Specter's Smoking Gun

Gun Owners of America makes the National Rifle Association look like Neville Chamberlain at Munich.

People have been known to sell out whatever principles they have left for politics. Like the Republican Party hierarchy and the NRA endorsing U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter over U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey in the April 27 primary.

The GOA prefers to stick to its guns.

"Specter has always voted for gun owners -- when we do not need him," said Larry Pratt, executive director of the 300,000-member organization. He describes it as a grassroots citizens' lobby for the Second Amendment since its founding in Virginia in 1975.

"(Specter) is the reason why the semi-automatic gun ban got out of committee and became law. He left the room so he would not be present to vote."

The primary in Pennsylvania is today (April 27th). Specter, a Republican incumbent (and often called a "RINO", for "Republican In Name Only"), is being challenged for the nomination by a pro-gun Republican. The NRA is backing Specter, because the NRA likes to play the middle and they are hesitant to step away from an incumbent, especially if it risks losing his support should he win without the endorsement. The GOA, on the other hand, have a different view; they like the challenger, Pat Toomey, a current US Representative.

Who's right? I don't know. But I trust the GOA more. And Toomey has the advantage of being an incumbent for his own seat in the House; it's not as much of an upset for him to win as it would be normally. This is one of those primaries that are sometimes more important than the actual election, especially when the district is relatively uncontested.