Marco Rubio. Shameless.
While President Obama was
attempting to shame lawmakers into not forgetting the Newtown massacre and into doing something about it, "to turn that heartbreak into something real," two more Republican senators were vowing to
block any gun legislation.
Before the president made his remarks today, a pair of Republican senators—Marco Rubio (Fla.) and Jim Inhofe (Okla.), announced that they have joined three of their GOP colleagues inpledging to oppose any gun control bill that violates the Second Amendment.
You'll remember that Sens. Rand Paul, Ted Cruz and Mike Lee
sent a letter to President Obama vowing to block any "any legislation that will serve as a vehicle for any additional gun restrictions" from Senate consideration. That's not just any bill that violates the Second Amendment. That's any gun restrictions at all. Now you know who are the five most shameless Republican senators.
Reid does have procedural options to bring the bill to the floor under the new rules adopted in January, but that requires cooperation from Mitch McConnell, and an agreement from him on limiting amendments to the bill to just two from each side. With this high-profile filibuster from five Republicans, it doesn't seem too likely he'll get that agreement. Nothing would prevent these five from filibustering the bill at any opportunity after it came to the floor, even if Reid and McConnell could reach an agreement.
So instead of having to stand on the Senate floor and speak for hours about why they care more about the NRA and the families of Newtown, the families of the thousands who've been killed by guns since that horrible day December, these shameless Republicans can painlessly block this bill. It doesn't have to be this way.
If you haven't already, please sign our petition to Harry Reid urging him to reopen rules reform.
