GOP Senate Filibuster of Gun Control Fizzles, Senators Reportedly Reach Deal on Background Checks

     It's now settled: the Reid gun control measures will go up for a vote Thursday. The best place to look for confirmation this was a defeat for the Senate Republicans is, of course, the Wall Street Journal editorial page: the official propaganda organ of the GOP.

     "'This is about these families and families all across the country who are saying, 'Let's make it a little harder for our kids to get gunned down,'" President Obama declared Monday, in unusually demagogic remarks even by his standards. He added, "What's more important to you: our children, or an A-grade from the gun lobby?"

      "Mr. Obama is lapsing into such crude appeals—support his gun-control agenda or suborn mass child murder—because he knows his real problems aren't the gun lobby. They're members of his own party who answer to law-abiding voters who support Second Amendment rights. So the political wonder is that some Republicans and conservative activists seem determined to convert the gun debate (such as it is) that Mr. Obama is losing into a 2014 Democratic advantage."

     http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324050304578412853068170888.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop

     For the WSJ to call it 'crude appeals even for him' is their way of admitting he's scored a public victory. The WSJ points out that the target of these appeals were actually Red State Senate Democrats who were sitting on the fence. However, the Journal says that what's turned a potential defeat into a potential victory for the President is the recent huffing and puffing out of the GOP about a filibuster:

    "California's Dianne Feinstein barely got the rifle ban out of committee, and then Majority Leader Harry Reid refused to include it and other White House provisions in the gun bill he had to be dragooned into backing. Mr. Reid still hasn't released the policy details about enhanced background checks for private gun sales, which is one of the few items that might cobble together a majority.

     "Enter a faction of Republicans led by Mike Lee of Utah and Ted Cruz of Texas, who late last month said they'll use the filibuster to prevent the Reid bill from coming to the floor. On Tuesday Minority Leader Mitch McConnell endorsed the gambit, and the Heritage Action for America PAC says it plans to "score" the filibuster as a key vote for election purposes."

    "In an instant, these GOP wizards have taken the onus off Senate Democrats and made Republicans the media's gun-control focus. Mr. Reid is now bellowing about Republicans blocking a vote, and Democrats such as Mark Pryor (Arkansas), Mary Landrieu (Louisiana) and Mark Begich (Alaska) don't have to declare themselves on provisions that might be unpopular at home."

    "Meanwhile, Mr. Obama can retreat to his favorite pose of portraying Republicans as obstructionists, which pressures GOP moderates like Maine Senator Susan Collins. "And yet, some folks back in Washington are already floating the idea that they may use political stunts to prevent votes on any of these reforms," Mr. Obama said on Monday—without mentioning that the "folks" who oppose his bill are Democrats."

    "The President's calculation seems to be that even if gun control fails, at least he'll have a keep-kids-safe political issue to help flip the House back to Democratic control in the next midterm. In that sense his inflammatory rhetoric is meant to bait Republicans, some of whom are biting."

   "If conservatives want to prove their gun-control bona fides, the way to do it is to debate the merits and vote on the floor. They can always filibuster the final bill if they want to, but it makes no sense to paint themselves into a political box canyon before even knowing what they're voting on."

     That Obama was successful in calling out GOP obstructionism is shown by the whirlwind turn of events. Just a few days ago, McConnell was talking about joining the filibuster. Yesterday, he disavowed it and that was the end of that as at least 8 either Republican Senators vowed not to filibuster. 

      However, we now have even bigger news as it appears that a deal is about to come out for background checks-the meat of the Reid bill-between Republican Pat Toomey and Democrat Joe Manchin. Even without this deal, Reid says he feels good about the prospects of clearing the first hurdle on Thursday of bringing the bill up for debate. 

     The Manchin-Tommey deal though further highlights that background checks are looking pretty good:

     "Sens. Joe Manchin and Pat Toomey will unveil a bipartisan deal to expand background checks for commercial gun sales at a news conference Wednesday morning.

      "The agreement could give political cover for enough Republicans to vote Thursday and exceed the 60-vote requirement needed to allow the Senate to proceed to what would be an emotional floor debate on gun control legislation

     "The deal would close the so-called gun show loophole, requiring that background checks are conducted on all commercial gun sales in the country, according to a fact sheet of the bill obtained by POLITICO from a representative of one of the gun control groups involved in the talks."

     "When a sale occurs, the buyer and seller would meet at a licensed dealer, who would conduct the check."

      Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/04/gun-background-checks-deal-89856.html#ixzz2Q4LptbEe

     "This deal to be announced at 11 will give more political cover for Republicans in voting for the cloture vote. The deal would be added as an amendment to the Reid bill which is a wish list for gun control advocates."

     "If the vote to proceed is successful, the Senate is expected to spend the remainder of April debating and voting on a bill that would expand the gun background-check system, make gun trafficking a federal crime for the first time and provide $40 million in federal funding to help revamp school security programs."

    "Senators of both parties would be permitted to introduce related amendments, including plans to establish an online portal for background checks, and to provide more federal funding for mental health programs assisting military veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Reid has also promised votes on proposals to ban military-style assault weapons and to limit the size of ammunition clips, but supporters expect those amendments to fail."

      No doubt some of these measures are considered long shots-particularly a ban on so-called "assault weapons." However, that this will actually come to "an actual floor debate and vote is a major achievement.  While many are still very impressed with the power and reach of the NRA, Rachel Maddow was arguing last night that the gun control group of Mayors has shown itself to be quite formidable too, and their reach may have been part of this victory. Despite the absurd comments yesterday from Oklahoma Senator Inhofe that gun control is not about Newtown's families
  
     http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/sen-inhofe-gun-debate-has-nothing-to-do

   -the families are just dupes to the President, this development shows that gun control will have its day of reckoning. 

    UPDATE:  Greg Sargent sees this as a real breakthrough as both Toomey and Manchin are from strong gun states. It would seem that there's no plenty of cover at least for background checks now. Toomey certainly makes sense on this:

      “I don’t consider criminal background checks to be gun control,” Toomey said. “I think it’s just common sense.” Toomey added that current national law, and the one that exists in Pennsylvania “have done nothing to restrain the lawful ownership of guns by law-abiding citizens.”

      “Common ground rests on a simple premise,” Toomey continued. “And that is that criminals and the mentally ill shouldn’t have guns. I don’t know anyone who disagrees with that premise.”

     http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/04/10/a-big-big-step-forward-on-gun-control/