Tilting At Windmills
I’ve recently taken on a somewhat milder view of Representative Thomas Massie. Not necessarily friendlier…but milder. This is partially because of a recent conversation I had with Bob Porter, one of Massie’s top advisors. Yes, after about three years of trying, I finally got to have a conversation about gun policy with someone in his office. Not my actual representative….but at least someone in his office with some influence.
The bulk of the conversation was over H.R. 38, the National Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, which I feel is extremely important to advance unrestricted legal concealed carry through all 50 states. I wanted to actually thank Representative Massie for finally publicly and plainly stating his support for the bill, something he has resisted for a long time. For what it is worth, I did just that. I told Mr. Porter that I was willing to give credit where due, and asked him to pass on my gratitude to the congressman.
We also discussed the Hearing Protection Act, which would de-list suppressors from the National Firearms Act. Although this was before the Big Beautiful Bill was introduced, Mr. Porter informed me during this conversation that he believed that the HPA would be lumped in with an omnibus spending bill, and that although Massie supported the de-listing of suppressors, he would still vote no due to the spending contained in the bill
As you probably know by now, Porter’s prediction was accurate. Thomas Massie did in fact vote no on something which would have benefitted gun owners, because he objected to its connection to legislation which included what he considered to be excessive government spending. Look, I’m all for cutting federal spending, too. But let’s face it. William Wallace waving his Claymore and shouting “FREEDOOOOOOMM!” looks really cool, but it accomplishes nothing unless there's an army behind him. Massie has no army. Clashing with Trump and voting with the Democrats more often than his own party has made him no friends, and as such, he is ineffective.
It disappoints me no end how he has squandered any possible influence he could have wielded to make things better for us, and it confounds me as to how so many gun people still rally to him…despite his presence in Congress has moving the needle not one iota in their favor. But after his absolutely impotent no vote on the Big Beautiful Bill, I guess the most charitable thing I can say about him is that he is simply useless. Despite there being absolutely no hope of his vote stopping the bill, he leveled his lance and took a run at it anyway.
Didn’t work out so well for Don Quixote, either.
But here’s the problem. Either he knew his vote wouldn’t matter and it was simply theatrics, or he actually believed it would make a difference. If the former is true, then he is a waste…a soup sandwich…an oxygen thief. He is serving no purpose in Congress except massaging his own ego, and this is not what he’s elected to do. If the latter is true, he is an imbecile who doesn’t know how to influence his peers to follow his lead and accomplish what he wants to do. This isn’t what I want in an elected representative, either.
I truly believe he has outlived his usefulness in Congress. If Thomas Massie can’t learn to at least take a partial win for gun owners like the Big Beautiful Bill could be, he is a wasted vote, and we can’t afford any wasted votes.
