Toxic. Most reasonable people understand toxic individuals generally ruin every relationship, personal and professional, in their lives. There is no reasoning with toxic individuals. These people are automatons, narcissists and control freaks. Not getting one’s own way means destroying everyone or everything around them to achieve that end. Toxic people squander trust and credibility. Narcissism on full public display.
Pro-Gun Groups in New Hampshire who hold themselves as advocates for the Second Amendment have had a long and storied history of rivalry during political seasons and campaign efforts. Indeed, there has been general disagreement on semantics, such as wording of bills, how concepts are articulated, presented, and how to bring the political machine around to a particular point of view. Eventually though, the dust does settle and the groups get on the same page, or return to their corners at least long enough to get the ball across the finish line on behalf of the Second Amendment. The confluence of the groups has always been a push-pull, tug or tow effort, but at the end of the day, we all seem to rally around the right to keep and bear arms.
Until now. Toxic individuals with their, “burn, slash and destroy principles,” are now ubiquitously in the arena of public debate. There is no shortage of false equivalencies, character assassinations, and untruths spoken about a candidate’s record. In the present campaign season, for example. One such group excoriates and eschews candidates for no other reason than choosing not to respond to a survey sent by the group. “Either you answer our survey or you will be labelled anti-Second Amendment.” A tactic that is most recognizably and commonly found in Progressive Democrat campaign politics, not to mention the assertion is a complete false equivalency.
Labeling candidates with an already well-established Second Amendment voting record as, “Hostile to the Second Amendment,” for no other reason than the candidate’s failure to answer a survey, speaks volumes to what is really important to that group. A group labeling a candidate as hostile to the second amendment, while otherwise having a record of pro-Second support, only weakens the credibility of that group.
“Look at me, I’m the smartest guy in the room.” When a Pro 2-A advocacy group’s only visible organizing principle is do anything (everything) to be the only messenger, the primary message is lost to the detriment of the second amendment we hold so dear. We now bear witness to toxic personalities over constitutional principles. When advocacy becomes a cult of personality, over a platform of advocacy, the message is corrupted beyond repair.
How does a group arrive at a place where its leader is so hated and reviled by so many? How is it that a group can come to a place on the public stage where law-abiding, gun-owning citizens articulate such rank disdain for the group? How is it that so many political campaign operatives can come to loathe a supposed pro-second amendment group? Finally, how has a group arrived at that place where so many will work to see its demise? How does that happen? One has to really work at that to come to that place. Gun shop owners and retailers, Range operators, Sporting Club officials, and citizens who volunteer their own time and effort to make sure the Second Amendment is preserved, protected and strong?
I have not mentioned any particular group because these are mere observations observed and heard throughout my travels across the Granite State. Not criticisms. One tends to dismiss such feedback as sour grapes when heard from only a few people. But this is clearly trending. And observations are powerful and hard to ignore when they are all around you at both ends and top and bottom of the Granite State. Having been around this constituency so long, It is perplexing that so many literally hate and revile a group who bills themselves as a pro-second amendment group.
I hate writing these pieces because I do not think anybody is well-served by them. However, trending observations need to be put into perspective for better or worse and I attempt to do that here.
Tomorrow is Primary day. I would encourage all of you to vote. Vote Pro-Second Amendment and do not blindly rely on ANY one group’s grading of candidates. Grades will point you in the correct direction, but make sure you independently decide that a candidate is pro-second. A group that has negatively graded a candidate may not be accurately reflecting where the candidate truly stands. Likewise for the the candidate who has a solid grade. Beware of paper mache grades.
