Under enormous pressure from state voters and top Republicans at the national level, sources close to Idaho Republican Senator Larry Craig indicated that the Senator intends to resign from his Senate seat on Saturday.
Craig had pleaded guilty to a lesser misdemeanor charge when he was arrested in June in a police sex sting operation at an airport men's room. The particular men's room in question had been known to be a gathering place for homosexual men who were looking for sexual encounters.
With the 2008 election cycle drawing near, Republicans could ill afford a major scandal, particularly when it involves what many of Party's voting base consider to be a hot-button item.
Among the Party's national leadership and the grassroots rank-and-file back home, the overwhelming consensus was that Craig resign.
Immediately after news broke on Thursday that Craig's days in the Senate may be numbered, speculation ensued concerning who would be his replacement in the U.S. Senate. Quickly the name of Ryan Horsley, owner and manager of Red's Trading Post--the oldest gun store in Idaho--surfaced as a strong contender.
The U.S. Constitution mandates that in the case of a vacated Senate seat, the Governor of the state in question appoints a person to fill out the term of the person who vacated the seat.
Idaho Governor Butch Otter has several potential choices--U.S. Representative Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, Lieutenant Governor James Risch. and Ryan Horsley, among others.
If Otter chooses Simpson, the vacated House seat would be filled by a special election ordered by the Governor, according to the U.S. Constitution. Ryan Horsley has indicated interest in the House seat, but he would need to put together a campaign and win the majority of the votes in his district.
This should not be hard to do given Horsley's name-recognition and popularity within that House district.
However, Fox News is reporting that Governor Otter is leaning toward appointing Lieutenant Governor Risch to the Senate seat. In the past Risch had indicated he would be interested in running for the U.S. Senate should Craig decide to retire.
The Governor's office, however, is insisting that Otter has not come to any firm decision concerning Craig's seat and that no promises have been made to anyone. One source close to the Governor stated that all options are still on the table, and furthermore, it is inappropriate to discuss replacements before Craig has resigned.
Politics is a meticulous cat-and-mouse game with various nuances that color and influence choices. In the case of Senator Craig, while it is lamentable that hypocrisy seems to be so central to his political career, in many ways it is even more lamentable that the private lives of our elected representatives seem to be more important than their stance on the issues.
Larry Craig has been one of the most reliable and solid advocates for Second Amendment rights in America today. For that we can be very grateful.
Showing posts with label Larry Craig. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Larry Craig. Show all posts
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Friday, August 31, 2007
UPDATE! Ryan Horsley May Be Appointed to House
The buzz out of Idaho today is that the resignation of Senator Larry Craig will be today. The Governor of Idaho will in all likelihood appoint a present member of the U.S. House of Representatives to fill Craig's seat in the Senate.
If this is the case, that will create a vacancy in the House. It so happens that the district in question is Ryan Horsley's House district.
Horsley has indicated that if politics is in the works for him at the present time, he would prefer to serve in the House rather than the Senate.
We feel that either one would be great for our community and for the citizens of Idaho.
Remember, all of this is speculation at present. We still do not know how the whole thing will play out, and the Governor may appoint Idaho's Lieutenant Governor to the Senate seat, which would mean that there would be NO vacancy except for Lieutenant Governor.
In order to support Horsley's bid to be appointed to either the Senate or the House seats, go to the Red's Trading Post site and click on the link to the Governor's office in Idaho. Let the Governor know that appointing Ryan Horsley to one of these seats would be a great decision.
Click here to go to Red's Trading Post:
http://redstradingpost.blogspot.com/2007/08/ryan-horsley-looking-at-appointment-to.html
If this is the case, that will create a vacancy in the House. It so happens that the district in question is Ryan Horsley's House district.
Horsley has indicated that if politics is in the works for him at the present time, he would prefer to serve in the House rather than the Senate.
We feel that either one would be great for our community and for the citizens of Idaho.
Remember, all of this is speculation at present. We still do not know how the whole thing will play out, and the Governor may appoint Idaho's Lieutenant Governor to the Senate seat, which would mean that there would be NO vacancy except for Lieutenant Governor.
In order to support Horsley's bid to be appointed to either the Senate or the House seats, go to the Red's Trading Post site and click on the link to the Governor's office in Idaho. Let the Governor know that appointing Ryan Horsley to one of these seats would be a great decision.
Click here to go to Red's Trading Post:
http://redstradingpost.blogspot.com/2007/08/ryan-horsley-looking-at-appointment-to.html
Idaho's Ryan Horsley for U.S. Senate?
The mounting woes of U.S. Senator Larry Craig, R-Idaho, stemming from his arrest in a sting operation at an airport restroom, has fed speculation that the Senator's resignation may be imminent.
In the event of such a resignation, the name of Red's Trading Post owner/manager Ryan Horsley has surfaced as a possible replacement.
Horsley has risen to both state and national prominence in his ongoing battle with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The BATFE has targeted Red's for unprecedented and unnecessary harassment as part of its modus operandi to drive gun shops out of business.
As reported on The Liberty Sphere, the BATFE often uses something as minor and insignificant as a misspelled word on a license application form to revoke the sales licenses of gun dealers.
The gestapo-like tactics of the BATFE was visited upon Red's in a series of clearly oppressive raids designed to 'catch' the gun shop in some violation of regulations.
Shockingly, the BATFE claimed harassment on the part of Red's during its last gestapo raid due to the fact that citizens who were present at the time began to video record the actions of the agents. The case is now in court, and Red's faces upwards of $100,000 in legal defense fees.
Not to be outwitted or oppressed into silence by a rogue arm of the Department of Justice, law-abiding gun owners across the nation came to Red's defense. Gun rights groups such as the NRA, the GOA, and the JPFO have stepped up to the plate in fine fashion to give Ryan Horsley a national platform from which to describe the unlawful harassment conducted by the BATFE.
The GOA even started a legal defense fund for Horsley.
Horsley has also appeared on several national radio talk shows. The national publicity given to Horsley and his fight against the BATFE has even caught the attention of several in the U.S. Congress who are now demanding an accounting on the part of the Department of Justice and the BATFE.
So what, exactly, does all of this have to do with the scandal surrounding Idaho's Senator Larry Craig? Craig has been caught in a hypocrisy scandal that the GOP can ill afford in the year prior to a national election. Clearly Craig is a liability since he has made public statements denouncing the very behavior for which he was arrested.
Several of the GOP Presidential candidates have denounced Craig. Some GOP Senators and Congressmen are openly calling for his resignation.
Word was received late Thursday that if Craig refuses to step down, the Republican National Committee itself may demand that Craig relinquish his Senate seat.
Enter Ryan Horsley. Despite the BATFE's attempts at character assassination in its vendetta against lawful gun dealerships, Horsley has garnered a stellar reputation among the residents in his local area of Idaho. He has been active in local government, serving on various committees, and is known to be an honest, reliable, and trustworthy public servant and private citizen, as well as a reputable businessman.
No doubt the fact that Horsley has become a major figure in Idaho in his fight against a very unpopular federal bureau is the impetus leading to calls for Craig to be replaced by Horsley.
It is our view that if Horsley feels that becoming a U.S. Senator is the best way for him to fight for his beliefs, then his ascension to the U.S. Senate would be an excellent turn of events.
The Department of Justice and its gestapo unit, the BATFE, could hardly continue to conduct its vendetta against gun owners, gun shops, and gun manufacturers with a member of the U.S. Senate who knows first-hand the underhanded and illegal tactics of the feds.
Ryan Horsley's selection to fill the vacated Senate seat of Larry Craig, if and when Craig resigns, could well be the very first nail in the coffin of an unfortunate and dangerous chapter in the history of the U.S. Government.
We may actually live to see the BATFE de-funded, dismantled, and buried for good.
In the event of such a resignation, the name of Red's Trading Post owner/manager Ryan Horsley has surfaced as a possible replacement.
Horsley has risen to both state and national prominence in his ongoing battle with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The BATFE has targeted Red's for unprecedented and unnecessary harassment as part of its modus operandi to drive gun shops out of business.
As reported on The Liberty Sphere, the BATFE often uses something as minor and insignificant as a misspelled word on a license application form to revoke the sales licenses of gun dealers.
The gestapo-like tactics of the BATFE was visited upon Red's in a series of clearly oppressive raids designed to 'catch' the gun shop in some violation of regulations.
Shockingly, the BATFE claimed harassment on the part of Red's during its last gestapo raid due to the fact that citizens who were present at the time began to video record the actions of the agents. The case is now in court, and Red's faces upwards of $100,000 in legal defense fees.
Not to be outwitted or oppressed into silence by a rogue arm of the Department of Justice, law-abiding gun owners across the nation came to Red's defense. Gun rights groups such as the NRA, the GOA, and the JPFO have stepped up to the plate in fine fashion to give Ryan Horsley a national platform from which to describe the unlawful harassment conducted by the BATFE.
The GOA even started a legal defense fund for Horsley.
Horsley has also appeared on several national radio talk shows. The national publicity given to Horsley and his fight against the BATFE has even caught the attention of several in the U.S. Congress who are now demanding an accounting on the part of the Department of Justice and the BATFE.
So what, exactly, does all of this have to do with the scandal surrounding Idaho's Senator Larry Craig? Craig has been caught in a hypocrisy scandal that the GOP can ill afford in the year prior to a national election. Clearly Craig is a liability since he has made public statements denouncing the very behavior for which he was arrested.
Several of the GOP Presidential candidates have denounced Craig. Some GOP Senators and Congressmen are openly calling for his resignation.
Word was received late Thursday that if Craig refuses to step down, the Republican National Committee itself may demand that Craig relinquish his Senate seat.
Enter Ryan Horsley. Despite the BATFE's attempts at character assassination in its vendetta against lawful gun dealerships, Horsley has garnered a stellar reputation among the residents in his local area of Idaho. He has been active in local government, serving on various committees, and is known to be an honest, reliable, and trustworthy public servant and private citizen, as well as a reputable businessman.
No doubt the fact that Horsley has become a major figure in Idaho in his fight against a very unpopular federal bureau is the impetus leading to calls for Craig to be replaced by Horsley.
It is our view that if Horsley feels that becoming a U.S. Senator is the best way for him to fight for his beliefs, then his ascension to the U.S. Senate would be an excellent turn of events.
The Department of Justice and its gestapo unit, the BATFE, could hardly continue to conduct its vendetta against gun owners, gun shops, and gun manufacturers with a member of the U.S. Senate who knows first-hand the underhanded and illegal tactics of the feds.
Ryan Horsley's selection to fill the vacated Senate seat of Larry Craig, if and when Craig resigns, could well be the very first nail in the coffin of an unfortunate and dangerous chapter in the history of the U.S. Government.
We may actually live to see the BATFE de-funded, dismantled, and buried for good.
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