The Assault Weapons Ban May Be Bush's Undoing

[45auto]

I agree you should vote for the person and ideals you believe in, that's how it's supposed to work.

But, in reality splitting the republican vote and helping a Democrat into office will only increase the chances of further gun control. With the more "left wing" type Democrats we have now, you can bet the AWB will be at least as strong as it is now.

This is a "loser" issue for Bush IMO. I suspect most Americans would be in favor of the law, but he has a strong support base from the NRA. This is a tough one for anyone except a libertarian, who cannot win so it doesn't matter and many Democrats who believe guns should be removed from our society.

If it does sunset, the fight is/will be state to state anyway.

 

[Jim March]

OK.

Let's talk voting tactics.

When you vote, you can do one of two things:

1) Actually advance the cause of freedom (tilt the actual .gov at least slightly "freedomwards"). God help us, we actually succeeded in doing this when Bush beat Gore. Gore was just...horrendous and I have no guilt in having voted for Bush. Mind you, I'm highly disappointed in him of late, but then again 9/11 warped things a lot.

2) When that's NOT possible, such as when Davis first ran for office against a truly terrible (literally Fascist tendencies, and I'm not just throwing the term around lightly) "Republican" name of Lungren, your "plan B" is to prove to both jerks (and their parties) that a real pro-freedom vote exists. You do that by voting Libertarian or similar.

Ya follow? Accomplish mission one where possible, settle for mission two where it ain't.

That's what I do.

 

[oldfart]

"But, in reality splitting the republican vote and helping a Democrat into office will only increase the chances of further gun control.

I voted for Bush. I didn't neccesarily believe he was going to be a particularly good President, but I knew he'd be better than Gore. Even before the election, I pointed out that while he and Gore were both going to lead us down the primrose path to socialism, he'd do it more slowly. I'm sorry to say it, but it looks like I was right.

As far as gun control goes, both parties want it and, eventually, they'll get it. We're too willing to concede a part of our rights when threatened with the possible loss of all of them. How long would it take for a dog to catch a rabbit if he reduced the distance between them by half at each leap? Mathmatically, he'd never catch it, but practically, that rabbit would be a warm meal within a short time. That's what's happening to our gun rights and we're helping by supporting "the 800 lb. gorilla." Notice, I said "we?" I do it too but I don't sprain my back by blowing smoke up my own butt. I know I'm throwing the kids to the alligators so I can last awhile longer.

Bush will sell us down the river just like Gore would have, or like Dean or Kerry or Hillary will. He'll just lie better than they and we'll believe him too.

And as for the much heralded Texas CCW that he signed; has anybody else noticed that Texas (and all the other states with similar laws) now has de facto gun registration?

 

[Mark Tyson]

Incrementalism works both ways. If we could start electing progressively more pro-gun people, and make a lot of noise doing so, we can win this thing. That means the next official you elect may not be in line 100% with your view, but he's better than the last one, and the next one after him is a little better than his predacessor, etc.