‘Conservative Democrat’ is an Oxymoron

by GREGORY D. LEE December 20, 2012

In a recent article about gun control by the Associated Press, Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-WV) was described as a "Conservative Democrat." I maintain that there is no such thing as a "conservative Democrat" in today's political climate. Such a term is an oxymoron. If voters are looking for a conservative who will fight for gun owner rights, the other political party is the obvious choice.

Sen. Manchin, a popular former governor of West Virginia, ran a political advertisement in 2010 depicting him shooting a piece of legislation nailed to a tree with his hunting rifle to demonstrate his strong commitment to preserving the Second Amendment. What a farce! The good people of West Virginia must feel betrayed by Sen. Manchin who now says that "everything should be on the table" when future gun control is debated in light of the tragic Newton, CT shooting of 26 people, of which 20 were elementary school children.

You doubt my analysis? Well, Manchin has company. Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), who helped bolster support for his reelection by being a pro-gun Democrat, has, according to the New York Times, "signaled an openness. . .to new restrictions on guns."

Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), who had the backing of the National Rifle Association because of his pro-gun voting record, said there should be "stricter rules on the books" regarding guns, and called the school shootings "a game changer," according to the NYT. Translation: Do I score more political points by supporting the Second Amendment, or supporting more gun control? Another gun law won't stop another mentally ill person from committing an act of violence.

The NYT described Sen. John A. Yarmuth (D-KY) as a "moderate" Democrat, (another oxymoron) and quoted him as saying he had been "largely silent on the issue of gun violence over the past six years," adding, "I am now as sorry for that as I am for what happened to the families who lost so much in this most recent, but sadly not isolated, tragedy." How many people in Kentucky, a bright red state, do you think voted for Yarmuth, in part, because of his purported stand on the Second Amendment?

What these so-called pro-gun conservative and moderate Democrats, as well as Republican law makers, should focus on is preventing mentally ill people from gaining access to firearms. But wait! It was the ACLU and other liberals who want to confiscate your guns, pushed legislation to grant "privacy rights" of the mentally ill. Just because someone is potentially violent due to mental illness doesn't mean we should confine them to a facility and given treatment to keep sane people safe, does it? Geez!

Would Senators Manchin, Reid, and Yarmuth feel better if Adam Lanza killed the school children and faculty with a shotgun? Are shotguns less ugly then so-called "assault weapons?" What if Lanza hid in the woods and killed the school children during recess from 300 meters away using a scoped 30.06 caliber hunting rifle and escaped? What if Mr. Lanza used a bomb or a knife? Would that somehow make the killings more politically correct?

I don't see the difference. Pulling the trigger was an evil act. Once again, liberals attack the tool, instead of the root of the problem for this and all the other mass shootings during the Obama administration: mental illness.

Shouldn't people forfeit their "right" to privacy if they have been diagnosed with mental illness? Especially, if they have demonstrated or voiced their intent to do violence against others, such as was the case with Lanza? He became upset and threatened to kill his mother when she sought court authority to confine him for his mental illness.

President Obama and other liberals need to understand that the Constitutional right to keep and bear arms was designed by our forefathers to preserve liberty and defeat tyrants and despots.

Maybe they do understand, and this is precisely why they want to confiscate your weapons and render you defenseless.