Up until recently, it was an issue so toxic that it was not to be touched. In Obama’s first term, he avoided the issue for the most part. Now that he’s won re-election, gun control is a winning issue again:
Democrats see potential Republican opposition to the gun control push led by President Obama as jeopardizing the GOP’s appeal with voters in suburban districts, the very seats Democrats are focusing on in their bid to regain the House majority.
This was the same theory that they touted in 1994. It wasn’t true then, and it certainly isn’t true now. As Glenn Reynolds notes, commenting on this WaPo article, this is a “Self-inflicted wedge issue.”
I see a big opportunity to prove gun grabbing Democrats completely wrong in 2014. Destroying them next year will buy another decade without gun-control legislation.
The question is why haven’t they learned from 1994? Are they really this tone deaf? A presidential re-election is not a mandate issue for issue. Need more evidence? Bush’s second term.
I’m a suburban white guy, and have been since the early 90’s. I don’t know what the end result will be, but guns are MUCH more acceptable by white/liberal suburban people than in ’95. Here in Colorado I know several faithful Democrat voters who also have a CCW and enjoy owning guns. I think guns have penetrated into liberal suburbia a whole lot compared to 1996 when the concept of legal and widespread CCW didn’t even exist in Colorado.
The question is … and I can’t answer this … with all the memes about class warfare and evil Republicans that these same CCWing and “large capacity” “assault clip” owning Democrats have bought in to — will they vote for a Republican to protect the rights they have taken advantage of? Do they even pay enough attention to know what is happening?
One problem is they tend not to even know how their rep voted on a particular item. I plan on making sure they know about anti-gun votes, but for them to vote Republican after their self-rightous and condescending stature after the Obama win … I don’t know.
One thing I think is for sure … if we can’t punish the Democrats for all they’ve done to us so far, even if they don’t have any “major” victories, they have the green light to whup up on us at will.
They could always primary their anti-gun representatives and replace them with pro-gun ones. Always make them aware of that option.
BTW — if I had to guess — the problem is that if I made these self-righteous liberal white suburbanites choose between supporting their gun rights (which they do believe in) or supporting early term abortion rights, gay marriage, health care (insurance) for poor people, etc … I’m afraid they’d go with the latter. But that said, at least one friend who voted pretty much all (D) last election is pissed off enough he joined the NRA (one of the 400k or so newbies) and has sworn to vote against the Democrats next time. We’ll see … I have a gun feeling we can win more than we lose on this issue, but whether we win enough to change major races is the question. i.e. Udall rerunning for Senate here in Colorado after showing his anti-gun colors. We’d better beat that jerk no matter who is on the Republican ticket.
“gun feeling” = “gut feeling.” Dangit.
I’m the campaign manager for a pro-gun R planning to run against a Congress critter rated “F” by the NRA.
I certainly hope the Democrat Party follows through with this gift.