2:58PM: Right now it’s Chris Murphy (D-CT), engaging in some good old fashioned emotional blackmail, reminding all of his colleagues that it’s For the Children. He throws out the now thoroughly debunked 40% number on number of private transfers as a percentage of gun sales.
3:00PM: Deb Fischer (R-NE) is unhappy with the 2014 budget. I thought this was supposed to be about gun control? But I’m not complaining. Americans care more about the budget than they do about gun control.
3:09PM: Now Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) is up for some emotional blackmail of his own. He says, “it is only a first step,” “a solid foundation,” and the basis of “more compromises,” to come. “Minds are changing, and voices are changing that conventional wisdom” that gun control is a losing issue. Toomey just got the kiss of death, thanks and praise from a solid gun hater. He notes he supporters further measures to expand background checks after this, even though Lanza, as Uncle noted, used the “shoot your mom in the face and steal her guns” loophole. Now Blumenthal is recounting another mass shooting in CT, in a workplace. Millions of gun owners didn’t shoot anyone yesterday, so clearly we must be punished. Onto another mass shooting. CT seems to have a lot of these for a small state with much stricter gun laws than most others.
3:23PM: Blumenthal is done. He suggested the Senate did not have a quorum, and they are taking a roll call. I guess they are real eager here. Actually, more likely, their caucus is running over, which is good. Kind of like a jury that takes a while to come back.
3:41PM: *crickets*
4:24PM: Still crickets.
5:07: Looks like we’re back, but I missed whoever was speaking. OK, apparently not on a topic related to gun control.
6:20: *crickets*
6:49: The Senate is proceeding. I’m not entirely sure what’s happening right now. OK, the Senate is adjourned until Monday.
I’m guessing nothing of substance will happen the rest of the day?
That’s what I’m thinking.
I’d say that’s a good sign, but I have to wonder if they’re trying to pull a NY thing and they’ll come out at 2am to try and pass something quick and quiet in the middle of the night when most people aren’t paying attention.
This is exactly what I expect to happen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0X0ZYbnHxA
Good laugh.
Probably at least once a week someone says something that makes me think of a line from “Airplane!” :)
Well, the last time the U.S. Senate voted in the early morning hours we got a positive symbolic vote against UN arms treaty, so history shows us otherwise.
Jake,
I agree, completely. This will be a 2 AM thing. How convenient…
You know, you know you’d think SOMEONE would be happy to show someone else this bill… But it seems no one wants to show it to anyone! If it even exists, it may be the most elusive bill in recent history, far more than Obamacare even was. At least that one showed up the day it was supposed to be debated.
More likely they don’t have the votes for the Toomey-Manchin deal, and are trying to improve their whip count. The silence is good. If they had the votes they’d just come out and do it.
I hope you’re right. I also hope this isn’t “backroom armtwisting time” until the votes magically appear.
That’s exactly what it is. The question is whether they can come up with them. This is not unusual procedure. It’s how the body functions.
Vote??? On what? Doesn’t something actually have to be there to vote on? That’s usually how I’ve seen it done.
So, now that the language is posted, it seems rather less than earthshaking.
Where is the language posted?
This just in about an hour ago, from The Hill:
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/293497-gop-caves-on-gun-control-filibuster-allowing-vote-on-motion-to-proceed
GOP caves. Of course they did.
That’s an article on the Motion to Proceed from this morning.
Really?
Then why is this article said to have been posted on Thursday, 6:41 PM and opens with the line:
“The Senate approved a motion to proceed to the gun control bill by voice-vote Thursday evening.”
And what is ‘earlier in the day’ eluding to:
“Republican senators decided to stop delaying the bill after earlier in the day the Senate cleared the first hurdle by approving cloture on the motion to proceed on a vote of 68-31.”
I must be missing something.
Because like much of what the media prints that it doesn’t understand, it’s wrong. That vote happened late this morning.