For anyone who still thinks that most of our reps have (in any way) our interests at heart on 2A issues, please read. I don't post this as a "poo poo" on our collective efforts or to try to convince anyone we are tilting at windmills. This is just what I heard in a conversation. It was pretty educational for me - not the concepts but the details.
Had an interesting conversation with an old friend who is a staffer for a delegate in the "Baltimore Delegation" the other day. She has very different ideas than I do about a great many things, but she also listens and learns (as do I). God bless the 1st amendment. She's a smart woman and I do trust her opinion on most topics, even if I fundamentally disagree.
Conversation turned to SB 281 and she became noticeably uncomfortable. I explained that my biggest surprise and disappointment was that the ENTIRE Baltimore delegation, who represent several diverse populations (economically, racially, businesses, etc), seemed to support SB281 without question or concern. She told me "You have no idea."
She explained to me that within that particular delegation, several problems occurred, and were glaringly obvious.
1. The reps simply did not read the bill. They literally did not know what was in it. They were not interested in reading it. Why?
2. The game was fixed by the first day of the Session. They were told that the Governor (former 2-term mayor of Baltimore, for those of you who don't know) expected their unequivocal support on his entire suite of "primary" legislation (SB281, gas tax, wind power, and whatever the other one was).
3. This, from the individual representative side, had little to nothing to do with "liberal ideology" or in most cases, a hatred of guns or 2A. It had little to do with being a Democrat. AND NOTHING TO DO WITH CRIME OR CRIME REDUCTION (we all knew that part already). It had everything to do with supporting the Governor, who they are convinced will be the next POTUS, and will send buckets of cash from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave (and numerous well-paid appointments!!!) as thanks. They honestly believe the Governor will be the next president.
4. In support of #3, above, numerous Reps, their adult children, and staffers all served in relatively prominent roles in the 2012 Obama campaign. I didn't know that. To hear my friend (a staunch Democrat) say it, it is all about individual political ascendancy, not about liberal ideology or the Democratic platform. This is the mindset with which the delegation approached SB 281 - "it's good for our careers, who cares about the Constitution or the law's effectiveness."
5. In support of #4, above, several of the Reps made it clear to their staff that their staff was "not to screw this up." This meant pretty clearly minimizing any off-the-cuff comments that showed anything less than full support for SB281. Any discussion in the offices (even "academic" "what if" questions) that veered slightly anti-SB281 were quickly stopped. I floated the idea that it also colored how the staffers handled citizen comments, requests, and questions, but all I got was a blank stare.
6. She closed out her statements on SB281 by discussing the House reps specifically, that with the exception of Anderson (an attorney), most of these folks really lack the educational foundation to be writing, editing, and commenting on laws, and even the state senators seem to know this. She said that spending our time trying to educate them on why SB281 might not function correctly was a completely wasted effort because most of the reps simply do not understand what we are talking about.
Had an interesting conversation with an old friend who is a staffer for a delegate in the "Baltimore Delegation" the other day. She has very different ideas than I do about a great many things, but she also listens and learns (as do I). God bless the 1st amendment. She's a smart woman and I do trust her opinion on most topics, even if I fundamentally disagree.
Conversation turned to SB 281 and she became noticeably uncomfortable. I explained that my biggest surprise and disappointment was that the ENTIRE Baltimore delegation, who represent several diverse populations (economically, racially, businesses, etc), seemed to support SB281 without question or concern. She told me "You have no idea."
She explained to me that within that particular delegation, several problems occurred, and were glaringly obvious.
1. The reps simply did not read the bill. They literally did not know what was in it. They were not interested in reading it. Why?
2. The game was fixed by the first day of the Session. They were told that the Governor (former 2-term mayor of Baltimore, for those of you who don't know) expected their unequivocal support on his entire suite of "primary" legislation (SB281, gas tax, wind power, and whatever the other one was).
3. This, from the individual representative side, had little to nothing to do with "liberal ideology" or in most cases, a hatred of guns or 2A. It had little to do with being a Democrat. AND NOTHING TO DO WITH CRIME OR CRIME REDUCTION (we all knew that part already). It had everything to do with supporting the Governor, who they are convinced will be the next POTUS, and will send buckets of cash from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave (and numerous well-paid appointments!!!) as thanks. They honestly believe the Governor will be the next president.
4. In support of #3, above, numerous Reps, their adult children, and staffers all served in relatively prominent roles in the 2012 Obama campaign. I didn't know that. To hear my friend (a staunch Democrat) say it, it is all about individual political ascendancy, not about liberal ideology or the Democratic platform. This is the mindset with which the delegation approached SB 281 - "it's good for our careers, who cares about the Constitution or the law's effectiveness."
5. In support of #4, above, several of the Reps made it clear to their staff that their staff was "not to screw this up." This meant pretty clearly minimizing any off-the-cuff comments that showed anything less than full support for SB281. Any discussion in the offices (even "academic" "what if" questions) that veered slightly anti-SB281 were quickly stopped. I floated the idea that it also colored how the staffers handled citizen comments, requests, and questions, but all I got was a blank stare.
6. She closed out her statements on SB281 by discussing the House reps specifically, that with the exception of Anderson (an attorney), most of these folks really lack the educational foundation to be writing, editing, and commenting on laws, and even the state senators seem to know this. She said that spending our time trying to educate them on why SB281 might not function correctly was a completely wasted effort because most of the reps simply do not understand what we are talking about.
