Larry Pratt -- On the Campaign Trail with Sharon Angle

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL WITH SHARON ANGLE

By Larry Pratt
October 20, 2010
NewsWithViews.com

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has been in the cross hairs of gun owners for many reasons. In fact, 43 of them are listed at the Gun Owners of America web site. Gun owners across the country, as well as in Nevada, have wanted to retire Harry Reid for some time.

Reid has not been above 50 percent in public opinion surveys all year -- a fact which led political commentator and former Bill Clinton advisor Dick Morris to conclude that Reid will not win in November. And recent polls now show Reid trailing behind Angle.

That is why the primary was very important to gun owners. That was when the most important moment of the election year would occur. When the primary field was surveyed, it was clear that the staunchest defender of the Constitution and the Second Amendment was Sharron Angle. Thus, GOA endorsed Angle in the primary.

Angle’s record in the Nevada Assembly was 100 percent pro-Second Amendment. What stood out was the evidence that Angle is the opposite of a “fair weather” soldier. We have lots of pro-Second Amendment votes in Congress but we have not had the leadership needed to push our agenda. This was particularly noticeable during the years of Republican control when we should have been rolling back gun laws and getting rid of the BATFE. Angle has demonstrated that she is willing and able to be a majority of one.

When Angle was in the Assembly the governor wanted a tax increase. A majority of the Assembly approved, but not by the super majority required by the state’s constitution. Incredibly, the governor sued the legislature in state court and won a decision ordering the legislature to approve the tax in spite of the constitution.

Angle refused to accept the state court’s outrageous decision and took the matter into federal court and got the state court’s decision overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. But Angle was not through. She came back to Nevada and got behind judicial candidates – so that two of the justices who had disregarded Nevada’s constitution were defeated.

Reid has thrown $15 million (and counting) worth of negative, often dishonest, ads at Angle. She is still standing and is, according to recent polls, ahead of Reid by three to four points. Angle can win this, but not without the money to answer the Reid campaign’s constant advertising barrage.

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As the campaign was drawing to an end, The Tea Party Express came through Reno, NV. Angle-supporter Sarah Palin was the star of the show who urged the crowd of some 700 to keep working to get Angle over the finish line.

You can support Angle by going to her web site.

Erich Pratt is the Director of Communications for Gun Owners of America, a national gun lobby with over 300,000 members. GOA is located at 8001 Forbes Place, Springfield, VA 22151.

Larry Pratt has been Executive Director of Gun Owners of America for 27 years. GOA is a national membership organization of 300,000 Americans dedicated to promoting their second amendment freedom to keep and bear arms.

He published a book, Armed People Victorious, in 1990 and was editor of a book, Safeguarding Liberty: The Constitution & Militias, 1995. His latest book, On the Firing Line: Essays in the Defense of Liberty was published in 2001.