Tarkanian unwittingly reloads ‘Second Amendment remedies’ gun

Just when she must have figured it had finally stopped ricocheting through her campaign, Sharron Angle's "Second Amendment remedies" remark has once again struck her in the foot.

That's got to hurt.

Angle was doing what she does well -- tailoring her conservative rhetoric to fit her audience --  during her underdog primary campaign when she went on Bill Manders' talk show and said, "And you know, I'm hoping that we're not getting to Second Amendment remedies. I hope the vote will be the cure for the Harry Reid problems."

Angle repeated the statement on the Lars Larson radio show. "Second Amendment remedies" had a nice ring to it.

She said it again in an interview with the Reno Gazette-Journal, observing, "What is a little bit disconcerting and concerning is the inability for sporting goods stores to keep ammunition in stock. That tells me the nation is arming. What are they arming for if it isn't that they are so distrustful of their government? They're afraid they'll have to fight for their liberty in more Second Amendment kinds of ways? That's why I look at this as almost an imperative. If we don't win at the ballot box, what will be the next step?"

Vote conservative or face the consequences. It's Tea Party talk: a little bit constitutional, a little bit nuts.

While that statement has shocked the sensibilities of The New York Times and the liberal blogosphere, it played well for Angle in the primary.

But she can't win in November shooting rhetoric that pulls that far to the right, and her Second Amendment remarks made her look outside the mainstream. Serious candidates don't talk about armed conflict breaking out if the opposing party isn't defeated. Not even in Nevada.

When Team Angle tried to soften the statement, the Reid campaign pounced. Now the Second Amendment remedies remark has been on the air more than the Geico gecko.

Although Angle trails Reid by 2 percentage points in the latest Mason-Dixon Polling & Research statewide survey, she's within the 4-percentage-point margin of error. The more extreme Angle appears, the harder time she'll have collecting votes from independents and moderates. She can't afford self-inflicted wounds.

Just when I thought the Second Amendment remedies bullet was spent, the issue was accidentally reloaded by Republican primary challenger Danny Tarkanian, who is a valuable contributor to Angle's campaign. Except, perhaps, when he slips up and speaks his mind.

On Mike Wiley's radio show, Tarkanian extolled Angle's virtues and Reid's political vices. Then the topic turned to the Second Amendment remedies thing. Tarkanian heard plenty of ballot-or-bullet nonsense in the primary. He considered it extreme.

Wiley interjected, "The Declaration of Independence gives us that right."

Tarkanian replied, "It gives us the right to bear arms, but I don't believe it gives us the right of a civil insurrection if you don't agree with what your elected leaders are voting on. .... You know, we have a process where you go out and you vote for your elected leaders, and if you don't like them, then you've got to get enough people to vote against them, and then they'll get out of office. I don't believe you go out and you start shooting people. ..."

Not surprisingly, Reid's campaign plucked Tarkanian's reasoned rhetoric and has distributed it in an attempt to illustrate Angle's eccentricity.

Angle spokesman Jerry Stacy returned fire Monday. "I can assure you that Mrs. Angle does not advocate a revolution against our sitting government -- Mrs. Angle has a great deal of faith in our political system and she prefers to compete at the ballot box," he said in an e-mailed statement.

But the damage is done.

Unintentionally, Tarkanian proved that gun is still loaded.

John L. Smith's column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. E-mail him at Smith@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0295. He also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/smith.