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Parkland shooting could be 'tipping point' in 2018 races
I get the sense that the Parkland massacre/#NeverAgain could very well be a political tipping point. During a mesmerizing Town Hall meeting on CNN last night, the mother of the slain Geography teacher asked Sen. Marco Rubio point blank is he plans to continue accepting campaign money from the NRA. After trying to dance around it for a bit, but then again pressed by the mother to answer the question, Rubio said yes and looked very uncomfortable. It was an electrifying moment in the auditorium that was palpable.
Feb. 21, 2018
Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum joins with students from FSU in marching to the Florida Capitol to protest gun violence.
Republican candidates for governor have plenty to worry about if the outcry from student survivors of the Parkland high school shooting massacre turns into powerful political movement rather than a temporary election-year radar blip. Democrats traditionally turn out in fewer numbers in off-year elections, which has helped the Republican Party keep an iron grip on the Governor’s Mansion since 1998, when Jeb Bush first was elected. But political experts say a renewed and passionate push for gun control — sparked by the killing of 14 students and three teachers Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School — could become a defining issue of the campaign and help Democratic contenders. “The times have clearly changed,” said Susan MacManus, political science professor at the University of South Florida. “And the activism of the students and their parents and grandparents and everyone else has made this a bigger issue and a much more politically impactful issue. I think it has ramifications for any partisan race from the top of the ticket down to local races. The message is loud. And Republicans will ignore it at their own peril.”
Political science experts said the issue could cut both ways — Second Amendment advocates are sure to be energized as lawmakers debate how to deal with gun violence. “One of the running themes on this issue has always been that Second Amendment and pro-gun rights supporters tend to be more easily activated on these issues,” he said. “While gun control proponents tend to have a number of issues that motivate them. It almost certainly would cause intensity on both sides of the issue. If it becomes an essential issue, you’ll see turnout increase on both sides.” Aubrey Jewett, political science professor at the University of Central Florida, said past mass shootings, including the slaughter of 49 people at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub in 2016, didn’t lead to change. But he said it’s possible a tipping point has been reached with the Parkland shooting.
I get the sense that the Parkland massacre/#NeverAgain could very well be a political tipping point. During a mesmerizing Town Hall meeting on CNN last night, the mother of the slain Geography teacher asked Sen. Marco Rubio point blank is he plans to continue accepting campaign money from the NRA. After trying to dance around it for a bit, but then again pressed by the mother to answer the question, Rubio said yes and looked very uncomfortable. It was an electrifying moment in the auditorium that was palpable.
