Countertop noted that the “rural liaison” of the John Edwards campaign is answering questions from gun owners over at Field & Stream. This guy just happens to be “Mudcat” Saunders, a Virginia Democratic organizer with a history of sexist and negative rhetoric about gun owners. The campaigns usually just defend him as being “colorful” and ask that he be ignored by anyone other than rural white men, even as they hire him as their spokesman.

I understand the desire of a campaign, especially for someone like Edwards, to try and hire “real” people to counter his very preppy and almost fake image that gives some people the creeps. However, I do find that who they choose to represent gun owners can be very telling in how they view what the gun culture should be. That doesn’t mean I write someone off because they are mostly just a hunter, but when they start proudly spouting off rhetoric that would turn off most non-rural gun owners, I’m concerned since I’m a non-rural gun owner.

So, in an effort to participate in the Democratic primary, I submitted a question to the blog asking Mr. Saunders to address these concerns.

My question is geared for Mr. Saunders and his previous statements regarding voters who own guns, and if the attitudes reflected in those statements reflect the views of Mr. Edwards as well.

While working for a Virginia campaign in 2005, Mr. Saunders publicly referred the gun owner voters as “Bubba.” While he officially represents the Edwards campaign now, I am curious to know how that attitude reflective of sexism and negative stereotypes has either been incorporated into the campaign or if Edwards has distanced himself from such statements.

When I called to lodge a complaint with the previous campaign that issued such statements from Mr. Saunders, I was told that he was simply colorful, so I would like to know if Edwards takes the same position on such negative rhetoric.

As a gun owning graduate of one of the top women’s colleges in the country who has spent years doing outreach to other women on gun safety and the shooting sports, I found this term and the rhetoric of the statements highly offensive. It actually made me reconsider my support for the candidate because of my concern.

Lest anyone think I am simply a reactionary uppity female from New England, I am actually from a very rural Southern upbringing, grew up fishing, and have taken steps recently to get into hunting. I am one of many changing the face of gun ownership and sportsmen/women, and I’d like to know if the Edwards campaign is embracing this progression in gun ownership or if the candidate stands by such stereotypes as the “Bubba” vote.

I was called out by another woman who assumed I was part of some brigade to silence Jeff Foxworthy and kill Santa.

I too am a female hunter who was raised to hunt, fish and respect the land. My husband, children and family are all taking positive steps to promote youth hunting and land preservation in the midwest.Your comments regarding the ‘Bubba’ statement has me shaking my head asking “what the hell is happening in the US?” Santa can no longer say “ho,ho, ho” it has too be “ha, ha, ha” – It’s Happy Holidays, not Merry Christmas – grade school children can no longer hug their teachers due to sexual implications nor can high school friends when they are just saying good bye. You can not tell me that you have not read/heard one of Jeff Foxworthy’s “You think you might be a redneck” and said “that is so me” and laughed about it.

Your comment is not helping anyone. I thought this blog was to get answers from John Edwards regarding his stand on guns, hunting and land preservation. As an undecided voter these are issues dear to me. I am not concerned if someone made a comment that all gun owners are “bubbas” … when I am a “bubette”.

I am happy to read that you are: “one of many changing the face of gun ownership and sportsmen/women”. 25 years ago, I was wearing my fathers hunting boots with three pairs of socks and still getting blisters just because hunting boots for youth/women were not available. My Remington Model 870 had the stock cut down so it would fit right! Today, we are moving forward and retailers are recognizing that women can hunt.

Although, I pray that you, personally, did not have any “push” for Remington to come out with a Pink Camo 22 LR this year. The only pink I have ever seen while out in the woods would have been a spray painted make on a tree that the forest service has identified to be cut in the next clear cutting…a whole other discussion, I am not going to get into.

I didn’t address her anti-pink gun argument even though I support pink gun ownership. I personally hate pink, but if that’s what the market wants, go for it. That’s not anti-woman.  Maybe it calls for a little eye-rolling depending on context, but it’s not ignoring woman gun owners. I responded with this:

I can respect your concerns over society becoming overly PC, Sherri.However, I hope we can agree that a presidential candidate and those who speak for him should rise above the language of Jeff Foxworthy. Unlike a comedian who has created an entire market around such jokes about rural life, John Edwards is running for president to represent us all. I do consider it quite fair to ask if these attitudes exist within his campaign since that could very likely indicate what types of guns and parts of the gun owning culture are “acceptable” to him and could be sold out without concern in some sort of legislative battle.

Perhaps it’s shooting a little too high to expect more from a lawyer and former Senator than I do from the Blue Collar Comedy Tour. However, I find that holding such high expectations for myself and others – as appropriate for the situation – has usually resulted in better results.

I’ll be honest, I would not consider voting for Jeff Foxworthy. But if John Edwards wants my vote – and I will be voting the Democratic primary, though I am undecided now that Bill Richardson has dropped out – he will have to bring himself up to that level. If sexism and assumptions of little to no education are what he thinks of gun owners, then it’s something that may influence my vote.

That said, you’ll notice that my concern is related to culture, something that Mr. Saunders himself noted he was more interested in while posting the above comment. (“… I am going to say to those posters who care more about partisan politics than what’s going to happen to our sporting culture that you are obviously more interested in taking cheap shots (pun intended) for some petty political purpose than you are about preserving our culture.”) I, too, am concerned about preserving the culture. Understanding the elements that he and Edwards would like to preserve are important to me when I go to cast my vote.

Who knew that the online readers of the Field & Stream needed to be told why a presidential candidate should speak in a manner slightly above the style of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour? If those are our expectations, I fear for our future.

No obviously related posts.