March 2010

Reporters Not Getting It

ArchPundit March 3, 2010 0 Comment

I’m kind of surprised McDermott wrote this:

This will get a lot of ink tomorrow, but here’s some perpective: Illinois politics is as divided by regional culture as by party, and the House Ag & Conservation Committee is heavily populated with rural downstaters, who tend to be pro-gun regardless of party affiliation.

Next stop is the full House, which is controlled by Chicago Democrats like Hamos, who are overwhelmingly anti-gun — and who are unlikely to even let this come to a floor vote unless they’re sure they can defeat it.

(Case in point: At the same time the House committee was passing the measure today, a committee of the Senate — also controlled by Chicago Dems — was sticking a similar conceal-carry measure into a subcommittee, which is often code for, “kill it.” We’ll see.)

This same committee has passed a concealed carry bill at least 3 times and probably more.  It’s nothing more than political theater.  It will never get to the floor because it will die in Rules and not just because of Chicago Democrats.  Suburban Republicans don’t want to have to vote on the bill and certainly Cross doesn’t want it brought up anymore than Madigan.  They won’t let it come to a vote on the floor regardless of whether they can defeat it. That’s the whole point of putting it in the Ag Committee.  It’s largely full of pro-gun Rs and Ds and so they get to go home and say they voted for concealed carry and those in areas where it’s a tough vote never have to see the bill. The only people the bill matters too get to vote on it and use it in their reelection campaigns.  Everyone else gets to ignore it.

Same stuff, different day.

Every time I write this I get some dimbulb in arguing the merits of concealed carry and how it really might pass this year because of the strength of their reasoning ability.  Bullcrap.  It’s a bill designed to protect incumbents on both sides of the issue and meant to never see the light of day.  If those backing concealed carry don’t see that, well, that explains their level of success over the years doesn’t it?

I don’t mind that reporters have to play things evenhanded about an issue, but this kind of reporting is ridiculous.  Everyone with any clues knows this game–we’ve seen it for years on this issue alone.  No one should pretend this is a serious bill–it misrepresents the situation to readers.

Durbin is on Board for the Public Option Through Reconciliation

ArchPundit March 1, 2010 0 Comment

Fantastic:

Five leading Democrats–including Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin–have publicly announced that they will vote for a public option if it’s offered up during the budget reconciliation process, where legislation can pass with a majority vote.

“Sen. Durbin has long been a supporter of the public option,” reads a statement from Durbin spokesman Joe Shoemaker to the progressive groups Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Democracy for America, and Credo. “I don’t know whether the votes exist in the Senate right now, but if the House version of the public option came up for a vote in reconciliation Sen. Durbin would vote yes.”

I don’t think there was much of a question about whether he was willing, but whether he would go on record.  As second in leadership for the Dems in the Senate this is a strong message.  The last 21 will be tough, but it’s a possibility.