The St. Louis Post-Dispatch runs a piece that reminds the world that Robin Carnahan was behind the effort to defeat Proposition B in 1999:
Democrat Robin Carnahan’s official campaign bio catalogs her feats in flying (she’s an instrument-rated pilot), endurance (five marathons) and farming (she runs the family cattle ranch).
Nowhere in the U.S. Senate hopeful’s list of achievements are voters told about her efforts leading a group of underfunded advocates that took on — and defeated — one of Washington’s most powerful special interests.
In a year when even veteran office-seekers such as Carnahan are running against the political establishment, such a David-versus-Goliath tale would make prime grist for an outsider’s campaign narrative.
But not when the issue is guns — and Goliath is the National Rifle Association, known for its deep pockets and long memory.
Eleven years ago, Carnahan led the successful opposition to a statewide ballot issue backed by the NRA that would have changed Missouri law that, at the time, prohibited carrying concealed firearms. The victory was pivotal to Carnahan’s political development, yet also short-lived: Four years later, the Legislature overturned the results of the vote.
Hey, thanks for reminding us. I wonder if Jake Wegman is trying to gin up some grassroots support for Carnahan by reminding them she’s really leftist or if he’s engaging in some real journalism here. However, only in a journalist’s prose does a citizen organization become Goliath and the government and a daughter of a political dynasty represent David in metaphor.
(Cross posted at 24th State.)
