Posted: 5/1/2013 5:51:21 AM EDT
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The Dems gave gun control wide birth for a long time. The wide berth began before Obama was nationally known and continued throughout Obama's first term. So, why are they now pursuing gun control so vigorously -even after being met with recent legislative and popular resistance?
One reason is that politicians love a sexy issue about which they can demagogue. They love to wave the bloody shirts of children while professing their own good intentions for the safety and well being of society. It is despicable, of course. Still, they only do it when it affords them advantage. So, what advantage is there in doing it now? I think the primary advantage is that the Democrats have determined that gun control is a strategic political wedge issue with which to marginalize the traditional right. Recall, this is not your grandfathers America wherein most American males knew how to shoot. It is a different day wherein "most" people think guns are icky or worse. They are not seen as useful tools deserving of proper use and care. They are seen as killing instruments with which crazy people do crazy things. Therefore, defense of private gun ownership, especially ownership of the most icky guns, is easily cast by Dems as sheer craziness. They know their gun control measures will not favorably alter criminal actions. They are simply campaigning to capture more of the middle of the electorate. The trouble is that on the whole they are succeeding. |
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That's your opinion and I think you are wrong. If the DNC wanted to champion a feel good, winning issue with
little push back they should have went for federalizing college tuition, immigration reform, enhancing social security, ect. Those issues "help" everyone. Sure taxes will go up and the government will grow, but the low information voter ( including gun owners) will eat it up. At worst they will deal with it. Look at social security. Many conservatives demonize it until talks of reform will cut their benefits. The same with their financial based student aid, WIC, ect. In the end everyone accepts it and is in bed with it, whether we really want it or not. On the contrary, gun control has awoken a very vocal part of the US, a part that normally just goes to work, bitches to their buddies and takes new regulations up the ass. This time they pushed back with NRA memberships, donations, calling their congressmen, ect. The DNC lost this one and they're losing voters. I know of at least two dozen union guys that have swore off the DNC because of the gun rights attacks alone in the last 6 months. |
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if they were smart, they would have campaigned to get the house and keep the senate after 2014 and then take on gun control Well, if they wanted it more than a second term bho, they could have rammed it through before obummercare in the first term. Not sure how they can spin that failure to the hardcore gun grabbers. |
| Legitimate distraction (in their eyes) from their complete failure to do something about what concerns most Americans. Something they think they can beat Republicans over the head with. Something they think they can use to pigeon hole their broader spectrum political opponents over and then demonize them with, as if it's all gun owners are right wing crazies, and all republicans/conservative are gun owners. |
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The Dems gave gun control wide birth for a long time. The wide berth began before Obama was nationally known and continued throughout Obama's first term. So, why are they now pursuing gun control so vigorously -even after being met with recent legislative and popular resistance? One reason is that politicians love a sexy issue about which they can demagogue. They love to wave the bloody shirts of children while professing their own good intentions for the safety and well being of society. It is despicable, of course. Still, they only do it when it affords them advantage. So, what advantage is there in doing it now? I think the primary advantage is that the Democrats have determined that gun control is a strategic political wedge issue with which to marginalize the traditional right. Recall, this is not your grandfathers America wherein most American males knew how to shoot. It is a different day wherein "most" people think guns are icky or worse. They are not seen as useful tools deserving of proper use and care. They are seen as killing instruments with which crazy people do crazy things. Therefore, defense of private gun ownership, especially ownership of the most icky guns, is easily cast by Dems as sheer craziness. They know their gun control measures will not favorably alter criminal actions. They are simply campaigning to capture more of the middle of the electorate. The trouble is that on the whole they are succeeding. They think now that Obama is in there, and they can basically "play the race card" on any dissent, they can get whatever they want. The Left thinks this is their shot, their time, to "transform America". But, they can't do it as much as they'd like to with all the guns out there in the hands of citizens. If they could get rid of guns, then the Left will go full bore 100% to the Left as far as they can go, destroying America. That's why they are going all out on it now - they think this is their window. |
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Democrats don't agree. They're torn between saying "everyone wants this" and saying "WTF!? Why doesn't everyone want this?" There was one sad and lonely guy on Starbucks' Facebook page last night talking about the 90% and how people are just hammering the page over Starbucks' gun policy, when he was the only one who'd said anything for a day or more. They have the president repeating their lie, so they want to keep repeating it, but they're also pissed that it's obviously not working. http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2013/04/17/1886151/after-newtown-more-senators-vote-to-weaken-gun-laws-than-strengthen-them |
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That's your opinion and I think you are wrong. If the DNC wanted to champion a feel good, winning issue with little push back they should have went for federalizing college tuition, immigration reform, enhancing social security, ect. Those issues "help" everyone. Sure taxes will go up and the government will grow, but the low information voter ( including gun owners) will eat it up. At worst they will deal with it. Look at social security. Many conservatives demonize it until talks of reform will cut their benefits. The same with their financial based student aid, WIC, ect. In the end everyone accepts it and is in bed with it, whether we really want it or not. On the contrary, gun control has awoken a very vocal part of the US, a part that normally just goes to work, bitches to their buddies and takes new regulations up the ass. This time they pushed back with NRA memberships, donations, calling their congressmen, ect. The DNC lost this one and they're losing voters. I know of at least two dozen union guys that have swore off the DNC because of the gun rights attacks alone in the last 6 months. It is true that the Dems could have been much smarter in their use of gun control as an advantageous issue for themselves. Still, the majority of the voting population is low information AND the majority of the voting population TODAY thinks guns are icky things that belong almost exclusively in the hands of the police. Legal gun owners and those who believe in private gun ownership are increasingly a smaller percentage of the population. It is still a sizeable number and a sizeable percentage. When the number of non-gun owners reaches a critical mass in a few years we will be in big trouble. Recent events are merely foreshadowing of things to come. |
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Take it for what it's worth, but the last several polls I saw say women and minorities are all heavily in favor of gun control. We'll have to figure out how to get those groups on our side if we want to continue to make political gains. Minorities are disproportionally effected by gun violence, and women typically aren't the most informed on guns or gun control issues. |
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if they were smart, they would have campaigned to get the house and keep the senate after 2014 and then take on gun control Like a kid in a candy store, they couldn't contain themselves. Hopefully it ruins them in the mid terms. My gut instinct on it as well; They got a head of steam going with the reelection of Maobama, and are going full-tilt progressive/socialist in their exuberance. I pray to God that you are right, that enough of the pop-culture/sports opiated masses wake up & say "Hey, this isn't the shit I was promised..." |
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Alabama disagrees with you.
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_1_5/1478122_Alabama_lawmakers_vote_to_ignore_new_federal_gun_control_laws.html |
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Take it for what it's worth, but the last several polls I saw say women and minorities are all heavily in favor of gun control. We'll have to figure out how to get those groups on our side if we want to continue to make political gains. Never happen. Never. Conservative, white male, Republican voting, gun owners are the enemy of these people. When millions of illegals get the right to vote with the stroke of Obama's pen, we are fucked. Pure and simple. |
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Take it for what it's worth, but the last several polls I saw say women and minorities are all heavily in favor of gun control. We'll have to figure out how to get those groups on our side if we want to continue to make political gains. THIS !!! Yes, absolutely. And that's why this is a winnable fight- because there are strong arguments associated with both of those demographics. An assault weapon/magazine ban does nothing at all to stop violence in Chicago, it just makes middle and upper class soccer moms feel better. At the same time those moms shouldn't be at the mercy of abusive or evil men. This is ours if we educate people instead of just be assholes. |
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Take it for what it's worth, but the last several polls I saw say women and minorities are all heavily in favor of gun control. We'll have to figure out how to get those groups on our side if we want to continue to make political gains. It's worth nothing. Polls are skewed; remember the "90% poll" Obama was ranting about, well it didn't exist. Remember the polls that claimed 75 % of NRA members wanted UBC and magazine bans? They were either completely fake or sampled to a point where they got the results they wanted. The only people that really want gun control are to left from the start. Those "middle of the road soccer moms" that the media is pushing have always been vocal partisan liberals that know better than you. Low information women will move on to support the next politically hot topic on Oprah tomorrow and forget about gun control. Same with men and Sports Central. |
These clowns couldn't get legislation to "close the gunshow loophole" through the Democrat-controlled Senate in the wake of one of the worst mass shootings in history and an unprecedented media blitz, and you all are doing the Chicken Little routine?
Believe me, I know that eternal vigilance is the price of freedom, but if you think this is them "succeeding", I don't know what to tell you. |
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Yes, absolutely. And that's why this is a winnable fight- because there are strong arguments associated with both of those demographics. An assault weapon/magazine ban does nothing at all to stop violence in Chicago, it just makes middle and upper class soccer moms feel better. At the same time those moms shouldn't be at the mercy of abusive or evil men. This is ours if we educate people instead of just be assholes. I really like the way you think. |
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These clowns couldn't get legislation to "close the gunshow loophole" through the Democrat-controlled Senate in the wake of one of the worst mass shootings in history and an unprecedented media blitz, and you all are doing the Chicken Little routine?
Believe me, I know that eternal vigilance is the price of freedom, but if you think this is them "succeeding", I don't know what to tell you. There are lots of folks in NY, CO, CA, MA, & CT who think gun control advocates are succeeding quite well. |
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70+ million guns sold under the Obama administrations time so far, 2 year backlog with manufacturers, and a massive ammo shortage and you think it's succeeding?
Guns are more common & popular than ever, and more people understand the meaning of the 2nd than have for 120 years. |
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Take it for what it's worth, but the last several polls I saw say women and minorities are all heavily in favor of gun control. We'll have to figure out how to get those groups on our side if we want to continue to make political gains. Minorities are disproportionally effected by gun violence, and women typically aren't the most informed on guns or gun control issues. With women the hot button is cause is for the children. Any decent mother wants their kid to be safe. They were trying to use recent events while the had a chance. They didn't expect this level of resistance. Things got worse for them when POTUS kept parading the families around. Most dems I know are sickened by it, that cost their agenda big time. As the months go by the gun grabber fanatics will looks like the crazy ones instead of the gun owners. |
| On the national stage and in "fly over country" we won this round. It will never be over. I am hoping and praying for court victories for our folk caught behind the lines in liberal states. We shall see what happens with IL being ordered by the court to institue a CCW permit system. |