Moderates might gravitate to Trump
Without getting into the gory details of all the various subcultures, there are three basic political views in the United States. There are progressives on the left, conservatives on the right, and moderates in the middle.
Statistically, it’s a lot like a standard distribution. Progressives are people, who when they see a problem in society, are so passionate for a solution that they completely ignore possible negative consequences of a proposed solution. Conservatives are people who fear the consequences of a change so much that they shun any solution. The two views are so diametrically opposed that is almost impossible for the two groups to work together.
In between them is the majority of the people, the moderates, those who realize that we need solutions to many problems, but that we need to act prudently, taking baby steps, so as not to fall precipitously. They have a range of views from progressive to conservative, often leaning one way or another on various issues.
Of the leading political figures in the country, Bernie Sanders appears to be the most progressive, demanding drastic changes. While nowhere near as progressive as Sanders, Hillary Clinton stands with the sitting president on that tail of the distribution as well.
Rand Paul appears to be probably the most conservative, decrying change completely. While not as conservative as Paul, both Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush seem to fall on that tail. It has been apparent over the last eight years that these two camps simply have not been able to work together. With a House of Representatives dominated by conservatives, a progressive president and a Senate … well let’s not even go there, we have gridlock that pleases nobody, especially the angry majority of Americans (Republicans and Democrats alike) caught in the middle.
On the Republican side that leaves us with John Kasich, who is closer to the center on some issues, standing in the wings, waiting for somebody else to falter.
And then up steps Donald Trump. He claims to be a conservative. So, of course, progressives hate him. And many hard core conservatives condemn him for having expressed contradictory and even liberal views in the past. Well, the truth of the matter is that in a presidential election, none of those conservatives who currently condemn Trump are going to vote for Clinton or Sanders, regardless of what they say about Trump now.
But in a race against Sanders or Clinton, those conservatives will only balance out the progressives, who will never vote for a hard core conservative. To win, you need a majority of the moderates, who prudently prefer a moderate candidate as well.
And Trump has certainly caught the eye of the moderates, the vast majority of Americans. After all, some of his past views have not been all that conservative. Maybe he is really a moderate, like most people. Yes, he makes outrageous, frequently offensive statements and even outrageous proposals. But the proposals are often so outrageous as to be unrealistic. He knows that and so should we. Often the views he expresses, however crudely, are views that many people may not be entirely unsympathetic with. And to the vast majority of Americans, each of the offensive statements is usually about somebody else any way. So at least he has gotten our attention.
Trump is a political anomaly, a lot like Azimov’s Mule, upsetting the current political foundation of the country. He’s willing to make deals, so maybe he could work with both sides of the aisle to find solutions that nobody will find perfect but that most can accept. He’s beholding to nobody, so that it is likely that he would put competent people, instead of political hacks, into important positions and utilize their strength and advice. He claims that his deals are good ones and he apologizes to no one, so that hopefully he would restore our nation’s strength and respect throughout the world.
In other words, he may be able to get us moving again in a positive direction. Will he be able to make America great again? Well, nothing else has worked in the last eight years and maybe more. So a lot of people, especially moderates, will think that he’s worth a shot.
Jim Moorehead
Scotia
Firearms bill boosting Cuomo presidential run must be stopped
This governor who wants to be president must be stopped. We’re looking at yet another bill that shows the governor’s desperation to become president by turning a firearm into a felony. This time, the Assembly is jousting at windmills with a rather poor copycat of a 30-year-old federal prohibition against “undetectable firearms.”
New York state Assembly Bill A-381 was introduced Jan. 7, 2015. Your immediate help is needed to stop this bill — or should we say “this Andrew” — in its tracks.
At federal law since 1988, a minimum threshold of firearm construction is referred to as a “security exemplar” and it is defined as a minimum 3.7 ounces of material type 17-4 PH stainless steel in a shape resembling a handgun as integral to manufacture. The federal statute, found at 18 U.S.C. §922(p), links the “security exemplar” standard to walk-through metal detectors calibrated to it.
The federal statute contains exemptions for a federal firearms licensee to examine and test a firearm to determine whether it is compliant with the “security exemplar” standard, and there is an additional exception for those importers examining and testing firearms that would be exclusively sold to the U.S. military or intelligence agencies after obtaining appropriate certification from the secretary of Defense or the director of the CIA.
Firearms manufactured after 1988 have already met this definition of being a “detectable firearm.” The federal standard is clear, contains a bright line test, and has been followed by Federal Firearms Licensees for nearly 30 years. Among those in compliance? Our own Remington, the longest continuous running manufacturer in the United States.
Recently, Gov. Andrew Cuomo gave the impression that he will run for president in 2020 if neither Clinton nor Sanders are in the White House, and Cuomo is going to push senseless gun law after senseless gun law to get there.
The New York state bill would describe “undetectable” using “an x-ray machine, portable pulsed x-ray generator, metal detector or magnetometer when set at a standard calibration, or any other machine used to screen or inspect a person and an object for a firearm, rifle, or shotgun.”
What is a manufacturer supposed to do with this list? Where are the technical specifications? Who will be doing the screening, where, and with what? And where are the exemptions for manufacturers and those manufacturers and importers who serve our Armed Forces?
Is Gov. Cuomo really this determined to drive firearms manufacturers like Remington out of the state of New York, erasing its proud history, its employees, its union and all of its jobs? You bet he is. This governor who wants to be president is already running on a platform that he can turn paper tigers into felons and do it in the name of “gun control.” The time to make our stand is now.
The only problem we have with “undetectable firearms” here in New York is those legislators looking for boogymen under their own beds at Cuomo’s behest. Contact Assemblymen Abinanti and Lento to let them know A.381 does nothing for public safety, but, rather burdens law abiding citizens and firearms manufacturers and importers. Let the assemblymen know we vote for Remington over Cuomo.
Kevin Sisson
Carlie
The writer is the Legislative Activities coordinator for SCOPE.
Categories: Letters to the Editor
