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Originally Posted by Vanya
I think Mr. Nugent does our cause more harm than good; he's preaching (if one can call it that ) to the choir, and there's nothing in his presentation that is likely to change the mind of anyone who is on the fence about, much less opposed to, gun rights. Yes, his "performances" around gun rights are calculated to appeal to emotion -- but he appeals to the emotions of people who already support gun rights, and who like the idea of giving the finger (metaphorically or otherwise) to authority.
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Preliminarily, let's recognize that giving the metaphorical finger to authority is a significant element in American culture. Appealing to that culture can be part of effective advocacy.
In order for Mr. Nugent to do the cause of Second Amendment rights more harm than good, is performances would need to persuade people to restrict the scope of those rights. In the single example of his advocacy that I have seen, his interview by a nearly insufferable Pierce Morgan, he was relatively (i.e. relative to Morgan) calm and rational. I cannot assess performances I have not seen, but if those performances are calculated to appeal to the emotions of those who are support a wide scope for the right, then it seems likely that those performances would only offend those who seek to restrict the scope of the right.
Seen in that light, Mr. Nugent's persuasive power rests not in converting those of contrary opinion but in supporting or intensifying the sentiment of those with a similar opinion (and perhaps a contrary opinion as well).
If we were to clone Alan Gura 1000 times over and send them out to speak at 100,000 luncheons, addressing those who would fairly, reasonably and dispassionately assess the merits of his position, we would still lose the political issue. As important as that activity is, that is not how people ordinarily reach and support their conclusions.
To employ a different metaphor, if one engages in a street fight and chides a co-belligerent for his failure to adhere to Queensbury rules, there is an area of the engagement one leaves unaddressed.