Then, on the threat to the amnesty push...that the left is setting every tragedy since the administration's pronouncement at fault...AP: A bipartisan effort to expand background checks was in deep trouble today as the Senate approached a long-awaited vote on the linchpin of the drive to curb gun violence. As the showdown drew near, an Associated Press-GfK poll showed ebbing public support for tightening gun control laws.
With the roll call just hours away, so many Republicans had declared their opposition to the background check measure that supporters — mostly Democrats — seemed headed to defeat unless they could turn votes around in the final hours. Supporters seemed likely to lose some moderate Democratic senators as well.
We can only hope that these bipartisan debacles of the Gang of Eight and the Manchin-Toomey alliance that seek to impede the rule of law and infringe upon our unalienable rights swiftly fall apart...not due to tragedies, but due to the prevalence of common sense...Politico: President Barack Obama promised to make immigration reform his top priority after the election.
But twice in the last five months, unimaginable acts of violence rattled the country — first in Newtown, Conn. and then in Boston — splintering Washington’s attention among immigration, gun control and now terrorism.
Immigration advocates fear that balancing act will be a drag on the momentum they need to get a bill wrapped up this year, before Congress switches to campaign mode ahead of the 2014 midterms.
Gallup: Few Americans mention guns or immigration as the most important problems facing the nation today, despite the current attention lawmakers in Washington are giving to these issues. The economy still dominates as the top concern, followed by jobs and dissatisfaction with the general way in which Congress and the government work.Related link: The Public is with Us, But GOP Still Allows Left to Lead on Gun Control, Immigration
UPDATE: Major blow to gun control!
FoxNews: The Senate on Wednesday defeated a vital amendment seen as the linchpin to Democrats' gun control bill, dealing a major setback to President Obama as he campaigns to expand the federal background check system. The vote was 54-46, with supporters falling six votes short of the required 60-vote threshold.Now let's defeat the entire damn bill!
The Senate is proceeding to several other amendments, but the failure of the background check proposal authored by Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., imperils the entire legislation.
