This week, I’m featured in a radio ad for Barack Obama. Politico and ABC News have given coverage to the ad, which is running in battleground states across the country. It’s important for me to add my voice to the presidential debate – and the ad seems to be getting a positive reaction (with the usual exception of the NRA lobbyists who apparently wrote the talking points for the RNC about me). Truth is, I’m a hunter, a gun rights advocate and a very strong conservationist. I’ve been out front supporting Obama because I think he’s the only candidate who will support my gun rights and the environmental issues affecting hunters.
You can hear the ad here. The full script is after the break.
Here’s the script:
This is Ray Schoenke. I played football with the Redskins. Now I'm president of the American Hunters and Shooters Association. It's important to me that our next President protects our Second Amendment right to own guns and defend ourselves.
Barack Obama and John McCain will both make sure we can keep our guns.
But what about keeping our jobs?
Barack's got a real plan that invests in creating jobs here at home and cuts taxes a thousand bucks for working families.
John McCain?
I saw a lot of cheap shots in my day...
But McCain's false attacks on Obama are just a fake to hide his plan to sell out American workers.
McCain will keep giving tax breaks to companies that ship our jobs overseas.
And he'll look the other way while China breaks our trade deals.
It's the same old Bush playbook.
Look, when the coach loses eight years in a row, you don't bring him back for a ninth season.
We just can't afford more of the same.
Anyone who has read my diaries here or viewed AHSA’s website knows that I am a committed gun rights supporter. That’s why I was ecstatic about the Supreme Court’s recent decision in the Heller case overturning the D.C. gun ban. The landmark decision found that gun ownership is an individual right. Our guns are safe from government confiscation.
That’s what gun owners have wanted for a long time. Now that we have it, you’d think we could move onto the other issues affecting us like global warming, conservation, public access, to name a few.
But that’s not happening. The leadership on both sides of the extremes of the gun issue are acting like the Heller decision never happened. They’re fighting the same old battles. It’s time to move on.
The leaders of the NRA are devoting millions of their members money to defeat Barack Obama. They’ll also put millions into electing members of Congress who have horrible records on conservation issues. We’ve documented that record at realhuntersrealconservation.com. Unfortunately, the NRA leadership would rather curry favor with their right wing allies, the same people who oppose conservation efforts, then work towards solutions.
Also, I would be remiss if I didn’t welcome the newfound concerns about the environment by the head of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). Steve Sanetti wrote an op-ed yesterday in the Washington Post that reads like many of my diaries here at DailyKos. He wants the world to know that hunters are conservationists. So do I. Mr. Sanetti can play a role in our efforts. He is very close to the leaders of the NRA. What would be very helpful is if he could get the NRA to stop funding members of Congress who repeatedly vote to destroy our environment. Not sure he has any influence with his benefactors, but until the NRA puts hunters and the environment first, Sanetti’s words ring very hollow.