Score one for House Democrats if you love political theater.
As I write this, House Democrats are conducting a sit-in for the purpose of shaming Republicans into passing more gun control legislation namely expanded background checks and the “no fly, no buy” rule.
The fact that this effort is being led by John Lewis is a brilliant stroke. Who better to lead a sit-in on the floor of the House of Representatives than the man who nearly lost his life on the Edmund Pettus bridge more than half a century ago?
The mainstream media loves this story. I just saw CNN’s Brooke Baldwin berate Florida Republican Congressman David Jolly for “nothing being done” about gun control. I’m not sure why Baldwin doesn’t just wear a Hillary 2016 button. The mainstream media would much rather cover this than draw attention to the fact that ISIS is planning more attacks in this country, gun laws or no gun laws.
This is a win-win for House Democrats especially if this lasts a week or so. If the sit-in is ended without the passage of any new gun control laws, the mainstream media casts Paul Ryan as a bigger villain than Donald Trump or Omar Mateen. If the sit-in manages to get enough Republican on board to produce new gun legislation, the media will hail that “finally something has been done” and John Lewis will be portrayed as the man who defeated the NRA.
Assuming the latter comes to pass, it will only be a matter of time before we have yet another mass shooting which none of those newly passed laws would have prevented. Of course, that won’t stop the same voices who are sitting on the floor of the House today from chiding Republicans for having done nothing.
If Democrats want to talk about doing nothing by all means. Because I can guarantee, despite all the bells and whistles, that nothing they are doing today will save one life from gun violence.
