Headline: "Despite pledge, Obama endorses pro-gun Strickland for Senate"

In October 2008, less than a month before voters would go to the polls to chose between Senators Barack Obama (D) and John McCain (R) to become president, then-Governor Ted Strickland (D), the NRA "A"-rated governor who is also a former Buckeye Firearms Association endorsee, told the press that "as a result of direct conversations that I've had with Barack Obama, if you are a sportsman, if you are a gun owner, if you are someone that honors and respects the Second Amendment - you have nothing to fear from Barack Obama and I want you to spread the word throughout this great part of our great state."

A few years before that, then-Congressman Strickland took John Kerry (D) goose hunting. Party over principles is clearly an epidemic that spreads on both sides of the aisle.

When he endorsed Obama's supposedly pro-gun bonafides, I wrote that "if Ted Strickland really can change Obama's mind on guns, then perhaps he should be the one running for President. The skills of turning an enemy, who has a life-long track record of being hostile to the rights of law-abiding Americans would be quite useful when dealing with our terrorist foes."

Unfortunately, it isn't Strickland who changed Obama's mind - it is the other way around. And, as a result, last week, Strickland got his quid pro quo.

According to the Washington Times, President Obama endorsed Strickland, going back on a pledge made just two months ago.

From the article:

In January, as part of his renewed push for gun control, Mr. Obama announced that he would not endorse or campaign on behalf of any Democratic candidates who refuse to endorse new gun control measures.

“I will not campaign for, vote for or support any candidate, even in my own party, who does not support common-sense gun reform,” Mr. Obama wrote in an op-ed in the New York Times.

Mr. Strickland faces a primary opponent in an obscure city councilman who has sought relevance and press attention by attacking his record of support for gun rights. But the writing has been on the wall for some time now, and the endorsement by Barack Obama simply dot's the "i". Pro-gun Ted Strickland, despite the good he did for gun owners when he lived in Ohio, has completely and totally lost his way.

In the likely eventuality that he wins his primary, Strickland will face incumbent Senator Rob Portman (R) in November. Many believe that as the presidential race goes, so will go this race for the U.S. Senate in Ohio.

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary, BFA PAC Vice Chairman, and an NRA-certified firearms instructor. He is the editor of BuckeyeFirearms.org, which received the Outdoor Writers of Ohio 2013 Supporting Member Award for Best Website.