From the AP wire, “Gun Control Issue Not Resonating As Key Issue For NH Primary“:
“… The gun culture is alive and well here, and with a population overwhelmingly familiar with and comfortable with firearms, gun-control issues that have resonated across the nation barely register among voters getting ready for Tuesday’s presidential primary …”
Gun control has not resonated across the nation. It is being kept alive in a few states (NY, NJ, etc.) and urban areas known for their far Left politicians and institutional corruption (NY, NJ, etc.)
The issue is only getting some attention in the national press because one very wealthy person, Michael Bloomberg, is keeping the gun control movement alive almost by himself by dumping tens of millions of his own dollars into it. Without him the movement would be largely bankrupt.
The only candidate who might get a little mileage out of it is Bernie Sanders. His record is slightly less offensive than Hillary Clinton’s and might help him in Monday’s primary.
What is Bloomberg’s motivation?
Bloomberg has a major hard-on for gun control. He has been trying, mostly unsuccessfully, in injecting the issue into the presidential debates and ’16 elections.
There’s got to be some reason that he’s started dropping so much money into it. Why does he care?
I believe his net worth is between $30-35 billion. Dropping $10 million is nothing to him.
There is a huge social / psychological driving force that is way beyond what I care to get into here (I am familiar with it from my own family). But basically, they fear us. Not criminals, not the government that they now see as their protector, and not even the gun itself, but rather, its really the archtype gunny personality that terrifies them beyond all else. It is a complete misconception on their part at this time in history but it persists in their collective psyche.
Em: It could be that. There is definitely a lot of irrational fear in the anti’s culture. However, I think Bloomberg is more of a calculated psychopath than that. I don’t think that it is an emotional thing for him, per se. I also don’t think that he’s doing is just because he has the money to spend. Bloomberg is very driven to consolidate power. This is part of a larger agenda for him. The better that agenda is understood, the more likely we are to defeat him.
He’s not just some rich guy. He owns a media empire. It is a mistake to think he cannot sway public opinion. It is worth keeping in mind the old adage, “don’t pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel.” The threat the Bloomberg poses is very real. While the anti-movement might be bankrupt without him, they do have him. And his money will live on much longer than he does.
That is no doubt right! He is a megalomaniac who wants to control what you eat as well (cause its for your own good, don’t u know – LOL). Notice also that the antis never complain about his undue influence nor that of George Soros. Never! Just the Koch Brothers, NRA, and Citizens United. And NRA and Citizens United are grass roots groups comprised of little people, and Bloomberg may have more money and commensurate “undue influence” than all three of these entities combined. One guy with that much money and power, but PBS and msnbc seem to have no problem with that. Why? LOL!