Ever since Congress found itself confronted with a White House whose occupants had behaved in a criminal fashion and has thrown Richard Nixon out of office, a succession of Congressional Republicans have devoted themselves to retaliation. “Polarization” emerged gradually during the Carter presidency and by 1994, Congress was fully engaged in infighting.
Now Congress is being ridiculous …not to mention careless and deadly.
We have come a long way in the debate on gun safety. Well, actually we haven’t come anywhere at all. But we’ve certainly talked a lot.
And the lines have just hardened. Last week President Obama announced a teeny, weeny executive action to close a few loopholes in the background check laws. Republicans acted as if he’d introduced an Act for the Poisoning of School Lunch.
Ted Cruz posted a picture of the president, wearing a military helmet and practically snarling, with the headline “Obama Wants Your Guns.” Marco Rubio said it was just “one more way to make it harder for law-abiding people … to be able to protect their families.”
The current presidential campaign, as you may have noticed, is all about fear and terror. The gun lobby has been stupendously successful in arguing that the best way to protect ourselves from violence is to have the entire population packing heat. ...GailCollins,NYT
Two American senators. Two American senators who are running for president!
Cross posted from Prairie Weather
graphic via shutterstock.com