Hillary Clinton has taken a bold stance against the gun lobby. Per the Washington Post, she has publicly vowed to take on the NRA. For a top-tier Democratic Presidential candidate to voluntarily tackle this subject is surprising. Most have avoided talking about guns for decades out of a fear of backlash from donors and the public, but perhaps Clinton is outfoxing the media by grabbing this “third rail” issue with both hands.
Shawna Vercher, author and media strategist, pointed out that “The political landscape is dramatically different on the Democratic side and that Hillary Clinton is facing a primary where voters are looking for a progressive candidate. This has some pundits speculating that Bernie Sanders may chip away at her base and ultimately hurt her in the general election. She’s playing a brilliant game here. She’s saying, ‘Look at me kids. I’m more liberal than Bernie Sanders on this issue.'”
I take slightly different view on Hillary Clinton’s motives. Her stance is a calculated risk but I think she is ‘hitting away’ here, letting Hillary be Hillary. She seems less guarded this time around. Perhaps her feeling is, ‘I’ve done this before. If I’m going to run again, your going to get everything I’ve got…and everything I think.’ In her 2008 run, Clinton in the main stayed away from this issue, as Obama and all other candidates did, so it says a lot that she feels like the American people are ready to have this conversation.
The NRA is going come after her with everything they’ve got no matter what. From that standpoint, she has nothing to lose by taking a powerful stand on this issue.
Watch this episode of Dare We Say as Shawna and Anita discuss the strategy behind Hillary Clinton’s gun control speech.
2 Comments
As a member of her age cohort, I can tell you you that there is something about reaching this age that makes you want to stop sacrificing your own ideas to someone else’s, or try to keep peace by remaining silent or bowing to someone else’s feelings. I saw it in my mother and her mother. They just got tired of a lifetime spent not doing or saying exactly what they wanted to do or say…and now I’m right there with them…and Hillary. Go Hillary!
Lorna, I agree 100%. I believe Hillary gave this a lot of thought and decided if she were to run again, she would not mince words on anything.