The Death of One Tiny

The Death of One Tiny Cut - Jeff Fecke of Blog Of The Moderate Left (whose permalinks are as hosed as mine are - scroll down for the article, if needed) addressed my take earlier this week on the Dems' sniping at the Personal Protection Act (which, desperate measures aside, is now the law of the land).

He has what is probably the view of a lot of moderate DFLers (not to be mistaken for either the rabidly-anti-gun "inner city" DFLers, or the very anomalous "pro-gun, pro-life, Eastside Catholic" DFLers.

Long story short - I think rumors of a colossal GOP fargup are greatly exaggerated. Or they could be - if Pawlenty and the GOP act with genuine courage.

Fecke say s:

Just days after Mitch Berg lit up anti-gun folks for suggesting the new concealed carry law might have had a few flaws, Governor Timmy has agreed, calling on the legislature to amend the law he signed just a few weeks ago to liberalize notification requirements for private entities that wish to ban guns on their property.

And that, I think, was a mistake.

The DFL is desperate. More on this below. And dignifying their protests about the wording of the law - or, to be accurate, one word in the law - with a response, gives them excessive credbility.

The criticisms, to be blunt, were desperate spin.

Fecke continues:

But the move may open a Pandora's Box for the GOP. Once amendments to the conceal and carry law are taken up as part of the Session Revisor, Democrats are sure to start bringing up GOP-opposed (and politically popular) amendments, such as banning weapons from churches, parks, and county buildings, all places that are presumed to allow weapons now.

Which is why I think Pawlenty and the GOP need to close ranks, and keep the law exactly as it is.

Fecke goes on:

Democrats were gleeful in pointing out the rush in which Gov. Timmy signed the bill, suggesting he should have been more patient before signing it.

Let them be gleeful. It's a sucker's strategery.

Nobody - nobody - wins by going negative. The most going negative can accomplish is a rear-guard action.

By presenting a coherent vision and sticking with it come hell or high water, voters have something to remember long after the sniping and spin are forgotten. Reagan did it. Pawlenty did it throughout the session, on taxes, concealed carry, and the other key parts of his platform.

He needs to stay the course.

Fecke adds a clinker next:

Concealed carry is not a very popular measure, especially in the suburbs, but it has strong support in the rural areas of the state and among the NRA core constituency of the GOP.

That's just plain not true. The gun issue was traditionally split on the normal rural-urban lines; it's been the growth of the suburbs that's driven Minnesota's swing to the right. Rural Minnesota is pro-gun, but it's diminishing in population and poltical clout. The 'burbs are where the state has been swinging - and where the concealed-carry movement has seen its numbers booming.

More as events warrant.

Posted by Mitch at May 29, 2003 10:26 PM