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REPORT ABUSIVE REPLY
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Message Subject
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USA Gun Control Timeline, a social experiment...Post Sandy Hook to Present
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Poster Handle
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milehighmike |
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Principles are for mere mortals....
"Vulnerable senators face lose-lose scenario on assault weapon vote" [link to thehill.com] "The Senate’s upcoming vote on the assault weapons ban is going to put vulnerable Democrats in a difficult spot.
Democrats facing tough reelection races will either attract the ire of the National Rifle Association or prominent gun control activists such as New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I). A vote against the ban could spark primary challenges that could weaken Democrats in the general election.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) this week decided to remove the ban from firearms legislation scheduled for the floor. However, he has promised Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) a floor vote on her assault weapons amendment.
Reid said Tuesday the proposal would not muster 40 votes, and interviews with rank-and-file lawmakers show that seems accurate.
A wave of Democratic defections on the assault weapons ban would not sit well with gun-control and liberal advocacy groups. They warn Democratic senators who vote to kill one of President Obama’s biggest priorities will suffer political repercussions.
“People are not going to say, ‘That’s a tough vote for them, let’s not do anything,’ ” said Josh Horwitz, executive director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. “There is a feeling that to win this thing we need all the Democrats. That means people who are in tough races in 2014 don’t get passes. I would expect issue ads and advocacy for all senators.”
Even Democrats who reliably vote with their leadership, such as Sens. Mark Warner (Va.), Tim Kaine (Va.) and Debbie Stabenow (Mich.), on Wednesday said they were not certain they would support the assault weapons ban. Warner faces reelection in 2014. Kaine, who formerly headed the Democratic National Committee, was on Obama’s short list to be his running mate in 2008.
A spokesman for Stabenow told The Hill on Thursday that his boss plans to vote for the assault weapons ban.
Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, warned that Democrats who vote against the assault weapons ban could depress liberal turnout in the 2014 midterm election.
“With guns, it will be a major election issue for Democrats. Opposing strong gun laws could mean depressing their base, which in the off year would be a very bad idea,” Green said.
He said if any Democratic primary challengers emerge, votes against gun laws could become lines of attack.
“If there is a credible primary challenger, a vote against strong gun laws would absolutely hurt an incumbent Democrat,” he said.
Of the six Democratic senators facing reelection in states carried by Mitt Romney, only Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) faces the slim threat of a credible primary challenger. Former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D) raised eyebrows last month when his staff touted a poll showing him leading Baucus by almost 20 points in a hypothetical match-up...."
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