Obama volunteers press swing district Rs on guns
Organizing for Action, the reincarnated Obama reelection army of volunteers, mobilized Friday to lobby Philadelphia area Republican Reps. Jim Gerlach, Patrick Meehan and Mike Fitzpatrick to get behind gun-control proposals. It was part of a series of events in 80 congressional districts.
Obama volunteers press swing district Rs on guns
Thomas Fitzgerald, Inquirer Politics Writer
The permanent Obama campaign arrived Friday on the pavement outside the Langhorne office of U.S. Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R.,Pa.), in the form of 25 people huddled against the chill and joining voices to urge the congressman to back stricter gun control measures.
Organizing for Action, the successor to Obama’s reelection campaign, and run by some of the same aides, had summoned the supporters with emails and phone calls, hoping to step up public pressure for one of the president’s top legislative and regulatory priorities.
It was the first national “day of action” for the group, formed a month ago to try to turn the relative excitement of the campaign and the massive contact list of Obama supporters and volunteers into an advocacy force behind administration policy preferences. In the Philadelphia area, OFA also sent protestors to the offices of Republican Reps. Jim Gerlach and Patrick J. Meehan.
All told, the group was sponsoring about 100 events in 80 congressional districts around the nation – petitions, candlelight vigils, rallies – on the gun-control issue, emphasizing Obama’s proposal for more extensive background checks for gun purchasers.
Two months after the mass slaughter at a Newtown elementary school, Obama has turned out some executive orders fine-tuning the process of background checks, but legislation is needed, said Kelly Spracklin, an OFA volunteer organizer. “The victims deserve a vote in Congress, their families deserve a vote, everyone deserves a vote,” Spracklin said.
Fitzpatrick has already voiced support for the expanded background checks, as has Rep. Patrick Meehan, of Delaware County, who represents the 7th district.
Indeed, Fitzpatrick and Meehan were not among those targeted when OFA began running television ads aimed at 13 Republicans the group’s strategists believe can be convinced to support the background-check expansion. Rep. Jim Gerlach (R.,Pa.), in Montgomery County’s 6th District, is among those who will be referenced in the ads.
“I’m concerned about the future I am leaving to my two children,” said Christine O’Donnell, of Upper Makefield, who came to the protest. She said of gun violence victims, “They’re my children, their all our children,” adding, “This is about the people telling our leaders what kind of communities we want.”
Some of the group went up to the third floor of the office building, to Fitzpatrick’s district office, to ask for a meeting. The representative was not in. They filled out constituent comment cards and voiced their opinions to a receptionist.
“He needs to know there’s a growing number of constituents in Bucks County who are not happy with the situation,” said Mary Avino, leader of Bucks Against Gun Violence; she said she has been trying to get a meeting with Fitzpatrick for two months, without success.
Sarah Nathan came from Willow Grove to participate. A campaign volunteer for Obama just a few short months ago, she was glad to be hitting the campaign trail again.
“It’s wonderful it’s continuing,” Nathan said. “Obama is the man.”
Liberals and their tired parroted rhetoric. Let's look at facts:
A) In 2008 alone there were over 1,000,000.00 voluntary abortions in the US(1)
B) Over 50,000.00 people die every year from 2nd hand smoke(2)
C) Gun homicides average less than 12k per year and have been declining since 2008.(3)
Now let's take it one step further, per the FBI... "One is more likely to die from a hammer or club than an assault rifle."(4)
NOW lets look at real "Common sense" issues: Where are the jobs?!? The US is STILL stuck at 14% (u6) unemployment. Where is the deficit reductions? The US has a 101% debt to GDP ratio which is worse the most European countries! Why is the Bill of Rights under attack? Why with Obama assassinating over 4000.00 people with use of drones including many American citizens AND signing into law the NDAA which allows US citizens to be detained indefinitely by the military without trial? Benghazi! Obama represents over $6 TRILLION of the current $16 TRILLION in US Debt saddling taxpayers with over $75K each in taxes? $1T in new taxes on medical devises for the poor and middle class. $1T in new taxes on payroll taxes!
(1) - http://www.abort73.com/abortion_facts/us_abortion_statistics/
(2) - http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/secondhand_smoke/general_facts/index.htm
(3) - http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/united-states
(4) - http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/01/03/FBI-More-People-Killed-With-Hammers-and-Clubs-Each-Year-Than-With-Rifles— Professor1982- BTW, the shooting in Newtown:
1) Occurred in a "Gun Free Zone"
2) Occurred in a state where they banned "assault rifles"
3) Occurred because the guns were stolen by a criminal.
4) NJ has some of the most strict gun ownership laws in the nation yet leads the nation in gun crime?!?
Go figure.
— Professor1982 - Government can't touch the "Professor's" guns, but they can touch a woman's uterus, because the bible says so. So there shouldn't be freedom of religion in this country, but there should be freedom to buy 30 round clips at gun shows without background checks.
Professor, you have convinced me to vote Republican. Your logic and facts are indisputable.— Bobski5000 
The Freaky Friday chain email - cut and pasted by Taxman - is an apt metaphor of a severe bout of teeth gnashing or scratching of talons across blackboard. Either way, the effect Obama and crew have had on your diminishing cult is most enjoyable!
Gnash away, wingnut, gnash away...— wokmaster- I guess Wokmaster would rather women "pee and urinate" on their attackers like that Democrat in CO suggested, lol!
BTW, notice s/he doesn't dispute my facts.— Professor1982 - Sorry that should have been "urinate and vomit on their attackers", lol...STILL amazing that Dem had the b*lls to make that statement. — Professor1982
- Dispute your "facts"? lol
Your first point is based on a source which is a far-right anti-abortion site, not an unbiased one.
Your second point is a non-sequitur.
Your third source confirms the position which gun control advocates espouse: the more gun control, the less murders by firearm. Not enough, though, as 12k is still far too many. (You have a habit of using source material that strengthens the opposite position).
And your fourth point is patently absurd. Then I looked at the source and realized it came from breitbart.com. Enough said.— wokmaster - Good idea to disarm all of those women who's safety they like to claim they care about. Hypocrites.— Beethoven987
- Gun control is voting out the Democrats.— Faadoogled
- "Additionally, the presence of a firearm in a home increases the risk of homicide for women by five times."
Jacquelyn C. Campbell et al.,
Risk Factors for Femicide in Abusive Relationships: Results from a Multisite Case Control Study, 93am. J. PuB. healTh
1089, 1092 (2003)— mactruck16 - Right and removing guns will deter an abusive partner from using either a knife or bat or fists instead, lol. — Professor1982
- The thought of an abuser using a knife or fists on his partner makes you LOL? — carl and sons
- Here is the problem for the Tea Party and why their old white base is having a hissy-fit:
President Obama received 93% of the Black Vote.
President Obama received 71% of the Hispanic Vote.
President Obama received 73% of Asian Vote.
President Obama received 69% of Jewish Vote.
How ya like dem apples, taxman??— wokmaster - Oh, and Obama and Romney basically split the White Vote. Obama got the white female vote (and boy I bet that really steams the racists to no end). — wokmaster
- More demographic problems for the GOP:
Voters between the age of 18-30 voted for Obama 60% to Romney's 37%.
Voters 30-39 voted for Obama 55% to 42%.
Voters 30-44 voted for Obama 52% to 45%.
Hope I'm not piling on :-)— wokmaster
You can reach Tom Fitzgerald at 215-854-2718 or tfitzgerald@phillynews.com.
Reach Thomas at tfitzgerald@phillynews.com.
