Historians will debate when David Hogg’s 15 Minutes of fame started to run out, and he turned from the poster child of the victims of school shootings to the Kylo Ren on the gun control debate. Some will argue that it happened when he made what many took to be a fascist salute at the absurd, astroturfed anti-civil rights rally, the so-called “March for Our Lives.”

Others will argue that it happened when he refused to accept Laura Ingraham’s apology for that ill-considered jibe about Hogg’s difficulty in getting a college to take him. However, the sure turning about was likely when Fox News dug in, stood behind its evening talk show host, and threw down against the attempt to scare away all of Ingraham’s sponsors.

Standing up a teenager as a spokesperson is always problematic

The selection of David Hogg as the spokesperson for “common sense gun laws” was always problematic. Teenagers by definition have abysmal impulse control, even if they are being choreographed by adults. One of the low points occurred when he accused the mild-mannered Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida of trading the lives of children for campaign contributions from the NRA. His refusal to accept Laura Ingraham’s apology was a typical adolescent move and made him very unattractive to most adults and, likely, many of his peers. He has also accused pro-Second Amendment politicians of having blood on their hands, dropping F-bombs to refer to them.

The backlash has just started

In the meantime, according to a piece in the Huffington Post, donations to the National Rifle Association are surging. While no numbers are available, the gun rights organization is also boasting of a boost in membership. Gun sales, needless to say, have spiked in amounts not seen since the Obama Administration.

Even the bleeding of advertisers from the “Ingraham Angle” seems to have been staunched with the announcement of MyPillow’s Michael Lindell that he would not be pulling his ads.

The end game

The endgame will likely be played out in the midterm elections. If enough gun owners and gun rights advocates are aroused by David Hogg’s antics, then the “blue wave” that many have anticipated may well fizzle.

The young man may ensure that the Republicans keep their majority in both houses, forestalling a madcap attempt to impeach President Trump many believe will happen if the Democrats retake the House.

By this time next year, David Hogg will be a footnote, yet another bizarre character who issued a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing. How he will live the rest of his life after having become a national figure at 17 is open to question.
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