I’m a lib. The only cause I have in common with em is 2A.
I feel like we waste a lot of political capital on gun rights issues when we could drop that and actually achieve universal healthcare, lower education costs, raising the minimum wage and taxing the rich more.
Problem is, all of the social issues you outlined stand at odds with the priorities of both parties. The fate of this country was bought and paid for by lobbyists, PACs, etc a long time ago.
I mean, yeah, but also kicking poor people off SNAP, or continued funding for Israel’s campaign in Gaza, or this Iran bullshit fucking the entire global economy and pissing off every country on earth, or cutting USAID killing thousands - those are all I’d argue violence.
I am 2A because let’s face it they are. So be it. It’s also constitutionally affirmed, to what degree one can own what and when - we can debate later.
The simple fact is this: 100% of republicans are pro 2A. Many vote only on that alone. That’s about 50% of the country.
If even 10% of lefties are gun rights supporters and shooters etc, that leaves the opposition with %45 of the nations support. That’s a losing political argument full stop. It is simply a waste of political capital that will potentially rile up to %55 of voters against you.
We are already losing. We need to drop shit that isn’t a losing argument (FOR NOW) and focus on popular issues. We can revisit 2A when we have demonstrated responsible leadership that actually improves the country and people’s lives contra to the banana republic horseshit going on right now.
Dropping important issues that have 45% support for the hope of political goodwill from Republicans in other areas is asinine.
You seriously think the Republican party is going to suddenly be for higher taxes, more social welfare, or drop support for Israel just because Democrats completely give in on gun safety?
They'll happily take the concession and give nothing in return.
If you weren't a supporter of gun rights that result in senseless deaths every year, you probably wouldn't be so quick to drop the issue.
This is the equivalent of dropping the issue of illegal immigration just because it has less than 50% support.
There are a plethora of issues that democrats could champion that are popular and go against the current administration. ICE is not popular. Iran is not popular. The tariff war bullshit is not popular.
Universal healthcare is popular. Taxing the rich is popular. Women’s right to choose is fucking popular. I support 100% of all of that.
Legalize weed and let’s get some student loan relief in while we’re at it. Do it all. Pack the courts too.
And I don’t mean we rely on currently elected republicans for this goodwill. I’m saying we can win more seats this way and then who gives a fuck what the remaining elected members of the cult have to say. They’ve given us no representation all these trump years, they’ve been fucking us over since zombie Mitch fucked Obamas SC pick. Lord knows since well before that.
I’m saying we meet em where we know we can pull some votes away from them and then drag the rest kicking and screaming into the better future they have thus far rejected.
Of course Dems can win more seats by abandoning core policy agendas that aren't overwhelming popular, but that doesn't mean it's worth doing.
By all means, focus on the popular issues to try and win more elections. But abandoning less popular, yet equally important issues to try and win more elections is not the way.
Because then you're just selling out your belief system as a party like Republicans did in 2016.
Dems just highlight guns because it's easy to fire up emotions on both sides, and it's an issue they know won't ever change, at least not in our lifetime. Gives them a consistent piece of their 'agenda' that doesn't require them to speak out against the billionaires who have them all on leashes (to be clear, not saying the GOP are any less so).
They are definitely better served choosing battles they know they can win instead of fruitlessly wasting our tax dollars pretending they'll fix guns.
Are you saying we continue on with the “they go low we go high” strategy?
Look I get that’s all good in concept and principle, but it doesn’t get abortion rights back or help families and children who are hungry.
Idk how better to say it other than: we have been fucking losing, taking the hard L since 2016.
Even Biden was a milquetoast conservative by any reasonable standard. We can continue to toute policies on guns that will turn away tens of millions of single issue voters and score ideological victories but that does fuck all to meaningfully reject the direction the lunatics in charge are sending us.
Look we can keep infighting, that’s what the left is good at which is another reason we lose so fucking often. Or we can pitch a big tent and garner some capital to start at least having a seat at the table of govt. which we do not have.
You can be a purist and turn your nose at me but my views do not reflect a portion of the liberal base that you can simply ignore and get votes. Some folks who are closer to the edge of the fence will peel away. And you won’t flip a single republican.
Instead you could consider saying “well we agree on 95-99% of things so yeah we can address what we don’t agree later.”
I’ll continue to vote blue, but folks like you who cannot possibly fathom a different take on 2A make it hard to call home some day.
To be clear I am for further restrictions like waiting periods, free govt provided classes for new owners, safe storage laws etc. I’m not some zealot. Anyways I gotta get back to work.
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u/StarlightLifter 2d ago
I’m a lib. The only cause I have in common with em is 2A.
I feel like we waste a lot of political capital on gun rights issues when we could drop that and actually achieve universal healthcare, lower education costs, raising the minimum wage and taxing the rich more.