5 reasons gun control is headed for defeat in Congress
Even 90 percent support among Americans can't save a bipartisan proposal to enhance gun sale background checks
Sens. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), the two sponsors of the bipartisan gun background check legislation coming to a vote this afternoon, admit they don't have the votes for passage.
But why would a proposal with near 90 percent support of the American public fail?
Here are five reasons:
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1. Senators knew the bill would likely be killed in the GOP-controlled House of Representatives. Most senators are averse to making risky votes but no one will stick their neck out when they know the bill isn't going anywhere.
2. The proposal needed more than a majority to pass in the Senate. Thanks to Senate rules, you need 60 votes to break a filibuster.
3. A majority of Americans in a poll isn't the same thing as a majority in Congress. Despite what you might have learned in grade school, our political system isn't really representative of the population. The Senate gives much more power to those who live in rural areas over those who reside in cities.
4. Unless there is a public backlash against Congress for supporting a popular proposal, special interests with influence like the National Rifle Association will continue to drive the agenda on Capitol Hill.
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5. President Obama is too polarizing on the issue of gun control. As we've seen time and again over the last four years, the president's vocal support of an issue is usually enough to galvanize the opposition.
But don't be too disheartened if you were a supporter of the bill. As Jonathan Chait notes, "Our political system is still way better than North Korea's."
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Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political websites. He also runs Wonk Wire and the Political Dictionary. Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and COO of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. senator and governor. Goddard is also co-author of You Won — Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including The Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Christian Science Monitor. Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
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