https://twitter.com/catvalente/status/978062937591091202
<< I have never seen Republicans so terrified of anyone as they are of these teens speaking out for gun control. They’re throwing a complete tantrum, pulling out all the stops, because they’re just so afraid of these kids. >>
Based on the Facebook memes I've seen, I can confirm.
There is a very weird and worrying level of anger and intensity directed at these kids and their protest coming through US right-wing networks (and their proxies and allies) at the moment.
@natecull Maybe it's not the guns that they're afraid of, but the kids? I.E. the fact that kids are getting involved in politics, and not on their side? Or it could be the fact that they've been spouting propaganda about "the gubbymint's coming for our guns!" for so long, anything that looks remotely like it will set them off. :/
@natecull *not the guns that they're afraid for, but the kids their afraid of, I should say
@Angle I honestly don't know!
But I'm worried. Something is unexpectedly striking a nerve.
I mean, it's unexpected for *me*. Maybe not for the party strategists on either side?
@Angle like Reagan passed an assault weapons ban! It's pretty much a no-brainer to make the whole issue just go away.
But they're digging in.
@natecull Weird. Maybe they think it plays more to their political advantage to dig in? :/
@Angle Could just be the GOP's only setting right now is 'escalate everything'. That's worrying in itself.
My deeper fear is that they are actually beholden in a big way to some nasty off-the-grid militia types, tied up in the whole Evangelical/Russia thing, and that the Democratic Party / intelligence strategists know this and that's why they've chosen this particular issue to press. Specifically to neuter the dark militias.
I may just be reading too much 'deep politics' into that, though.
@Angle I may also be assuming far too much *competence* on the part of the Democratic Party leadership.
@natecull I doubt it's that. My take would be that it's them being beholden to gun companies, and that they've invested too much in hyping this as a political issue and can't afford to give it up. And a bit of the "Default mode is escalation." :/
@natecull my moms theory is current leaderships basically doing the gov equivalent of a smash & grab - so they dont actually care about long term party viability, or even if the government itself is left standing in the end, just maximizing sort term power & profit (I’ve heard the gun lobby has deep pockets)
@natecull It does not make sense as far as professional politicians are concerned. It might make sense for the voters.
@natecull If you're taking flak, you're over the target.
@natecull Clearest indication their demographic is dead?
@natecull they are challenging the patriarchy and the authority system. same deal with Occupy.
certain kinds of protest wind the authoritarians up past all rationality and all proportion.
(I thought Occupy was possibly the most vacuous and least compelling protest movement ever but the authorities really got hot about it)
@pnathan same here!
It might just be that they smell the potential for a real movement here.
I guess I'm burned out on marches after the 2003 antiwar marches that the NY Times called 'The Second Superpower!!!' and which accomplished precisely nothing
but then, they DID swing me left, so it wasn't that they did nothing.
And I guess the GOP is right to be worried by a generation of kids seeing them as the problem.
@natecull I have no belief that "marches" do Jack crap.
What will be effective is the people walking around at the marches registering voters, and the GOTV efforts in November.
@natecull
n.b:
> the NY Times called 'The Second Superpower!!!'
The NYT has serious issues with blinders and prioritizing the Mainstream Suburbanish Liberal perspective. NPR has the same issue, but doesn't even challenge ideas to the same level the NYT does.
So where they are good, they are very good. But they are not a serious resource for understanding American society.
Oddly, the New Yorker is better, despite it being extremely NYC centric for about 3/4 of its content.
I mean, why? Why THIS hill to fight on? Why guns?
The GOP is in power. They're in a position of strength. They control all three branches of government and law enforcement and the military which controls not just handguns but tanks, bombs, drones.
Right now they don't need private-sector militias and weird loners.
Why dig in behind this, at a time when it just worries everyone?
But they are.
That means something.