Saturday, October 18, 2014

GOAL Alert 2-2014

Joe sent this out last night.  Didn't have a chance to get to it until just now.

From: GOAL goalwa@cox.net
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: GOAL Alert 2-2014
Sent: undisclosed-recipients:

Election update 17 October 2014
  • IT'S CRUNCH TIME
  • BALLOTS WENT IN THE MAIL TODAY
  • THE FUTURE OF GUN RIGHTS IN WASHINGTON IS IN YOUR HANDS
  • VOTE NO ON 594
  • VOTE YES ON 591
  • VOTE NOW
While the campaigning will go on for another 18 days, ballots went in the mail today.  You'll receive yours with a day or three.  Washington is one of four 100% vote-by-mail states; no lining up at a polling place to cast your ballot.  The one in your mail box is the only one you'll get.  A disadvantage of vote-by-mail is no ID is required to get the ballot -- whoever has access to your mail box has access to your ballot.  Look for it, open it, fill it out, and get it back in the mail.

GOAL just funded a special mailing of 100,000+ postcards to 11 selected districts we believe are critical to the election.  You may or may not receive one.  The NRA has done the same thing with its nearly 100,000 members in Washington.  GOAL postcards started arriving on Friday, 17 October.
Those of you who read my monthly legislative news column in the Washington Arms Collector's Gun-News have already read most of this.  But for the many GOAL Post subscribers who are not WAC members, here's some background on the endorsement process.

I used two guiding principles in preparing the list, which was provided to the Washington Arms Collectors for their approval, and to the GOAL trustees for the same.  The first was to identify and start the list with those "righteous Democrats" who have been supporting Washington's gun owners for the past decade or more.  (More on those selections later.)  We owe them.

Next up was pro-gun Republicans, followed by "any Republican."  We have endorsed a few Libertarian candidates when Washington's "high two" system left no more suitable candidate.  (For the record, I'm a conservative "small-l Libertarian; but we live in a two party system, and your chances of winning election if you do not have an (R) or a (D) after your name are almost impossible.  I know many libertarian elected officials, but all ran as Republicans.)  Finally, there are several "No recommendation" listings.  In these cases, neither of the candidates would do anything to enhance gun rights in Washington.

Why support Republicans who are weak on the gun issue?  Because it solidifies Republican control of a chamber (House or Senate), if that can be achieved.  And with strong pro-gun leadership in both chambers, we don't have to worry how they might vote because bad bills will never make it to the floor for a vote.

There are a couple (literally, two) of dual endorsements on the list, the "xxx OR yyy" candidates.  I don't like dual endorsements.  It tends to confuse voters.  But sometimes you have to do what you have to do.

I've received half a dozen calls already today regarding the candidates listed on our postcards, or listed in the WAC Gun-News.  Most disagreement focused on the Democrats we endorsed.  The big questions was "WHY?"  I'll use the following two examples to answer;
The Democrats had solid control of the legislature from 2001 to 2013.  In 2013, two Democrats sided with the (then) 23 Republicans in the state Senate to revolt and seize control, calling themselves the "Majority Coalition Caucus".  So for two years, control of the legislature has been split, but the Democrats retained solid control of the House.
In the past 13 years, more than 50 anti-gun bills have been filed -- "assault weapon" bans, "gun show loophole," universal background checks, expanded public place bans, etc, etc.  You name it, it was filed.  But none passed.  Why?
Because a handful of Democrats in the legislature, House and Senate both, stood WITH their constituents and AGAINST their leadership and their more liberal Democrat colleagues, at great political risk to themselves.  Several were threatened with primary challenges, and in Senator Tim Sheldon's case that's where we are today.  This handful of Democrats, with the Republican minority, were able to block all of the anti-gun legislation proposed.

We owe those Democrats.  Big time.  I/we don't agree with them on every issue, but we all agree on the gun issue.  And that's what this is all about.  Preserving our gun rights.

Specifically regarding Representative Pat Sullivan, Pat is the House Majority leader, the Speaker's principal adviser on which bills to bring to the floor for a vote and which bills to let die.  Pat is the man who convinced House Speaker Frank Chopp to NOT bring House Bill (HB) 1588 up for a vote almost two years ago.  You recall HB 1588 don't you?  It's the universal background check bill they tried to slip through after the Newtown, Connecticut school shooting.  Pat, and six or seven of his fellow Democrats stood up to the Speaker and refused to vote for the bill, thus guaranteeing it's defeat.  Seeing the handwriting on the wall, Speaker Chopp wisely decided to let the bill die.  We owe several Democrat Representatives for their support for gun owners, but Pat Sullivan leads the pack.

Senator Tim Sheldon, the majority Coalition's Senate President Pro Tem, has been standing with gun owners for more than 20 years.  It was his deciding vote in 1994 that killed the amendment that would have required training to obtain a concealed pistol license.  (Don't get me wrong, I've been a certified firearms safety instructor for 40 years.  I firmly believe that anyone who chooses to exercise his or her Second Amendment rights has a moral obligation to do so safely, to the extent they can afford training.  But I don't believe the state has any business interfering in a fundamental Constitutional right.  Just as the Supreme Court ruled poll tests were unconstitutional decades ago, so should state-mandated training.)  Tim flew around the state with us in 1997, opposing I-676, the so-called trigger lock initiative" that was actually a handgun possessor (that's right, possessor, not just an owner) licensing bait-and-switch initiative (much as today's I-594 is a bait-and-switch background check initiative).  Sheldon now faces a liberal Democrat, Irene Bowling.  We need to keep Sheldon in place to keep the Senate in Republican hands AND protect YOUR gun rights.

Those two, and a handful of other brave DEMOCRATS who stand between you and just about every imaginable gun control law.

If you compare the lists, you will see that the NRA and GOAL are in about 99% agreement.  We run our endorsement process somewhat differently, however.   The NRA assigns grades based on known voting records for incumbents.  They then send out questionnaires to new candidates, and based on the response to those questionnaires, assigns grades.  They endorse specific candidates, but give you the grade rating for both candidates in the race.  You choose.  That's probably a more "fair" way to do it.  The problem with questionnaires is, candidates can lie.

GOAL takes a different tack.  GOAL only lists a single candidate for each position, in effect a push-poll to direct you to the candidate we believe best suits the interests of Washington gun owners.  If you want "fair," visit Puyallup in September.  Different approach, hopefully the same result.  I've provided a link to the NRA's list below, as well as the entire GOAL endorsement list.

And we have the two initiatives on the ballot.  I'm not going to go into any real detail on either of them.  I-594, the universal background check initiative is a wolf in sheep's clothing, full of hidden traps and penalties.  That's why they needed 18 pages to accomplish what the legislature tried to do in HB 1588 in two pages.  I-591 simply restates existing law:  no confiscation of firearms without due process of law (as happened in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina) and no background checks beyond those mandated by federal law.  Some of my 10th Amendment friends are unhappy with that.  They feel we shouldn't support federal law, period.  I live in a real world.  And I'm not about to risk five years in Club Fed by violating that law, 10th Amendment or not.  For all practical purposes, the 10th Amendment died about a century ago.

The outcome of the initiative votes will have a major impact on how the gun business is conducted in Washington, and how gun shows are conducted.  If 594 passes and becomes law, expect to pay a $25-50 FFL fee EVERY TIME you "transfer" a firearm -- this includes loans as well as sales.  And when a loan is transferred back.  Plus a use tax nearly equal to the state sales tax.  Yes, I-594 waives sales tax for private transfers, but if you read the fiscal note from the Office of Financial Management, you'll see that when the sales tax is waived on the transfer of property, a "use tax" in imposed.

VOTE NO ON 594.    VOTE YES ON 591.   It's a no-brainer.

It's up to you now.  GOAL's endorsements, and the NRA's, are simply suggestions: our best judgment of who will best represent your gun rights in D.C. and Olympia.  But the choice is yours.  And please, please, mark your ballot and get it back in the mail ASAP.  Don't take a chance on misplacing it, or forgetting to get it in on time.  MAIL IT NOW.

NRA endorsements can be found at https://www.nrapvf.org/grades/washington/

GOAL ENDORSEMENTS:


{U.S.} CONGRESSIONAL RACES


1st
Pedro Celis (R)
2nd
B. J. Guillot (R)
3rd
Jaime Herrera Beutler (R)
4th
Dan Newhouse (R) or
or
Clint Didier (R)
5th
Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R)
6th
Marty McClendon (R)
7th
Craig Keller (R)
8th
Dave Reichert (R)
9th
Doug Basler (R)
10th
Joyce McDonald (R)

{State} Supreme Court   
1    No recommendation
2    No recommendation
4    Charles Johnson
7    No recommendation

{State} Legislative


Dist.
Position
Name
1
House 1
No recommendation

House 2
Edward Barton (R)
2
House 1
Graham Hunt (R)

House 2
J. T. Wilcox (R)
3
House 1
Tim Benn (R)

House 2
Paul Delaney (L)
4
House 1
Bob McCaslin (R)

House 2
Matt Shea (R)
5
House 1
Jay Rodne (R)

House 2
Chad Magendanz (R)
6
Senate
Michael Baumgartner (R)

House 1
Kevin Parker (R)

House 2
Jeff Holy (R)
7
Senate
Brian Dansel (R)

House 1
Shelly Short (R)

House 2
Joel Kretz (R)
8
Senate
Sharon Brown (R)

House 1
Brad Klippert (R)

House 2
Larry Haler (R)
9
House 1
Susan Fagan (R)

House 2
Joe Schmick (R)
10
House 1
Norma Smith (R)

House 2
Dave Hayes (R)
11
House 1
No recommendation

House 2
Sarah Sanoy-Wright (R)
12
House 1
Cary Condotta (R)

House 2
Brad Hawkins (R)
 13
Senate
Judith Warnick (R)

House 1
Tom Dent (R)

House 2
Matt Manweller (R)
14
House 1
Norm Johnson (R)

House 2
Gina McCabe (R)
 15
Senate
Jim Honeyford (R)

House 1
Bruce Chandler (R)

House 2
David Taylor (R)
16
House 1
Maureen Walsh (R)

House 2
Terry Nealey (R)
17
House 1
Lynda Wilson (R)

House 2
Paul Harris (R)
18
House 1
Brandon Vick (R)

House 2
Liz Pike (R)
19
House 1
Dean Takko (D)

House 2
Brian Blake (D)
20
House 1
Richard DeBolt (R)

House 2
Ed Orcutt (R)
21
Senate
Dan Matthews (R)

House 1
Allen McPheeters (R)

House 2
Jeff Scherrer (R)
22
House 1
Steve Owens (R)

House 2
No recommendation
23
House 1
Scott Henden (R)

House 2
James Olsen (R)
24
House 1
Kevin Van De Wege (D)

House 2
Thomas Greisamer (R)
25
House 1
Melanie Stambough (R)

House 2
Hans Zeiger (R)
26
Senate
Jan Angel (R)

House 1
Jesse Young (R)

House 2
Michelle Caldier (R)
27
House 1
Rodger Deskins (R)

House 2
Steven Cook (R)
28
Senate
Steve O'Ban (R)

House 1
Dick Muri (R)

House 2
 Paul Wagemann (R)
 29
Senate
Steve Conway (D)

House 1
Jason Bergstrom (R)

House 2
Steve Kirby (D)
30
Senate
Mark Miloscia (R)

House 1
Linda Kochmar (R)

House 2
Jack Dovey (R)
 31
Senate
Pam Roach (R)

House 1
Drew Stokesbury (R)

House 2
Chris Hurst (D) or


Phil Fortunato (R)
32
Senate
Robert Reedy (R)

House 1
No recommendation

House 2
Alvin Rutledge (R)
33
Senate
Martin Metz (R)

House 1
Michael Siefkes (R)

House 2
Jeannette Burrage (R)
34
Senate 
No recommendation

House 1
No recommendation

House 2
No recommendation
35
Senate
Tim Sheldon (D)

House 1
Kathy Haigh (D)

House 2
Drew MacEwen (R)
36
Senate
Sarina Forbes (R)

House 1
No recommendation

House 2
Paul Addis (L)
37
Senate
No recommendation

House 1
No recommendation

House 2
No recommendation
 38
Senate
Craig French (R)

House 1
Jesse Anderson (R)

House 2
Elijah Olson (L)
 39
House 1
Dan Kristiansen (R)

House 2
Elizabeth Scott (R)
 40
House 1
Daniel Miller (R)

House 2
No recommendation
 41
House 1
Bill Stinson (R)

House 2
No recommendation
 42
Senate
Doug Ericksen (R)

House 1
Luann VanWerven (R)

House 2
Vincent Buys (R)
 43
Senate
No recommendation

House 1
No recommendation

House 2
No recommendation
 44
Senate
Steve Hobbs (D)

House 1
Rob Toyer (R)

House 2
Mark Harmsworth (R)
 45
Senate
Andy Hill (R)

House 1
Joel Hussey (R)

House 2
Brendan Woodward (R)
 46
Senate
Van Sperry (R)

House 1
No recommendation

House 2
Branden Curtis (R)
 47
Senate
Joe Fain (R)

House 1
Mark Hargrove (R)

House 2
Pat Sullivan (D)
 48
Senate
Michelle Darnell (R)

House 1
Bill Hirt (R)

House 2
Tim Turner (L)
 49
House 1
Anson Service (R)

House 2
Lisa Ross (R)
 

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