Ted Lieu To NRA: Please Give Me An "F"

The DCCC has been recruiting-- not just supporting-- NRA allies. Jeff Van Drew (Blue Dog-NJ), Anthony Brindisi (Blue Dog-NY), Ann Kirkpatrick (New Dem-AZ), Lauren Baer (New Dem-FL) and Paul Davis (Blue Dog-KS) are all NRA/DCCC candidates. There are others in Congress already who have had long records backing the NRA and, of course, the DCCC backs them too-- from Henry Cuellar (Blue Dog-TX) to Darren Soto (New Dem-FL). Ann Kirkpatrick is running for Congress again. A conservative shit head, she was once the NRA's top ally in Congress. As Mother Jones reported last month, "When the National Rifle Association kicked off its annual conference in Phoenix in 2009, Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, a first-term Democrat whose district covered an Illinois-sized swath of rural Arizona, welcomed its members with open arms. 'I am proud that my state is hosting the group that has protected that right for 138 years,' she said in a statement. 'This is a chance for Arizonans to show our nation’s leaders we will not let them take away our freedoms.' Kirkpatrick walked the walk, too; earlier that year she had written to Attorney General Eric Holder asking him to shelve a proposal to reinstate the assault weapons ban. When she ran for reelection one year later, she boasted of an A-rating from the NRA." Here are the half dozen Democrats still serving in Congress who have taken the most from the NRA:

Other Democrats try to fudge the issue by whining that they back stricter background checks or higher age limits. Democrats who want to oppose the NRA agenda for real oppose the manufacture and sale of assault weapons to civilians. Ellen Lipton (D-OH), for example: "I back an assault weapons ban. I grew up in Alabama, and I understand hunters. Assault weapons are not for hunting." Duwayne Gregory is running for a red-leaning seat on Long Island occupied by Peter King-- but he didn't hesitate: "I would definitely support a ban on assault weapons!" Same with Randy Bryce, the progressive candidate who chased Paul Ryan out of Congress: "I would back it. The .223 round is designed to ricochet once it penetrates the body. I'll never forget being taught that in basic training." Alan Grayson has memories of Ryan too. He reminded me that when he was in the House he had already worked on a bill to ban assault weapons. "I introduced a one-sentence bill to accomplish that. I called it the Freedom From Fear Act, HR 5615. The wording was very clear and Grayson's co-sponsor was Barbara Lee (D-CA): "To reinstate the ban on semiautomatic assault weapons." Boom! That's it. Paul Ryan buried it in the House Judiciary Committee and refused to ever allow a vote on it. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez doesn't leave any doubt where she will stand when she's in Congress: "Yes, I unequivocally support an assault weapons ban. Military weapons have no place on our streets."

This week the NRA sent out candidate questionnaires to menbers of Congress. Every Democrat should do something like what Ted Lieu did. He invited them to give him an "F" and asked them about their money-laundering operation for Putin on behalf of Trump. He filled out their questionnaire and added a note: "Why haven’t you answered my letter asking you to clarify your links to the Kremlin? Also, please give me a 'F' rating." Ted is the regional vice chairman of the DCCC for the West Coast, but he doesn't seem in synch with them all that much.

Here at Blue America we're trying to persuade Ted to run for speaker if Pelosi decides not to and not just let this crucial post slip into the hands of corrupt conservatism. As I mentioned Wednesday, if you want to help persuade him. Click on that thermometer on the right. If you contribute to Blue America's IE PAC, we can collect any amount of money-- the way Republicans do. The Blue Momentum PAC (still listed as the LIEU PAC) is Ted's leadership PAC. You already know that Ted's own fund-raising page doesn't accept anything over $2,700. That helps his own reelection objectives. The LIEU PAC helps him contribute to other candidates (but not himself). Take a look at the new ActBlue page, The ProgressiveSpeakerFund. Please chip in what you can. And... if you know any millionaires...