If you were willing to brave the rain to see Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg in Nashville last week then you would have seen two groups of protestors who both dislike Bloomberg, but for different reasons.
One group disliked Bloomberg for his stance on firearms.
Another more decidedly left-leaning group said Bloomberg is buying way into the Democratic Party primaries.
Other than disliking Bloomberg, the only other thing both groups had in common were the raincoats they wore and the umbrellas they held over their heads to protect themselves from getting drenched.
Kimberly Alford, of Goodlettsville, representing the group Women 4 2A Rights, said Bloomberg’s gun control agenda hurts females.
“They actually weaken us, and they weaken minority groups as well to protect ourselves. We also don’t want to be looked at that our right to choose is just limited to our womb. As women, we have a right to choose how to protect ourselves as well under the Second Amendment,” Alford told The Tennessee Star.
Alford then went on to discuss Bloomberg’s political ally, the pro-gun control group Moms Demand Action.
“We sympathize with the plight of Moms Demand Action when they lost a child. We are mothers. We’re fathers. We get that. But some of it is the fear and the misunderstanding of why we believe in the Second Amendment and why as women we want that right to choose that weapon and to have that weapon with us to protect ourselves and our family,” Alford said.
“I believe there has to be more education and there has to be more conversation and healthy debate.”
Kelsey Hicks, also with Women 4 2A Rights, told The Star that the Second Amendment is not just about personal protection.
“It is intentionally to form a militia to regulate our government and that is the biggest and the largest and the most important aspect anyway. We have to have checks and balances, and it’s the people who are supposed to keep the government in check, not the other way around,” Hicks said.
“Specifically, I have an issue with Bloomberg more recently speaking about anything with a magazine that carries three or more bullets. And that can literally translate into any weapon. So we have the right to decide what we want to carry, when we want to carry. Legal gun owners are not a problem. I think we need to focus more on mental health issues. I think we need to focus more on parents being there for our children. We have broke parents out of the home. The government schools are now raising our children. We have lots of gender confusion. We have a lot of issues we need to address. It doesn’t always wrap around personal protection.”
Meanwhile, a few feet away, Jane Hussain of Occupy Nashville, said she was out protesting because she doesn’t think the White House needs any more billionaires.
“And I am here to say, as part of the 99 percent, we don’t like the idea of Bloomberg buying the nomination,” Hussain said.
“I am very upset with the Democratic National Committee for eliminating all the candidates of color because they didn’t have enough donors to be on the debate, but then they changed the rules for Bloomberg because he has so much money.”
Hussain would not name her preferred presidential candidate.
“For the rules of who can be in a debate, you have to have so many individual donors to qualify in the debate, and that is why some of the candidates had to drop out because they didn’t measure up to DNC rules,” Hussain said.
“Those candidates dropped out, and they changed the rules so that Bloomberg could be included. He doesn’t have that many individual donors.”
As The Star reported, later that night Bloomberg delivered a litany of talking points to a crow of hundreds that included tax hikes and gun control.
Bloomberg said he will implement more government initiatives to take on climate change. The billionaire also promised to raise taxes.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
So, rightists and leftists have joined forces against Bloomberg? Good, as well they should!