Showdown At the OK Corral... Tomorrow

Well... the Senate is finally taking up some gun legislation. Sort of. First comes an attempt to cut off the Republican filibuster. Several of the NRA's biggest whores-- Ted Cruz (R-TX), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Mike Lee (R-UT), Miss McConnell (R-KY), Rand Paul (R-KY-- announced they would filibuster any gun safety legislation no matter what it is. None of them had even read any proposals before they declared they would prevent the Senate from even debating the bill. But when 10 Republicans-- John McCain (AZ), Lindsey Graham (SC), Mark Kirk (IL), Johnny Isakson (GA), Tom Coburn (OK), Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Kelly Ayotte (NH), Jeff Flake (AZ), Dean Heller (NV), and Susan Collins (ME)-- declared they wouldn't be joining the kook brigade's filibuster, Reid was able to schedule a vote to get the ball rolling. Since just over 90% of Americans-- even including a majority of Republican voters-- want Congress to do something about gun violence, it should be a lot harder for Republicans to obstruct the proposals. But they appear to be more scared of the NRA threats to finance primaries than they are of the voters. Pat Toomey's and Joe Manchin's move to close the gun show loophole in background checks also moves the process along.

Reid needs 60 votes to overcome the filibuster and he appears to have them now, as long as the two worst Democrats on the issue (who also happened to be two of DC's most craven political cowards)-- Max Baucus and Mark Pryor-- don't defect at the last minute. It's more likely that Baucus and Pryor will vote for cloture (shutting down the filibuster) and then oppose the actual legislation itself. Expanded background checks and criminalization of gun trafficking appear to at least have a fighting chance; they are opposed by only 8% of Americans.

In 2012 the NRA spent $11,159,167 in independent campaigns. Almost all of it was wasted on right wing extremists like Todd Akin (R-MO), George Allen (R-VA), Rick Berg (R-ND), Pete Hoeskstra (R-MI), Connie Mack (R-FL), Josh Mandel (R-OH), Richard Mourdock (R-IN), Tommy Thompson (R-WI) and, of course, Mitt "Varmint Hunter" Romney. Each of those candidates lost his election to a Democrat, accounting for the vast bulk of the NRA campaign warchest. But the NRA also gave money directly to candidates. Below is a list of the 11 Republican senators who have declared they would filibuster tomorrow; the amount next to each name was the direct contribution between 2008 and 2012 from the NRA.

• Miss McConnell (R-KY)- $9,900
• Mike Lee (R-UT)- $2,500
• Ted Cruz (R-TX)- $9,900
• Rand Paul (R-KY)- 0
• Marco Rubio (R-FL)- 0
• Mike Enzi (R-WY)- $5,950
• Ron Johnson (R-WI)- $5,950
• Pat Roberts (R-KS)- $5,950
• Jim Risch (R-ID)- $4,950
• Mike Crapo (R-ID)- $5,950
• Dan Coats (R-IN)- the NRA has opposed Coats in the past and his agreement to filibuster for them is a sea change in the relationship.

The amendments to ban assault weapons and to limit the size of ammunition clips are expected to fail with lots of red state Democrats taking the opportunity to show the folks back home what cowards they are.

Beltway Miss