No need to explain; I get it. It's my problem presently. One tires of the constant ad nauseum "the sky is falling" fears regarding 2A ... especially here in Montana when the sky is full of legislation about to become law which most agree adversely impacts wildlife, DIY hunters, and Montana's rich hunting legacy!
If you didn't trust him in 2014 then I stand corrected in your specific instance. But 95% of the people I hear calling him an a**/coward today loved him for four years as he did the bidding of Trump but turned when he finally called BS on Jan 6th. There is a long pattern of Trump and Trumpists loving people when they say yes and vilifying them when they step out of line. Just look at the comings and goings of his advisors and cabinet for the last 4 years and see how they were treated. It's like a guy with 8 ex-wives but somehow they all were the problem. Like a buddy of mine says, "If you tell me you ran into an a**hole today, then you have my condolences; but if you tell me everyone you ran into today was an a**shole, then I think we all know who the real a**hole is." (just to be clear, I am NOT calling ImBillT and asshole)
You will note I said conservatives and Trumpists. I know they are different and I know that many conservatives voted for him in 2016 and 2020. But Trumpists to me are the race-baiting legacy of the Dixiecrats, the Proud Boys, the "he is 110% right on very topic and anyone that disagrees is a communist scumbag" folks, the QAnon believers, and the folks who believe he is the greatest president of all time eclipsing Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Roosevelt, Kennedy and Reagan. If you are not one of those folks then you are not a Trumpist in my book.
I don’t remember the very moment I decided that McConnel was not doing anything positive for conservative voters but it would have been between 2008 and 2011. His “long game” is nothing but a means by which to lose as slowly as possible while avoiding all opportunities to win. He towed Trump’s line a few times when I expected him to fold, and it was likely because Trump was too popular with McConnel’s constituents back home.
Well...in terms of presidents in my lifetime, I obviously wouldn’t say that a Democrat is better than any Republicans because obviously their beliefs run almost 180 degrees counter to mine. That leaves me with Reagan, two Bushes, and Trump. I would put Trump near Reagan in many categories. I’m not convinced that Reagan could have been any more successful in today’s political climate. Both did some things to the left of my likings. In neither case was there someone else on the table that I would have rather had. I voted for Cruz in the primary, but if I had it to do over, I’d have voted Trump. I think Cruz would have been even less effective than Trump...although perhaps he would have picked someone better than Kavanaugh.
ATF is not allowed to have a database so the answer to your question is a little difficult. See attached. In Illinois you need to apply for a FOID card, which is issued by the state police after a background check. This allows some ability to trace not available in other states. Page through the report and you will see how the system is gamed. It is similar to others I have seen for previous years. To summarize, someone with a FOID goes into a IL sporting good store and buys 5 guns, then drives back into the city and sells them to gangs, which then look like "straw" sales. Are they legal sales? Yes. Indiana has different rules. Are they legal? Hard to say. Mississippi? Hmmm, interesting.
My point is easy to understand ...... why should I not be able to buy a firearm lawfully and the magazine and ammo ? In my hands it will not murder, in my home it will not murder or be used in violence ! Why should I not believe my fellow man would act the same way ? Banning the AR -15 and black guns , high capacity mags from the lawful owners isn’t going to solve one damn thing , except take away another liberty !
The problems are complex and the answers are difficult, but if you read the report it helps understand some of the additional gun regulations that get floated around - like only purchasing 1 gun per month. It doesn't affect 99% of purchases, but the attempt is to reduce the gun flow in the pipeline to criminals. While most rational people can agree to that, the not-one-more-law people will not. The middle eventually crumbles and we end up where we are now.
Can you support Trump policies and not be a "race baiter?
I already acknowledged many (probably most) conservatives voted for Trump but aren't Trumpists. I like conservative judges, tax reform, regulation reduction - but those are not Trump issues - they are issues the GOP has been pushing since Reagan. And I don't see most Trumpists (as I define that) as being issue-driven voters. I see them as voters who like the veiled racism and "burn the house down" combative nature of his personality. A group of people who have embraced their own toxic cancel culture by tweet. They have started viewing politics as a team sport to root for, have forgotten anything resembling real history, buy into QAnon silliness, etc. I don't believe Trump himself gives a damn about any policy issue. He cares about maintaining his ego-driven cult of personality. And those who buy into that are who I call Trumpists. It is ironic that on these threads there is a lot of hand-wringing about tyrants. Trumpy is as close as we have ever come to a classic tyrant yet where were all the armed citizens protecting Congress on Jan 6th? So, left, right and center, I can hear you out and will agree with some parts and disagree with others and buy you a beer at the end. But I have no time for the personality cult of Trump and QAnon, and it is time that thoughtful conservatives stand up and say so.
I would gladly buy you a beer as well.
I'd be really interested to see data backing up the loss of skilled tradesmen jobs to illegal immigrants. I think below-minimum wage unskilled labor are the jobs they're taking. I believe the loss of skilled labor and manufacturing jobs is mostly due to large companies outsourcing those jobs overseas where labor is cheaper, but that's capitalism baby! I agree with you on the neverending warmongering coming from the Washington establishment and that was one area where I agreed with Trump, but unfortunately it wasn't a topic that riled up his base enough to get real attention.
I'm all in on the beer though. Every time my best friend and I get together, there's a lot of beer and a lot of arguing. Wives may not love it, but I'd like to think we're both better for hearing differing opinions from someone we love and respect.
He is just mad that LBJ could "call his shot" in texas senate races in the 60's but didn't work in presidential in 2021
No they aren't
