Rachael: everyone says the politics of assault weapons regulation are impossible, "Why should
they be?"
= new reply since forum marked as read
We need to express support for him when he caters to the RIGHT.
OK, I see what you are trying to say now.
You don't LEAD politicians with threats. As much as any of us wish it were otherwise, IT ISN'T, and the difference between where we are and getting to otherwise is only probably about a few million lives and suffering and loss to future generations.
You can't say "do this, or else" to politicians because you're ALSO telling the opposition that all they have to do is wait, which is what you and they have done.
It's more effective to remind politicians that what they do has consequences upon how voters vote and NOT to reveal more than that, but to lead with a guarantee that if you don't get your way you will most assuredly not vote, not support Democrats in this case, ONLY results in the opposition waiting you out, which is exactly what we have seen. And people like PO can't even admit that there's pain from what calls itself "the Left", because that only informs the opposition that their waiting will be rewarded.
I'm sorry, this right now isn't even about the difference between good Democrats and bad Democrats, we don't have that luxury, you don't suddenly presto-chango multiple decades of a problem just because you're right. And If we miss this boat on health care and alternative energy and education, and so much more besides, there will be no other, or not within any time frame that will matter to millions of people, but then, I suspect what calls itself "the Left" has made common cause with others who aren't all that concerned about those millions of people, witness their starry-eyed reaction to Rand Paul's filibuster about a SETTLED legal point and now some of them are even backing legislation to make drone strikes against violent armed American combatants on American soil illegal.
Do you really think Republicans don't pay attention to where the votes are or are not, how votes are trending and moving, and that they don't act accordingly? Reveal your hand, "Do this or else I/we will not vote or work for you" results ONLY in you losing your place at the table, because you have become a KNOWN quantity and therefore a reliable base upon which the opposition stands its ground and ignores you, because you're already out as anyone who reveals how they'll vote is from the moment that they do so. All the Repubs had to do was wait. And that's what they did, because what calls itself "the Left" did all of their work for them.
Congratulations. 
What, exactly, are the people that want to create a sub-class of weapons (termed "assault weapons"
and then ban that sub-class trying to accomplish?
