A modest proposal for the President: Invite Rep. Carolyn McCarthy to the White House

[CTyankee]

(and others in the House and Senate who could be helpful) to discuss measures our legislators at the federal level can suggest in the wake of Newtown.

A show of support for some of the ideas that Rep. McCarthy has been advocating is long overdue.

I'm not talking about "window dressing" here. There must be real proposals discussed.

Get started.

[DanM]

1. Morally pleasing, but realistically polarizing. Carolyn should . . .

. . . remain in the background, advising, but let her colleagues who are lower on gun owners' radar be on the front lines.

[CTyankee]

2. Why should most of us "care" what the gun owners' radar is or isn't?

Why do THEY get to set the agenda, not the majority, the rest of us?

I will just bet you that more and more of her colleagues will be coming over to her side of the argument pretty soon if not right now...

[DanM]

3. One word: stealth. n/t

[CTyankee]

4. I get it: be vewy, vewy quiet and tiptoe in...

[PoliticalBiker]

6. Yes...

... use the republicraps trick... name the bill something innocuous and unrelated and place meaningful gun restrictions in it.

[CTyankee]

8. That's such a strange suggestion at this time and place when the people are

screaming for change. We are looking for bold action not the same old, same old. the past hasn't worked for us, haven't you noticed?

[Ken Burch]

14. Another word: misdirection.

Have Cong. McCarthy denounce whatever bill gets drafted as "a sellout to the NRA".

[Atypical Liberal]

5. No. You need someone on this issue who really knows what they are talking about.

McCarthy does not.

This fight is going to be hard enough to win with full credibility.

[CTyankee]

7. So she has nothing to say about this issue?

I know you and others in the gun group don't like her and never have but she is outspoken on this issue and a member of Congress. So, like it or not, she is one of the spokespersons and she'll be joined by others.

I suggest you get past these old, old arguments against her and start looking at what is going on around you. Your old stuff is WAY past its sell date.

[Atypical Liberal]

9. Being outspoken and a member of Congress doesn't increase your competence on an issue.

Unless she knows something about the objects she wants to legislate on she is a poor, poor spokesman.

For one thing, you will end up with someone crafting legislation, again, that does nothing to change the functionality of the firearms that are attempting to be regulated!

McCarthy was demonstrably ignorant on the issue. Maybe she has become more educated since then, but I'm skeptical.

But, hey! If you want people ignorant of firearms making the laws, go ahead! You'll end up with gun control that amounts to painting them a different color and calling it good, or something.

[CTyankee]

10. If that's all you got then we can move on, can't we?

If you need to be side stepped, then so be it. Enjoy your solitude. The rest of us have a job to do.

[Atypical Liberal]

11. Like I said, I hope you get some more competent people for the job.

Otherwise you'll end up with a shit law again.

[CTyankee]

12. Thank you for your concern. I'm sure she'll have plenty of help guide the poor dear.

We'll manage, somehow...

[Atypical Liberal]

13. I hope so, because Mrs. "Shoulder thing that goes up" obviously needs it.

We'll manage, somehow...

Hopefully it will be less of a fuck-up than the last AWB.

[obamanut2012]

15. She really isn't a good spokeperson for this

She is quite often factually wrong, no matter how compelling and tragic her loss was.

If anyone wants any good to come out of this tragedy, we need to deal in facts, as well as stop demonizing all gun owners. I think rael inroads can be made if this happens.

[CTyankee]

16. Well, I won't get hung up on her. there are others, tho not too many cuz they've been

scared away because of the power of the NRA. That will change, you can be sure. Then you won't have Ms. McCarthy to deal with as much as a whole bunch of new reformers.

As I said, we can step around this and go forward. The NRA is badly tarnished and it is only going to get worse.

I hope you will look around at the carnage, shake your head and ask some questions. I don't paint all pro-gun people with a broad brush but you have to look at the company you keep. There has to be some soul searching for the more thoughtful among that group and I suggest you get busy with it to the extent that you are involved..

I also hope we on the pro-gun sanity side will continue to gather strength in numbers and rid our government of the stench of gun extremists.