There is nothing Republicans won’t defile in defense of their indefensible worldview. The RWNJ propaganda machine is in full meltdown mode over how articulate and passionate those Florida high school students have been about ending the mobius strip of thoughts and prayers, to the point that they are seriously claiming they are “crisis actors”. Think about that for just a second. They are claiming that the left wants to get rid of guns so much that they are willing to murder schoolchildren to get what they want. As always, that’s projection. It’s actually Republicans who have demonstrated time and again that they will tolerate many more dead children to get what they want.
Here’s why our “representative republic,” which supposedly values the will of the people are the source of government legitimacy, is a sick joke: Universal background checks for gun purchases have for several years been supported by about 90% of the public. In the wake of the Florida shooting, it’s now at 97%. With all due respect, whatever a government that ignores the will of 97% of its people is, “representative” it is not.
Here’s why the time for negotiating with gun nuts is past: The other side isn’t listening, because gun ownership is no longer a practical matter but a part of the Red Team uniform (emphasis mine):
Over the past few decades, gun ownership in the US has evolved from a practical issue for rural homeowners and hunters to a kind of gesture of tribal solidarity, an act of defiance toward Obama, the left, and all the changes they represent. The gun lobby has become more hardened and uncompromising, pushing guns into schools, churches, and universities. This has taken place in the context of a broader and deeper polarization of the country, as Red America and Blue America have become more ideologically homogeneous and distant from one another. … This suggests that if the status quo on guns in the US is to change, it will be through overwhelming political force, not through evidence and argument. Guns have now ascended to the level of worldview and identity, areas largely beyond the reach of persuasion.
Could the Florida high school shooting do for the gun issue what Trump’s “pussy tape” has done for sexual harassment? It’s possible. In the same way that macho-man types are finding it tough sledding with voters these days, it might turn out that sucking NRA dick taking NRA money is hazardous to a gun-fondler’s electoral health. As a prominent example, Norman Braman-owned Sen. “Little” Marco Rubio is getting a lot of pushback for his mush-mouthed, half-assed platitudes, and it appears Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who wants to bring his Voldemort act to the Senate, also has some ‘splainin’ to do.
It’s pretty clear the standard centrist mush about gun control isn’t going to carry much water right now. New York Times columnist David Brooks brought down the wrath of the entire internet yesterday for publishing a column saying that we must “respect” the position of gun fondlers.
I’m convinced Donald Trump paid someone to attend college for him, because a bag of hammers is more capable of abstract thought. Amid his latest string of stubby-fingered thoughts was the allegation that “Obama” should have done more about Russian election meddling. Uh, Donbo –he did. The ones who wouldn’t let him do more were your Republican buddies in Congress, and your tweets highlight the fact that they knew of it before the election but did nothing because it was helping them. Which is why I say that the entire party is guilty of treason and must, for the future safety of the nation, be destroyed.
I don’t generally care much about palace intrigue stories, but this one is worth paying a bit of attention to. Turns out all the controversy about wife-beater Rob Porter is really about John Kelly’s attempt to revoke Jared Kushner’s temporary security clearance.
Finally, I missed this story last week about the all-encompassing foresight of our Founding Fathers: pregnant Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth can’t take maternity leave because nobody ever anticipated the situation and there are no rules to govern it.