The Bullies Will Double Down

by paradox

Even before the Sandy Hook horror of last weekend a disquieting sense of political foreboding had begun to creep over me, a vague sense that no matter what happened in these awful Cliffmas maneuverings liberals would end up disgusted while elements of the Republican Party would be absolutely irate. Economically stupid compromises in a sea of ridiculous futility that inflame liberals I’m used to, but I wondered what successive electoral and Cliffmas defeats for Republicans could possibly bring on.

Tactically the Republicans are in a terrible position with awful politics to back them up, a different President with some Dick Cheney ruthlessness could easily crush them. Boehner knows it, of course, desperately trying to broker any deal that somehow keeps his Tea Party fanatics mollified with the sure knowledge that if Obama does nothing and blames the Republicans he is one stiff political corpse.

Then a Democratic rep’s son—Moran—plead guilty to domestic violence and Amanda Marcotte of Pandagon had to endure a savage attack on Twitter from elements of the Republican Party that liberal feminists wouldn’t cover the story because that would expose their hypocrisy. The arguments were classically ludicrously stupid and framed, but by God they weren’t of the usually obnoxious tone this time, one could almost feel the heat of fury and violence off the screen in the tweets, Jesus if coercive societal constraints were not in place I was looking at a bunch of viciously violent psychopaths, desperate to feel any political superiority. Our cher cousin Republicans are starting to pop and bend under the force of losing political winds, no doubt.

To certain Republicans gun ownership is intensely personal, completely divorced from a normal political issue intellectually. Guns are Freedom, Freedom is America, end of story. Plus those dirty fucking hippies who want to take our guns are the Liberal Left, weak moochers puffing joints who know nothing of America or the rush of putting a round through a shoplifter’s head. The Stupid comes out in full force combined with a real visceral loathing toward liberals when gun control is brought up.

The horrifying success of the NRA and conservative politics generally should not discounted here, the gun control bullies are very used to winning on this issue, which very unfortunately has a serious detrimental effect for the future of gun control. Beating up the pansy liberals over gun control has been great fun and satisfaction all these years, now instantly it’s a political loser with many possible political losses on the horizon. The President is serious about action on gun control for his second term, gun ownership conservatives were freaked out enough just with the base election of Obama, now what are they going to do?

Double down on the fury and the attacks, of course. Authoritarian bullies do not admit they were wrong, and they sure as hell don’t lose to pansy liberals. Just hours after Sandy Hook it started on Facebook too, absolutely appalling gun control posts that stated the teachers should have been armed, the killer would have found another way if guns weren’t around, isn’t amazing how liberals are so weak on this? The Stupid has been used to such great effect all these years the Republicans are clueless on how lost in space they’ve become here but they won’t care in the least, shut those gun control liberals up!

John Cole of Balloon Juice makes a perfectly lucid post yesterday of being a soldier in a combat zone yet still have significant restrictions on ammunition, so the response from a conservative blog is call him a piece of shit cook liar. Amazing in one way, depressingly predictable in another. It’s going to get a lot worse.

Worse is a relative term, of course, what the political junkies are watching for are signs of overt violence and outright suppression from gun ownership fanatics, citizens who have somehow convinced themselves being armed to the teeth is a solution to many problems. Will they double down on rhetoric only, or somehow degenerate into an armed terrorism element like the Klan in the 19th and 20th centuries?

After watching abortion providers get killed and Gabby Giffords get shot in the head that has to a valid question. I’m watching, many in the liberal community are looking closely, and it’s to be fervently hoped the FBI and Department of Homeland Security have dedicated resources to track any possible widespread trouble.

Don’t fool yourself, something truly terrible could arise out of this, gun owners are going to double down with all their fury in the coming months. It’s going to be ugly.