance
Organizations At The Center Of The Gun Debate Spent Heavily In The Race. Like the Colorado recall elections, the Virginia governor's race saw heavy spending from the NRA and from a PAC backed by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg that supported candidates who took a stand on stronger gun laws. According to press reports, the NRA spent "upwards of $500,000" for McAufliffe's opponent Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli while Independence USA PAC spent more than $1.7 million supporting McAuliffe.
Gun Policy Positions Sharply Divided The Candidates. Differences over background checks on gun sales and how the NRA rated each candidate became a flashpoint in the gubernatorial election. As The Washington Post summarized in a November 1 article, "After months of inattention, Ken Cuccinelli II (R) and Terry McAuliffe (D) have drawn the polarizing issue of guns into the spotlight of the Virginia governor's race. For once, a Democrat is talking tough about gun control, as if daring the National Rifle Association to take him on. And gun-rights advocates are all too happy to take him up on the challenge."
During the final debate at Virginia Tech -- the site of a 2007 mass shooting that left 32 dead -- Cuccinelli highlighted his "A" rating from the NRA while pointing out that McAuliffe was the only statewide candidate with an "F" rating. McAuliffe responded to this charge, stating, "I don't care what grade I got from the NRA. As governor I want to make sure our communities are safe." He also expressed support for expanded background checks on firearms purchases, pointing out that private gun sales without a background check are "a gigantic loophole in Virginia" law adding that, "As governor, I'm gonna push" in that area.
In his response, Cuccinelli highlighted his NRA backing and promised to "support the Second Amendment." Cuccinelli opposes expanding background checks and supported the repeal of a Virginia law limiting handgun purchases to one a month, two positions advocated by the NRA.
Cuccinelli Used NRA Media Arm To Advance His Campaign. Beyond spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on his behalf, the NRA's media arm NRA News allowed Cuccinelli to use its radio and TV programming to ask for the votes of NRA members and as a platform to make false attacks on McAuliffe.
During a November 1 appearance on the NRA News show Cam & Company, Cuccinelli suggested that Independence USA ads were helping his candidacy by highlighting his role as a "defender" of the Second Amendment and misstated McAuliffe's Virginia Tech debate answer on guns. Cuccinelli claimed that McAuliffe stopped touting his background as gun owner and hunter after Independence USA began running ads in his favor. In fact, a transcript of the debate shows McAuliffe referenced that he was a gun owner and hunter and said he was "for responsible gun ownership" and "a strong supporter of the Second Amendment," before his statement that he didn't care what rating he received from the NRA in a follow-up response.
http://mediamatters.org/mobile/blog...uliffe-win-disproves-media-myth-of-nra/196755
Lost in all the it was close, or it could have gone the other way, or it was a lot closer than most thought it would be, and all the other spin coming out of the mouths of the sore losers regarding the race in Virginia this morning, is this startling and mostly unreported fact: McAuliffe has a lifetime F rating from the NRA. He ran a campaign on strengthening gun laws in Virginia and Cuccinelli had the backing of the NRA! Of course, the other things are true too: Cuccinelli was a gay bashing bastard and Cuccinelli pushed an intrusive Vaginal probe law. So yeah, he was a huge bastard and even with the NRA he couldn't win this thing! But that fact has ben largely covered over by a pro-NRA press, and that is exactly why it needs to get wider exposure so that the myth of the NRAs power is finally destroyed.
Terry McAuliffe Win Disproves Media Myth Of NRA's Electoral Dominance
Organizations At The Center Of The Gun Debate Spent Heavily In The Race. Like the Colorado recall elections, the Virginia governor's race saw heavy spending from the NRA and from a PAC backed by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg that supported candidates who took a stand on stronger gun laws. According to press reports, the NRA spent "upwards of $500,000" for McAufliffe's opponent Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli while Independence USA PAC spent more than $1.7 million supporting McAuliffe.
Gun Policy Positions Sharply Divided The Candidates. Differences over background checks on gun sales and how the NRA rated each candidate became a flashpoint in the gubernatorial election. As The Washington Post summarized in a November 1 article, "After months of inattention, Ken Cuccinelli II (R) and Terry McAuliffe (D) have drawn the polarizing issue of guns into the spotlight of the Virginia governor's race. For once, a Democrat is talking tough about gun control, as if daring the National Rifle Association to take him on. And gun-rights advocates are all too happy to take him up on the challenge."
During the final debate at Virginia Tech -- the site of a 2007 mass shooting that left 32 dead -- Cuccinelli highlighted his "A" rating from the NRA while pointing out that McAuliffe was the only statewide candidate with an "F" rating. McAuliffe responded to this charge, stating, "I don't care what grade I got from the NRA. As governor I want to make sure our communities are safe." He also expressed support for expanded background checks on firearms purchases, pointing out that private gun sales without a background check are "a gigantic loophole in Virginia" law adding that, "As governor, I'm gonna push" in that area.
In his response, Cuccinelli highlighted his NRA backing and promised to "support the Second Amendment." Cuccinelli opposes expanding background checks and supported the repeal of a Virginia law limiting handgun purchases to one a month, two positions advocated by the NRA.
Cuccinelli Used NRA Media Arm To Advance His Campaign. Beyond spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on his behalf, the NRA's media arm NRA News allowed Cuccinelli to use its radio and TV programming to ask for the votes of NRA members and as a platform to make false attacks on McAuliffe.
During a November 1 appearance on the NRA News show Cam & Company, Cuccinelli suggested that Independence USA ads were helping his candidacy by highlighting his role as a "defender" of the Second Amendment and misstated McAuliffe's Virginia Tech debate answer on guns. Cuccinelli claimed that McAuliffe stopped touting his background as gun owner and hunter after Independence USA began running ads in his favor. In fact, a transcript of the debate shows McAuliffe referenced that he was a gun owner and hunter and said he was "for responsible gun ownership" and "a strong supporter of the Second Amendment," before his statement that he didn't care what rating he received from the NRA in a follow-up response.
http://mediamatters.org/mobile/blog...uliffe-win-disproves-media-myth-of-nra/196755
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