Presidential Candidates' Opinions on Firearms

[Guest newsphotog]

The fact that Obama supports a national law against carrying concealed weapons is enough said for me. I don't get that logic- never will. What is the rationale behind that? All that will do is hurt us- the good guys. The thugs will still be armed roaming the streets.

[ZenDog]

So-- This seems to be a question a lot of us are asking-- Can we vote against the Dems regardless of who the Republicans nominate? Could anyone really vote for Romney, for example-- he seems too slimy to me-- I wouldn't want him around my kids, and they are grown-ups. Or would we vote for Romney because he appears to be less of an evil than Hillar-OBama?

I am having a harder time with this election than I usually do. I hope I am clearer in November.

[saintsfanbrian]

Since the likely hood of Obama or Clinton being the democratic nominee is assured the question is truly the lesser of two evils. Do you want the democrat in republican clothing or the socialist in democrat clothing.

Unfortunately, there is no true republican going to get the nod.

One of the last great communicators once said

Mr. President, I want our fellow citizens to know how much you did to carry on this tradition. By your gracious cooperation in the transition process, you have shown a watching world that we are a united people pledged to maintaining a political system which guarantees individual liberty to a greater degree than any other, and I thank you and your people for all your help in maintaining the continuity which is the bulwark of our Republic.

The business of our nation goes forward. These United States are confronted with an economic affliction of great proportions. We suffer from the longest and one of the worst sustained inflations in our national history. It distorts our economic decisions, penalizes thrift, and crushes the struggling young and the fixed- income elderly alike. It threatens to shatter the lives of millions of our people.

Idle industries have cast workers into unemployment, causing human misery and personal indignity. Those who do work are denied a fair return for their labor by a tax system which penalizes successful achievement and keeps us from maintaining full productivity.

But great as our tax burden is, it has not kept pace with public spending. For decades, we have piled deficit upon deficit, mortgaging our future and our children's future for the temporary convenience of the present. To continue this long trend is to guarantee tremendous social, cultural, political, and economic upheavals.

You and I, as individuals, can, by borrowing, live beyond our means, but for only a limited period of time. Why, then, should we think that collectively, as a nation, we are not bound by that same limitation?

We must act today in order to preserve tomorrow. And let there be no misunderstanding--we are going to begin to act, beginning today.

The economic ills we suffer have come upon us over several decades. They will not go away in days, weeks, or months, but they will go away. They will go away because we, as Americans, have the capacity now, as we have had in the past, to do whatever needs to be done to preserve this last and greatest bastion of freedom.

In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem.

From time to time, we have been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. But if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else? All of us together, in and out of government, must bear the burden. The solutions we seek must be equitable, with no one group singled out to pay a higher price.

We hear much of special interest groups. Our concern must be for a special interest group that has been too long neglected. It knows no sectional boundaries or ethnic and racial divisions, and it crosses political party lines. It is made up of men and women who raise our food, patrol our streets, man our mines and our factories, teach our children, keep our homes, and heal us when we are sick--professionals, industrialists, shopkeepers, clerks, cabbies, and truckdrivers. They are, in short, "We the people," this breed called Americans.

Well, this administration's objective will be a healthy, vigorous, growing economy that provides equal opportunity for all Americans, with no barriers born of bigotry or discrimination. Putting America back to work means putting all Americans back to work. Ending inflation means freeing all Americans from the terror of runaway living costs. All must share in the productive work of this "new beginning" and all must share in the bounty of a revived economy. With the idealism and fair play which are the core of our system and our strength, we can have a strong and prosperous America at peace with itself and the world.

So, as we begin, let us take inventory. We are a nation that has a government--not the other way around. And this makes us special among the nations of the Earth. Our Government has no power except that granted it by the people. It is time to check and reverse the growth of government which shows signs of having grown beyond the consent of the governed.

It is my intention to curb the size and influence of the Federal establishment and to demand recognition of the distinction between the powers granted to the Federal Government and those reserved to the States or to the people. All of us need to be reminded that the Federal Government did not create the States; the States created the Federal Government.

Now, so there will be no misunderstanding, it is not my intention to do away with government. It is, rather, to make it work-work with us, not over us; to stand by our side, not ride on our back. Government can and must provide opportunity, not smother it; foster productivity, not stifle it.

If we look to the answer as to why, for so many years, we achieved so much, prospered as no other people on Earth, it was because here, in this land, we unleashed the energy and individual genius of man to a greater extent than has ever been done before. Freedom and the dignity of the individual have been more available and assured here than in any other place on Earth. The price for this freedom at times has been high, but we have never been unwilling to pay that price.

It is no coincidence that our present troubles parallel and are proportionate to the intervention and intrusion in our lives that result from unnecessary and excessive growth of government. It is time for us to realize that we are too great a nation to limit ourselves to small dreams. We are not, as some would have us believe, loomed to an inevitable decline. I do not believe in a fate that will all on us no matter what we do. I do believe in a fate that will fall on us if we do nothing. So, with all the creative energy at our command, let us begin an era of national renewal. Let us renew our determination, our courage, and our strength. And let us renew; our faith and our hope.

We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we are in a time when there are no heroes just don't know where to look. You can see heroes every day going in and out of factory gates. Others, a handful in number, produce enough food to feed all of us and then the world beyond. You meet heroes across a counter--and they are on both sides of that counter. There are entrepreneurs with faith in themselves and faith in an idea who create new jobs, new wealth and opportunity. They are individuals and families whose taxes support the Government and whose voluntary gifts support church, charity, culture, art, and education. Their patriotism is quiet but deep. Their values sustain our national life.

I have used the words "they" and "their" in speaking of these heroes. I could say "you" and "your" because I am addressing the heroes of whom I speak--you, the citizens of this blessed land. Your dreams, your hopes, your goals are going to be the dreams, the hopes, and the goals of this administration, so help me God.

We shall reflect the compassion that is so much a part of your makeup. How can we love our country and not love our countrymen, and loving them, reach out a hand when they fall, heal them when they are sick, and provide opportunities to make them self- sufficient so they will be equal in fact and not just in theory?

Can we solve the problems confronting us? Well, the answer is an unequivocal and emphatic "yes." To paraphrase Winston Churchill, I did not take the oath I have just taken with the intention of presiding over the dissolution of the world's strongest economy.

In the days ahead I will propose removing the roadblocks that have slowed our economy and reduced productivity. Steps will be taken aimed at restoring the balance between the various levels of government. Progress may be slow--measured in inches and feet, not miles--but we will progress. Is it time to reawaken this industrial giant, to get government back within its means, and to lighten our punitive tax burden. And these will be our first priorities, and on these principles, there will be no compromise.

On the eve of our struggle for independence a man who might have been one of the greatest among the Founding Fathers, Dr. Joseph Warren, President of the Massachusetts Congress, said to his fellow Americans, "Our country is in danger, but not to be despaired of.... On you depend the fortunes of America. You are to decide the important questions upon which rests the happiness and the liberty of millions yet unborn. Act worthy of yourselves."

Well, I believe we, the Americans of today, are ready to act worthy of ourselves, ready to do what must be done to ensure happiness and liberty for ourselves, our children and our children's children.

And as we renew ourselves here in our own land, we will be seen as having greater strength throughout the world. We will again be the exemplar of freedom and a beacon of hope for those who do not now have freedom.

To those neighbors and allies who share our freedom, we will strengthen our historic ties and assure them of our support and firm commitment. We will match loyalty with loyalty. We will strive for mutually beneficial relations. We will not use our friendship to impose on their sovereignty, for or own sovereignty is not for sale.

As for the enemies of freedom, those who are potential adversaries, they will be reminded that peace is the highest aspiration of the American people. We will negotiate for it, sacrifice for it; we will not surrender for it--now or ever.

Our forbearance should never be misunderstood. Our reluctance for conflict should not be misjudged as a failure of will. When action is required to preserve our national security, we will act. We will maintain sufficient strength to prevail if need be, knowing that if we do so we have the best chance of never having to use that strength.

Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have. It is a weapon that we as Americans do have. Let that be understood by those who practice terrorism and prey upon their neighbors.

I am told that tens of thousands of prayer meetings are being held on this day, and for that I am deeply grateful. We are a nation under God, and I believe God intended for us to be free. It would be fitting and good, I think, if on each Inauguration Day in future years it should be declared a day of prayer.

This is the first time in history that this ceremony has been held, as you have been told, on this West Front of the Capitol. Standing here, one faces a magnificent vista, opening up on this city's special beauty and history. At the end of this open mall are those shrines to the giants on whose shoulders we stand.

Directly in front of me, the monument to a monumental man: George Washington, Father of our country. A man of humility who came to greatness reluctantly. He led America out of revolutionary victory into infant nationhood. Off to one side, the stately memorial to Thomas Jefferson. The Declaration of Independence flames with his eloquence.

And then beyond the Reflecting Pool the dignified columns of the Lincoln Memorial. Whoever would understand in his heart the meaning of America will find it in the life of Abraham Lincoln.

Beyond those monuments to heroism is the Potomac River, and on the far shore the sloping hills of Arlington National Cemetery with its row on row of simple white markers bearing crosses or Stars of David. They add up to only a tiny fraction of the price that has been paid for our freedom.

Each one of those markers is a monument to the kinds of hero I spoke of earlier. Their lives ended in places called Belleau Wood, The Argonne, Omaha Beach, Salerno and halfway around the world on Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Pork Chop Hill, the Chosin Reservoir, and in a hundred rice paddies and jungles of a place called Vietnam.

Under one such marker lies a young man--Martin Treptow--who left his job in a small town barber shop in 1917 to go to France with the famed Rainbow Division. There, on the western front, he was killed trying to carry a message between battalions under heavy artillery fire.

We are told that on his body was found a diary. On the flyleaf under the heading, "My Pledge," he had written these words: "America must win this war. Therefore, I will work, I will save, I will sacrifice, I will endure, I will fight cheerfully and do my utmost, as if the issue of the whole struggle depended on me alone."

The crisis we are facing today does not require of us the kind of sacrifice that Martin Treptow and so many thousands of others were called upon to make. It does require, however, our best effort, and our willingness to believe in ourselves and to believe in our capacity to perform great deeds; to believe that together, with God's help, we can and will resolve the problems which now confront us.

And, after all, why shouldn't we believe that? We are Americans. God bless you, and thank you.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 20, 1981

So, do you think anyone running has the guts to say and actually live up to this?

[dariks]

Under one such marker lies a young man--Martin Treptow--who left his job in a small town barber shop in 1917 to go to France with the famed Rainbow Division.

Not to change the subject, but this reminded me of the other Martin Treptow. The latest update on that case that I could find is here.

[deerslayer]

Hillary has a bigger ****.

[Guest Len]

This is an interesting thread.

[Guest HexHead]

As a conservative Republican I voted for Hillary in the primary. Once Rudy was out, I really don't care which of the GOP candidates is left standing, I just want the more easily beatable Dem to face him.

Obama scares the hell out of me, especially if McCain is the GOP nominee. If he can energize the youth vote, there's no way they are going to vote for the guy that looks like their grandfather.

[Guest BG38357]

+1 , Hex.

[Marswolf]

Unfortunately, there is no true republican going to get the nod.

I'm not sure what a "true" Republican is. I doubt Abraham Lincoln would agree with any of our definitions. I'm not sure Reagan would either.

I don't fit the litmus test for being anti-abortion. So I guess I'm not a true Republican. I don't like abortion as contraception. I also think it is less moral to bring an unwanted child into this world than to prevent it's viability. I also very strongly think a true patriot wants to keep the government out of our private lives as much as possible. So I'm anti-government-interference, including in abortion matters. I think that should be the proper true Republican position.

I'm a religious person, but think that the government should be run on a secular basis. I think that was also the clear intention of the country's founders. Bush and Huckabee don't agree. I think true Republicans can be Methodists and Baptists, Muslims, agnostics and atheists.

I think we should eliminate government "entitlements." That includes Medicare, and Social Security. That should be the true Republican position, but it isn't. I don't think you will find many more true Republicans who think we should eliminate those programs than liberal Democrats. Apparently self-reliance is not something that true Republicans value.

Sounds a lot like Ron Paul, doesn't it? But his foreign policy is idiotic. Thar's not the way a true Republican should think. Paul is more dangerous than even Jimmy Carter on defense.

So if I have to accept taxation for entitlements, religious zealousness tests, and intrusive abortion laws, I guess I don't want to be a True Republican. But I'll continue to be a True Conservative in my mind, unlike the True Republicans. I prefer to conserve liberty as much as possible, while dealing with the realities we face today from foreign sources.

I think the definition of a true Republican may be being revised at the polls. Maybe a bit more secular. Maybe a bit more realistic. Maybe a bit more inclusive of the ideas I'd like to see in the people I feel comfortable voting for.

[Guest canynracer]

wow Mars....i just shed a tear!!!! well said

[cadillacdude1975]

Huckabee will get my vote.

[Guest canynracer]

wow Huckabee and Clinton won TN

[Marswolf]

wow Huckabee and Clinton won TN

Yeah, it's a big mess. I hope Hillary gets the nod...eventually. I think she would be easier to defeat than Obama.

[cadillacdude1975]

supports a national bill against concealed carry. f-c-i-g moron.

[DaveTN]

The whole election is scary. The Dems are concerned whether or not they can get a woman or a black elected. Hillary is a joke and Obama doesn’t have the experience to even be in this race.

If they had a black woman we wouldn’t even need to have an election; she would be unbeatable.

<O:p</O:p

Meanwhile the republicans are left with no one that can overcome the circus going on in the Democratic Party.

<O:p</O:p

[Guest canynracer]

...................

[deerslayer]

If McKennedy wins the Republican nomination, I will probably skip the next presidential election for the first time in my life.

If McKennedy wins the election, I will start refreshing my Spanish.

[Guest canynracer]

LMFAO mckennedy!!! LOL LOL LOL

[Marswolf]

Wait and see who his running mate is because if he is elected the VP will most likely end up taking over.McCain is too old and rickety to stand 4 years of the stress.Or at least vote 3rd party.A lot of people died for our freedom to vote,we owe them that much.

Reagan did pretty well as an old fart and didn't die in office. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's five years after leaving office. No reason to think that anything dire would happen to McCain. But I do agree that the choice of VP is important.

I'd have to go with Fred Thompson right now.

[deerslayer]

I don't see how VP choice is that important--the president's cabinet members usually have more clout than the VP. Regardless of who the VP is, McCain will still be the nominee, and therefore possibly the president, and I think four years of McCain will damage the Republican party so badly that we may see 20 years of Democratic presidents after his first term. Therefore, I seriously doubt I will vote for him. Four years of Barack or Hillary may unite the right and be a blessing in disguise (as long as gun rights survive). I think our attention should now turn to taking back the House and the Senate--the White House is lost no matter who is elected. It is an insult to those who died for our freedoms to simply shrug one's shoulders and vote for the lesser of two evils, especially when those two evils look so similar.

[Marswolf]

It is an insult to those who died for our freedoms to simply shrug one's shoulders and vote for the lesser of two evils, especially when those two evils look so similar.

I think it is an insult to those who have fought and died to not vote.

I've never voted in an election where I didn't vote for the lesser of the evils. If I didn't do that, I'd have never voted.

[deerslayer]

Well, I've never voted for the lesser of two evils in the presidential election and don't plan to start this year--I just can't vote for a liberal Democrat who claims to be a conservative, even if his VP is a reincarnated Teddy Roosevelt. I will, however, participate in House/Senate elections.

[Mike.357]

McCain came out yesterday with a platform that reflects typical republican values.

i am sure he did it to help ease fears of hard line repubs and to reflect the party line.

If he does become president I doubt he will go off the deep end and be the equivilant of a democrat. He might not be your ideal "Reagan" republican but do you all seriously think having Hillary or Barack in the white house beneficial? No good will come of that.

Some here have suggested that if it is Obama he will be assasinated. I have read it other places as well. For the love of God I hope that does not come to be. Talk about some restrictive gun laws being passed.

I read crazy talk on internet forums and some of the craziest is those simply saying they will not vote for McCain.

God help us all.

[Fallguy]

[DaveTN]

but do you all seriously think having Hillary or Barack in the white house beneficial? No good will come of that.

I keep thinking maybe this is a nightmare and I will wake up.

<O:p</O:p

I can’t see how anyone can vote for Hillary; she is a joke.

However…. When I heard she was running for the NY Senate I laughed out loud. I said “No one will vote for her.†I was wrong.

<O:p</O:p

I don’t think McCain has the horsepower to over come this fiasco. The issues have been lost in the agendas.

<O:p</O:p

But if he does get the nod, I think he will pick Giuliani for a running mate. Giuliani may be able to pull votes from some of the Dems that still are concerned about the issues.