Posted on 05/19/2005 11:25:19 AM PDT by neverdem
www.gunowners.org
May 2005
May 18, 2005
Dear Friend of the Second Amendment,
We have an incredible opportunity to elect a pro-gun leader to Congress.
You probably do not live in the second congressional district of Ohio, but that doesn't matter. You may even have a Representative who votes to disarm you. Regardless, here is your chance to get a Representative who will fight for the freedoms of ALL gun owners.
Ohio's 2nd district is vacant (the incumbent has been named by President Bush to be a U.S. trade representative). A special primary election to fill the vacancy will be held on June 14. That's less than a month away.
The district is considered a "safe" Republican seat. Therefore, the winner of the June 14 Republican primary is almost certain to become the next Representative in Washington from Ohio.
The good news is that you and I have a great pro-gun leader to support in this race.
But first, let me step back and ask a question.
Have you noticed that although 2nd Amendment supporters have the votes -- on paper -- in the U.S. Congress, the pro-gun agenda always seems bogged down? A big part of the problem is that there just aren't enough real leaders. Rather than simply vote the right way, we need people who will actively push the Second Amendment agenda forward -- even when their colleagues would rather not go on record.
Well, I can tell you this: Ohio State Representative Tom Brinkman has a record of fighting to advance the rights of gun owners.
Brinkman has repeatedly introduced and pushed for votes on what GOA calls "Vermont-style" concealed carry -- no permits, no licenses. This year he has introduced a variation of the Vermont model that was enacted in Alaska two years ago. It might be called "Vermont-Plus." The plus is a provision to allow a gun owner to get a permit if he wishes to do so. Some want a permit so they can carry a concealed firearm in the many other states that recognize Alaska permits. Others want permits so they don't have to go through a Brady background check every time they buy a gun. The point of the legislation is to leave the decision up to the individual gun owner.
Ohio's Republican governor, Bob Taft, won election to that office the first time by convincing gun owners that he would sign a concealed carry law. But, once in office, he did all he could to kill the bill. In the end, Ohio got a concealed carry law, but it is one of the most restrictive in the country.
Had it not been for Brinkman's constant push for less control via Vermont-style legislation, I shudder to think what might have finally gotten on the books. Such dedication to principle has not endeared him to the Republican establishment.
Brinkman has opposed the establishment on other issues as well, particularly by helping to kill a number of tax increases. While GOA does not take a position on tax issues, I mention this to explain that Brinkman is not expecting a ton of money from those who had hoped to dine at taxpayers' expense.
The support from you and me -- individual gun owners -- contributing whatever we can, be it $25 or $250, is the only way Tom Brinkman can raise the funds he needs to run his campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives in the very short amount of time before the election.
Today, I am asking you to please join me in sending a contribution directly to Brinkman's campaign at:
Brinkman for Congress
PO Box 9714
Cincinnati OH 45209-0714
For added convenience, you can contribute online at http://www.gobrinkman.com using your credit card.
Time is short, but the opportunity is great. Please help get Tom Brinkman elected.
Sincerely,
Larry Pratt
Executive Director
P.S. Please remember. This special primary election in Ohio for the U.S. House of Representatives is all over on June 14. Please contribute today by going to http://www.gobrinkman.com or mailing the Response Memo below along with a check.
GOA-PVF Response Memo
To: Rep. Tom Brinkman Brinkman for Congress PO Box 9714 Cincinnati OH 45209-0714
From: Title/Name _________________________________________________________
Address _________________________________________________________
State/Zip _________________________________________________________
Phone # _________________________________________________________
Fax # _________________________________________________________
E-mail _________________________________________________________
___ Yes, I want to contribute to your campaign. Enclosed is my check for ___$25, ___$50, ___$100, Other $________.
___ Please charge the above amount to my credit card:
American Express #_______________________________; Expires__________
MasterCard #____________________________________; Expires___________
Visa #__________________________________________; Expires___________
___ I would like to volunteer. Please have the campaign contact me.
Paid for by Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund is a Project of Gun Owners of America.
What's Pat DeWine's stance on guns?
I have no idea. I'm not from Ohio. Google was down. Ask Jeeves and Dogpile yield nothing useful.
Pat Dewine is no Conservative, although he is running ads which claim that he is. He served on Cincinnati's City Council up until a few months ago, and that--as any Cincinnati Conservative will tell you--is no recommendation. The quality of our City Council has been going down hill for a generation. Pat's performance may not have been the sorriest, but it sure did not cover him with any glory.
bump for Pratt endorsement.
Pat DeWine was an embarrassment as a city council member. He should be defeated just to bloody the nose of his RINO father.
DeWine will claim he's pro-2nd Amendment, but so did his father before he stabbed us in the back. DeWine will shift his positions to further himself, just like his father.
Tom Brinkman is the only candidate in this race with the conservative credentials and integrity to serve us proudly.
OK, so how can Brinkman beat DeWine in a 13-candidate Republican field? Here's a list of GOP candidates:
Steve Austin (R) - Retired Teacher
Tom Bemmes (R) - Teacher, Professional Magician & '99 Reading School Board Candidate
Tom Brinkman Jr. (R) - State Rep. & Printer
Pat DeWine (R) - Hamilton County Commissioner, Ex-Cincinnati Councilman & Son of US Sen. Mike DeWine
Peter Fossett (R) - Teacher
August Geier (R)
Bob McEwen (R) - Ex-Congressman, Ex-State Rep., Consultant & Lobbyist
Eric Minamyer (R) - Symmes Township Trustee, Attorney, Ex-Congressional Aide & Navy Veteran
Douglas Mink (R) - '02 State Rep. Candidate
Jeff Morgan (R) - Postal Worker & Youth Minister
Jean Schmidt (R) - Ex-State Rep., Ex-Miami Township Trustee & Pro-Life Activist
David Smith (R) - Financial Analyst & Mechanical Engineer
I'm sure Brinkman isn't the only conservative in the field, and if the conservative vote is split DeWine can sneak in with 35% or less of the vote. We need conservative candidates who can't win to drop out and endorse Brinkman if he's going to have a chance against DeWine. This is beginning to look like the GOP primary in Nick Smith's CD in Michigan, in which pro-abortion gun-grabber Joe Schwarz was able to win with under 40% because the conservative vote was split 4 or 5 ways.
Brinkman will win by emphasizing his conservative credentials. He is the only one of the 4 main candidates who has never voted to raise our taxes.
Schmidt voted to raise the Sales Tax by 20%, raise the Gas Tax by 6 cents/gallon, raise 151 fees, and sponsored legislation allowing Cincinnati and Hamilton County to raise their hotel taxes. Bob McEwen, who has lived in Virginia for the last decade, voted to cut the Reagan tax cuts. Pat DeWine voted to nearly triple Cincinnati's hotel tax as part of a package where Hamilton County also raised its hotel tax.
We have 2 choices in this race. One is Tom Brinkman. The rest are tax hikers.
My point is that conservatives in the district need to convince the other candidates that will take votes away from Brinkman to drop out if he is to have a chance against Pat DeWine. If the huge number of candidates results in the winner getting only like 35% in the primary, I think it's likely that DeWine's name ID will get him over the finish line. However, if it becomes closer to a two-man race between Brinkman and DeWine, I think the more conservative Brinkman would have the edge in the primary.
Unfortunately, the Ohio GOP does not currently have any grownups of the non-RINO variety who can convince Schmidt and McEwen to drop out. That will change when, God willing, Ken Blackwell is elected Governor in November of 2006, but for now we can't expect any leadership out of Taft, Voinovich or (obviously in this race) Mike DeWine.
Schmidt doesn't take votes from Brinkman. She's chummy with the establishment and has the tax-hiking record to match. With that profile she'd take away from DeWine, and with her strength in Clermont County she could even hurt McEwen since he needs to run up margins in the rural counties.
McEwen is the one who could be a problem. He holds some appeal to the conservative Christian crowd and even has some of their support. Fortunately though, most of that support comes from outside the state, and they don't get to vote here. So far it seems that most of the local conservatives are smart enough to stick with Brinkman.
"So far it seems that most of the local conservatives are smart enough to stick with Brinkman."
If it's like his dad's, it sucks.
I'm a critic of GOA at times, but Brinkman is the real deal on 2a issues. I remember him from the GRPC back in 2001 at Covington. I sent him a small donation, especially since he's taking on a DeWine.
That's good there. How organized are the campaigns. When it's a special election, usually the most organized campaign wins with the low turnout.
Bump to take out DeWine's son after Mike's McCaniac vote today.
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