Joe Biden’s Shotgun Approach to Politics Good for Obama Administration

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/21/joe-biden-s-shotgun-approach-to-politics-good-for-obama-administration.html


Joe Biden’s Shotgun Approach to Politics Good for Obama Administration
by John Avlon Feb 21, 2013 4:45 AM EST
Far from being a gaffe, Biden’s ‘buy a shotgun’ comment undercuts the ‘Obama wants your guns’ crowd—and is another example of the vice president’s important role in selling White House policy, says John Avlon.



Vice President Joe Biden listens to Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter speaks after a round table discussion on gun control with elected and law enforcement officials, Monday, Feb. 11, 2013, at Girard College in Philadelphia. (Matt Rourke/AP)

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But when Joe Biden sings the praises of a double-barrel shotgun for home protection, he’s showing that he is not anti-gun. He’s drawing a useful distinction between the abstractions that are used to defend the supposed sanctity of assault weapons with the way most people use guns—for hunting or self-defense.

In his meandering way, Biden highlighted the idea of reasonable restrictions—something also backed by that notorious liberal Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia in the Heller Decision, which overturned Washington D.C.’s functional ban on handguns.

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In less elegantly reasoned terms, Biden’s love for shotguns—and his argument for their practical benefits over AR-15s—stakes out the same essentially centrist ground. There is such a thing as reasonable restrictions. We can have a considered policy debate in a democracy that’s consistent with respect for the Second Amendment, driven by common sense rather than ideology. And that’s where die-hard opponents like the NRA are increasingly at a loss.

So despite all the disses, here’s to Joe Biden, who keeps the Obama White House grounded. Whether he’s dispatched to make a midnight deal with Mitch McConnell on the fiscal cliff or deployed to win over workers in a union hall, his unvarnished style has the virtue of authenticity. And that’s what cuts through the spin cycle.

Joe Biden’s shotgun approach to politics and policy can be messy. It will never be precisely on target. But it will get people’s attention and make an impression. Most important, it just might get the job done.