Feinstein Panders Her Best On Legislation That She Knows Will Never Pass
From The Week, Jeb Golinkin writes about the proposed assault weapons ban and Feinstein's using it to grease her coffers. And she isn't the only one. What pandering you find on the left, you also find Cruz-ing along on the right:
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is a very bright woman and a very good politician. When she proposed the new AWB, she knew there was a zero percent chance that it would become law. But she also knew that the people who voted for her are, by and large, anti-gun. More importantly, as the author of the original Brady Bill, Sen. Feinstein is widely viewed as the darling of the anti-gun movement and its allies. By proposing the AWB, Sen. Feinstein can tell all of the donors who care about the gun issue that she fought for the most aggressive legislation possible, and that she will keep fighting -- which will lead to more donations.Feinstein is not the only senator loving every second of coverage of the Senate's consideration of a bill that will literally never even get a vote in the House of Representatives. The most vocal members of the right are also loving it. Take Ted Cruz, for example. By now, you have probably seen the "heated" exchange between Feinstein and the fiery junior senator from Texas, in which Cruz lectures Feinstein about the Second Amendment and Feinstein snaps back that she is not a sixth grader. Well, that was gold, for both of the senators.
...So everyone wins, right? Wrong.
The biggest loser is the American people. Political symbolism has value, but there are too many problems that Congress might actually have the capacity to solve for our leaders to be spending all of their time focused on proposals both sides know will never make it to the president's desk. That applies to House Republicans (stop repealing ObamaCare, it's a waste of time) and Senate Democrats (stop wasting time on gun control measures you know will not pass). Our leaders must get out of the habit of wasting taxpayer resources drafting, amending, debating, and voting on legislation that has no chance of becoming law. Solve the problems you can, and save the individual wish lists for public speeches and your Maddow/Hannity appearances.
Assumes that the feds can actually solve problems and that the public is better off when more legislation becomes law.
Scott_K at March 18, 2013 1:17 AM
How can anyone take Sen. Feinstein seriously? She is a so dishonest in that she has a CA concealed carry permit that the average CA peasant has no chance of being issued. She is a member of the liberal ruling class that says do as I say not as I do.
fatfred at March 18, 2013 3:17 AM
She apparently no longer has a CA concealed carry permit -- but did.
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/273989-feinstein-doesnt-have-concealed-carry-permit-anymore
Amy Alkon at March 18, 2013 5:16 AM
I'm not awake yet, so I'll let this guy say it:
http://www.southmilwaukeenow.com/blogs/communityblogs/185355321.html
Amy Alkon at March 18, 2013 5:18 AM
"Our leaders must get out of the habit of wasting taxpayer resources drafting, amending, debating, and voting on legislation that has no chance of becoming law."
Unless they're going to spend their time repealing existing laws I'd prefer that they waste it on legislation that has no chance of becoming law. There are already too many laws.
Ken R at March 18, 2013 9:01 AM
I think Cruz is more knowledgeable about the Heller decision than Frankenfeinstein . . .
In the landmark case of District of Columbia v. Heller, Cruz drafted the amicus brief signed by attorneys general of 31 states, which said that the D.C. handgun ban should be struck down.[19] Cruz also presented oral argument for the amici states in the companion case to Heller before the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Jay J. Hector at March 18, 2013 2:55 PM
I'm going to leave this as rumor control that it is:
Supposedly once Feinstein became a member of Congress she also was able to be declared an Honorary U.S. Marshall which has an automatic federal CCW license attached. In addition, she can have the Secret Service as personal bodyguards.
So regardless -- the hypocrisy is there. The little people can't protect themselves with their weapon of choice, but being a high and mighty congress critter gives you the right.
Jim P. at March 18, 2013 7:54 PM
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