Reciprocity defeat margin engineered as speculated

[Trlsmn]

Reciprocity defeat margin engineered just as many had suspected.

Washington post article

I expect to see a lot of this "sorry almost passed but I had your back" games in the future".

The Democrats new slogan should be "We're behind you 100% until we have to be"

How do you outgun the NRA? Very, very carefully.

Mark Pryor knows all about that. The Democratic senator from pro-gun Arkansas was nowhere to be seen on the Senate floor during Wednesday's showdown over a proposal, championed by the National Rifle Association, that would have gutted state gun-control laws across the nation.

After a morning of angry speeches, a vote was called at high noon. Toward the end of the vote, Pryor entered the chamber through the back door, took a few steps inside, flashed a thumbs-down to the clerk, and retreated as fast and furtively as somebody dodging gunfire.

Several minutes later, the Democrats had racked up more than enough votes to block the proposal. "Are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or wishing to change their vote?" the presiding officer inquired.

Pryor burst back in, this time through a side door. "Mr. President!" he called out. "Mr. President!" He stopped in the well to consult with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), a gun-control advocate who was keeping the whip sheet. Schumer gave Pryor a nod, and the Arkansan -- reassured that his vote was not needed to defeat the proposal -- changed his vote to an "aye."
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If Pryor wasn't exactly a profile in courage, keep in mind: The gun lobby has a lot of money and a lot of clout, not to mention a lot of guns. And it doesn't mind firing off a few rounds to keep lawmakers in line.

Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) served this function during the debate when he reminded his colleagues that the NRA would factor this vote into its ratings. "The National Rifle Association, the NRA, is a strong supporter of this amendment," he warned, and it's also "specifically scoring this amendment in terms of member votes."

Looking down the barrel of that gun, 20 of the 60 Democrats in the chamber defected to the NRA's side. Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.), a gun-loving lawmaker whose aide was charged in 2007 with trying to carry a loaded pistol and extra ammunition into a Senate office building, even spoke on the floor about how his Democratic colleagues were spreading "misinformation."

A couple of seats away, Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), a gun-control supporter, raised his eyebrows and shook his head.

Only two Republicans went against the gun lobby, but that was enough to leave supporters just short of the 60 votes they needed. The slim margin was no accident: Other Democrats, such as Pennsylvania's Bob Casey and Colorado's Mark Udall and Michael Bennet, were said to have been willing to vote "no" if necessary. Twenty minutes after the voting began, Bennet and Udall left the cloakroom together and walked into the chamber. Bennet went to the well to consult with Schumer, who indicated that it was safe for Bennet -- a product of D.C.'s St. Albans School -- to vote with the NRA. Bennet looked to Udall, who gave an approving nod, and cast his "aye" vote.

Schumer found himself in the unusual position of opposing many of the moderate Democrats he helped bring to office as the head of Senate Democrats' campaign efforts, including Webb, Casey, Jon Tester (Mont.) and Mark Warner (Va.). "Senator," a reporter noted to Schumer at a post-vote news conference, "you were staring down some of the folks you were losing on the floor."

"No. I wasn't at all," Schumer replied. "There was no staring down at all -- none."

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[cameronhu]

Good article. Thanks for posting.

 

[Trlsmn]

No problem.

 

[cameronhu]

Glad the Post called out Pryor by name. I hope word gets back to his constituents in Arkansas. Same for Casey, Bennet and Udall.

 

[tionico]

Funny thing is, this article stated as fact that the measure "that would have gutted state gun-control laws across the nation.".

No, establishing reciprocity for Concealed Weapon permits would do NO such thing. Liars!!!! ALL it would to is require any state to honour the CCW permit issued by any other state. ALL other existing gun laws in every state would remain in place. Those carrying concealed, under permit from any state, would be subject to the local laws of any state they visit. For example, I am certain California, New Jersey, Hawaii, and whoever else have magazine capacity limits would continue to enforce them... SO--- if I am caught in Sacramento with my Browning High Power with a loaded 13 round mag in it, I'd have violated California's capacity limit. I'd have to either have a ten rounder, or leave it unloaded.

THIS sort of misrepresentation of fact is part of why we've come to this pass.... such lies are not confronted and straightened round. Thus the public continues to fall victim to the manipulation of the media. And do nothing come election time to throw the bums out. Spineless turncoats like those who changed their minds at the last minute, checked to "see if it was OK", and such, should be the first ones turned out. Will they be?

 

[PlayboyPenguin]

It was pretty transparent that this was the case. Both sides keep playing this game. The republicans are soooo gun friendly now that they do not have votes to pass anything but where were they when they had a solid majority? The democrats want to try and let some officials that are up for election soon appear to be pro-gun but do not want to really pass anything. As long as there is a two party system all we will see is this game being repeated again and again. A strong third party is needed now. I hope campaign reform is done soon and done right. By right I mean in a way that does not exclude third party candidates from equal time and money.

 

[ob1]

Thus the public continues to fall victim to the manipulation of the media. And do nothing come election time to throw the bums out.

As long as there is a two party system all we will see is this game being repeated again and again. A strong third party is needed now. I hope campaign reform is done soon and done right.

Forget the third party, we have to assume that it would become as corrupted as the two existing ones. The problem is that we don't even have a two party system in reality at this point. It reminds of seeing opposing attorney's walk out of the courthouse, arm in arm, after the conclusion of a trial. We need to face it guys, they are not working for us, only their own self interests and an unseen agenda.
We can no longer point our fingers at the Schumers, the Feinsteins, and the Boxers and say "See it's all those lefty democrats fault". The republicrats knew exactly what was going to happen before it did, and not one stood up and cried foul !
We will never be rid of this stench in Congress until a complete and permanent purging occurs. There is only one way this can happen, TERM LIMITS !! The existing cancer needs to be cut from the body and then the replacements replaced before they become infected with the same virus.:bash:

 

[Jamie6.5]

He stopped in the well to consult with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), a gun-control advocate who was keeping the whip sheet. Schumer gave Pryor a nod, and the Arkansan -- reassured that his vote was not needed to defeat the proposal -- changed his vote to an "aye."

Bennet and Udall left the cloakroom together and walked into the chamber. Bennet went to the well to consult with Schumer, who indicated that it was safe for Bennet -- a product of D.C.'s St. Albans School -- to vote with the NRA. Bennet looked to Udall, who gave an approving nod, and cast his "aye" vote.

Schumer found himself in the unusual position of opposing many of the moderate Democrats he helped bring to office as the head of Senate Democrats' campaign efforts, including Webb, Casey, Jon Tester (Mont.) and Mark Warner (Va.). "Senator," a reporter noted to Schumer at a post-vote news conference, "you were staring down some of the folks you were losing on the floor."
"No. I wasn't at all," Schumer replied. "There was no staring down at all -- none."

Now! Does ANYONE here still believe Schumer has no clout? That the long sitting Dems aren't engineering this crap?
Schumer, Feinstein, Boxer and the rest are after your guns, and it's fairly obvious they know how to get them, while not requiring their Democrat colleagues to commit political suicide, so they can keep their supermajority.
You can bet the next time an anti gun bill comes to the floor Sucky Chucky will be the political organizer, and things will get harder still.
Maybe if the same observer that wrote this account covers the next one, the libs here will start to understand.