Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Bought and paid for by the merchants of death and their chief lobbyist, the NRA — these teabaggers threaten to filibuster any and all gun-safety regulation in the Senate. The village idiot Aqua Buddha, Sen. Rand Paul, and allies eye filibuster of gun legislation:
The Senate’s leading conservative teabagger trio — Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Ted Cruz
(R-Texas) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) – are threatening to filibuster the
Senate Democrats’ gun violence legislation slated for consideration next
month[.]
The senators sent a brief letter to Majority Leader Harry M. Reid
(D-Nev.) outlining their opposition to “any legislation that would
infringe on the American people’s constitutional right to bear arms,”
signaling they will oppose the procedural vote to begin debate on the
gun package when the Senate returns from its current two-week spring
break.
“We will oppose the motion to proceed to any legislation that will
serve as a vehicle for any addition gun restrictions,” the three wrote.
It’s not clear yet whether the effort would be another talking
filibuster, like the one Paul led against CIA director John Brennan’s
nomination last month, or a silent filibuster that would simply require
Democrats to get 60 votes to proceed to an up-or-down vote.
Cruz spokeswoman Catherine Frazier says her boss “is prepared to use
any procedural means necessary to prevent stricter gun control laws.”
The letter can be found here.
There's nothing like fringe ideological reactionaries, completely out of touch with public opinion and their own leadership:
GOP leaders have previously not objected to beginning debate on the
legislation, as the conservative trio is opposed to doing, and several
Republicans continue to work with Democrats on coming up with a
bipartisan compromise on background check legislation.
Reid’s spokesman said the Paul-Cruz-Lee letter was “not surprising”
but missed the mark on the nation’s reaction to the Connecticut murders.
“It’s outrageous that these senators are unwilling to even engage in a
debate over gun violence in America. No matter your opinion on this
issue, we should all be able to agree with President Obama when he said
that the children and teachers of Newtown, along with all other
Americans who have been victims of gun violence, at least deserve a
vote,” said Adam Jentleson, Reid’s spokesman.
Under new rules approved at the start of the calendar year, Reid could
conceivably move around the threatened filibuster by bypassing the
motion to proceed and jump onto the legislation. In doing so, he would
have to guarantee that Republicans get to offer at least two amendments
to the bill. That new procedure has not been used yet[.]
Or — after a series of filibusters of judicial nominees, cabinent officers, and agency heads in recent weeks, in breach of the "gentleman's agreement" that the Septegenarian Ninja Turtle, Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has reneged upon with Sen. Reid, it is time for Sen. Reid to say "f#$k it" and do what he should have done at the start of this new Congress and resort to the constitutional option, or so-called "nuclear option" on filibisuters. Enough is enough. This Tea-Publican tyranny of the minority has got to stop.