In light of the defeat of the background check bill yesterday (or, in light of its inevitable rejection by the Republicans in the House, its premature defeat), it’s worth thinking about what actually happened.
And why? Because I can already hear people saying that this is one more sign that in their view the Democratic Party is useless, Democrats lack spine, Democrats won’t fight for anything.
So let’s be clear. This was not a failure of the Democrats in the Senate, this was a Republican filibuster.
Sure, there were conservative Democrats who voted to support the filibuster, but even if all of them had voted to end debate, the Republicans had enough votes to maintain the filibuster and block the legislation, even though the bill had the support of a majority of the Senate.
Ii have no problem criticizing Democrats when it’s deserved, and I have great contempt for the Democrats who voted with the Republicans yesterday, but they’re not who killed the bill. It was the Republicans.
…had the Majority Leader not scuttled filibuster reform. This is a perfect example of where a real, talking filibuster would’ve showcased obstruction of provision with approval of 90% of Americans and a majority of Senators, and made it more likely to pass.
The real failure yesterday was the failure at the beginning of the session to reform the filibuster rules.
Making the opponents own their opposition publicly, in a way that makes it impossible for their constituents to ignore, would have made it impossible for some of the opponents to go the NRA’s way on this. The public support for the bill is simply too strong. Unfortunately, they can seek refuge in cowardly silence, and pretend that they were for it while they were against it.
What irritates me the most are ‘liberal’ media that refuse to use the word filibuster. Almost every report I heard yesterday kept saying that the vote ‘fell short of the 60 votes required for passage.’
It wasn’t until a guest used the word that the interview host said it, but only until the next break. Then it was back to ’60 votes required to pass.’
AS IF there were a Liberal Media in the USA. NPR is NOT ‘liberal’. Only Amy Goodman can be called ‘liberal media’, and she doesn’t have a national news network, so…
I am sure this will draw the anger of many here but I am very pleased this bill is dead. This bill would have done nothing to prevent a Newtown Style incident or save any other lives for that matter. We have lost enough freedoms in the past few years and I am sick of it. Do you really want the state going over your mental health records, prescription history and on and on?? Oh you took prozac years ago? Poof were taking your guns! And sorry we shot your dog while raiding your house for them! Medical records in NY are being subpena as we speak!
Another question, Why should felons not be allowed to have a gun? Think about it when someone commits a felony and serves and completes his or her sentence isn’t that person then free to vote and be a member of our society? Heck almost everyone is a felon these days (read Three Felonies a Day). How many times have you smoked a joint, snorted a line at the bar etc? Whats the point of the entire criminal justice system then? Isn’t it supposed to be rehabilitation? Obviously we have to draw a line somewhere Paroles probationers etc ya they shouldn’t have guns but give me a break most of this is just nonsense. If we are so worried about these big bad felons getting guns then why did we let em out in the first place? Heck I am a lot more worried about GMO’s, Global Warming, and living in a Orwellian Police State than I am about guns right now. Time to get our priorities straight. Famine kills 1000’s of times more people than these pesky guns do.
One last thing to chew on here in Vermont it is perfectly legal for a Felon to own a firearm the only caveat is that the firearm must have been manufactured in State and never traveled out of State in what the feds call Interstate Commerce. Now I know at least 8 people who have moved to Vermont for that very reason and not one of them has ever committed a gun crime. Lets not forget that most gun crimes are perpetrated with illegal guns. Criminals don’t go to guns shows or private party sales on the internet to get guns they get them from Illegal gun dealers! (Fast and Furious anyone??).
Hand wringing about ‘nitwits’ who couldn’t legislate or enforce a sensible gun control bill if a gun were put to their heads. And all this outrage? Where is the outrage about what Obama has taken from the poor, the disabled, and the elderly? The only disability ‘good little lib-er-als’ have seems to be up in their little pea-brains. The writing is on the wall with the Sequestration. The right to own ‘any kind’ of gun is now a Necessary (Remaining) Civil Liberty. Rob the people and then disarm them. I think not. Fuck Gun Control. I was once in favor of certain things like background checks, but, looking down the sights now, I see all that as part of the Great Ball Of Wax called Fascism. It’s really a hoot to see Lib-er-al Fascists get a good swift kick in the ass. This vote, and Obama and the Dems, reminds me of something–oh yeah, Marsha Clark and the OJ trial. NULLIFICATION. Now, let’s concentrate on the important stuff, like Obama being the Alf Landon that never was.
All Americans need to be put in a quiet place somewhere and be made to watch Brazil (1985) over and over again til they get it. Bombings and guns…and INFORMATION. And everyone sitting around in restaurants talking gibberish while the government rips the country apart.
These terrorists in Boston, and these gun maniacs–where doya suppose they got this shit from? Bombs and Guns, Guns and Bombs–no fucking Senate vote about ‘controlling’ our foreign policy. No. Drum clips and free fire. And fully automatic.
grandstanding, exploitation of the victims of weaponized crazy ppl-many of whom are still mourning & may be for the rest of their lives, then Obama’s poutrage & blame of gun lobby amounted to political theater at the expense of victims.
Although I personally was willing to accept great compromises, once I saw where it was all headed I realized that the issue is about those who are opposed to firearms period (with few if any exceptions) and those who believe in RKBA it was over for me.
The tarring of the RKBAs as nutters & paranoid crazies, and supposedly the real cause of these killings ended the debate for me.
It will now be many years for any progress & I really don’t see it happening in my lifetime.
Yes, folks, it’s been proven–Guys who like guns like guys. The Gun is the Penis. Therefore, Gay men are all gun nuts and all male gun nuts are Gay. And women gun nuts are…how would Rush call them?…SLUTS. While Gay women gun nuts, well…
This is GREAT! Guns and homophobia. Don’t quite know how that leap got made, but I’m waiting for the S/M and pedophilia stuff. Also, didn’t it mean in the BIBLE that a man spilling his seed was actually akin to shooting his load and that makes him a seed-spilling abortion-loving high capacity load(‘clip’)-shootin’ Son ‘a Satan?
Next up, folks: GUN CONTROL, BIRTH CONTROL, AND THE NEW PAPAL EDICT.
So you see, Jack, we really don’t want these Background Checks–We don’t want to go there. Who knows what will pop up once the rocks start getting turned over? Way it is right now, let’s just say WE’RE ALL NUTS, and kestrel and I will apply for some Mental Disability subsidy in order to buy more guns and high capacity magazines…I mean, clips…and hire you Jack, to represent us in court for our claims. That is, after we both turn Gay. And then I wanna be the first Gay Guy to declare my Gun my Civil Partner, and then we’ve got a Supreme Court case, Jack, and we’ll all be famous. I see a Tom Hanks movie in this too. Co-starring Jennifer Aniston (playing stardust?)–WHO SHOT APOLLO 13? Directed by Clint Eastwood. Or maybe Eastwood himself would consider doing one last Dirty Harry movie: “OK, punk, do you feel lucky? Do I have 30 rounds in my clip, or only 29? And if you guess right, can I have your phone number?”
Oh………..Hell, 72 degrees today…I’m gonna go to Woodbury Toys and buy a high capacity water pistol. When you hear the Police Sirens in downtown Montpelier, you’ll know I’ve completely lost it. Shit…oh, okay…got my wallet and ID…do you need to show your Birth Certificate to buy a water gun? See, Jack–These Background Checks are part of the Birther Movement. And we all know that they’re Gay.
Time to stop…….Take it away, people!