Massacre Mitch in No Hurry to Do Even the Least Possible Thing to Reduce Gun Violence
August 8th 2019
Mitch McConnell - Caricature (DonkeyHotey)
By Joan McCarter
The nickname "Moscow Mitch" is quickly being supplanted by "Massacre Mitch." While he's letting his fellow Republicans talk about their Band-Aid solutions, he's throwing ice water on any actual gun safety legislation, just as he has with election security bills. He's showing every sign of intending to ride this out in hopes that the fervor for action dissipates as time goes on.
Sen. Sherrod Brown is trying to exert pressure to make him act. The Democrat was in his home state of Ohio Wednesday, with Donald Trump, to meet with the victims and survivors of Sunday's massacre. He asked Trump to "call on Sen. McConnell to bring the Senate back in session this week, to tell the Senate he wants the background checks bill that has already passed the House." Trump is supposedly privately calling various senators to talk about potential action, possibly including McConnell, but Brown apparently didn't get a commitment.
Trump has spoken with Pennsylvania Republican Pat Toomey who has background check bill with Joe Manchin of West Virginia, but that bill had limited support the last time it came up, giving McConnell the excuse to say it can't pass. Along with any other real, substantive legislation like the substantive background check bills from the House. That gives Trump the excuse of saying (or having the mouth of Sauron Kellyanne Conway say) he's waiting for something that can pass the Senate.
Real profiles in leadership, here. Trump says he can't do anything unless McConnell can pass it and McConnell says he can't pass anything unless Trump will sign it. In the meantime, the nation holds its collective breath waiting for the next gun massacre, which could happen at any moment, in any city.
Posted with permission