possumboy
Regular Member
imported post
http://www.examiner.com/a-1468849~NRA_devises_advertising_assault_against_Obama.html
Obama's camp believe guns rights is a secondary issue - see bottom.
WASHINGTON (Map, News) - While Barack Obama is trying to recalibrate his positions on gun rights, the National Rifle Association is planning an all-out assault against his candidacy.
Most strategists believe the NRA’s decision to target Obama with a $15 million advertising campaign portraying the Illinois senator as an anti-gun candidate could hurt Obama in key states.
NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam said the gun rights issue could influence the outcome of the presidential election as many believe was the case in 2000, when Al Gore lost states like Tennessee and Arkansas in part because of his advocacy of stricter gun control laws.
Arulanandam said the NRA would highlight Obama’s “lifetime of voting against gun rights” beginning with his days as a community organizer in Chicago, which is home to a handgun ban backed by the Illinois senator.
The NRA has pledged an additional $25 million for political outreach this year, with a promise of more if fundraising allows.
Gun rights advocates say such tactics will surely cut into Obama’s support, but not as much as it might have if the Republican candidate had a stronger gun rights record than John McCain, who has been labeled anti-gun for his support of background check requirements at gun shows. “Yes, Barack Obama is a gun hater, but so is John McCain,” said Dudley Brown, executive director of the National Association for Gun Rights. a grassroots coalition of gun rights groups.
McCain and Obama both expressed support for last week’s 5-4 Supreme Court decision to lift the D.C. handgun ban, but McCain heralded it as a victory for a “sacred right” while Obama thanked the court for providing “clarity.” McCain also believes that the ban on handgun ownership in Obama’s hometown of Chicago should be lifted.
The NRA campaign against Obama could be particularly effective in states like Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio, Brown said. Former McCain campaign strategist Dan Schnur added Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Virginia to that list.
“The NRA isn’t going to change many votes in Manhattan and Chicago, but in those Western and Southern states Obama is targeting, it has the potential to be a much bigger problem for him,” Schnur said.
Democratic strategist Peter Fenn said larger issues such as the economy and the war would dilute the NRA’s campaign against Obama.
“In a time of peace and prosperity, secondary issues like gun control come to the forefront,” Fenn said. “Right now, voters have other fears that are a good deal more important.”
http://www.examiner.com/a-1468849~NRA_devises_advertising_assault_against_Obama.html
Obama's camp believe guns rights is a secondary issue - see bottom.
WASHINGTON (Map, News) - While Barack Obama is trying to recalibrate his positions on gun rights, the National Rifle Association is planning an all-out assault against his candidacy.
Most strategists believe the NRA’s decision to target Obama with a $15 million advertising campaign portraying the Illinois senator as an anti-gun candidate could hurt Obama in key states.
NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam said the gun rights issue could influence the outcome of the presidential election as many believe was the case in 2000, when Al Gore lost states like Tennessee and Arkansas in part because of his advocacy of stricter gun control laws.
Arulanandam said the NRA would highlight Obama’s “lifetime of voting against gun rights” beginning with his days as a community organizer in Chicago, which is home to a handgun ban backed by the Illinois senator.
The NRA has pledged an additional $25 million for political outreach this year, with a promise of more if fundraising allows.
Gun rights advocates say such tactics will surely cut into Obama’s support, but not as much as it might have if the Republican candidate had a stronger gun rights record than John McCain, who has been labeled anti-gun for his support of background check requirements at gun shows. “Yes, Barack Obama is a gun hater, but so is John McCain,” said Dudley Brown, executive director of the National Association for Gun Rights. a grassroots coalition of gun rights groups.
McCain and Obama both expressed support for last week’s 5-4 Supreme Court decision to lift the D.C. handgun ban, but McCain heralded it as a victory for a “sacred right” while Obama thanked the court for providing “clarity.” McCain also believes that the ban on handgun ownership in Obama’s hometown of Chicago should be lifted.
The NRA campaign against Obama could be particularly effective in states like Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio, Brown said. Former McCain campaign strategist Dan Schnur added Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Virginia to that list.
“The NRA isn’t going to change many votes in Manhattan and Chicago, but in those Western and Southern states Obama is targeting, it has the potential to be a much bigger problem for him,” Schnur said.
Democratic strategist Peter Fenn said larger issues such as the economy and the war would dilute the NRA’s campaign against Obama.
“In a time of peace and prosperity, secondary issues like gun control come to the forefront,” Fenn said. “Right now, voters have other fears that are a good deal more important.”
