TGT, here's a dirty little secret: Governor Tommy Thompson, who was in office for 16 years, never wanted this bill delivered to his desk. It was too controversial. He didn't want to see it, he didn't want to veto it, and he certainly didn't want to sign it.
Hunter Rose, there are a gazillion reasons why an early vote is a bad idea. One is that Democrat legislators from solidly-Democrat districts, districts that have always been pro-gun, don't even know about the issue.
Give the NRA, the WCCA, gun clubs, and other groups a couple of months to hammer away at them--the way your people did in Manitowoc and Sheboygan--and you'll get some converts in the legislature.
Time works in our favor. This past weekend, freshman Dem Representative Mike Sheridan of Janesville--who had gone on record as being opposed to CCW--got hundreds of postcards from his constituents. From what I'm told, he's now taking a more "thoughtful" approach to the issue.
There are other freshman Democrats in key areas who need to be pressured by their constituents. If we have a vote---especially an assembly vote---next week, we're going to lose.
I've been pressuring the powers that be to delay a veto override vote as long as possible. Why? Because I believe that Doyle's numbers will continue to fall. And, as some Dem's have to decide between Doyle and the NRA, Doyle's support will erode.
The senate is key. We need to see more than enough votes there to override a Doyle veto, even if it's only 23 to 11. That kind of margin--and we saw it last time--will be enough to get assembly Democrat representatives thinking about their own political fortunes.
We need to wait until Doyle's campaign numbers begin to gel. It's far too early right now to use those numbers as a playing card.
When I mentioned the "shock and awe" idea, it's one that I'd like to talk to you about. On the phone. Land-lines, please.
We've all worked so hard, come so far, and have gotten so close to just give up.
There is no reason that we cannot override a Doyle veto on concealed carry this year. None. He just had a veto overriden, the first veto overidden in roughly twenty years.
No legislator who votes with Doyle will get an NRA "A" rating. That may not mean much to the liberal Dem's in Milwaukee, but it means everything to the conservative Democrats in outlying parts of the state. That "A" rating is everything. Especially if the legislator is running against a Democrat with a "B+" rating.
Doyle smells like roadkill.
Please, folks, step up to the plate and do what is right. We're so close to a victory that the only thing stopping our victory is your lack of participation.
There are all sorts of jobs needed to be done, and jobs that suit every personality. We need aggressive types to work the gun shows. We need quiet types to just drop off literature at gun stores and gun clubs. We need folks like AJ Dual who are trying to keep multiple babies sorted out, but still find the time to help.
If you want to help, please email me at
[email protected]