Republicans like shooting guns in their ads

Let’s just start by saying this: I like shooting guns. It’s fun. Whether it’s at a range, or just out on a farm somewhere shooting milk jugs, I understand the appeal of shooting guns. What I don’t understand is the literal need to show other people you can shoot. That doesn’t just go for political ads, I’m just talking about all the social media posturing people do with guns. (I’ll note an exception for people in full hunting gear, posing with a deer, hog, etc. In that particular context, it does make sense.)

For Republican politicians, it becomes a theatrical standard. I’m not even sure if Republicans know why they even do it anymore. There is just a checklist of ads they need to create for every political cycle, and at the top, it’s some version of them shooting guns and “proudly defending the Second Amendment” or whatever. The comedy of it all really was cemented by Dr. Oz deciding to go “full country music” and cosplay as… “The Rural American Blue Collar Guy” that it’s quite clear he’s never been, never will be, and — let’s just be real…

That shit was goofy as fuck. (And my apologies for the prior run-on sentence. It’s early, and I’m trying to mentally process Dr. Oz shooting clay pigeons. While we’re here, I’m not even certain he hit those clays. It was cleverly edited in a way that shows him shooting, then the pigeon expoding in mid air, and then it cuts back to him. So not only is it goofy as fuck, it’s double goofy as fuck. But I digress.)

Republicans shooting things has become so normal, it’s a meme. “I protect the Second Amendment. And to prove it, I’m gonna fucking annihilate this watermelon like some kind of Three Percenter version of Gallagher.” In my opinion, the people drafting the Second Amendment were trying to convey complex ideas about sovereignty, but were doing so without a standing army. I doubt James Madison was worried about sentient melons, but don’t let that stop you from destroying perfectly good fruit.

But back to Dr. Oz. Just two years ago, he was a fairly moderate centrist. I’m not saying I agree with everything he says or does, but at least he wasn’t obviously pandering. Why is he running for office? I watched every political ad on his YouTube channel. (Which was not the ideal way to start my morning.) For the life of me, I cannot figure out him, his platform, or what he stands for. Mostly I think it’s because for the past two decades, he was a wacky TV doctor.

I know at some point in his life, he was a doctor. He cared for patients. There was something behind those lifeless eyes. Now, we’re just watching a tired old TV doctor flip the script and try to become a good ole boy. I’m not saying I’m a good ole boy, but I’m from the deep south, so I know how to spot one. Ladies and gentlemen, Dr. Oz would be a weird person to bring on a hunting trip. Technically, you’d let him go because you’d make him pay for the weekend cabin rental, but he’s not someone you want to hear talking in the evening.

Alright. There’s no good ending to this post. Dr. Oz is a fucking goofy dude. I hope Pennsylvanians see through his goofy bullshit.