$340,664... and countingAnn Kirkpatrick was once the staunchest NRA ally among congressional Democrats. Her rating was "A" and she was chosen to give the keynote address at their national convention. She cosponsored even their deadliest and most toxic legislation and she was rabid in her disdain for the Obama administration's mildest efforts to stop the murder-spree. Today, she's running for Congress again, whining to anyone who will listen that she's changed her blood-soaked ways. More on Kirkpatrick tonight. Meanwhile, she's not the only Democrat-- in the context of the March For Our Lives-- who are running frothier own (political) lives.Conservative Democrat Mark Warner (VA) has a long record as being an NRA ally, even if not as slavishly so as Kirkpatrick. Yesterday he was on Face the Nation singing a new tune from this week's top ten. "I think it’s time to change our positions and reexamine them, he stumbled all over himself. "I think it’s time for us to have a legitimate debate about restrictions on gun magazines and assault weapons."Warner was one of the only Senate Democrats who voted against a ban on assault-style weapons in 2013 after the NRA/GOP massacre at Sandy Hook. Of course the whole RepublicanParty was against the ban-- and still is. Yesterday, Ohio Governor Jon Kasich (R) was on State of the Union blaming Rick Saccone's loss of a blood red Republican seat in PA-18, the heart of Trump country, on the GOP clinging to its opposition to sane gun policies. "We've already seen what the public thinks, we saw [a Republican loss in] an election in Pennsylvania. I think people do want changes here." Ne also thinks elected officials should be held accountable at the ballot box for going along with party policies that are out of touch with the public. Buy the way, this Fox News poll, shows how the public feels about gun policies:Kasich plans to run against Trump in 2020 and who told the March For Our Lives activists "you've got to keep it up," also said he thinks "people should be held absolutely accountable at the ballot box." He said there are 3 types of politicians when it comes to the debate over guns in this country: "those that want no changes on guns; those people that think there ought to be significant changes even while we protect the Second Amendment; and the third group are a bunch of politicians who are afraid of their own shadow." (The NRA endorsed Kasich for reelection in 2014.)Since 1990, the NRA and other gun groups have spent $37,298,705 buying influence in Congress-- $32,361,024 to Republicans and $4,257,494 to Democrats. Among currently serving senators, there top 10 are all Republicans:
• John McCain (R-AZ)- $618,113• Ted Cruz (R-TX)- $463,157• Marco Rubio (R-FL)- $244,019• Rand Paul (R-KY)- $231,587• Ron Johnson (R-WY)- $190,998• John Thune (R-SD)- $181,215• John Cornyn (R-TX)- $174,325• Pat Toomey (R-PA)- $167,051• Roy Blunt (R-PA)- $143,543• Richard Burr (R-NC)- $124,550
The top recipients of contributions fromcurrently serving Democrats in the Senate were Joe Donnelly (IN-$22,400) and Joe Manchin (WV-$20,700). Among currently serving House members the big bucks flowed to these ten murder-complict congressmembers:
• Paul Ryan (R-WI)- $340,664• Don Young (R-AZ)- $197,272• Ken Calvert (R-CA)- $147,166• Steve Pearce (R-NM)- $129,250• Martha McSally (R-AZ)- $126,306• Pete Sessions (R-TX)- $126,276• Ed Royce (R-CA)- $109,120• Mike Coffman (R-CO)- $107,093• Bob Goodlatte (R-VA)- $105,550• Collin Peterson (Blue Dog-MN)- $99,000
Other than Peterson, all the Democrats who have taken big contributions from the gun industry have been defeated-- Nick Rahall (WV), Alan Mollohan (WV), Allen Boyd (FL), Ike Skelton (MO), Tim Holden (PA) and Rick Boucher (VA). This year, the NRA allies who have been recruited to run by the DCCC-- like Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ), Jeff Van Drew (NJ), Anthony Brindisi (NY) and Elaine Luria (VA)-- are too wily to accept any NRA money, at least so far. I hope someone tells the March For Our Lives activists about their records though. They, like Republicans, should be held accountable at the ballot box in November.
