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Dems push gun control agenda in DC, but not in battleground states
The Hill ^ | 04/29/13 | Alexander Bolton

Posted on 04/29/2013 5:02:58 PM PDT by neverdem

Democratic leaders are wooing staunchly pro-gun candidates to run in pivotal Senate races at the same time they are discussing a strategy for bringing gun control legislation back up for debate.

The two-pronged effort has prompted Republicans to accuse the Senate Democratic leadership of hypocrisy, but Democrats say it is simply smart politics.

The question is whether two of the Democrats’ most promising potential candidates in Montana and South Dakota will pay a price for the leadership’s political maneuverings in Washington. Or will recruiting candidates who do not support President Obama’s gun control agenda have any effect on Democratic fundraising efforts?

Brad Dayspring, the communications director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, took a swipe at Democrats for playing both sides of the gun issue.

“Washington Democrats preach gun control, but are recruiting adamantly pro-gun candidates like Schweitzer & Herseth-Sandlin. Can't be both,” he posted on Twitter.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) posted a message on its online action center Friday calling for people to sign up to support Obama’s agenda of immigration reform, common-sense gun control and equal rights. But it’s eyeing candidates in Montana and South Dakota who are not likely to support Obama’s gun control initiatives.

Justin Barasky, the DSCC’s spokesman, said his party’s commitment to expanding background checks for gun sales cannot be doubted.

“The bottom line on guns, the overwhelming majority of Democrats voted for that measure and 41 of 45 Republicans voted against it,” he said. “Even if every single Democrat had voted for it, it would not have passed.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has pledged to bring gun control legislation back to the floor. Barasky said the Democrats have the Senate majority because they have a big-tent party.

“There’s a litmus test to be a Republican senator. You have to check off a list. That’s why we won five red states in a presidential year,” he said in reference to the 2012 election.

The DSCC has not yet met with popular former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, according to a Democratic aide, but Democratic leaders view him as the best candidate to keep retiring Sen. Max Baucus’s (D-Mont.) seat.

The DSCC has poll data showing former Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-S.D.) is the strongest candidate to succeed retiring Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), although officially it has praised both Herseth Sandlin and Johnson’s son, U.S. Attorney Brendan Johnson, as promising contenders.

A political blog for the Argus Leader reported that DSCC officials “are leaning, perhaps even heavily leaning, for Stephanie Herseth Sandlin.”

Schweitzer and Herseth Sandlin both have "A" ratings from the National Rifle Association (NRA), which endorsed both candidates in their most recent campaigns.

Schweitzer told the National Journal in a recent interview that he is in favor of background checks, but it's unclear whether he would have supported a proposal crafted by Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) that failed in the Senate this month.

He also told the publication he has “more [guns] than I need and less than I want.”

Several Republicans, including Sens. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), have also said they supported expanded background checks but voted against a proposal to do just that because of concerns about how it would be implemented.

Schweitzer did not respond to a request for an interview. David Parker, a political science professor at Montana State University, can’t see Schweitzer embracing Senate legislation to expand background checks if the issue comes up on the campaign trail next year.

“I would suspect given his background, he would say no,” said Parker “He has lots of guns and says he’d like to get some more. I don’t see him saying he would support those expanded background checks.”

Parker said breaking with the Democratic leadership on gun control would help Schweitzer if he ran for Senate. “I actually think it helps him demonstrate a way in which he is his own person and distinctive person from the national party,” he said, noting Montana has a large proportion of independent voters who are the key to Democrats winning in the conservative-leaning state.

Jon Schaff, a political science professor at Northern State University in Aberdeen, S.D., said Democrats in the state often take steadfast positions in favor of gun owners’ rights to bolster their “moderate credentials” with voters.

Schaff thinks there is little chance Herseth Sandlin would endorse the background-check legislation that foundered in the Senate this month if she jumps in the race.

My guess is that she will take the NRA line,” he said. “I don’t believe Stephanie Herseth would cross the gun people.”

The NRA endorsed Herseth Sandlin in her 2010 race against Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.). The group praised her for co-sponsoring and supporting the D.C. Personal Protection Act, which called for letting residents in the District of Columbia carry hand guns and repealing a gun registration law, and the Second Amendment Enforcement Act, another bill targeted at repealing D.C.’s gun laws.

Herseth Sandlin did not respond to a request for an interview.

Baucus, North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, Alaska Sen. Mark Begich and Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor were the only four Democrats who opposed the Manchin-Toomey proposal expanding background checks to cover all sales at gun shows and over the Internet.

Schaff noted that Tessa Gould, Heitkamp’s chief of staff, previously worked for Herseth Sandlin.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Front Page News; Politics/Elections; US: Alaska; US: Arizona; US: Arkansas; US: District of Columbia; US: Montana; US: Nevada; US: North Dakota; US: Oklahoma; US: Pennsylvania; US: South Dakota; US: Washington; US: West Virginia
KEYWORDS: 113th; 2ndamendment; alaska; arizona; arkansas; banglist; bloodoftyrants; braddayspring; brendanjohnson; brianschweitzer; davidparker; democrats; districtofcolumbia; govtabuse; guncontrol; harryreid; heidiheitkamp; hersethsandlin; jeffflake; joemanchin; jonschaff; justinbarasky; kristinoem; manchinamdtrollcall; markbegich; markpryor; maxbaucus; montana; nevada; nocompromise; northdakota; nra; oklahoma; pattoomey; pennsylvania; secondamendment; southdakota; tessagould; timjohnson; tomcoburn; tyranny; washington; westvirginia; youwillnotdisarmus

1 posted on 04/29/2013 5:02:58 PM PDT by neverdem
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To: neverdem

Democratic leaders are wooing staunchly pro-gun candidates to run in pivotal Senate races...

...former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer...to succeed retiring Sen. Max Baucus...

...former Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-S.D.)...to succeed retiring Sen. Tim Johnson...
-
2014 Senate Elections
AK - Mark Begich - Democrat -
AR - Mark Pryor - Democrat -
CO - Mark Udall - Democrat -
DE - Chris Coons - Democrat -
HI - Brian Schatz - Democrat -(special)
IA - Thomas Harkin - Democrat -(not running)
IL - Richard Durbin - Democrat -
LA - Mary Landrieu - Democrat -
MA - William Mccowan - Democrat -(Kerry Seat)
MI - Carl Levin - Democrat -(not running)
MN - Al Franken - Democrat -
MT - Max Baucus - Democrat -(not running)
NC - Kay Hagan - Democrat -
NH - Jeanne Shaheen - Democrat -
NJ - Frank Lautenberg - Democrat -(not running)
NM - Tom Udall - Democrat -
OR - Jeff Merkley - Democrat -
RI - John Reed - Democrat -
SD - Tim Johnson - Democrat -(not running)
VA - Mark Warner - Democrat -
WV - Jay Rockefeller IV - Democrat -(not running)
- - -
AL - Jeff Sessions - Republican -
GA - Saxby Chambliss - Republican -(not running)
ID - James Risch - Republican -
KS - Pat Roberts - Republican -
KY - Mitch McConnell - Republican -
ME - Susan Collins - Republican -
MS - Thad Cochran - Republican -
NE - Mike Johanns - Republican -(not running)
OK - Jim Inhofe - Republican -
SC - Lindsey Graham - Republican -
SC - Tim Scott - Republican -(special)
TN - Lamar Alexander - Republican -
TX - John Cornyn - Republican -
WY - Michael Enzi - Republican -


2 posted on 04/29/2013 5:22:10 PM PDT by Repeal The 17th (We have met the enemy and he is us.)
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To: Repeal The 17th

Good luck with that aholes.


3 posted on 04/29/2013 6:04:28 PM PDT by Red in Blue PA (When Injustice becomes Law, Resistance Becomes Duty.-Thomas Jefferson)
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To: neverdem

The problem is that the Republican opponents, and the NRA for that matter, simply WILL NOT LEARN THE TRUTH.

And the truth is that the Dems ALWAYS put party first. I specifically remember people on THIS SITE telling us not to worry about Manchin, as he had a perfect NRA record and could be trusted on guns.

Well, he was a Democrat. So the question is whether the Republican opponents in these states will even try to convince the voters that Dems simply CANNOT be trusted on guns.

...and by the way - it wasn’t 4 (or 5 Dems) that broke with the party on the gun vote - it was NONE. Those Dems had privately agreed to support the bill, if they could pick up that last Republican vote, which they couldn’t do.

As it was, the bill was doomed in the House - so why was it such a big deal for the Senate, and why were a decent number of Dems willing to put their seats at risk for it. Simple - they wanted the House to stop the bill, and then the Dems would have run against a “Do-nothing House” in 2014 and they sensed victory.

...but what about those A+ NRA members in the Dem Party. That doesn’t matter a bit to them - they are DEMOCRATS FIRST...and the Republicans better start explaining that a LOT MORE.


4 posted on 04/29/2013 8:33:08 PM PDT by BobL (Look up "CSCOPE" if you want to see something really scary)
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To: BobL
...and by the way - it wasn’t 4 (or 5 Dems) that broke with the party on the gun vote - it was NONE.

Thank you for causing me to get the roll call vote. I knew Baucus and Pryor defected. Their other defectors were Begich, Heitkamp and Dingy! BTW, Bloomturd wants to make an example of Pryor. Here's the roll call vote.

Besides Toomey, we had the usual suspects: Collins, Kirk and Juan McLame.

5 posted on 04/29/2013 10:31:10 PM PDT by neverdem (Register pressure cookers! /s)
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To: wardaddy; Joe Brower; Cannoneer No. 4; Criminal Number 18F; Dan from Michigan; Eaker; Jeff Head; ...
The roll call vote for the Toomey-Manchin bill is in comment# 5 above. Check Dingy's vote.

Can One Iraq Vet Stop Obamacare? John Roberts may well have set up its demise.

Desegregation, before Brown - Barry Goldwater and the forgotten campaign in Phoenix

Toomey says he won't take new shot at gun bill

Obama’s Misfire on Gun Control

Some noteworthy articles about politics, foreign or military affairs, IMHO, FReepmail me if you want on or off my list.

6 posted on 04/29/2013 11:57:33 PM PDT by neverdem (Register pressure cookers! /s)
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To: neverdem

No prob...in the end, Bloomberg and others will let the Dems off who voted no, since he knows he’ll have them when it counts. But defeat them and replace them with a Rep, and it’s a lost vote.

...the NRA and Republicans could learn a great lesson from that.


7 posted on 04/30/2013 4:46:48 AM PDT by BobL (Look up "CSCOPE" if you want to see something really scary)
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To: neverdem

“....has prompted Republicans to accuse the Senate Democratic leadership of hypocrisy,...”

Forget about the sedition, treason, fraud, malfeasance, abuse of office.... “our” side is worried about “hypocrisy”.

There’s priorities for ya... Clueless idiots. No wonder we are where we are.


8 posted on 04/30/2013 5:36:06 AM PDT by NFHale (The Second Amendment - By Any Means Necessary.)
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To: BobL

“...Republicans could learn a great lesson from that...”

If they haven’t learned by now, when do you expect them to learn? Sometimes, it’s almost as if they WANT to lose...


9 posted on 04/30/2013 5:37:17 AM PDT by NFHale (The Second Amendment - By Any Means Necessary.)
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To: NFHale
If they haven’t learned by now, when do you expect them to learn? Sometimes, it’s almost as if they WANT to lose...

Given their recent behavior on which candidates are pushed (Bush*, McCain, Romney)... that's not exactly unreasonable.
* I include Bush because while he certainly wasn't all bad, he certainly put into place a LOT of the statist things that we're reaping now.

But let's assume that that's merely result of trying to find the "least objectionable" candidate; let's look at their actions [regarding platform] instead:

  1. Limited government -- how has the republican party voted on things that remove government limitations: Patriot Act, NDAA, War on drugs?
  2. Accountability -- how has the Republican party, AS A PARTY, reacted to: Benghazi, Fast & Furious, DHS/TSA terrorist-screening failures?
  3. Fiscal responsibility -- why was it so noteworthy when a single Republican offered an actual budget?
  4. Firearms -- when was the last time there was a push, by the party, to repeal GCA, NFA, or the school-zone bans?
  5. Limited government [2] -- when was the last time the party pushed to get rid of federal agencies like DOE, ATF, or FDA?
  6. Accountability [2] -- Were there any [serious] repercussions for the agents involved w/ Waco or Ruby Ridge?
  7. Fiscal responsibility [2] -- why is it that they won't bring up the fact that Social Security is basically a political slush-fund?
  8. Abortion -- They add "no exceptions, not even for rape or incest" to the party-plank... and push Mr. "of course I support abortion in the case of rape or incest" Romney.

So, no, it looks like they don't intend to do what they say they want either... and in that case, how can they 'win' as a political party? A political party that refuses to pursue its goals is worse than useless. -- So, I won't say they're incompetent... I'll say they're complicit.

10 posted on 05/04/2013 1:01:27 PM PDT by OneWingedShark (Q: Why am I here? A: To do Justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God.)
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To: OneWingedShark

“...A political party that refuses to pursue its goals is worse than useless. — So, I won’t say they’re incompetent... I’ll say they’re complicit. ..”

I am inclined to agree with you, brother...


11 posted on 05/05/2013 3:35:35 PM PDT by NFHale (The Second Amendment - By Any Means Necessary.)
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