Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 07:08 pm
No matter how many people are murdered in acts of terrorism, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is siding with the National Rifle Association. He doesn’t want to be remembered as the guy who defied the NRA.
Al Drago of The New York Times wrote about the shifting tides in the gun debate after the mass killings in Orlando, Florida, due in part he wrote to the fact that the Orlando shooter used legally purchased guns to commit an act of terrorism.
In his piece, Drago pointed out that McConnell “does not want to be remembered as the leader of a Republican-controlled Senate that defied the gun rights group, one of the most powerful allies of his party”:
“Whether people like it or not, there is a constitutional right in our country to own and possess a firearm,” he (McConnell) said.
Mr. McConnell was heavily invested in making sure the compromise plan offered by Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, and opposed by the N.R.A., ended up short of the filibuster-proof level of 60 votes. He does not want to be remembered as the leader of a Republican-controlled Senate that defied the gun rights group, one of the most powerful allies of his party.
McConnell is digging his heels in once again on a losing issue (see his SCOTUS obstruction as another example of how McConnell is scoring touchdowns for the Democrats as a Republican party leader). The American public wants common sense gun reform and the Democrats are energized and emboldened after their historic 26 hour House sit-in to demand legislation.
Today, as part of the National Day of Action to Prevent Gun Violence, Rep. John Lewis held a townhall in Atlanta Georgia about the impact of gun violence and at 4PM Rep. Gregory W. Meeks (D-Jamaica, Queens, Rockaways) will discuss the recent shooting and how to prevent gun violence in New York City.
Gun legislation will not be passed in this election year, but as the discussion becomes framed around terrorism instead of the second amendment, Republicans find themselves holding a very unpopular hot ball, defending the rights of terrorists to legally buy guns.
The fact that Republicans don’t even have the courage to stand up to one of their biggest allies (the NRA) even a teeny tiny bit doesn’t bode well for the party. The times they are a changin’ and and the Republicans must wake up and at least make a pretense of adjusting or they will fail in yet another national election — even without their mascot Donald Trump sinking the Titanic. The country needs to functioning parties to operate at its best, and the current Republican Party is anything but.
The public might not be aware of why Republicans can’t find a backbone, but they do know that Republicans are standing behind terrorists instead of with the American public.
Not a good look.
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