Thank you Rep. Lewis and compatriots, for bringing some sanity to a place that sorely lacks it.
Thanks yaâll and have a safe & happy 4th with your families.
This Fourth of July when most of us are celebrating our nationâtruly one of the greatest on earthâI will also be celebrating the good people like Georgia Representative John Lewis and Connecticut Senator Christopher Murphy. Rep. Lewis and Sen. Murphyâand all those who participated in the filibuster and the peaceful sit-inâthank you for taking such a strong stand for restoring some semblance of sanity to the issue of guns in America. A Tip oâ the Hat to all of you.
Although this was symbolic, it was also inspirational. We CAN do the ârightâ thingsâŚThank you.
Yeah, guys and gals, you really accomplished a lot.
A subtle but important point about this sit-in has been its effect on Democratic Party solidarity.
I donât know how many people (including me) have stated how proud this has made them to be Democrats.
In contrast, look at our opponents: Half the Rs actively despise the other half, and their partyâs nominee is so unqualified that even their partyâs long-time stalwarts (including Paul âTwenty bucksâsame as in townâ Ryan himself) need to hold their noses to vote for himâand thatâs not counting the ones who are planning to sit the election out, or even vote for Hillary.
If the Rs had any sense, theyâd be wetting their pants over this.
Thank you to all of the Democrats who participated in this sit-in. The House GOP has proven repeatedly they are behold to the NRA, and not the American people, who overwhelmingly want legislative action on access to guns. Paul Ryan and the GOP were so afraid of the NRA they couldnât even allow a vote, so afraid of the NRA they wouldnât allow debate on the legislation and so afraid of the NRA theyâre too cowardly to even finish out the regular session and left town a day early.
What are your proposals for âpeople controlâ?
Now would be a good time to call Congress. Thank them for what they did and let them know you have their backs when the fight resumes July 5th.
Remember that the NRA plays a long game.
Hereâs an alert they sent out just a few hours ago:
source
Theyâre not just on the defense against new gun regulations⌠theyâre on the offense trying to weaken existing ones.
Democrats, on the right side of history once again. Proud of them today!!
Let me chime in by saying how proud I am of Democrats as well. I also noticed that they seemed to be enjoying themselves. Even as I, in many cases several decades their junior, was struggling to stay awake; they were clapping, singing, laughing, shouting, testifying, etc. They were in their wheelhouse, they were doing the stuff they wanted to be doing from the time they first ran for city council or school board or whatever. You could see on their faces that this was for them the Lordâs work. Frankly, I think all the BS about âthe Democrats finally stood up for somethingâ is just idiotic and always has been, especially considering how often the same people say it. But I do think itâs different this time because they know that while theyâll probably not get a vote and certainly not any legislation to the presidentâs desk, they HAVE succeeded in standing up to the NRA. Theyâve stared down the biggest bully on the block, and thatâs the first step to defeating him.
Although I donât disagree, I really think the âtake no voteâ inaction is about preventing any Democrat running against a sitting Republican Representative from using their vote against them in the election.
This is the âoppositeâ of the Anti-ACA (aka Obamacare) votes that they knew would never get past the Senate or a White House veto. Those âvotesâ were symbolic so they could say they tried come election time. Not allowing a vote on gun legislation keeps that vote out of the election cycle.
Politics, not representation.
folksâŚIâm trying to keep an open mind hereâŚbut Iâm confusedâ
Did they end it because theyâre getting a vote? Is there a deal in place? If notâŚwhy did they end it? Seems like a hollow gesture now.
Someone please help me outâŚ
Calling out the Rs with a public spectacle like this is a little like tying a rotting, dead albatross around their collective neck. They want to prevent a vote because individual R congress members donât want to have to go home and defend an indefensible vote. An event like this may not yield an immediate concrete result, but can be catalytic because it can change the way the problem is viewed, leading to later concrete results.
Why?
I wholeheartedly agree, but thatâs why the Dems staged the sit-in. When this issue comes up, and it most certainly will, Dems can ask why the Republicans didnât demand a vote, where were they during the sit-in, why didnât they think stopping terrorists from getting assault rifles was more important than going on vacation. Democrats can point to what they did, to what their colleagues did, to force a vote. The best the vulnerable Republicans will be able to argue was that they tried and failed, and theyâll be admitting to their own ineffectual leadership.
âThe vote is precious. Itâs almost sacred,â he said. âNo one but no one can afford to stay home on election day. We got to get out there and do it and turn our country around and build a community of love and hope.â
Wise words, from a true hero.
I firmly believe giving up that floor was a big mistake. They had the GOP staggering with confusion as to what to do. They were even talking about arresting them, which would have been calamitous for the Republicans. You had Congressman Gomer screaming at them that they should have been protesting âRadical Islamâ; as if Mateen didnât have a gun and killed them all with harsh language from the Koran.
But now they can just write it off as a stunt that exploited a tragedy and ended simply because the Democrats wanted to spend the Fourth of July with their families.
Just watch.