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Howard Dean on the gun issue
Thus spake the chairman of the DNC:
"I was a governor who balanced eight budgets in a row, which is eight more than the Republicans, and I was a governor who was endorsed every year by the National Rifle Association."
Guns, Dean predicted, would never come up - either pro or con - in his 50-state survey of what the Democratic message should be.
"Guns aren't an issue," he said. "If Philadelphia wants gun control, fine. If Alabama doesn't, also fine."
As the 60's song went....You don't have to be a weatherman to know which the wind is blowing....
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Ditto to what he said...
Many people mistakenly credited Dean with being pro-gun because he didn't get "gun control" laws passed in Vermont. What most people fail to realize is that the Vermont Constitution, and not Howard Dean put the Vermont in "Vermont-style" carry. Dean was prohibited by the Vermont constitution from being a real Liberal Democrat. His current response would be typical of someone who never really had a political choice in the matter.
"Held, that a city ordinance prohibiting a person from carrying within the city any brass knuckles, pistol, slung shot, or weapon of similar character, or any weapon concealed on his person, without permission of the mayor or chief of police, so far as it relates to the carrying of a pistol under any circumstances without such consent, is repugnant to the Constitution, and to that extent void." Citing State v. Rosenthal, 75 Vt. 295, 55 A. 610 (1903),
They may not want to talk about it, but the records are clear. The information is available. Gun Law News.org is getting organized. The world will be able to easily see what a issue gun control is for Democrats.
"Guns aren't an issue," he said. "If Philadelphia wants gun control, fine. If Alabama doesn't, also fine."
What if George Wallace had said something like "If Philadelphia wants equal rights for negroes, fine. If Alabama doesn't, also fine."
I doubt words like "moderate," "middle-of-the-road," "common-sense," and "realist" would have been used to describe him.