2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumGaby Giffords' Gun Control Group Endorses Two GOP Senators
http://time.com/4461211/gun-control-pat-toomey-mark-kirk-gabby-giffords/Gaby Giffords' Gun Control Group Endorses Two GOP Senators
The gun control group founded by Gabby Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, has endorsed two Republican Senators in tough re-election fights as it seeks to expand its outreach.
In an op-ed on CNN Monday, Americans for Responsible Solutions backed Sens. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Mark Kirk of Illinois, who are both facing tough re-election races in a year in which Democrats hope to regain control of the Senate.
The two sitting Senators voted in favor of gun control proposals after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, where 20 children were killed.
“In the wake of the tragedy at Sandy Hook, Republican Sens. Pat Toomey and Mark Kirk broke from the gun lobby and supported a bill to help prevent felons, domestic abusers and the dangerously mentally ill from obtaining firearms at gun shows and online,” wrote Giffords and Kelly in the op-ed.
As pointed out elsewhere on DU:
-Tammy Duckworth, Democrat, combat vet, lost both legs in Iraq. Pro-choice, pro-ACA, supports comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship for those in the country illegally, would admit 100,000 Syrian refugees into the United States. Rated 7% by the NRA, indicating a pro-gun control voting record.
-Katie McGinty, Democrat, has not held an elected office. Served as an environmental advisor to Vice President Al Gore and President Bill Clinton, pro-business, supports gay marriage, Affordable Care Act, she is also pro-choice. Scored 100% on CeaseFire Pennsylvania survey, Expanding state background checks to cover the private sale of long guns, Requiring background checks for ammunition sales, Requiring firearms dealers to tell the police when a customer fails a background check...
...Why should we (Democrats) support Republicans (who happen to have supported some gun control) over these Democrats?
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Eleanors38
(18,318 posts)
HoustonDave
(60 posts)Giffords' group is a single-issue group which grades candidates solely based on their positions on one topic, and party loyalty is a secondary consideration. The NRA is similar - they often endorse and give high ratings to pro-gun Democrats. I would guess in this case both of the Republicans are more fervent on the subject of gun control than many Democrats. (As a side note, it will be interesting to see in these races who the NRA will recommend! Neither candidate "fits their pistol".)
friendly_iconoclast
(15,333 posts)than Kirk and Toomey. Also, the following declaration is somewhat misleading:
That may, in fact, be true- but the two specific Democrats running against them
are at least as fervent, if not more so.
This is a stab in the back from a former Democratic Congressperson, and there is no good
way to spin this.
SaschaHM
(2,897 posts)Not because they endorsed republicans, but because if the Murphy/Lewis lead filibusters/sit-ins showed u anything, it's that when republicans hold the majority,the NRA controls the majority. Running as a Republican should be a black mark against anyone when it comes to receiving the endorsement of a gun-control group.
DemocraticWing
(1,290 posts)These groups care more about Washington money and power than the people they claim to be fighting for.
Recursion
(56,582 posts)Just kind of the nature of the beast. Disappointing, but not remotely unprecedented.
BobbyDrake
(2,542 posts)This is the kind of mindless partisan demonization that is ruining America.
friendly_iconoclast
(15,333 posts)...which is what Giffords and Kelly are doing
BobbyDrake
(2,542 posts)Going to be difficult if we let ass-backwards puritans attack them for coming around to our way of thinking.
