Silver Bullet
Member
I’ve been thinking about the matter of Bush vs Kerry vs Third Parties, and I’ve come to some conclusions.
With regards to RKBA, when I vote in the presidential election I will vote for the candidate that I think will have the most positive effect on RKBA. My personal political leanings are libertarian (“small Lâ€), or maybe Constitutionalist, but if I vote Lib and Kerry wins as a result, I have to live with four years of a president who is much more likely to sign into law more restrictive gun control measures, and who will be in a position to nominate Supreme Court Justices who will be voting on our rights for decades to come. I have to vote Bush simply because a vote for Kerry or a Third Party could mean the election of Kerry, and I (and RKBA) will be worse off.
This is true even if Bush signs in a renewed AWB, because Kerry would sign in AWB and more, and will be nominating justices.
(By the way, it seems to me that if certain legislators succeed in pushing forward a bill with increased gun restrictions to succeed the AWB, Bush is no longer bound by his promise to sign it, because it is no longer the same law.)
Now, we’ll all be outraged if Bush signs the AWB, but the presidential election is the wrong time to make a point. The right time is at the presidential primary elections; don’t let potential AWB-signers even make it to the White House. The right time is also at the upcoming election, at the grassroots level: make sure your district and state legislators are pro-RKBA. The legislators are the ones who pass the laws that the president signs. Again, keep the bills from even making it to the White House.
If you want to vote Lib because you honestly don’t see any difference in Kerry and Bush, then I can’t argue with that. But for the rest of us who do see a difference, let’s not cut off our nose to spite our face.
With regards to RKBA, when I vote in the presidential election I will vote for the candidate that I think will have the most positive effect on RKBA. My personal political leanings are libertarian (“small Lâ€), or maybe Constitutionalist, but if I vote Lib and Kerry wins as a result, I have to live with four years of a president who is much more likely to sign into law more restrictive gun control measures, and who will be in a position to nominate Supreme Court Justices who will be voting on our rights for decades to come. I have to vote Bush simply because a vote for Kerry or a Third Party could mean the election of Kerry, and I (and RKBA) will be worse off.
This is true even if Bush signs in a renewed AWB, because Kerry would sign in AWB and more, and will be nominating justices.
(By the way, it seems to me that if certain legislators succeed in pushing forward a bill with increased gun restrictions to succeed the AWB, Bush is no longer bound by his promise to sign it, because it is no longer the same law.)
Now, we’ll all be outraged if Bush signs the AWB, but the presidential election is the wrong time to make a point. The right time is at the presidential primary elections; don’t let potential AWB-signers even make it to the White House. The right time is also at the upcoming election, at the grassroots level: make sure your district and state legislators are pro-RKBA. The legislators are the ones who pass the laws that the president signs. Again, keep the bills from even making it to the White House.
If you want to vote Lib because you honestly don’t see any difference in Kerry and Bush, then I can’t argue with that. But for the rest of us who do see a difference, let’s not cut off our nose to spite our face.
it would only be after I did not vote for Bush.