Speaker in gun-activists' cross hairs?
Gun Owners of Utah, which previously had promised to make the election "painful" for Senate Majority Leader Curt Bramble and state Rep. Steve Urquhart for alleged anti-gun politics, now is suggesting the group might turn its sights on the Legislature's biggest target: House Speaker Greg Curtis.
The gun-rights group in an email alert to members today said they now believe -- based on what Urquhart told them -- that Curtis and Senate President John Valentine were responsible for derailing a pro-gun bill in the Legislature.
While they haven't heard the two legislative leaders' side yet, the group's alert says "we are assuming that they (allegations) are true."
"We will see what can be done to create political pain for them during the coming election cycle."
But, as the group acknowledges, that could prove more than difficult.
Valentine is running without challenger for re-election and Curtis has no Republican opponent, though he faces a Democrat in the general election. Democrat Jay Seegmiller is probably NOT going to get the gun-rights endorsement since he suggests on his web site that universities should be able to ban concealed guns from campus.
Even beyond that, the group's threats appear hollow. In an April 3 post, I pointed out Gun Owners of Utah's threat to cause Bramble and Urquhart pain in their respective county Republican conventions.
Bramble's convention is upcoming, but Urquhart had his last Saturday and destroyed his Senate seat opponent with better than 70 percent of the vote. So much for the power of the gun lobby against Republican incumbents.
-- Dan Harrie
The gun-rights group in an email alert to members today said they now believe -- based on what Urquhart told them -- that Curtis and Senate President John Valentine were responsible for derailing a pro-gun bill in the Legislature.
While they haven't heard the two legislative leaders' side yet, the group's alert says "we are assuming that they (allegations) are true."
"We will see what can be done to create political pain for them during the coming election cycle."
But, as the group acknowledges, that could prove more than difficult.
Valentine is running without challenger for re-election and Curtis has no Republican opponent, though he faces a Democrat in the general election. Democrat Jay Seegmiller is probably NOT going to get the gun-rights endorsement since he suggests on his web site that universities should be able to ban concealed guns from campus.
Even beyond that, the group's threats appear hollow. In an April 3 post, I pointed out Gun Owners of Utah's threat to cause Bramble and Urquhart pain in their respective county Republican conventions.
Bramble's convention is upcoming, but Urquhart had his last Saturday and destroyed his Senate seat opponent with better than 70 percent of the vote. So much for the power of the gun lobby against Republican incumbents.
-- Dan Harrie
12:53 PM
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1 Comments:
Unlike the UTGOA, I don't claim to have the power to cause pain to powerful people like Greg Curtis or Curt Bramble.
I do, however, wish that more ethical conservatives would get involved in politics in Utah and in the caucus and convention system, both as candidates and as citizen activist.
Personally, I find it excruciatingly painful to
to know that the Republican delegates who have in their hands the decision of whether to re-elect such thuggish folk are often faced with either no alternative Republican candidates or alternatives who leave more to be desired than one might wish.
When competent and ethical Republicans decline to take on incompetent and/or unethical Republican incumbents, then Republican conservatives such as myself are sometimes left with the dilemma of choosing between a dishonest "conservative" and a more honest "liberal" candidate. Given that choice, I will take the more honest "liberal" every time.
Fortunately, the Republican supermajority in the House means that ethical Republicans who are frustrated by the absence of Republican alternatives to candidates such as House Speaker, Greg Curtis, can cast our secret ballot votes for Democratic challengers without serious concern that our votes will significantly alter the partisan balance of power in the legislature.
High benefit. Low cost. What's not to like?
Mike Ridgway
http://stalkingbramble.blogspot.com
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