The Brady’s are touting their latest victory over the big bad National Rifle Association because she was confirmed 68-31. Even the Washington Post is saying not so fast. NRA has been pushing pretty hard, and exploring the edge of the envelope. Defeating a Presidents nominee is extraordinarily difficult, and this result should not be surprising. But you will see many in the media attempt to play up NRA’s weakness here, and try to make the case for the gun control movement.
You had nine Republican Senators defect and vote for her. The nine were Vionovich (OH), Graham (SC), Alexander (TN), Gregg (NH), Bond (MO), Snowe (ME), Collins (ME), Lugar (IN), and Martinez (FL).
Here’s the situation as I see it. Previously we had a choice between lousy not lousy when it came to gun rights. The Democrats were lousy, and the Republicans were just enough not lousy to keep us voting for them. After suffering defeat after defeat, and at risk of becoming a regional party, the Democrats decided to run pro-gun candidates in conservative districts in order to rebuild their majority. The gambit worked! Now Republicans have to be very concerned that Democrats are threatning the loyalty of what has been a very significant voting bloc for them. NRA has 4 million members, and some 13 million, I believe, who have been members and are sympathetic. Additionally, I think I recall there being 33 million people who think they are members of the NRA. That’s nothing to sneeze at in politics.
So what we have before us in an opportunity to whip the Republicans a bit, and let them show us that they can out pro-gun the Democrats. I think the Thune amendment was part of that. I also think the Sotomayor vote is too. Nine defections certainly sucks, but 31 Republicans still voted against her confirmation. That’s 31 Republicans who just showed us they can out pro-gun the Democrats. Despite the loss, this puts us in a very good position. A lot of those pro-gun Dems will know they need to work to make it up to us for their vote on Sotomayor. Guys like Tester, Webb, Pryor, Begich, and the other pro-gun Dems know they are not going to win re-election or easily win re-election without NRA support. In essence, we may be in a position now where the pro-gun elements of each party, which are a majority of both houses of Congress, try to out do the other. It’s far from the reality the Brady’s are touting, and far from what you’ll see in media outlets. I honestly don’t think NRA’s power has ever been stronger, and we’re very very lucky that’s the case.
DICK. LUGAR. AGAIN. Even when I know he’s going to shank me in the spine, I still get pissed off.
What will the upshot be for the “A” rated senators who voted for her? Is a downrating going to hurt them, or are they safe?
Hard to say. NRA will likely play how they weigh the grade close to their chest. I would suspect for someone who’s been with us on everything else, and who has demonstrated leadership on the issue, like Jim Webb, he probably won’t get slammed much for the Sotomayor vote. Someone like Specter might not fare too well.
That article is from the washington times not post
It never seems to be too hard for demoncraps to stop a republicraps nominations to the courts. Look how long some of GWB’s nominations were held up and never confirmed, not to the high court but to the lower courts where laws really get made.