Why Gun Control Is Not A Lost Cause, And Why It Shouldn't Be

Well, the traditional first 100 days of a new presidential term have gone by, and President Obama is being blamed by everyone (even Maureen Dowd) for not being able to change the direction in which the sun sets.

Or, in more practical political terms, not being able to change the way in which a dysfunctional Congress dysfunctions.

Frankly, the dysfunctional nature of Congress is primarily due to gerrymandering (in the case of the House) and filibuster abuse (in the case of the Senate), both of which are beyond Obama's powers to control or change.  But most of the new questioning of the President's "relevancy" comes from miscalculations on his part regarding two issues:  sequestration, and gun control.  Both miscalculations, in turn, come from the central mistake made by Obama in his presidency:  that, by opening his proposals up for input from the other side, the other side will in turn be so charmed by his magnanimity that they will be eager to buy into what he's proposing.

This assumption on Obama's part, which he has made again and again, has no basis in reality.  And that should never have been more apparent that when Pat Toomey, the Republican Senator from Pennsylvania who co-sponsored a truly bipartisan gun control bill, admitted that his party's opposition to that bill was entirely about preventing anything that might help the President.

Not about helping the nation.  Not about defending the Constitution.  Not even, for that matter, about defending conservatism or the Republican Party.  Just about frustrating the black man they never wanted to see in the White House.

Make no mistake.  The loyal opposition is no longer loyal.  It's already resolving to use violence to get what it wants, and coming up with dangerous new ways to foment it simply by the push of a button. It's already proved it can and will use children as targets, or as weapons.  Day by day, it's getting harder and harder to distinguish the difference between the American right and the Muslims they are so eager to label as "enemy combatants."

And make no mistake about this as well:  they are NOT the majority of Americans.  When it comes to the Senate defeat of the Manchin-Toomey bill, the opposition is losing the battle of public opinion, and the proponents are winning it.  Take a look here, here, here and here.  Which goes a long way toward explaining why even this Senate may be in the process of reversing itself.  But even that may not help, if the House blocks it.

The fault here lies not within the stars, or the White House, but within ourselves for allowing racism to fester below the surface of our politics long enough and hotly enough that the government of, by and for the people may be ready to perish from the Earth.

Get involved now, or arm yourselves later (and not much later).  The choice is yours.