The Official 2012 Presidential Election Thread

[-Jrabbit]

The local gun stores are going to get cleaned out as a thunderering herd of panic buyers head to them. Gonna push ammo prices into LEO again

What's up with that? I could understand some gun-owner panic in '08, but have these people actually looked at Obama's record on gun control?

[Donegeal]

Glad on a Federal level (I'm not really that upset about Ryan retaining his Senate seat... that was just wishful thinking), but I am very disturbed on the state level. The Wisconsin state senate has swung back to republican, meaning that the Gov, Assembly and Senate are all the same and we already have proof that they prefer to stuff laws down our throats without discussion before the recalls. I just hope that the recalls put enough fear into them that they will at least sit down and talk things over

[Lonestar]

What's up with that? I could understand some gun-owner panic in '08, but have these people actually looked at Obama's record on gun control?

The line of thought goes

"He was just waiting until the second term!"

Slightly more reasonably:

"He'll appoint Justices who'll back gun control" [Even though Elan Kagan is a gun enthusiast and goes Deer hunting with Scalia a lot]

[regexcellent]

The line of thought goes

"He was just waiting until the second term!"

Slightly more reasonably:

"He'll appoint Justices who'll back gun control" [Even though Elan Kagan is a gun enthusiast and goes Deer hunting with Scalia a lot]

That doesn't mean Kagan believes that, for instance, being allowed to own a handgun is protected by the constitution. You don't live in a state where guns are severely restricted.

That said, in most counties in New York the sheriff just gives no ****s

[regexcellent]

What's up with that? I could understand some gun-owner panic in '08, but have these people actually looked at Obama's record on gun control?

Obama is on the record as supporting the assault weapon ban, which is probably one of the dumbest laws in our history.

[Kuciwalker]

not even close

[Lonestar]

Obama is on the record as supporting the assault weapon ban, which is probably one of the dumbest laws in our history.

Romney signed a permanent AWB as governor of MA. As POTUS Obama has steered clear of pushing gun-control legislation. Even Pelosi said when she was Speaker that more gun control at the Federal level was DOA.

That doesn't mean Kagan believes that, for instance, being allowed to own a handgun is protected by the constitution. You don't live in a state where guns are severely restricted.

Kagan is on the record saying that the District of Columbia v. Heller ruling was the right one, so I'm not too worried about her.

[regexcellent]

I'm playing a bit of devil's advocate here. The possibility of the federal government passing more gun control while Republicans control even one chamber of Congress is effectively zero. That said, it would be nice to, for instance, see the repeal of NFA (or at least the restriction on registering new machine guns), though that may be wishful thinking for a while.

Where is Kagan on the record as saying that? I believe you but I want to see that for myself. That's interesting.

[Kuciwalker]

If an AWB were the worst to come out of Obama - if it were anything close to the worst - then I would be cheering tonight.

Gun control doesn't matter. It will have basically no effect on stuff one way or the other - it'll just inconvenience a bunch of hobbyists. Compare Obamacare.

[Lonestar]

Whoops, can't find her conveying that exact phraseology. I probably misremembered it.

Here you go

There is no question, after Heller, that the Second Amendment guarantees Americans ‘the individual right to possess and carry weapons in case of confrontation.

This heavily implies to me that she recognizes the precedent set as a legitimate one for the courts, rather than one to be ignored or papered over.

She also was bragging about being a hunting enthusiast in a recent Huff Post piece, to the point of travelling out west to hunt larger and more exotic game then deer in the DC area. The tears of impotent rage by the [mostly liberal] commentators on the article were pretty funny.

Let me taste your vegan tears

[regexcellent]

Lonestar, that's just more proof that she's a lesbian

If an AWB were the worst to come out of Obama - if it were anything close to the worst - then I would be cheering tonight.

Gun control doesn't matter. It will have basically no effect on stuff one way or the other - it'll just inconvenience a bunch of hobbyists. Compare Obamacare.

That's true.

[-Jrabbit]

I actually just popped online to see all those conservative pundits and Polytubbies offering their congrats and apologies to Nate Silver today...

[-Jrabbit]

I've got a question: How is it that Paul Ryan was able to run for VP and his House seat at the same time?
Has that ever been done before? And what would have happened to his House seat if he had won both?

I thought one could only run for one office at a time... or is that just too logical?

[Imran Siddiqui]

Actually the EC was founded back when a fledgling nation nearly the length of Europe lacked telegraphy to link it together.

This week it occurred to me that another situation in which the electoral college might be useful is when part of the couhtry is nearly paralyzed by a natural disaster - the region retains its impact even if the voter turnout is suppressed due to circumstances beyond anyone's control.

That's true. Made it a bit easier to weather (no pun intended) Sandy.

[Kuciwalker]

I actually just popped online to see all those conservative pundits and Polytubbies offering their congrats and apologies to Nate Silver today...

Hey, I have been 100% behind Nate Silver's numbers since the beginning. I've just be unhappy about it.