Knimrod
01-30-2006, 11:13 PM
Guns Win
By Jeff Knox
January 29, 2006
Politicians and political advisors are finally realizing that gun control is a losing issue in elections. What they can’t seem to grasp is that gun rights is a winning issue.
In the 2004 elections, both parties demonstrated a willingness to risk offending their base supporters by giving lip service to opponent’s issues. Nowhere was this more evident than in the presidential campaigns and the gun issue.
John Kerry, with a long anti-gun record in the Senate and backing from gun control groups made quite a show of his support of hunting and the second amendment, “…as it has been interpreted in our society.” Of course Kerry’s gun posturing was a prime example of what former Democrat Senator John Patrick Moynihan referred to as, “…just boob bait for the bubba’s.”
Behind the scenes, Kerry’s people were reassuring the gun control groups that Senator Kerry was still 100% with them, that he was simply moderating his rhetoric to mitigate damage expected from defecting pro-gun Democrats – particularly union members.
At the same time, George W. Bush was going out of his way to declare his support of “reasonable” gun control measures like bans on so-called assault weapons. Bush was in a difficult position in that his campaign had painted Kerry as a “flip-flopper” and he, Bush, had included support for the assault weapons ban in his 2000 campaign. “Flip-flopping” on the issue would have been difficult to defend.
On the other hand, Bush’s apparent eagerness to declare his support for banning ugly guns was unnecessary and was clearly an attempt to demonstrate to “mainstream” America that he was not in the pocket of the NRA – whom Republican pollsters say is perceived as “radical” by “mainstream” America.
Of course, Bush had people behind the scenes reassuring the NRA that the President had no intention of actively pursuing any gun control legislation but, as politicians need to recognize, NRA is not the “Gun Lobby”. As my father always said, “You are the gun lobby”.
While the Bush campaign might have had an understanding with the NRA, they did not have an understanding with the gun lobby. That oversight cost them many votes and could have easily cost them the election.
Had John Kerry not been stupid enough to go back to Washington to help defeat the firearms industry liability protection bill and get his picture taken with Ted Kennedy, Dianne Feinstein, and Chuck Schumer in the process, many more pro-gun voters might have stayed on his side or stayed away from the polls.
Luckily, Kerry just couldn’t help showing his true colors and much of the gun lobby noticed.
In the end, Kerry lost no support from the anti’s by claiming to be pro-gun and gained nothing from the pro-gunners or the middle.
Meanwhile, Bush gained nothing from the anti’s or the “mainstream” but lost vital support from gun-rights activists. While the Bush team and the NRA are congratulating themselves, the belief that politicians are all liars who will say anything to be elected has been solidly reinforced and gun owner’s mistrust of the Republican Party has been rightly increased.
Another mistaken belief that has been reinforced is that of Republican strategists that gun-voters will always be with them. Former Republican National Committee Chair, Lee Atwater expressed it bluntly during George H. W. Bush’s reelection campaign when he asked, “Where else are they going to go?”
Though NRA made every effort to bolster the senior Bush in that election, his support of assault weapons bans and his earlier attacks on NRA itself were too much for gun-voting stalwarts and they went to Perot or to Clinton or just went hunting.
With the election of moderately pro-gun, Harry Reid of Nevada as Senate Minority Leader and the election of minimally pro-gun, former Governor Howard Dean to head up the Democratic National Committee, many are predicting the demise of gun control as a major issue in partisan politics.
What this bodes for fundraising groups like the Brady Campaign to Elect Democrats and the National Republican Association remains to be seen. In the mean-time, the gun lobby will continue judging politicians on their actions as well as their words and voting accordingly.
Link to article (http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=989)
By Jeff Knox
January 29, 2006
Politicians and political advisors are finally realizing that gun control is a losing issue in elections. What they can’t seem to grasp is that gun rights is a winning issue.
In the 2004 elections, both parties demonstrated a willingness to risk offending their base supporters by giving lip service to opponent’s issues. Nowhere was this more evident than in the presidential campaigns and the gun issue.
John Kerry, with a long anti-gun record in the Senate and backing from gun control groups made quite a show of his support of hunting and the second amendment, “…as it has been interpreted in our society.” Of course Kerry’s gun posturing was a prime example of what former Democrat Senator John Patrick Moynihan referred to as, “…just boob bait for the bubba’s.”
Behind the scenes, Kerry’s people were reassuring the gun control groups that Senator Kerry was still 100% with them, that he was simply moderating his rhetoric to mitigate damage expected from defecting pro-gun Democrats – particularly union members.
At the same time, George W. Bush was going out of his way to declare his support of “reasonable” gun control measures like bans on so-called assault weapons. Bush was in a difficult position in that his campaign had painted Kerry as a “flip-flopper” and he, Bush, had included support for the assault weapons ban in his 2000 campaign. “Flip-flopping” on the issue would have been difficult to defend.
On the other hand, Bush’s apparent eagerness to declare his support for banning ugly guns was unnecessary and was clearly an attempt to demonstrate to “mainstream” America that he was not in the pocket of the NRA – whom Republican pollsters say is perceived as “radical” by “mainstream” America.
Of course, Bush had people behind the scenes reassuring the NRA that the President had no intention of actively pursuing any gun control legislation but, as politicians need to recognize, NRA is not the “Gun Lobby”. As my father always said, “You are the gun lobby”.
While the Bush campaign might have had an understanding with the NRA, they did not have an understanding with the gun lobby. That oversight cost them many votes and could have easily cost them the election.
Had John Kerry not been stupid enough to go back to Washington to help defeat the firearms industry liability protection bill and get his picture taken with Ted Kennedy, Dianne Feinstein, and Chuck Schumer in the process, many more pro-gun voters might have stayed on his side or stayed away from the polls.
Luckily, Kerry just couldn’t help showing his true colors and much of the gun lobby noticed.
In the end, Kerry lost no support from the anti’s by claiming to be pro-gun and gained nothing from the pro-gunners or the middle.
Meanwhile, Bush gained nothing from the anti’s or the “mainstream” but lost vital support from gun-rights activists. While the Bush team and the NRA are congratulating themselves, the belief that politicians are all liars who will say anything to be elected has been solidly reinforced and gun owner’s mistrust of the Republican Party has been rightly increased.
Another mistaken belief that has been reinforced is that of Republican strategists that gun-voters will always be with them. Former Republican National Committee Chair, Lee Atwater expressed it bluntly during George H. W. Bush’s reelection campaign when he asked, “Where else are they going to go?”
Though NRA made every effort to bolster the senior Bush in that election, his support of assault weapons bans and his earlier attacks on NRA itself were too much for gun-voting stalwarts and they went to Perot or to Clinton or just went hunting.
With the election of moderately pro-gun, Harry Reid of Nevada as Senate Minority Leader and the election of minimally pro-gun, former Governor Howard Dean to head up the Democratic National Committee, many are predicting the demise of gun control as a major issue in partisan politics.
What this bodes for fundraising groups like the Brady Campaign to Elect Democrats and the National Republican Association remains to be seen. In the mean-time, the gun lobby will continue judging politicians on their actions as well as their words and voting accordingly.
Link to article (http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=989)