Yesterday, we deconstructed Michael Bloomberg’s gun control questionnaire; the former New York City mayor’s political purity test for unlocking hizzoner’s $50m campaign war chest. Today, I noticed that newyorkmag.com noticed something about the survey that I hadn’t noticed. “Everytown for Gun Safety says it’s ready to begin surveying federal candidates about their positions on gun issues as the first step in its plan to sway the midterm elections — however, candidates won’t receive a letter grade after completing the questionnaire.” Ha! I told you Bloomberg was playing the NRA’s game, only worse. Here’s the thing . . .
The NRA’s letter grading system makes their support bi-partisan. No really. Lest we forget, Democratic Senate Leader Harry Reid got a B rating for the nation’s oldest gun rights group, who failed to endorse his Republican rival during his last election cycle. And West Virginia’s Senator Joe Manchin sported an A rating before embarking on his quixotic background check charge.
Yes, the NRA is closerthanthis with the Republican party. But when push comes to shove at the ballot box, the NRA tells members – and non-members – who deserves their vote. That’s regardless of party affiliation.
The system also makes the NRA’s support transparent. While NRA lobbyists are masters of the art of the back room deal, it’s no secret who’s on their team and who isn’t. At the risk of playing to the antis’ propaganda (which paints gun owners as cretins) most Americans are low-information voters. You know that old expression “you can’t tell the players without a scorecard”? The NRA scorecard makes being a single-issue pro-gun voter easy.
By ditching the NRA’s letter grading system, Everytown for Gun Safety/Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America are wimping out.
No surprise there. Unlike gun rights, gun control is not a bipartisan position. Sure, some New York Republicans threw gun owners under the bus to enact the so-called SAFE Act. But The Democrat Party is the only party that supports civilian disarmament (it’s in their party platform). If Bloomberg rated Dems on their position on gun control he’d run the risk of losing the only support he could possibly garner for his extreme positions.
A scorecard would also force Bloomberg – and the pols he funds – out of the shadows. His anti-gun group(s) would have to explain why one Democrat wasn’t as reliable on gun control as another. At that point, the anti-gunners would run the risk of having to defend the indefensible: gun control policies that make no sense and offer no practical benefits. In short, they’d have to explain themselves and, gulp, debate the issues.
Besides, Bloomberg fancies himself a fixer. The ego-maniacal, self-appointed gun control “czar” wants to be able to lavish his money – his money, not members’ money – on whomever he pleases, without answering to anybody, ever. Good for him! Once again, this is not a winning strategy. As we saw in Colorado – where Bloomberg money poisoned a political campaign -democracy is still more or less democratic. Without grassroots support, Everytown will eventually become a ghost town.
While you never, ever want to underestimate your enemy, I rate Bloomberg’s no-scorecard strategy an F.
Nailed it! You also nailed the vast differences between MOST ( sadly not all) democrats & republicans. And people need to quit saying there is no difference between ’em. They both smell…democrats just smell MORE.
It’s always going to be a race between a douche and a turd. Only a douche and a turd would work so hard to win. The important thing is to make sure you vote for the least abhorrent person to avoid electing the person you find most abhorrent.
This way of thinking is what continues to lead America down the path of no accountability, greed and corruption in Washington.
A vote for anyone you don’t believe in and who doesn’t support your interests is more of a wasted vote than voting for someone who may not get elected but who supports your interests. If more people start voting for non Democrat and Republican candidates eventually we’ll be able to strangle hold that those party leaders and their backers have on our republic.
Hear, hear!
The “lesser of two evils” is still evil. The R’s will sweep the single-issue 2A voters, then double down on Nixon’s racist War on (some) Drugs, and turn the POTG against each other.
Vote Libertarian – it’s the closest thing to “None of the Above” that we’ve got!
Rich, I’m as libertarian as they come, but here in the real world, every pro-gun person who votes Libertarian is helping the Democratic party attack our gun rights. I wish the (political) world was different. It is not.
Sertorius, you called it. Exactly.
Bloomberg should do America a favor, and move to his spiritual home and most favorite place: London, England. He has a massive HQ development going there (Bloomberg Square), and would do all of us a favor if he moved to England, renounced his US citizenship to become a Brit, and then simply STFU on our guns, our politics, and our right to keep and bear arms. I am sure the nanny state of the UK would be thrilled to have his money for their pet idiot causes.
Hey, Bloomie – don’t let the door hit you in the butt on your way out, OK? And please, please take the Mommies with you.
Bloomberg and Pierced Organ would make a lovely couple.
He’ll never make the move. The taxes are too high.
I think it would be rather warm for Bloomberg to move to his spiritual home.
Winner! I stand corrected.
Those t-shirts look plum for the picking parody-wise. I consider myself a “Gun Sense Voter,” but not in the way they imagine. Not sure what the back should read though, just not MomsdemandactionforgunsenseinAmerica.
I would love to buy a parody shirt of this… something along the lines of the tried but true
mom’s demand HOT action (and more ammo)
You might be on to something… I’m pretty sure my better half would wear a “Moms Demand Ammo/Gun Sense Voter” T-shirt.
I was thinking perhaps a thong.
I think the t-shirts look great, just need to add a NRA logo to them and they would be perfect.
I just want one to wear to the range or to trap league, ironically, like a hipster.
I want a t-shirt just so I can use it as camoflage get closer to Shannon and take a picture. . . . right when the photog says “say cheese”, I will inform her I am the Diggler and well, her image will be captured for all on TTAG to see. Priceless.
This, I would surely love to see!
If there were a rating system they’d have a way to quantify how little support there is for their cause for all to see. Bloomy will be keeping score, though, so he knows who to
bribesupport.Darn, I was thinking that finally Bloomberg is doing something worthwhile, i.e., pointing out who the problem children are.
If you’re from a blue state, you may be part of the problem. If you have a (D) after your name, the problem is part of you.
Ever walk into a seedy motel and flip on the lights, and watch the bugs scatter back into the shadows?
That’s a lot like this.
I’m not a big fan of open carry; but I really want to buy that shirt and open carry everywhere.
Even better I want to buy a bunch and outfit my local pig farmer’s pigs, schedule a photoshoot, and spread the image over the internet.
Or if I owned a porno film company…
“democracy is still more or less democratic”
Cue the “it’s a REPUBLIC!” pedantic fools
and that’s the truth about guns.
“Everytown” is already well on its way toward being a “ghost town” since so many of its “likes” are from ghosts.
If “Everytown” had to prove it has a dedicated membership who actually support its efforts with cash donations such as is evidenced with the *committed* dues paying donation making members of the NRA, Bloomberg would be unable to muster enough support to sustain any effort at all.
Notice that his/Shannon’s [name a state] Marching and Chowder Society can usually fit into a booth at the local Denny’s. That tells you something.
Bloomberg can’t simply allocate an alphabet grade a ‘la the NRA method to anti-gun politicians he supports because he has other political issues, voting records, and future leverage to consider when allocating bribes to his preferred candidates. He is a multi-issue control freak who is thinking long term strategy.
A politician who may not be anti-gun now, may, with the right motivation, be brought into the ‘progressive’ fold if finessed over time with the appropriate rewards and obligations.
Blimpberg and his broads are much more about libtard progressive politics that single issue gun banners. Banning guns is just a tactic to his ends. The chics are just along for the (nieve) ride. Useful tool/fools.
Bloomberg suffers from megalomaniacal delusions of grandeur,
Shannon’s Sugar Daddy has to walk a fine line in his campaign to disarm America. He has already taken heat from the democrats over the debacle in Colorado. Those recall elections were a grim reminder of the consequences of the Clinton gun ban in the 94′ midterms. If he is seen to be a liability for the democrats in the midterm elections this year, and they will be looking for someone to blame, there will be no more room in DC for the Hysterical Mother and the EveryClowns.
He will eventually spit in the soup – he can’t help himself. Smart money says he’ll then blame (and pay off handsomely) Shannon.
Giving out scores would also show how few politicians get a good one and people might start to wonder if there isn’t a little exaggeration over how many people support (more) gun control.
Are you kidding? Their strategy is genius. Some candidates don’t answer NRA questions because they don’t want a letter grade – because they know their views differ from the majority of their constituents. By not giving a letter grade, they will get better responses form candidates, and they will know where to put their money in campaigns…
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