Matthew McConaughey: The Missed Opportunity for Texas Democrats
This time last year, all the talk in Austin revolved around the possibility that actor Matthew McConaughey was planning to challenge Beto O’Rourke for the Democrat party’s nomination to face Texas Governor Greg Abbott in his bid for re-election. This potential created a big debate among Texas Dems: Should their party bet its future on an actor who, though popular in Texas, has been more than a bit of a wild card in his personal life over the years?
Ultimately, McConaughey received enough pushback from the generally not-so-bright Texas Dems that he decided that mounting a challenge to O’Rourke would be expensive and difficult, and not worth the cost he would have to bear in his personal and family life. Yesterday, the nation got to witness the missed opportunity McConaughey’s decision not to run represents for the hapless Texas Democrat party.
You can agree with McConaughey or not on the gun control issue (and the response to the post I put up on Facebook about it yesterday proves that Texans feel very strongly both ways on the matter) but you have to recognize that, in his advocacy on the issue, he is a very compelling public personality who is acting in good faith. Unlike your standard-issue political animal, MM refused to detail his conversations on Capitol Hill with members of either party to the leering press. During his 8-minute speech in the White House press room, he also avoided demonizing anyone on either side of the debate.
The same dynamic held true during the course of a later interview with Bret Baier on Fox’s evening news cast.
A native of Uvalde who was obviously grief-stricken during and after his days-long visit to the town following the recent mass-killing in a local elementary school, McConaughey wore his heart on his sleeve during his media appearances. While not exactly what you’d call a polished political speaker, he was obviously being genuine and true to himself, telling his audiences what he really thinks and not resorting to the reciting of scripted talking points.
When you compare McConaughey’s day in DC to Beto O’Rourke’s cynical interruption of an Abbott townhall meeting two days after the shootings, at which the childish buffoon robotically recited a set of scripted talking points, the missed opportunity for the Texas Democrat party that McConaughey’s decision not to run this year represents becomes crystal clear. It’s a real political disaster.
So, you can agree with the policy positions McConaughey proposed Tuesday or disagree with them - and frankly, I feel strongly both ways on most of them - but if you don’t recognize how vastly better-off the Democrats in Texas would have been with him as their nominee than they are with Beto, then I don’t know what else to say to you.
That is all.
Bottom line for me is that Mr. McConaughey, like Mr. Neeson, has made a lot of money with guns in his acting career. When I see these people not starring in roles brandishing weapons, then I will take them a little more seriously. I have no doubt he genuinely cares about what has happened. But, he must first walk the walk as well as talk the talk.
I haven’t followed MM’s gun policy positions closely, but I did hear he favors some kind of limits on who can own an AR-style firearm. This is a fundamental lack of understanding of the purpose of the 2A. These AR-style firearms are exactly what must NEVER be restricted by the government in any way, because they are the primary weapon We the People have to defend ourselves from a tyrannical government. The government doesn’t really need to take all of our guns, just the ones that would be most effective at preventing them from abolishing the Constitution and enslaving us, namely semiautomatic rifles and pistols with detachable magazines. MM is a great actor and a Christian, but he needs to stay out of politics.