An Alienated Rural Democrat's plea from 2004

[virginia mountainman]

This is a repost, of my very first post here on DU, way back right after the 2004 election, at the time I trying my level best to impart a bit is wisdom into my party..in the end, I failed... Although, for many years it looked like we Democrats as a whole were starting to learn and become consistent on Civil Liberties, heck I remember when Hillary, in her primary against Obama, ran as a pro-gun candidate. But for the past several years, it seems that much regression has taken place in the guilded up reaches of our party's leadership. And it shows in the election results. The fears I had back in 2004 are about to come true. The Repukes are NOW ONLY ONE, state legislature away from being able to change the constitution at freakin' will, with the Democrats not even being invited to the party... WELL DONE....

The election results where not much of a surprise to me, I work and travel extensively in "blue collar" circles, the widespread fury was present, and obvious to anyone who cared to look, It was not just the guns but to people who were getting repeatedly ignored on a national level, who was struggling just to pay bills, getting hit with fines because they could not afford health insurance, the idea of gun bans (and YES, she talked about them) was simply a non-starter.

The warnings were there for all to see...Record breaking gun sales, month after month, year after year.... But if you stay in the gilded, and shining cities, behind 24/7 armed security you won't see that.

Many of us down here pointed out the obvious, but we were ignored.. We pointed out, REPEATEDLY the effect gun control was having on national and state elections, and we were derided and called names.... Well guess what...

We have been effectively shut out, and marginalized as a party, we only fully control the houses and governorship of California, Delaware, Hawaii, Oregon and Rhode Island, the Repukes control all houses and governorships about 25 states

A full third of our Congressional seats are held by reps from just three states. Massachusetts, New York, and California..

Yea, I seem to recall much jubilation around when many of the pro-gun blue dog's were "wrote off" and lost their seats, the theme of the time was "good riddance" ...But hey, party purity is important.... Even if it means losing the seat to a Repuke.

Thanks to DU User Benezra for reminding me of this old post. It has only been slightly altered mainly for formatting, please excuse my much less polished style from "way back when"

Alienated Rural Democrat
"virginia mountainman," Democratic Underground​

I have been lurking here for quite sometime, and I would like for some of yall to meet an alienated rural Democrat.

First a little background about me..

My family has STRONG Democratic roots, Both my parents were union organizers in some textile mills in southwest Virginia back in the 1970s I was the Democratic poster child in parades back in the 70s, we was also featured on the nightly news for a period of time, with my mother's work with bringing the union into town, (ultimately unsuccessful) My mother was also a delegate, from the state of Virginia, for Mondale, at the democratic convention 

My wife's family has just as strong roots. Her father has just retired from the coalmines. Her grandfather has served in local government on the democratic ticket for many years, and is also a union man.

My alienation began around 1993, when gun control started being a loudly contested issue. My WHOLE FAMILY owns guns, we ALL where raised around them.

Guns where NOT an issue, everyone had them. I was raised in a small house, my fathers long guns where stored in a rack over the headboard of my bed, his handguns where kept in his bed-side bureau and yes, he kept a .45 1911 pistol, loaded, in the open, on top of his dresser, no big deal, it was ALWAYS THERE, right beside his tie-tack box.

It was ready to defend everything my father held dear in his life at a moments notice.

To us kids, it was nothing special, they was ALWAYS their, very much like the butcher knives in the kitchen, they are both deadly, but they both are just "their".

Nothing special about them

Now I know some of you are thinking my father was a gun nut he was NOT, I dont ever remember him buying any guns, he did not shoot them often, maybe a box of shells a year, right before hunting season. All the guns he had, he had BEFORE he had me.

I had uncles and cousins that traded in guns allot. It is a hobby to them and they are law abiding folks, each and everyone. They enjoy the hobby of collecting and shooting as do I

I remember, me and my (then hardcore democratic uncle) was watching the news about the Brady bill, he got very silent about it, but was still supportive to the Democrats. Then the AW ban came, I remember seeing Feinstein on the news, holding up a semi auto AK up saying that ONLY CRIMINALS would have one. (Between all of us, we had 4 of those rifles) in the next election my uncles and cousins went republican, I did too

I PROUDLY voted for Bill Clinton over Bush SR, he took my vote and betrayed me and my family.

We saw the party that we supported faithfully for generations literally turn on us overnight it seemed. Gun Control was all over the news and if you disagreed, you were outside the mainstream or a gun nut

Some will say we are just bigots, religious zealots, and simpletons and we dont matter.

But the truth is I could not careless about gay marriage, I am supportive of abortion rights, I detest what is happened in Iraq, I BELIEVE IN ALL OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS.

And I am an outcast from the democrats, because I believe in the 2nd amendment

It is about MORE than guns, it is about personal responsibility, I was taught at a VERY EARLY age, that it is MY number 1 responsibility to protect myself and family from "folks that have bad intentions" Guns are the BEST means of that, the police are ONLY CALLED AFTER there is a crime committed, if you cannot defend yourself effectively, or rely on OTHERS to protect your family, you have FAILED as a parent/husband.

All these gun control laws effect is how effectively I can protect my wife and kids, or my wife protecting herself and kids when I am not here, THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE!!


Let me point out the damage that gun control has done to the democrats; my family has swung to the right. All my uncles and cousins proudly sport Bush 2004 and "W" stickers on their cars. My father-in-law does not vote anymore, he cannot vote for the gun banners but he cant bring himself to vote for the republicans neither. ONLY MY WIFE'S GRANDFATHER STILL OPENLY SUPPORTS DEMOCRATS. My wife has swung to the right, she is STILL gloating about the election.

My parents no longer vote/supports democrats neither.

See the gun issue is about much more than guns to my family. My family would be willing to support the democratic agenda (some may be too far gone now) but I think most would. The Democrats lost us with all the Hillbilly and redneck, and gun nut talk

It's not the 90 million U.S. gun owners or their guns that are the problem. It's the criminals, and the 20,000 gun laws have never deterred them.

Lines like Mr. and Miss America turn them ALL IN don't help you at all in these parts. 

And stop talking about hunters the INSTANT folks here, hear that, they KNOW that you're a gun banner

Kerry canned goose hunt was a joke; his 100% voting record against gun right was NOT a joke.

I have read post after post about how the NRA is a shill for the Republicans, they ARE NOT, they DO Support TRULY Pro-Gun democrats, like my congress critter, Rep Boucher (D) VA 9th district.(and YES I do vote for him proudly)

And the talk of NRA money, PLEAZZZZ, it is the 4 million members that vote religiously that give the NRA its power


I made this post (MY first) because I WANT to see the Democrats come back, I am truly scared that soon if the party don't learn, they will find themselves completely out of power. The Republicans being in complete control scares the crap out of me. I am new to forums so pardon if I have broken any un-written rules, PLEASE give me a candidate I can support whole-heartedly.

POSTSCRIPT Grandpa passed away, my teenage daughter was excited to support Bernie, and was so disgusted with that whole fiasco, she refused to support Hillary in any way... Democrats in my area are now practically extinct, there is NO effective local leadership anymore. Seems like all they want to talk about is bathrooms and cakes for some reason.

Thanks for writing us off.....A very bitter, and disgusted Democrat that has been abandoned by my own party.. We didn't leave the party, it left us...

[HassleCat]

1. What should we do?

What can we do to address gun violence? There must be something that will work and not alienate gun owners.

[virginia mountainman]

4. Absolutely...

This would be a good start!! Project Exile

During the first year of Project Exile (1998), homicides in Richmond declined 33%, for the lowest number since 1987, and armed robberies declined 30%. In 1999, homicides declined another 21%.[2] By 2007, homicides in Richmond were down to 57 compared to 122 in the year before Project Exile.[4]

Research analysts offered different opinions as to the program's success in reducing gun crime. Authors of a 2003 analysis of the program argued that the decline in gun homicide was part of a general regression to the mean across U.S. cities with high homicide rates.[13] Authors of a 2005 study disagreed, concluding that Richmond's gun homicide rate fell more rapidly than the rates in other large U.S. cities with other influences controlled.[14]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Exile


The key to not alienating most gun owners, is not treating them like THEY are the problem, and write silly laws that only affect them. Most of these gun control laws, ONLY cause problems for the law abiding. And many of these bans and strict restrictions only make new felons out of people who had an item that was legal one day, and banned the next..

Its criminal how ignorant some of these laws are.

[gejohnston]

7. end the drug war

take away their guns by taking away their money. Treating addiction as a health issue instead criminal issue. That would save lives in other ways too. Heroin kills more people than guns or cars.
Laws only affect the law abiding. While background checks are good in principle, but do you really think a fence is going to do a NICS check for the local undocumented pharmacy or gangster? No.

When you look at the most violent cities in the world, two or three being in the US, all have these in common
Drug gangs
Extreme poverty
Political corruption
Extremes in wealth inequality

Gun ownership rates in Norway, Canada, Iceland, and Switzerland isn't that much lower than ours. Some studies put Finland higher than us. They don't have gang battles do they? It isn't like Chicago or even the Merrylands, a suburb of Sydney that has a lot of drive bys. The bright side of Australian drive by shootings is that they often use homemade submachine guns, that hit nobody.

I have a huge list of parts of a solution which would piss off both parties, and most of it having to be done locally. It would also piss off the booze lobby, private prison lobby, drug testing lobby, and maybe even pot growers who don't like to pay taxes. The first is get rid of zoning laws that prevent walkable neighborhoods. That would also create local jobs, maybe even urban agriculture.

That is just as true in someplace in Brazil, which has stricter laws than the UK, as it does Baltimore and Detroit. Brazil doesn't have a "gun culture" like the
US, Canada, Iceland, Norway, or Czech Republic.
I found this clip by a German sociologist.

[petronius]

2. Welcome to DU!

(Belatedly, that is, in case I forgot to welcome you back then... )

[virginia mountainman]

6. I think you did welcome me!

[appal_jack]

3. I remember reading this when you first posted it.

I liked it then, and like it now. Glad you are still here, virginia mountainman!

We have an as-yet unsuccessful, but generally good candidate for the 5th District of NC (Josh Brannon: he has now lost twice to Virginia Foxx). I tell him frequently that I wish him the best, but that he does not stand a chance until he quits parroting Mike Bloomberg on guns. So far, he has ignored my advice. Maybe by 2020 he will have embraced the full Bill of Rights. We can hope...

-app

[virginia mountainman]

5. He is running on gun control in the 5th District?!?!?!

I am very familiar with that area, but I don't live their. (Roughly Winston-Salam, statesville, northwest to the Tennessee and Virginia state line I believe??)

He will never win their with "bloomberg's taint" on him ..NO WAY, NO HOW..

Him running on Gun Control in that area, is a non-starter, and would cause me to question his judgment on other matters.

I'm still here, and if I recall we had a discussion in that very thread!

[Kang Colby]

8. Easily one of my favorite posts on gun rights.

Thank you, virginia mountainman.

[oneshooter]

9. It will not work as long as Democrats believe this about others.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=8317215

[Eleanors38]

10. Great post, then and now...

A lot of simplistic reasoning used by Democrats and MSM has -- Again -- been hammered down. One reporter this a.m. on the Diane Rehm Show actually said that journalists must get to know the country outside the urban bubble (or Beltway, or Coasts, or the Academy, or whatever divides journalists from the rest of the country). She seemed genuinely shaken, and quite aware, now, of how out of touch the media (and for that matter, the Democratic Party) is. You have to shut up and listen when over 40,000,000 people speak.

Yes, the outcome was not a big surprise; it's been a long time coming. All this talk about the changing demographics were the wave of the future? Crap. Two-thirds of the electorate is white. That's two-to-one. The politics of mass extinction will not save a passive, corporate Party bent on serving the one percent if only they are reassured that Geneva Convention rules will be followed when not in power, which is most of the time. And all that the talk about no labels or third ways WILL NOT MOVE a people which no one speaks to except the spittle-flying far-right.

If you don't define yourself someone else will.

[gejohnston]

11. All this talk about the changing demographics

is also a short-sighted assumption. The theory, I don't know who thought of it, is based on a very flawed assumption:
political realignments don't happen and you don't have to sell your ideas to everyone.

[Eleanors38]

12. Right on both accounts. "You don't have to sell your ideas..."

The wet dream of the Beltway Democrats who are obsessed with no labels and third ways. Take no chances offending your (financial) base. You don't think about your stances, you feel them. Somewhere. Some how...

[benEzra]

13. Thank you!! I was looking for your post in the old DU archives, but wasn't able to find it.

Excellent post, and very relevant then and now.

[Puha Ekapi_2]

14. Thank you...

....for the well written and well considered post, VMM.

The sad result of this election did not come as any big surprise to me either. As a rural Democrat I have often felt, in recent years, like the poor relative that gets a card from the city relatives during the holidays, but am never invited to the get-togethers downtown.

Post script: I posted here under the handle "Puha Ekapi" but owing to the recent hack, I was unable to retrieve a new password owing to the fact that I use (for ALL discussion forums) a throwaway email address and I couldn't even remember which one it was. Happy to have the site up and running once more. I lurk far more than I post but I appreciate the knowledgeable progressive pro-2nd amendment members who post here

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

15. Welcome to the group

[DashOneBravo]

16. Nailed it

[pablo_marmol]

17. Applegate just lost to Issa by only 1,982 votes.

Rural folks aren't the only ones feeling alienated and steamed. This was a winnable election, and anyone who doesn't believe that California's recent "control" shenanigans didn't play a major part in this defeat have their heads up one very dark and funky cavity.

Wonderful post, virginia mountainman. On my dad's side, my sister and I are the first generation who didn't grow up on a farm. (Mom was from a small town.) Although an urban boy my whole life, the one summer I spent on the farm where dad grew up changed me for life. Your post resonated mightily. Thank you.