Sunday, August 26, 2007

Not-So-Pro-2A Democrats?

Have I mentioned lately how I despise Party apparatchiks?
Via JR and David, with Fits also commenting, we have this little group, the supposedly pro-RKBA Amendment II Democrats. Seems they talk a great game on their home page -- and the rally they're holding in Dallas is a great thing indeed -- but once you get past that and dig deeper, they're not nearly as good as they sound:

Do you actively oppose Democrats who support sensible gun measures if they run for public office?
We are Democrats, and as such we will support our party's nominees for local, state, and federal office. During the primaries, however, if any Democratic candidate supports gun control measures that Amendment II Democrats oppose (such as reauthorizing the national ban on semi-automatics), that primary candidate is fair game, and we will encourage voters to support Democratic candidates who are in greater harmony with our outlook on Second Amendment rights. But once the primaries are over and the candidates for the general election have been chosen, it is important that all Democrats pull together and support our party's candidates as best as we are able. Under no circumstances will Amendment II Democrats support Republican candidates who run against anti-RKBA Democrats. We are, after all, Democrats.
So it would seem here that when we get right down to the brass tacks, party's going to trump principle. That being the case, what the hell's the point of this organization? Maybe they meant they'd stay home if anti-RKBA Dems eventually got the nomination for their respective offices, but until I hear otherwise I'm gonna guess they meant to say that if it came down to a pro-gun Republican versus an anti-gun Democrat, they would go in there and punch the ballot for the candidate who would strip them of their most vital civil liberty, for no other reason than the fact that he has a "D" behind his name. Or hers, as the case may be. And then how about the whole "sensible gun measures" bit? Who the hell gets to define "sensible"? We all know exactly how the Democratic leadership defines it. They're just too chicken to take it to the people because they know the party as a whole would be thrown out on their ear for it. And these so-called
Amendment II Democrats will sit there and vote for these gun-grabbers so long as they have the D behind their names. It would seem to me the RKBA isn't nearly as important a bedrock principle as it is an attempt to woo pro-gun voters who are moderate on other issues besides gun control -- mere bait, if you will. Call me a cynic, but if they're not willing to go against their party when it really counts, then just what good are they? I want these people on our side, really, I do. But until they stand up and withhold their votes from anti-gun Dems, then all the talk about supporting the RKBA really is just that -- talk -- and you know what they say about THAT.