Jeff Merkley = No Clue on Firearms

[sparkly_flea]

As an aside...
Their words mean little. It is their actions that incriminate them.
Also, Merkley is a left wing lap dog and is exactly what the lefty Oregon voters love. He will be in office for many years as long as he continues to be a sock puppet for the left.

Interesting logic since Gordon Smith held the position for the last two terms.

 

[Trlsmn]

Interesting logic since Gordon Smith held the position for the last two terms.

That's a pretty general statement. Care to narrow it down so I understand your point?

 

[sparkly_flea]

I will restate: the claim that that Oregon voters love leftys is somewhat inaccurate considering Oregonians elected Gordon Smith for two terms. I don't rule out Merkley is a sock puppet.

 

[PrDubi]

The guy is a moron and clueless. I still have embedded in my head his cluelessness when the Republic of Georgia was invaded by Russia.

DUH I WAS THINKING ATLANTA AND JIMMY CARTA....dumb bone head.

He's a slum lord like Wyden and is from Portland LIKE WYDEN.

So how does that two US senators from the same frigging city represent us Oregonians that DON't EVEN LIVE IN THAT SCUM CITY???

Smith lost because of the gays, the scums, and pretty much those that in the vicinity of PEW town

 

[Stomper]

Smith was not a "lock-step Republican" anyway... he voted like a RINO many, many times. The whole reason the Dem. party wanted his seat so badly was to capture a "Super Majority" in the U.S. Senate for obvious reasons... now that Al Franken-stein has been installed they have it, so they'll have no more scapegoats for when things blow up in their faces.

 

[fingolfen]

The guy is a moron and clueless. I still have embedded in my head his cluelessness when the Republic of Georgia was invaded by Russia.

DUH I WAS THINKING ATLANTA AND JIMMY CARTA....dumb bone head.

He's a slum lord like Wyden and is from Portland LIKE WYDEN.

So how does that two US senators from the same frigging city represent us Oregonians that DON't EVEN LIVE IN THAT SCUM CITY???

Smith lost because of the gays, the scums, and pretty much those that in the vicinity of PEW town

Granted the population of Portland can dominate state-wide election cycles, but there were a lot of things that contributed to Smith's loss last November.

The #1 reason - general dissatisfaction with the Bush administration and the direction of the nation. Smith started out at a disadvantage because of the reverse coat-tail effect.

However, if you look at the map and the numbers there are other factors as well: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_election_in_Oregon,_2008

The #2 reason Smith suffered is that we have election law that is set up for two, and only two, parties. Pretty much the whole country has that problem. That means that 3rd party candidates will often play spoiler for what ever major party candidate lies closest to their ideology. This effect won Clinton the White House in '92 and '96 and contributed to Bush winning the White House in 2000.

In the 2008 Senatorial Election, three candidates hit that 5% threshold:

Democratic Jeff Merkley 864,392 48.90 +9.29
Republican Gordon Smith 805,159 45.55 -10.66
Constitution (Oregon) David Brownlow 92,565 5.24 +3.53

In this case, Brownlow represented more than the difference between Merkley and Smith. Also note that Merkley didn't win a majority of the votes, even with Portland overwhelmingly favoring him.

So what to do? I like the "instant runoff" system:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant-runoff_voting

First and foremost this means that no candidate in a single-winner campaign will be elected with less than 50% of the vote. This also means people can still vote for a 3rd party candidate as their first choice, but have a "second choice" if no single candidate wins a majority (as opposed to running a separate run-off election).

Looking at the numbers above - an instant runoff system might have kept Merkley out of the Senate...

 

[Trlsmn]

Smith was not a "lock-step Republican" anyway... he voted like a RINO many, many times. The whole reason the Dem. party wanted his seat so badly was to capture a "Super Majority" in the U.S. Senate for obvious reasons... now that Al Franken-stein has been installed they have it, so they'll have no more scapegoats for when things blow up in their faces.

Lets not forget the ultimate traitor Arlen Spector!

 

[Chee-to]

Thank you for contacting me to express your views on gun control legislation. It is an honor to serve as your Senator, and I appreciate hearing your views on this important issue.

I understand that many Oregonians cherish their second amendment rights, and I support the ability of law abiding gun owners to own and use firearms. At the same time, however, I believe that we must protect our children and ensure that deadly weapons do not fall into the hands of criminals. For this reason, I support common sense measures that help keep our communities safe including mandatory background checks and closing the gun show loophole that permits unlicensed private vendors to sell privately-owned guns at gun shows without background checks.

I will continue to stand for sportsmen and law abiding citizens, and protect their constitutional right to bear arms.

Thank you, again, for sharing your thoughts with me, and please continue to keep me informed about issues that concern you.

It's a form letter, I received the exact same text in a email from Merkley, one of his flunkies probably wrote it...... :bsflag:

From: [email protected] [Add to Address Book]
To:
Subject: In response to your email about gun control legislation
Date: Jul 23, 2009 12:40 PM
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Dear Robert,



Thank you for contacting me to express your views on gun control legislation. It is an honor to serve as your Senator, and I appreciate hearing your views on this important issue.



I understand that many Oregonians cherish their second amendment rights, and I support the ability of law abiding gun owners to own and use firearms. At the same time, however, I believe that we must protect our children and ensure that deadly weapons do not fall into the hands of criminals. For this reason, I support common sense measures that help keep our communities safe including mandatory background checks and closing the gun show loophole that permits unlicensed private vendors to sell privately-owned guns at gun shows without background checks.



I will continue to stand for sportsmen and law abiding citizens, and protect their constitutional right to bear arms.



Thank you, again, for sharing your thoughts with me, and please continue to keep me informed about issues that concern you.



All my best,

Jeff Merkley
United States Senate

 

[probasco]

MIKE DID YOU EMAIL HIM BACK AND SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT? IF NOT, I WILL or i will call him. THE LAST THING WE NEED IS ANOTHER WELL INTENDED EL STUPIDIO PASSING LAWS THAT ALREADY EXIST.

<broken link removed>

Because of several recent Second Amendment and Firearms related issues that have been appearing before the United States Senate (Sotomayor hearing, concealed carry reciprocity, etc.) I’ve pretty much had my Senators on speed dial, or in this case speed email. I recently got a form letter back from Freshman Senator Jeff Merkley, who was narrowly elected over incumbent Gordon Smith. Ironically, Constitution Party candidate David Brownlow seems to have played spoiler in this case as his tally was far more than the difference between Merkley and Smith. Chalk yet another election fiasco up to our broken election law. I however, digress. Suffice it to say that if Obama wasn’t at the top of the ticket, Merkley wouldn’t be in the Senate today, nor should he be if his most recent missive is representative of his policies and his grasp on law and policy in his home state.

Here’s the text of his form letter:



Note his focus on the so-called “gun show loophole.” There’s one big problem here. Merkley allegedly represents the state of Oregon. Oregon has no “gun show loophole.” If you want to buy a firearm at any show in the state, you must either have an FFL (or C&R) or pass the background check.

Given his lack of grasp of Oregon Law (bear in mind he was a State Representative for several terms as well as Speaker of the Oregon House), how the heck can this individual consider himself qualified to be a U.S. Senator. I have a better grasp on firearm law than he does, and I know he’s getting paid a lot more than I am!

Instead of actually demonstrating an understanding of the issue, Merkley has just spouted partisan rhetoric from his favorite anti-Second Amendment groups and passed it off as a policy stance. Quite frankly Oregon deserves more professionalism and competency from its Senator, and I sincerely hope that Merkley is a “one and out.”

 

[Stomper]

Dear Senator Merkley,

Thank you for your interest in being re-elected as the junior senator from Oregon. I understand your desire to maintain your postition that you cherish so dearly. Upon further contemplation and a deep search of my (almost empty) wallet as well as the integrity of my Constitutional rights for which your current track record reflects a contempt for. I have decided NOT to vote for you, as well as do everything I can to ensure you are NOT re-elected, as you are the antithesis of the ideals upon which has made our country the greatest mankind has ever known. I am interested in closing the Executive Order loophole, a congressional challenge to the Czar effect, as well as possibly looking into term limits for ALL political offices.

Once again, thank you for conveying your interests and concerns, and by all means please do not contact me again.


sincerely,

your constituent that you (supposedly) represent... of the people, by the people, and FOR the people!

 

[fingolfen]

MIKE DID YOU EMAIL HIM BACK AND SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT? IF NOT, I WILL or i will call him. THE LAST THING WE NEED IS ANOTHER WELL INTENDED EL STUPIDIO PASSING LAWS THAT ALREADY EXIST.

I did email him back... no response so far...

Mike

 

[Muddman]

I just got this from Merkley..

Dear Michael,



Thank you for contacting me to share your views regarding an amendment offered to the Defense Authorization Act (S.1390) that would have modified gun ownership regulations by requiring states to recognize all other states' concealed carry permits. It is an honor to serve as your Senator, and I appreciate hearing from you on this important matter.



I understand that people feel very passionately on both sides regarding the limits and regulation of gun ownership. The provision offered by Senators John Thune (R-SD) and David Vitter (R-LA) would have allowed gun owners with valid permits from one state to carry concealed weapons in other states that issue such permits. I voted in opposition to this amendment, which failed to pass and thus be adopted as part of the defense authorization bill.



I opposed the Thune-Vitter amendment because the bill would have permitted gun owners from states with weaker gun laws to carry concealed weapons in Oregon. While I have always supported the right of law-abiding gun owners to own and use firearms, I believe states should have the right to establish and enforce their own gun laws, particularly since views tend to vary widely across regions. I believe that Oregonians, not politicians, should determine who has the right to carry within the state.



Thank you, again, for sharing your thoughts with me, and please continue to keep me informed about the issues that matter most to you.




All my best,
Jeff Merkley
United States Senate

 

[Chee-to]

Ha, I just received the exact same email....

 

[Stomper]

heh... this thread should be titled, "Jeff Merkley = No clue on constituents".

 

[Jamie6.5]

He' bound to give that response since he doesn't read the bills. They're too big etc.

 

[tionico]

I believe states should have the right to establish and enforce their own gun laws, particularly since views tend to vary widely across regions. I believe that Oregonians, not politicians, should determine who has the right to carry within the state.


this guy really is clueless. The bill did nothing of the sort he alledges. It left ALL existing gun laws in place, the ONLY change would be to allow CC permit holders from any state to carry in any other. What he fails to realise is that FEDERAL regs determine who is qualified to CC, and who not. Same background check, except that the state of residence will check local records, which Oregon could not easily do for out of state people.

 

[greybeard42]

I have found Jeff to use form letters also. When I ask him about the "gunrynner" subject all he stated was that he was concerned with the safety of our children. When I asked what about the safety of the Mexican children he failed to answer my e-mail. If you put this man in a corner he has no clue how to get out. ITS PLUMB SCARY

 

[WhyteCheddar]

Just now catching up to this.
I wouldnt catagorize Smith as a standard Republican or conservative.

 

[One-Eyed Ross]

could be worse, you guys could have Patty Murray like we do...

 

[VW_Factor]

I just got this from Merkley..

Dear Michael,



Thank you for contacting me to share your views regarding an amendment offered to the Defense Authorization Act (S.1390) that would have modified gun ownership regulations by requiring states to recognize all other states' concealed carry permits. It is an honor to serve as your Senator, and I appreciate hearing from you on this important matter.



I understand that people feel very passionately on both sides regarding the limits and regulation of gun ownership. The provision offered by Senators John Thune (R-SD) and David Vitter (R-LA) would have allowed gun owners with valid permits from one state to carry concealed weapons in other states that issue such permits. I voted in opposition to this amendment, which failed to pass and thus be adopted as part of the defense authorization bill.



I opposed the Thune-Vitter amendment because the bill would have permitted gun owners from states with weaker gun laws to carry concealed weapons in Oregon. While I have always supported the right of law-abiding gun owners to own and use firearms, I believe states should have the right to establish and enforce their own gun laws, particularly since views tend to vary widely across regions. I believe that Oregonians, not politicians, should determine who has the right to carry within the state.



Thank you, again, for sharing your thoughts with me, and please continue to keep me informed about the issues that matter most to you.




All my best,
Jeff Merkley
United States Senate

I got this one as well. I did a /facepalm.

After reading about some of the gun laws from the other states in the US, I'd have to say, its pretty easy to get a permit here.. Which state is he talking about that has "weaker" laws or requirements than Oregon?

He doesn't really have a clue what he is doing does he?