How can a cop vote for Republicans? It could kill them.

[fightforfreedom]

This is another example of what I was talking about in my post yesterday. People are voting against their own beliefs, reality., their very own survival.

The Republicans are arming people who kill cops, children, old people. If I was a cop, It would be a no brainer, I would vote for people who wanted to put in place good gun control laws. I would want to see my children grow up. It would be a top priority.

How many cops have been killed because of what the Republicans have done?

The American people are not making any sense. They have lost their way.

[orwell]

1. Peer pressure...

...and tribal identification.

Reality is rarely a component in human decision making...

[SoCalDavidS]

2. Cops Like To Have Their Fun With Guns

When they're not on duty, they want to have no restrictions on use or availability of ANY weapons they desire to acquire.

[Caliman73]

3. If you were a cop, you'd likely have a different outlook.

Not all cops are like this but the culture of policing often leads to a binary way of seeing the world. Us v Them. The "Them" is us, non-police. We are all potential criminals (wolves) or victims (sheep) and they are the Sheepdogs out there hunting the wolves who are praying on the sheep. There is likely an incentive to simplify the world in to right or wrong because nuance causes hesitation and hesitation gets you or your partners killed.

When you start to simplify the world into binary thought, then you are susceptible to the Conservative message. Conservatives have a simple message about the world. Some people are better than others. Some people are good and some are bad. The good ones (usually Wealthy White Protestant Men) belong at the top. The others belong somewhere below, but there is nobility in "keeping order" Conservatives, while they don't really actually care about police as people, understand the value of the muscle in protecting their power. They give police the power to beat up the "bad" people with impunity and that power can be intoxicating.

You are thinking as a Liberal first. A lot of police get into the culture because you need to fit in to be fully accepted into the "brotherhood".

[fightforfreedom]

4. I am simply talking common sense.

If I was a cop and the democrats passed gun control laws where I would never face someone with a AR15, that's who I would vote for. If you vote for the Republicans the chances are very good, you are going to face someone who has you out gunned.

Common sense has to be included in any kind of thinking. That is not happening.

[Caliman73]

5. Common sense is not really very common.

I have never liked the concept of "common sense". Certainly there are some things that might qualify as "common sense" like "don't stop a chainsaw with your genitals" but apparently enough people have done that so that chainsaw makers have to put a sticker on them.

If you were a cop, certainly you might see gun control as a benefit in the line of duty. However, the counter of that is Republicans vote on laws that give police the power to "fuck people up" without consequence and a good chunk of police might prefer that to the relatively rare possibility of facing off against an AR-15. Also, Republicans tend to vote to allow police to have MRAPS and other tools/weapons which even out the odds or give them the advantage.

You can make the same argument for any block of Republican voters. The economy almost always functions better under Democratic leadership. People seem to vote against their financial interests because Republicans usually legislate only for the wealthy. BUT... they also allow those poorer voters to openly hate on others who are different. Like LBJ said, “If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.”

Common sense is an interesting term, taken mainly from the Enlightenment where logic, reason, and evidence were said to be the highest attributes of the human mind. Also the time where Race and "Whiteness" were invented to justify Slavery and Colonization. Common sense is not so common as we think.

[Corgigal]

6. They didn't always.

Then during the late 80s and early 90s, with the outreach of talk radio, and marketing a gun for your man card reissued psych-ops, they fell in line. I bet it took about ten years.
Just like the military. They use to vote democratic too, same play.
That’s why when I watch Rick Wilson and party, I know what they did, how they did it. Worst for all of us, how successful it was.

[TheRealNorth]

7. Republicans had a game plan to co-opt law enforcement and the military...

If you had a political party that kissed your ass and proclaimed you all heroes for just showing up to work, I imagine a fair amount of people would be inclined to support that party.