President Joe Biden told reporters Monday that “the Second Amendment was never absolute,” and that he’ll “continue to push” for gun reform upon his return to Washington D.C.
…Democrats are calling for gun control. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) — a “rational Republican,” along with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), per Biden — has been tapped by McConnell to negotiate with Democrats on gun control regulation.
The result of which Mitch will tell his caucus to completely ignore and deny. This is a face-saving effort on Mitch’s part, which we’ve seen far too many times before.
This inaction will result in a number of seats being lost on both sides of the aisle as people realize the dysfunction of the House and the Senate and demand that action be taken. There are enough retirements to put this in place.
It’s time.
I really hope - foolishly, I’m thinking - that the upcoming elections will be a referendum on local and national gun policies. But …. Probably not.
Let’s all watch our spineless legislators step backward in support of reasoned and sentient gun legislation.
There are many D & R legislators who are retiring this fall. Let’s see which one find their moral compass, and which ones can’t find their butt with both hands. And let’s watch Mitch and McCarthy lead the way away from anything that is for the good of their constituents. Harrumph!
The problem isn’t just that Republicans don’t want reform because they love their guns so much. You also have to consider that, by blocking any and all legislation that might help matters, Republicans can effectively make the Democrats look weaker.
Democrats will invariably punish their own Democratic representatives for not being able to get around Republican obstruction by not showing up to vote. It’s a win-win for the Republicans. They get doubly rewarded for making everything worse for everyone so, why wouldn’t they?
That Congress will not work to defend VOTERS let alone ordinary citizens from gun madness is criminal.
I guess he ought to keep trying, but I would not blame him is he fails. The belief that guns makes society safer is as ingrained in republican mind as that of low tax rates generate more revenue, it’s a dogma that you can’t argue against no matter how many examples to the contrary you present.
That face is not worth saving, neither literally nor figuratively.
The best Mitch can hope for, from a historical perspective, is that he and his evilness are forgotten.
Why do you suppose that they can get way with this strategy that’s been working well for them for years? And “poor messaging by Dems” is way too facile an explanation.
Define “Congress”.
The winner doesn’t have to save face.
Interesting prediction. Why is this instance of craven inaction different from all other instances?
The sheer publicity of what was happening inside with the cellphone recordings. The sheer publicity of the 18-year-old’s history and easy-peasy purchase of the weapons he used. Between the J6 hearings and this ‘investigation’ of what happened and how many lies were told? If we can’t flip the narrative with all of this, then we have more problems than we know.
People naturally want to punish those in power for anything bad that happens to them. It’s a knee-jerk reaction that works against us much of the time. Since people who live in blue districts can only punish their Representative in an election, that’s what they do.
We also have too many people who believe that punishment is the best way to affect behavior. They think “If we elect out the Democrats who are too weak to stop Republicans, the next set of Democrats will know they need to be stronger.” It’s a bit like saying “If someone can’t run fast enough to keep up, just break their kneecaps to teach them a lesson. They’ll know to keep up next time.”
It’s pretty stupid logic but, since so many people think that way, it works to the advantage of Republicans every time.
The two chambers of the Legislative branch of the federal government otherwise known as The House of Representatives and the Senate. When I use the world “Congress” I am referring to both chambers. Otherwise I would say which chamber I was singling out. Generally the Senate tends to sit on it’s collective ass and hide behind the filibuster which requires a 60 vote (2/3rds) majority to even talk about a bill. Once that hindrance is passed a bill needs only a simple majority to be passed. The Senate therefore operates on a “minority rules” stance until getting by the filibuster. In truth the filibuster in its present form is a recent “invention”. Here is a short history…
“You know, I don’t think that D.C. solutions are realistic here,” Sinema said last week of reforming the filibuster to pass gun reform legislation.
I am SO looking forward to future US Sen. Ruben Gallego dancing on Cinema’s political grave.
Oh, happy day!
I think there’s another dichotomy you’re being asked whether you would have us ignore: the political parties.
GOP = the pro-crime, pro murder party!
It is the dogma that the right wing mind has put so much of their faith in that they cannot even pretend to hear rationality about guns or taxes. Saint Ronnie perpetuated the myth that having a gun at your side made you a “real man”…at least in the pretend world of the movies…and he gave the righties the idea that it was those “Welfare Queens” that were the problem, and that homosexuals were all deservng of AIDS because they did not fit into his idea of what the “Murican” citizen is supposed to be. He also followed the right wing mantra that rich people were superior beings because they were rich, so giving them all the tax breaks is god’s will so that they will become benevolent human beings and provide new products and good jobs for the peons.
The obvious fact that none of their “theories” have ever panned out cannot be accepted by the righties because these tenets are the bottom cards in the house of cards that they have built. Pull them out and the whole thing collapses. There is nothing a right-winger is more terrified of than being proven wrong. They will continue to sing LaLaLa I can’t hear you until we get mad enough to vote them out of office at every level.
I have faint hope of that happening, given the example the people i Texas yelling at the President to “do something” instead of yelling at Cruz and Abbott, their Mayor and police department, all of whom have those kid’s blood on their hands.
I was asked to “define Congress”. I did not deliberately ignore political parties.
Here is the definition as per “the google machine”…
“a national legislative body, especially that of the US. The US Congress, which meets at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., was established by the Constitution of 1787 and is composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives.”
But since you desire it… the major parties are the Republicans and the Democrats. There are one or maybe two Senators who claim an “independent” status but they have tended to caucus with the democrats. Is That good enough? Or is more detail required?
I look at it this way. If a crooked HOA manager has been openly and successfully swindling and cheating the association members for years without substantial blowback, I’m inclined to think the fault shifts to the members.