Two polls released Monday show that vast majorities of Americans support new gun safety measures.
Hi. Welcome to On Politics, your guide to the day in national politics. I'm Lisa Lerer, your host. |
We're celebrating a milestone today — our 500,000th subscriber! Thanks to Ay Cosita Linda, an accessories company in Panama, for throwing us over the half-million mark. (P.S.: The notebooks look amazing.) |
Have a friend who can't stop talking about Mayor Pete? A sister consumed by her obsession with the electoral map? A MAGA-hat-wearing brother-in-law? Sign them up here to get On Politics in their inbox. |
Vast majorities of Americans — Democrats and Republicans, men and women — support stricter gun laws, the polls found. |
They're even open to the kinds of programs once considered dead on arrival in political circles, including banning sales of military-style assault weapons and creating a mandatory federal buyback program for those weapons. |
So, the politics of guns are shifting. They might even be — dare I say it? — at an inflection point. |
But are they changing enough to prompt action when Congress returns to Washington this week? |
I'm pretty skeptical. And, privately, so are a number of advocates working on this issue, who are fighting for legislation but keeping their sights firmly on the 2020 election. |
"The level of fear can't help but permeate the most hidebound Republican politician on a personal level," said Peter Ambler, executive director of Giffords, a gun-safety advocacy group that released a video on Monday featuring the top Democratic presidential candidates calling for action on gun violence in schools. "But I think as a political establishment, the Republicans seem absolutely unable to evolve as politicians." |
Here, it is important to pause and distinguish between, as Mayor Pete Buttigieg recently described in an interview with my colleague Reid Epstein, "Republican human beings" and "Republicans elected to office." |
Republican voters are open to stricter gun control. But official Republicans? The picture is more complicated. |
Yes, a number of Republican politicians say they're now open to gun control laws. On Friday, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick of Texas, a staunch defender of gun rights, publicly endorsed expanding the state's background checks. Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio released a plan to expand background checks. And there has been some chatter among Republicans in the Senate about various proposals, with some warning that if they don't take some action soon, the country could end up with far broader restrictions later on. |
But the decision about whether to move forward with new proposals in Washington largely rests with one man: President Trump. Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, has indicated some openness to action but has said he won't move without a commitment from the White House. |
"The president needs to step up here and set some guidelines for what he would do," Senator Roy Blunt, Republican of Missouri, said on Sunday, before mentioning proposals that would expand "things we could do with more early mental health help." |
After initially voicing support for "very meaningful background checks," Mr. Trump appears to have softened his resolve after a visit from the head of the National Rifle Association. His campaign has warned that supporting gun control measures would be unpopular with his base. And it remains unclear whether his chaotic White House has the capacity to shepherd major bipartisan legislation through Congress — even if the president wanted to move forward with a plan. |
The bottom line: Nobody expects any real movement in Washington until at least 2021. |
We want to hear from our readers. Have a question? We'll try to answer it. Have a comment? We're all ears. Email us at onpolitics@nytimes.com. |
Warren wades into a Texas standoff |
 | | Jessica Cisneros won an endorsement from Elizabeth Warren in her House race in Texas.Callaghan O'Hare for The New York Times |
|
Senator Elizabeth Warren weighed into a contentious primary battle in Texas on Monday in an effort to flash her progressive credentials ahead of the third Democratic debate this week. |
Ms. Warren endorsed Jessica Cisneros, a millennial native of South Texas and an immigration lawyer, who is mounting a primary challenge to Henry Cuellar, an eight-term congressman. |
"The people of Texas' 28th district are ready for systematic change and deserve a Democrat that will be on the side of working people; not the side of big money and obstructionist Republicans," Ms. Warren said in a statement. "I believe Jessica Cisneros is that fighter." |
The endorsement comes at a time when Democratic moderates and more progressive candidates are locked in a struggle to define the party's identity. It's a theme that is likely to play out well into 2020 — and it'll be highlighted more vividly than ever on Thursday night, when Ms. Warren will appear next to former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on a debate stage for the first time. |
After Ms. Cisneros gained support from Justice Democrats, a progressive group that helped elect Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, the race in Texas' 28th Congressional District became another stage for the left-center battle within the party. |
While Ms. Warren's endorsement will surely benefit Ms. Cisneros's campaign, it may also help Ms. Warren's own effort to define herself as the voice for progressive candidates, not only on a national stage but on a local one as well. |
Join us for an evening devoted to understanding this historic campaign, and understanding how to enjoy yourself as you follow along. |
You'll hear from New York Times political reporters Jennifer Medina, Matt Flegenheimer, Katie Glueck and Astead Herndon about the state of the race. And Kim Severson, a Southern-based correspondent who covers the nation's food culture, and national political correspondent Jonathan Martin will discuss two very important things that often go together: food and politics. Hosted by deputy politics editor Rachel Dry at the 2019 Texas Tribune Festival. |
Friday, Sept. 27, 7 p.m., Stateside at the Paramount, 719 Congress Avenue, Austin, Tex. |
The University of Tennessee lost its first two football games to Georgia State and B.Y.U. But, hey, they now have a heartwarming, handmade shirt! (Seriously, though, it's a cool shirt. Fourth-grade artists rule.) |
Thanks for reading. Politics is more than what goes on inside the White House. On Politics brings you the people, issues and ideas reshaping our world. |
Is there anything you think we're missing? Anything you want to see more of? We'd love to hear from you. Email us at onpolitics@nytimes.com. |
沒有留言:
張貼留言