Kentucky Senator Rand Paul got plenty of positive pub (and no shortage of criticism, some from the old bulls in his own party) in the wake of his 13-hour-long old fashioned filibuster of the nomination of John Brennan to head the CIA earlier this month. It was the administration’s sketchy drone policy that had Paul exercised enough to take control of the debate. He wanted assurances from the Attorney General that drones wouldn’t be used to kill terrorism suspects if they’re US citizens. As effective as his Senate floor talkfest was, Paul sees another vote coming down the pike that’s every bit as filibuster worthy: gun control . . .
Let the harrumphing begin, beginning with washingtonpost.com:
The Senate’s leading conservative trio — Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) – are threatening to filibuster the Senate Democrats’ gun violence legislation slated for consideration next month, leaving open the possibility of marathon speeches in the mold of Paul’s nearly 13-hour filibuster on the CIA’s drone policy.
The senators sent a brief letter to Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) outlining their opposition to “any legislation that would infringe on the American people’s constitutional right to bear arms,” signaling they will oppose the procedural vote to begin debate on the gun package when the Senate returns from its current two-week spring break.
Senate majority leader Harry Reid, who’s hasn’t actually been seen smiling in public in over nine years, isn’t pleased by the news.
Reid announced last week that he was cobbling together several of the proposals approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this month into one legislative package that will be debated on the floor for several weeks. Those proposals include a Democratic draft of a new universal background check on all legal gun purchases; school safety provisions; tougher new federal laws on gun trafficking.
When Happy Harry caught wind of the impending clog in the legislative sausage-making machinery, he unleashed one of his attack dogs to yap at the effrontery of the three obstructionists.
“It’s outrageous that these senators are unwilling to even engage in a debate over gun violence in America. No matter your opinion on this issue, we should all be able to agree with President Obama when he said that the children and teachers of Newtown, along with all other Americans who have been victims of gun violence, at least deserve a vote,” said Adam Jentleson, Reid’s spokesman.
Come on, guys, it’s for the children. The president says so!
Look for another torrent of #standwithrand tweets from 2A supporters around the gunosphere when the Tea Party fave takes the floor. Who says the US Senate isn’t still the World’s Greatest Deliberative Body?