Holy crap! over 1/3 of the country admits to owning a gun!
"Americans widely believe that there is a right to bear arms but many -- gun owners in particular -- do not believe Democrats share this belief."
...I have no doubt this is what underlies the perception that the party is "out of the mainstream" and doesn't share the country's values. I can personally attest to the fact that It feeds the arrogant liberal theme, and is not in fitting with our other grand traditions of individual liberty and upholding the constitution.
Now, in the progressives dire hours is finally the time for change. A bold move to re-embrace the second amendment would be brilliant strategically, Splitting the Republican Coalition using a wedge aimed at the gun owners...
I have to admit i wasn't exactly paying attention to what our "leadership" was doing to stick their fingers in the eyes of the gun owners. I've been a gun owner but not really active in the gun community not a "gun nut", I heard something about assault weapons bans, but never checked the details. I thought, i don't have one of these whatever they really are. I naively though that most liberals want a reasonable approach to the gun crime issue but don't want to infringe on hunters, recreational shooters, collectors etc. I never looked at the details of the assault weapons ban, I trusted our leadership to be sensible in this area, and they betrayed that trust. The more i find out, the more i realize how bad the law was. I mean that not only as someone who is more a supporter of gun owners rights, but also someone who can rationally assess dumb-a$$ laws from pragmatic ones. Looking back i see our failed leadership seems to have placed a substantial bit of capitol in a fear mongering, grandstanding, law which repelled the highly educated gun owners, and was of no effectiveness. This idiocy within the party has to end. Not that there isn't room for reasonable gun regulations, but uninformed legislative stabs for hot button issues is a failure.
Holy crap! over 1/3 of the country admits to owning a gun!
"Americans widely believe that there is a right to bear arms but many -- gun owners in particular -- do not believe Democrats share this belief."
This link confirms what has happened, our "leadership" has lost the trust of most of the gun community, including me. A large hole in the progressive coalition opened and festered. With no one to push back the gun controllers they have run amok. Whatever your individual opinion about gun control, the fact is, It's a fundamental constitutional right that they are grandstanding with here. Need i repeat, HELLO, thats over 1/3 of ALL americans! "Boston, we have a problem!" We will never win with leadership like this. Even they know this, thats why Kerry had to pander to the hunters with lame last minute photo-ops, he knows there's a problem, apparently he doesn't know it's his voting record. I have no doubt this is what underlies the perception that the party is "out of the mainstream" and doesn't share the country's values. I can personally attest to the fact that It feeds the arrogant liberal theme, and is not in fitting with our other grand traditions of individual liberty and upholding the constitution. This problem we have with OVER 1/3 OF THE USA seems to also exist in a liberal "blind spot". This is an absolute train wreck. Bill Clinton seemed to have enough good ol' boy charm as well as, shall we say enough "southern cred" on the issue. He's gone and so is his charm. The current crew is clueless. When i say blind spot i mean the fact that most liberals in cities and suburbs have no experience with firearms and only know they are scared of them because its just bad guys and paranoid gun nuts that have them. They too trust the leadership to be moderate and sensible and they too have been betrayed.
Now, in the progressives dire hours is finally the time for change. A bold move to re-embrace the second amendment would be brilliant strategically, Splitting the Republican Coalition using a wedge aimed at the gun owners. I know this is a "loaded" issue and it will take educating. I'm a gun owner and in no way do i want to have a fender bender with some dude with a loaded .38 and an anger management problem. However, the only way to even keep a seat at the table now is to jettison the issue publicly and mean it, with candidates who really walk the walk and talk the talk. Our increasingly dire situation demands shedding baggage to stay aloft. Think of it as a tactical retreat which will shorten our supply lines, and reduce the effectiveness of their attacks. An effort to reach out to the republican voting gun owners must be made. I'm proposing we take it to heart to protect the 2nd as fervently as the 1st and take the higher moral ground. Most liberals are frankly ignorant, and frightened on the matter and need to be educated and brought along, it will be tough overcoming fears. Victim and gun control groups, operating out of grief, fear, and ignorance are giving us a bad reputation among the highly educated and organized gun owners. The Democratic party allowed a moderate constituency to slip away. The party needs to act now and strike a new direction away from big government gun control measures and call it a states rights issue (paging Dr. Dean). Get someone trusted, give him a post (a 2nd Czar) to make it tangible. We need to go back to our roots and take a rekindled reverence to the "Second A" then attack the Republicans on ALL the rest. Tell handgun control inc. they are welcome to stay but they don't drive anymore.
Reconnect, Get out there, take up a pistol sport or skeet shooting. Ranges are everywhere, rentals and instruction are available, responsible gun ownership is safe, and the sports are booming (in popularity). We must reconnect to the reality based gun owners in a trustworthy way before its too late. All hunters are also environmentalists but gun owners first, they are being torn up over the Republicans penchant for environmental destruction.
They are a natural ally with our progressive environmental factions. As the Republicans get more radical, if we genuinely earn their trust the coalition can be split. They can't afford to lose anyone, its a brilliant/necessary offensive/defensive move. It could add NC, or VA or more to our Electoral tally and make the blue states more blue, and really, where are the alienated gun control voters going to go? Democrats are masters at alienating constituencies lets make it work for us. I'm sure many are seeing this as "abandoning the principals of the party" or becoming republican-lites, i couldn't disagree more. Liberalism is about protecting basic liberties from government. The republicans happen to be more right on this one (broken watch and all).
Over the last few years of chatting, reading, and lurking, i have noticed a large number of people reference themselves across the liberal web, as gun owners, from DU to Kos, to Bartcop's forums, lots of liberals and progressives own guns, not just regular armchair liberals but political junky liberals on the web. I can only assume they like me have been relatively asleep as to the incompetency of our leadership in this area. Trusting that these people were making sensible proposals, when in fact they have been fear mongering and grandstanding. There is missing a pro gun rights institutional bias under our big tent. There is a need to educate people so that at least their proposals aren't so pointless and politically damaging. If there was an alliance of progressive gun owners they could counterbalance the gun control factions and produce a more moderate and educated approach from within the party. Maybe, in a few years start to win elections in the south and midwest again. Evidence that the progressive gun owners voice is lacking is here at, www.liberaloasis.com they have links to everything from get married to get unmarried, from get god to get godless, but only get gun control. What no liberal gun owners out there? Wrong, there are lots. They need to get organized pull the party back, act as a link to the larger gun community, and educate liberals with trusted sourcing of information. no one else will do it.
Attempting to put my money where my mouth is, I just started the Alliance of Progressive Gun Owners with the goal of furthering these ends. if you are a gun owner and agree with me, please lend support.
There isn't much to it yet but i have great confidence in the self organization capabilities of the web communities.
drop an email to me here:
progressiveowners@mindspring.com
or discuss: