I keep hearing that if the Democrats get rid of the filibuster they’ll be able to pass sensible gun safety regulations. I guess they are assuming there will be at least one Republican who will vote with the Democrats because there is no way in hell this guy is going to do it:
As I wrote in the post below, there was a time when some Republicans would join with the Democrats on this issue. In the past they got as close as 58 votes, which included a handful of GOPers but were unable to get to 60.
That was then. The Republican Party is now fully radicalized and unfettered gun rights are at the center of everything they believe in. Who among them do you see stepping up to vote for gun regulation once the Democrats nuke the filibuster. Which ones will defy Mitch McConnell’s daily threats to turn the Senate into “nuclear winter”? Which ones will defy the inevitable threats from Donald Trump?
Gun rights are the beating heart of the modern Republican party, now more than ever. I will be shocked if we are able to move on this issue in this 50-50 congress.