Bloomberg’s bad advice

Some advice for the antis, “Bloomberg: Gun Control Advocates Should Adopt NRA’s Political Tactics“:

“… “What you’ve got to do is take a look at your Congressman, your Senator, and say ‘Where are you? I’m not going to worry about everybody else.  I’m going to work for your opponent unless you do what’s right to protect my kids and the cops on the corner who are putting their lives on the line to protect me,” Mr. Bloomberg responded when Mr. Gambling asked how voters are supposed to make a difference in such a complicated legislative body … Mr. Bloomberg then made the case that Washington legislators should face scrutiny no matter how bad their opponents are on gun control issues.  “I’ll deal with your opponent when I get that man or woman when he gets into office,” he advocated voters tell their representatives …”

Good advice except for one, tiny problem: antigunners do not have a voting constituency.  The organizations which represent them are largely just front groups for professional politicians and activists which are funded by large foundations including Joyce and Tides.  They can’t turn out people to vote because they aren’t membership-based; they’re mostly astroturf.

The gun control groups don’t even talk much about impacting elections anymore.  CSGV especially seems to be trying to morph into some sort of weird, peace, love, higher consciousness something-or-other.  Whatever they’re going for it isn’t political.  All of them seem in disarray as their money has been drying up in the aftermath of Heller and McDonald.  The only one who is really getting involved with elections is Bloomberg himself and he’s making private donations out of pocket.