Harry Reid green-lights controversial gun vote

[Gtbullet]

Wow, this is quite a turn of events....Hum my spider senses are tingling, what is going on, why all this support for this bill? It seems that some folks in our congress have all of a sudden gotten allot friendlier in support of our rights in this country. , I don't know but something just doesn't seem to be right about this or I've died and gone to heaven...

http://www.politico.com/news/stories...193_Page2.html

Reid green-lights controversial gun vote


Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is supposed to be the protector of the Senate’s skittish Democratic flock — the guy who soothes intraparty spats and shields his 60-member majority from dangerous, career-threatening votes.


Yet Reid — whose low approval ratings in Nevada make him a tempting GOP target in next year’s midterms — put many of his members in a sticky situation when he OK’d a floor vote on a controversial GOP amendment that could significantly alter the nation’s gun control laws.


Reid says the bill deserves a hearing and reflects his commitment to supporting gun rights in a state that sanctifies the Second Amendment. Other Democrats say he approved the vote out of personal political necessity — to avoid the ire of the National Rifle Association during the 2010 elections.


“Nobody’s angry at Harry, but it’s created a problem for us,” says a Democratic aide, speaking on condition of anonymity. “There’s a huge level of sympathy for him, because we don’t want to have another Daschle situation.”


That was, of course, a reference to Tom Daschle, the last Democratic majority leader who was knocked off in 2004, by Republican John Thune.


By astounding coincidence (not), Thune, now the No. 4 man in the Senate, just happens to be the guy who authored the current amendment to allow licensed gun owners to transport their weapons across state lines.


“This has nothing to do with electoral politics,” said Reid spokesman Jim Manley, who emphasized that the amendment has the support of many other Democrats besides Reid.


Two previous NRA-backed measures, one loosening D.C. handgun restrictions and another allowing guns in national parks, passed by comfortable 60-plus vote margins in the Senate earlier this year.


“Harry Reid has always supported gun rights and intends to do so in the future,” Manley added.


Still, Reid’s decision prompted a mini-uprising among two top lieutenants — Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) — who are considering a filibuster to kill the measure before it comes to a vote, as expected on Wednesday.


In the meantime, gun control groups were working with Durbin, Schumer and New Jersey Democrat Frank Lautenberg to craft an alternative amendment that would put the GOP on the defensive — one that would impose tough new federal restrictions on interstate transport or even insert a provision closing the so-called gun-show loophole.

Reid is “likely” to vote in favor of the Thune amendment, an aide said.


Maloney apologizes for using the N-word


Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) has apologized for using the N-word in a long, long profile posted on the website City Hall.


The context is confusing, but the East Side lawmaker was apparently referring to a comment made by a Puerto Rican pol who called her up to complain about Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.


The story: “There is Carolyn Maloney, ripping into Kirsten Gillibrand, broad and hard, for voting against the two stimulus bills and for changing her positions on several core Democratic issues, sounding out her case on the fly as, ‘It’s the NRA; it’s immigration; it’s all these other things. In fact, I got a call from someone from Puerto Rico [who] said [Gillibrand] went to Puerto Rico and came out for English-only [education]. And he said, “It was like saying n----- to a Puerto Rican,”’ she said, using the full racial slur. ‘I don’t know — I don’t know if that’s true or not. I just called. I’m just throwing that out. All of her — well, what does she stand for?’”


Later, after the Rev. Al Sharpton questioned the statement, Maloney’s office offered a mea culpa.


“I apologize for having repeated a word I find disgusting,” Maloney said. “It’s no excuse, but I was so caught up in relaying the story exactly as it was told to me that, in doing so, I repeated a word that should never be repeated.”


Franken unleashes first bill


Minnesota freshman Al Franken has pumped out his first bill, a measure allocating funds to buy and train service dogs for wounded Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.


Franken, writing in a Star-Tribune op-ed, says he got the idea when he met Iraq war vet Luis Carlos Montalvan and his golden retriever Tuesday at one of the Inauguration events:


“Service dogs raise their masters’ sense of well-being,” Franken wrote. “Unfortunately, few of these service dogs are available to veterans. ... It costs, on average, about $20,000 to train a service dog and another $5,000 to place the dog with the veteran.”


Franken is 1) a major USO booster dedicated to entertaining the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and 2) a dog lover whose black Lab, Kirby, (named after the late Twins superstar Kirby Puckett) died of bone cancer at the age of 8 during the campaign.

[autotech6506]

maybe they are taking notice of all the gun sales and figuring out that more people are starting to care about gun rights? not likely but i can dream

[larrymeyer]

Still, Reid’s decision prompted a mini-uprising among two top lieutenants — Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) — who are considering a filibuster to kill the measure before it comes to a vote, as expected on Wednesday.


In the meantime, gun control groups were working with Durbin, Schumer and New Jersey Democrat Frank Lautenberg to craft an alternative amendment that would put the GOP on the defensive — one that would impose tough new federal restrictions on interstate transport or even insert a provision closing the so-called gun-show loophole.

Still these two paragraphs scare me

[unclejumbo]

Not up on state vs. federal rights as much as I should be. What if the thought is national reciprocity only to turn it around and have a national ban on concealed carry.

Too Machiavellian?

[Warpt762x39]

They don't care about gun rights. They just want to kiss our asses enough to get re-elected next time around.

I'll vote for someone who hates guns as long as they vote progun in an ass kissing manner to stay in office.

[archangel689]

If you've never been to Las Vegas you should go and play with NFA toys.

The most likely scenario is that Harry Reid doesn't want to piss off gun-nut-Nevada whom he represents. His existence as Majority leader is certainly more important to them. A lot of people there feel he doesn't support their gun rights enough.

My opinion. Whatever, he's not half as bad as that wicked witch of the west, Pelosi or that satan spawn, Feinstein.

[Morel42]

Guys,

The Democrats are about to kill one of the major wedge issues that Republicans have. It's like the Republicans saying they'll no longer try to change Roe vs Wade. Many people vote a ticket on that one issue..

The general populations change in attitude to a pro-2nd amendment one, allows Dem's to take away one of the Republican strongest platforms without losing hardly any of their own support. Not many Democrats lose their seats because they voted against gun bans.

Democrats and Republicans use wedge issues to shore up their own support base. They don't want to totally win, because then the have nothing to attack the opposition with.

Imagine if Roe v Wade, Gun Rights, Seperation of Church and state, and Morale issues were all taken out of the political arena. They'd have to actually come up with better ideas on how to run the fing country..

Which of course.. 99% of both parties have no idea how to do..

[Mr_Anderson]

This is like the 5th thread if have read that talked about the same thing.

http://forum.pafoa.org/general-2/662...ctics-ccw.html

http://forum.pafoa.org/concealed-ope...ew-jersey.html

http://forum.pafoa.org/national-11/6...ming-soon.html

http://forum.pafoa.org/national-11/6...-proposal.html

And i am sure there are others.

[Gtbullet]

I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed but all of this talk about deal making for reelections seems to support the argument for term limits on Politicians. Once imposed we could possibly avoid allot of the deal making in Washington that clearly exists today....