Keep and Bear Arms
Home Members Login/Join About Us News/Editorials Archives Take Action Your Voice Web Services Free Email
You are 1 of 475 active visitors Thursday, October 31, 2024
EMAIL NEWS
Main Email List:
Subscribe
Unsubscribe

State Email Lists:
Click Here
SUPPORT KABA
» Join/Renew Online
» Join/Renew by Mail
» Make a Donation
» Magazine Subscriptions
» KABA Memorial Fund
» Advertise Here
» Use KABA Free Email

» JOIN/Renew NOW! «
 
SUPPORT OUR SUPPORTERS

 

YOUR VOTE COUNTS

Keep and Bear Arms - Vote In Our Polls
Do you oppose Biden's anti-gun executive orders?
Yes
No
Undecided

Current results
Earlier poll results
4774 people voted

 

SPONSORED LINKS

 
» U.S. Gun Laws
» AmeriPAC
» NoInternetTax
» Gun Show On The Net
» 2nd Amendment Show
» SEMPER FIrearms
» Colt Collectors Assoc.
» Personal Defense Solutions

 

 


News & Editorials
Search:
 
 
Bill Simon Wins CA GOP Primary

Bill Simon Wins California GOP Primary

In Spite of NRA's Opposition

March 6, 2002

KeepAndBearArms.com — In a stunning upset that defied conventional political wisdom, businessman Bill Simon soundly beat expected frontrunner, former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan 49.4% to 31.4% in the GOP's California gubernatorial primary. NRA's endorsed candidate, Secretary of State Bill Jones, finished third with 17.0% of the vote. (For final tallies on all candidates and other stats, go here: http://vote2002.ss.ca.gov/Returns/gov/00.htm.) 

The race, projected as a dead heat between Simon and Riordan in the polls preceding the election, was the subject of four stories on KeepAndBearArms.com, where Jones was seen as a potential spoiler who would draw votes away from the conservative Simon, with a strong chance of handing the primary to the anti-gun Riordan. That this did not happen can be credited in part to gun owners not following NRA's recommendation and voting for Simon instead — in fact, KeepAndBearArms.com reported that, after its stories posted and generated interest on Internet mail lists, a prominent Southern California Members Council broke ranks with NRA management over their Jones endorsement, and recruited grassroots support for their candidate's rival, Simon.

KABA urged NRA to back Simon, to ask Jones to release them from their endorsement. We looked at the polls and it clearly made no sense to continue backing someone who could not win. That's when we decided to plead with Jones to step down, to not split the conservative vote in favor of Riordan.

We made it clear that our main interest was to get a horse in the governor's race. Had that horse been Jones, we would have just as strongly urged Simon to step away. But the numbers approaching the primary made it clear that Jones was not a contender — and with Riordan's projected strength, he could have very well been a spoiler.

We commended NRA on wanting to stay loyal to its preferred candidate, but we also reminded them that their first loyalty necessarily had to be to their members' Second Amendment rights — and to gamble with these was irresponsible.

That NRA political coordinators could be so out of touch with the majority of California conservatives, including gun owners and their own membership, prompts speculation as to their future effectiveness in California politics. Clearly, when they can't even marshal their own contacts to support their chosen candidate, something must change if they wish to appear a credible force in the state. That the much smaller Gun Owners of California and a 2-year-old internet-based organization should be more in touch with gun owners than the mighty NRA should be a wakeup call to the beltway managers — and a clear warning that relevance does not come from centralized control, but from being receptive to, in touch with and empowering of the principled will of activist gun owners.

"Not invented here" no longer works, NRA management. We now have a shot for the governor's race — no thanks to you.

We look forward to NRA support for Bill Simon in the upcoming race. We also hope they understand that they do not hold a monopoly on political credibility any more — grassroots activists and a solid candidate have done it without them and even in spite of their opposition. They will not have exclusive access to the candidate they refused to back, nor will they be the only voice he hears.

Support Bill Simon for governor of the State of California.

 

Print This Page
Mail To A Friend
 QUOTES TO REMEMBER
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.— Benjamin Franklin Historical Review of Pennsylvania. [Note: This sentence was often quoted in the Revolutionary period. It occurs even so early as November, 1755, in an answer by the Assembly of Pennsylvania to the Governor, and forms the motto of Franklin's "Historical Review," 1759, appearing also in the body of the work. — Frothingham: Rise of the Republic of the United States, p. 413. ]

COPYRIGHT POLICY: The posting of copyrighted articles and other content, in whole or in part, is not allowed here. We have made an effort to educate our users about this policy and we are extremely serious about this. Users who are caught violating this rule will be warned and/or banned.
If you are the owner of content that you believe has been posted on this site without your permission, please contact our webmaster by following this link. Please include with your message: (1) the particulars of the infringement, including a description of the content, (2) a link to that content here and (3) information concerning where the content in question was originally posted/published. We will address your complaint as quickly as possible. Thank you.

 
NOTICE:  The information contained in this site is not to be considered as legal advice. In no way are Keep And Bear Arms .com or any of its agents responsible for the actions of our members or site visitors. Also, because this web site is a Free Speech Zone, opinions, ideas, beliefs, suggestions, practices and concepts throughout this site may or may not represent those of Keep And Bear Arms .com. All rights reserved. Articles that are original to this site may be redistributed provided they are left intact and a link to http://www.KeepAndBearArms.com is given. Click here for Contact Information for representatives of KeepAndBearArms.com.

Thawte.com is the leading provider of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and digital certificate solutions used by enterprises, Web sites, and consumers to conduct secure communications and transactions over the Internet and private networks.

KeepAndBearArms.com, Inc. © 1999-2024, All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy