Will Bloomberg Use Virginia As Next Test of His Strategy?

Bloomberg was taking a victory lap yesterday after his annointed candidate won the Democratic Primary to replace disgraced Chicago Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr.  As the NRA told The Hill, Chicago's 2nd District was never a pro-gun district even though one of the candidates running had an "A" rating from the NRA.  Bloomberg spent heavily in the district, the NRA spent nothing.

“We fully expect Mayor Bloomberg to try to spend a considerable amount of his fortune in the upcoming months, as he has already in the past few weeks. But the simple fact remains: Illinois-2 was never a pro-gun district, so to try and suggest this is a major victory of any kind is disingenuous,” said NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam.

Bloomberg and his gun control minions are channelling Vice President Joe Biden, saying public sentiment has changed and Tuesday's results prove it.  But while Bloomberg has deep pockets, it is unlikely he is going to put his money where there is no path to victory and a large number of the U.S. Congressional districts are gerrymandered so much from one side to the other that it leaves him very few districts with which to work.

Which brings us to this year's Virginia's Governor's race.  Virginia is referred to as "purple" as it has gone for Obama in the last two presidential elections and Democrats have won the last two U.S. Senate elections, yet has 8 of its 11 congressional seats in Republican hands and currently has a Republican Governor.  It is one of two states with statewide elections this year and the GOP candidate, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, is strongly pro-rights while the Democratic candidate, Terry McAuliffe, is trying to play what the anti-rights crowd consider the middle ground.   McAuliffe made a point of purchasing a very expensive shotgun at Gander Mountain recently while calling for reinstatement of handgun rationing and banning so-called "assault weapons."  It looks like Virginia will be the only one of the two states that will be competitive this year.  This mixture is tailor made for Bloomberg's strategy.

Bloomberg's anti-rights efforts are more of a threat than the Brady Campaign et al have ever been.  First, he has money, lots of it, and he is not adverse to spending it.  But there is something else that makes him a threat to our rights.  He has figured out how to wrap a radical message in a package that seems non-controversial to the average person.  Most people believe criminals should not have firearms.  Those of us who dig deeper know that he doesn't really like firearms and thinks only the police should have them.

There has been a reawakinging of the grassroots.  The question is, will it last long enough to put Bloomberg in his place.  Virginia in 2013 could be the first test.