Democratic congressmen were officially urged to offer only 'thoughts/prayers' after the Las Vegas shooting


After 58 people were killed last year in a shooting in Las Vegas, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's press secretary for the northeast region sent out an all-caps warning: "DO NOT POLITICIZE IT TODAY," Evan Lukaske wrote to lawmakers in the email. He added: "There will be time for politics and policy discussion, but any message today should be on offering thoughts/prayers for victims and their families and thanking first responders who saved lives."
The email, published by HuffPost, has stirred up anger among progressives who see the DCCC's approach as out of step. Mark Glaze of Guns Down went as far as to blast the DCCC's advice as "straight out of the NRA's talking points."
Some Democratic lawmakers have even done the opposite of the DCCC's advice in the wake of shootings, with many skewering Republicans for offering "thoughts and prayers" in lieu of substantial policy reforms.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"The DCCC would not say whether it sent candidates similar guidance after the Parkland shooting," HuffPost writes, although the DCCC's communications director, Meredith Kelly, "said the group, which is responsible for getting Democrats elected to the House, continues to caution candidates to consider their words carefully in the immediate aftermath of major national tragedies."
"If the DCCC is willing to give up a key issue and offend virtually every Democrat so as not to bother eight Independents in rural Missouri, they're even more incompetent than we thought," said Glaze, "and Democrats should be very worried about the midterms." Read the entire report here.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
How clean-air efforts may have exacerbated global warming
Under the Radar Air pollution artificially cooled the Earth, ‘masking’ extent of temperature increase
-
September 14 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include RFK Jr on the hook, the destruction of discourse, and more
-
Air strikes in the Caribbean: Trump’s murky narco-war
Talking Point Drug cartels ‘don’t follow Marquess of Queensberry Rules’, but US military air strikes on speedboats rely on strained interpretation of ‘invasion’
-
2 kids killed in shooting at Catholic school mass
Speed Read 17 others were wounded during a morning mass at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis
-
Australian woman found guilty of mushroom murders
speed read Erin Patterson murdered three of her ex-husband's relatives by serving them toxic death cap mushrooms
-
Combs convicted on 2 of 5 charges, denied bail
Speed Read Sean 'Diddy' Combs was acquitted of the more serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking
-
Sniper kills 2 Idaho firefighters in ambush
Speed Read A man started a wildfire, then fired a rifle at first responders when they arrived
-
Weinstein convicted of sex crime in retrial
Speed Read The New York jury delivered a mixed and partial verdict at the disgraced Hollywood producer's retrial
-
'King of the Hill' actor shot dead outside home
speed read Jonathan Joss was fatally shot by a neighbor who was 'yelling violent homophobic slurs,' says his husband
-
DOJ, Boulder police outline attacker's confession
speed read Mohamed Sabry Soliman planned the attack for a year and 'wanted them all to die'
-
Assailant burns Jewish pedestrians in Boulder
speed read Eight people from the Jewish group were hospitalized after a man threw Molotov cocktails in a 'targeted act of violence'