Listen here. After listening to that, I am quite happy to be on the opposite side from Ladd. He pretty much spends the entire time mischaracterizing or making hyperbolic arguments that are ridiculous. He is the king of erecting straw men, and tearing them down. I think the best thing I heard out of Ladd was this:
But I think part of the gun control movement’s challenge right now is to become a little more sophisticated in messaging, and to have the type of strong messaging that the NRA has. One thing you can credit the NRA with is that when Wayne LaPierre become the leader of the NRA, he developed a very sophisticated marketing approach to the way they message and do their business, and I think they’ve had a great deal of success in selling their brand, as this brand based on American values — Freedom, Independence, Liberty, and self-reliance — getting people to think about the American values they agree with, so they never have to get to the point of looking at what the NRA is really advocating for. I think there’s a lot of power in that.
He speaks of Independence, Liberty and self-reliance as if it were a bad thing. But I think this is one of the more insightful things I’ve heard out of Ladd, because this is pretty much how NRA markets itself. The problem is, what American value can you sell with gun control? I mean, Independence, Liberty and self-reliance could arguably be the three principles that sum up this country. What American value involves ignoring its Bill of Rights and taking people’s freedoms away? So far the best they’ve been able to come up with is “common sense,” and we can see how well that’s working for them.
Democracy!
Yes… true. But Democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding what’s for lunch :)
“What American value can you sell with gun control?”
The “right to feel safe”. Hoplophobes are big on that one.
Strange, their version of “common sense” seems to be nothing of the sort.
“Freedom, Independence, Liberty, and self-reliance — getting people to think about the American values they agree with, so they never have to get to the point of looking at what the NRA is really advocating for.”
Yeah those don’t have anything to do with guns and the 2nd Amendment…
First off, this is NOT a Democracy, it is a Republic. As Ben Franklin is quoted as saying when a woman on the street asked him what kind of Govt have you given us? He replies, “A Republic, if you can keep it.”
Second, Anti Gunners think? Really? I hadn’t noticed……
Democracy, Whiskey, Sexy! Gotta catch them all!