Watching President Trump, I’m often struck with buyer’s remorse. The man is such an amateur. And it’s not just his inability to wield the levers of power to get sh*t done.
One of my friends deep inside the Trump administration tells me that the former reality TV star is keeping the swamp topped-up with cronies, lackies and, again and most importantly, amateurs.
And then President Trump goes and does something so wonderful — other than not being Hillary Clinton — that my heart swells with joy. Getting Neil Gorsuch onto the Supreme Court was one such triumph. His decision to pull out of the Paris climate change accord is another.
Set aside any consideration of whether or not global warming is man-made, and whether or not the Paris accord would save cities, polar bears or enrich Elon Musk and his clean energy compadres. The amazing awesomeness is that President Trump made the liberal left and the mainstream media’s heads EXPLODE.
If the usual statist suspects are this apoplectic about anything, I’m a happy camper. It tells me that whatever caused the reaction had to be the right thing to do. Allowing the U.S. to burn the planet? Surrendering our international leadership? Sure, whatever you say. Happy happy! Joy joy!
More than that, the idea that the U.S. President told the rest of the world (excluding Syria and Nicaragua, of course) to FOAD makes me proud to be American. In no uncertain terms, withdrawing from the Paris climate change accord told the world (and U.S. citizens) WE ARE NOT LIKE YOU.
I consider the move nothing less than the re-birth of American exceptionalism. And here’s where it connects to guns . . .
With certain notable exceptions (e.g., Poland) the rest of the world considers gun control normal, natural and desirable. Even after repeated terrorist attacks and rampant street crime, England and France are moving not one inch towards recognizing their citizens’ natural right to armed self-defense. Not Germany, Italy, Russia, Japan, Indonesia…no one.
Well why would they? They’re not America! A country whose founding document protects the right to keep and bear arms from government infringement. Why? Because we’re not Europe. Or China, Asia, South America, the Middle East or anywhere else. We’re different. We’re better. We’re a free people. And free people keep and bear arms.
President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate change accord signals his desire and ability to tell “perceived wisdom” to take a hike. So while gun rights restoration languishes on the political back burner — even something as simple and, well, common sense as the Hearing Protection Act — at least we know President Trump is ready, willing and able to stand up to the left and its most cherished “ideals.”
And that means President Trump might work to move on something like national reciprocity. Or eliminating the NFA. Something, anything in the gun rights arena.
I’m not saying he will. Gun rights restoration is hardly a high administration priority compared to health care, tax reform and yes, building the wall. Most of President Trump’s promises to gun rights advocates (e.g., the elimination of the Gun Free School Zones Act) would require an act of Congress, a task that makes herding cats seem easy in comparison.
But now, at least I know President Trump could do something on firearms freedom. Which is a lot more than I believed before the Paris pull-out. Time will tell, but I now have hope for change.
As for watching the world burn, of course we can’t do that. But we can’t join the rest of world burning its civil rights and economic opportunities on the altar of political correctness. I think that possibility just got a little further away.