I just back from my third trip to Ohio where I spent the last couple days campaigning for Barack Obama. Something is happening out there -- this trip was tremendous -- you can feel the momentum growing.
With each campaign trip I do, I’ve found that gun owners are more receptive to Obama and his message of change. People are clamoring for it. I can’t tell you how impressed I am with the Obama operation in Ohio and the way this campaign is changing the way gun owners are looking at him and his party.
Ohio is full of hunters--and I’ve been talking to a lot of them. Since Tuesday, I’ve been doing three or four stops each day across the state. I was very pleased to be working side-by-side with members of several unions, including the United Mine Workers, Building Trades. Plumbers and Pipefitters, the Teamsters and Sheetmetal workers. There are a lot of gun owners in their membership who are getting the right message about Obama. And, they are working hard for him.
I even had the opportunity to go hunting on Lake Erie. I’ll admit, I was surprised when that idea was first suggested. Years ago, when I used to play football in Cleveland, I never thought of Lake Erie as a pristine place for hunters and sportsmen. But, it is. (I also got to stop in Waldo for the world famous fried baloney sandwich. I was told it was the best sandwich in the world and it was really good.)
This year is different. As president of the American Hunters and Shooters Association (AHSA) for the past couple years, I've talked to a lot of hunters and shooters who are Democrats so I know they're out there. Lots of them. Obama understands that and is talking to them. So, it’s not a surprise to me that Obama is doing much better with rural voters than past Democratic candidates. The latest poll of rural voters shows that Obama has pulled even with McCain. I have seen first-hand that rural America is coming to support Barack not only in Ohio, but on my other campaign trips to Minnesota, Colorado and Florida.
Don’t get me wrong, the gun issue is a real issue. And, the NRA just keeps spewing its lies--all of which have been refuted. But, that doesn’t stop them from trying. However, it is our side's message that is getting through. Having our friends in the unions help spread the message and correct the record has been very helpful.
I couldn’t be more excited about being part of this change. Gun owners understand that they have nothing to fear from Obama and that they have a place in the Democratic party. They’re being welcomed. There is a conversation happening among people with different views and it’s constructive. It’s not the divisiveness that the NRA has been pushing for far too long.
While I’ve been talking to real hunters and gun owners, who are greatly concerned about the future and the economy, the NRA is continuing its assault on Obama and the truth. FactCheck.org just slammed the NRA again for it’s latest false anti-Obama ad:
The National Rifle Association's misleading attacks on Obama continue. A new ad shows a terrified woman grabbing a gun after an intruder smashes his way into her home. It accuses Obama of voting repeatedly for a measure that would "make you the criminal" in such cases, and voting to "deny citizens the right of self-protection."
The NRA says the incident depicted is "a true story." Not quite.
Misleading. That’s the NRA leadership’s operating principle. They do a disservice to not only their members and but to all gun owners. I’m sick of being misled and lied to by the NRA.
That’s the old way. What we’re seeing this year is hard to describe. Barack Obama and his campaign are creating a climate where everyone has a place. This year, gun owners are part of the campaign. And, that means most of them aren’t falling for the same old tired lies. They get that Obama respects the Second Amendment. That mean gun owners don’t have to worry about their guns and can support him because of other issues like the economy.
If guns were the only thing the leaders of the NRA cared about, they’d be supporting Bob Barr, the Libertarian. He’s on the NRA Board for crying out loud. While John McCain was fighting the NRA, Barr was their leading defender in Congress. But, they chose politics over principle. That’s what makes their attacks on Obama even more disingenuous.
I know this post is long, but I want to extend my sympathies to the family of Tony Dean, one of the great conservationists of our time. I have enormous respect for Tony’s vision and courage. This excerpt from his obituarygives a good sense of the man I was proud to call my friend:
Dean earned a reputation for standing up for conservation, no matter the financial consequences. He was criticized for supporting Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson and then again for backing Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign.
DeChandt said her husband's final work before he fell ill last month was recording commercials for Obama's campaign. If Obama were to win, she said, Dean was going to be on his transition team.
"He was absolutely thrilled. He felt strongly that Obama was the one with enough insight and was young enough" to appreciate land conservation, DeChandt said.
Future generations will benefit from the work of Tony Dean. He was right about Obama as he was right about so many things.
With less than two weeks left until the election we can do Dean proud by continuing his legacy and working hard for the candidate that supports his vision for conservation.
We're in the last quarter of the game--time to dig deep and leave nothing on the field.