Let me finish tonight with this.
Once upon a time, the Republican Party ran presidential candidates who could carry even Massachusetts. Think Eisenhower. Think Ronald Reagan.
Lately the party has been running candidates who can’t get much closer to the Northeast than Ohio, and not even that the last two times. It’ s a whole part of the country with lots of people living in it that’s become foreign territory.
Last night, as I watched the U.S. House of Representatives vote on aid for Hurricane Sandy economic relief, I was reminded of what’s happened to the GOP, which I now call the party of “Guns Over People.” Its instinct is to fight for guns. Its instinct is to fight against aid for people. Last night it was aid for hurricane victims living in the Northeast. Does anyone think it will stop there?
The mood of the “Guns Over People” party is increasingly to vote for guns. Vote for war. Vote against people.
Why? I cannot figure. To paraphrase an old saying: “Guns don’t vote; people do.”
I have a feeling that there are more Americans with strong feelings about those first graders up in Connecticut than they do for the wild bunch out there worried about the “black helicopters” sweeping down on their front lawns.
We’ve seen the horror of crazed killers with semi-automatic weapons armed with big capacity clips. Still haven’t caught sight of those darn helicopters.
Chris Matthews