AWB and senate control?

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JBrady555

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I have a question since I don't fully understand our political system. Since Feinstein is in the senate and the senate is under democratic control does that mean that we can't stop her bill if all or a majority of Democrats support her? Republican house control wouldn't make a difference in this case would it? Sorry for such a dumb question. Thanks for any help.
 
There is a process it has to go through. Each bill has to be voted upon by the appropriate committee before it goes to the floor. The Senate Majority Leader sets the agenda, he decides what gets heard, and in what order. (If at all.) Harry Reid is the majority leader. And while I'm not (AT ALL) a fan of his, he has been very solidly pro-gun. Feinstein has wanted to do this for many years. She has introduced gun laws many times. They haven't gone anywhere.
 
If she gets a majority vote on it, it will pass in the senate. It will then go to the Republican-controlled house, where it will most likely die.

Her bill is so over the top, it's unlikely to even get enough support in the dem controlled senate. There are quite a few dem senators who are not guaranteed reelection like she is. Re-election is the sole motivator for 100% of congresscritters, so they will look to see how likely they are to retain a majority vote in their state if they vote for a given piece of legislation.

1996 wasn't that long ago. There are only two groups who remember how gun control measures were voted on after a couple of years, and vote accordingly. One of these groups is MUCH larger than the other.
 
Google bicameral legislature.

Simplified: a bill needs to be passed in the Senate and the House. Then it can be passed on to the president. Oftentimes the bills passed will be slightly different, in which case they need to go to committee, find a revised combination bill ("reconciliation"), and put it up for vote again.
 
Also remember, at least one staunchly pro-gun Senator WILL filibuster the bill IF it makes it out of committee. This means that there will be a "cloture" vote, which will require 60 votes (instead of the 51 simple majority) to close debate and finally vote on the bill.
 
If you follow politics closely, you know by now how strategic Reid is when it comes to the bills he allows to hit the floor for a vote. He essentially does not allow a Democrat bill to see a vote unless he's already counted up all the votes and knows it will pass. Doing this keeps him from ever technically standing on a losing side. Even if it is a bill he would love to pass, if it doesn't have the votes to pass, he won't let it see the floor lest his efforts be recorded as a failure. It's very cunning because doing this prevents votes being held against a candidate. Votes reveal each candidates loyalty and agenda. Either a Senator's loyalty is to his district voters or to the party. Voting for a gun control bill would be a very unpopular thing in many districts so he won't allow a vote in order to protect his flock from being punished for a futile vote on a failing bill. If he sends it out for a vote, you can bet that he know it will pass.
 
It's very cunning because doing this prevents votes being held against a candidate.
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While this is true, the net result is the same. Makes no difference to us if a bad bill is killed or never voted on to begin with, so long as it doesn't pass.

As well, it's not much secret who supports what. Just because they didn't get to vote on it doesn't mean we can't make an informed guess on how they would have voted.
 
There is also a rule in the Senate called "cloture". The cloture rule requires a miminum of 60 votes to bring a potential law to the Senate floor for a vote. Any senator has the ability to speak for or against a particular bill, and continue debate on it, until one side or the other votes to cut off debate, and bring the matter to a vote.

You've often heard the term "filibuster", and it's used when a senator threatens endless debate in order to keep an item from vote. If the majority leader doesn't believe he has the votes to cut off debate, he will then table the bill, which in turn, kills it. It requires a vote of three-fifths of duly appointed Senators to end debate.

There are exceptions to the cloture rule, and they usually involve appropriations bills, or bills coming out of joint conference committees (ironing out differences between House and Senate versions of the same bills). Presidential nominations for cabinet posts, judges, and justices, along with treaties, face cloture rules.

The Senate has a set of arcane rules, seemingly out of touch to a lot of folks.
 
I have a question since I don't fully understand our political system. Since Feinstein is in the senate and the senate is under democratic control does that mean that we can't stop her bill if all or a majority of Democrats support her? Republican house control wouldn't make a difference in this case would it? Sorry for such a dumb question. Thanks for any help.
Click to expand...

"I'm just a bill, here on capitol hill..."



http://vimeo.com/24334724

Yeah, it's a cartoon for kids, but it gives probably the most easily digestible breakdown of how a bill becomes law.

Dang, now I'm all nostalgic.
 
Your question has been answered about the bill but keep in mind given the political landscape obama could *try* an executive order (AKA EO) to further stymie 2A Rights. Not a great example but more about that here, and I'm sure you could find hundreds of posts just on that topic alone
 
While I found "Conjunction Junction" a bit of a catchier tune, "I'm Just a Bill" should be a sticky here! :)
 
Not even Feinstein expects her bill to pass as written. However, this is how the Democrats and the mainstream media define 'compromise'.

Think of it is a thug holding up a store. He threatens the owner and demands $1000. The owner doesn't want ot be hurt or killed, but he only has $500 in the register. The thug then accepts the $500, and the media treats it as if it was a 'compromise'.

Notice there is not one single dang thing in the bill that increases the rights of lawful citizens.
 
"Notice there is not single dang thing in the bill that increases the rights of lawful citizens."

Nor is there anything that would actually prevent a single murder or spree shooting. It will do nothing but infringe on our 2nd amen rights, and open the door to even more onerous legislation in the future.
 
Who needs the House and Senate? EXECUTIVE ORDER!! woot woot.....No guns for anybody! Trade in all your guns for a gift certificate to Wendy's for a frosty. :neener:
 
Man, that takes me back... Funny how I never really "got it". Also, note at 2:19 in the video - the reference to guns/hunting!

Now, to add to the original question sort of, are there any "tricks" Obama can use to squeak this through in case the bill can't make it on its own? I've heard of votes being snuck in (rumor?) and the possibility of an AWB being tagged onto a popular bill (such as the fiscal debate) to sneak them through (think fine print). What could happen out there?
 
the possibility of an AWB being tagged onto a popular bill (such as the fiscal debate) to sneak them through (think fine print).
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The republicans know they're getting blamed no matter what with the fiscal crisis, so they have no reason to let the dems put a rider on that should go through on it's own.
 
The bill has to also be brought up on the floor of the House by its Speaker. There are hurdles to be made in both the Senate and House.

The same bill is supposed to be introduced in both the House and Senate. So it thy get out of committee intact, they will be the same bills or the language will be the same.
 
Remember the Executive Order. This abuse of power could usurp any due process, and checks and balances in our political system. Obama has already used it to squash criminal inquiry into fast and furious.

Imagine what he has planned if the "New World Order" tyrannical disarmament of Americans gets hopelessly mired in the house/senate.

Care to take any bets?
 
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