The Speaker of the House, Democrat Nancy Pelosi of California, put credit where it was due when asked about the lack of gun control legislation passed through Congress.
When a reporter asked Pelosi if she had regrets about not calling the House back from recess early to tackle gun control in the wake of more mass shootings and acts of White nationalist domestic terrorism she put the reporter in her place reminding her that the House has in fact passed gun control legislation and that her question was better asked of Senate Majority Leader McConnell.
Pelosi replied:
"Members [of Congress] had events all over the country [during the recess] to ask [the Senate] to bring up the bill. Don’t ask me what we haven’t done. We have done it."
"And if you are annoyed with my impatience, it’s because people are dying because Sen. McConnell hasn’t acted. Why don’t you go ask him if he has any regrets for all the people who died because he hasn’t?"
Watch Pelosi's remarks here:
McConnell, of course, has claimed his failure to bring any legislation forward was not due to obstruction, as he has often bragged of in the past with President Barack Obama, but rather because he intends only to advance legislation that President Donald Trump will sign.
However, the Constitution is not designed to have the executive branch pre-approve legislation.
Under the US Constitution, the legislative branch creates legislation as they decide it is needed regardless of presidential approval. If the President refuses to sign it—vetoes it, Congress can override his veto.
McConnell's model of the Senate as a body which only considers or approves bills given the green light by Trump effectively puts Trump in charge of all legislation. McConnell's model destroys the checks and balances set forth in the Constitution between the legislative and executive branches.
With McConnell's obstruction of all court nominees by President Obama and his push to get all of Trump's picks approved, some would say McConnell also worked to destroy the balance with the judicial branch as well. The Kentucky Republican boasted of his ability to obstruct anything President Obama proposed, most famously the Supreme Court nomination of Merrick Garland.
People agreed with Pelosi's assessment of why the lack of effective gun control legislation rested solely with McConnell.
Trump and McConnell's ties to the National Rifle Association were also a bone of contention with many. In 2018, financial disclosures put NRA donations to McConnell's coffers at $1,261,874.
The top 75 recipients of NRA funds were all members of the GOP. The first Democrat on the list received only $49,496 compared to the millions given to Republicans.
The fact the GOP controls the Senate and refused to pass gun control was not lost on the public.
Mitch McConnell joined the Senate in 1985—34 years ago—the Kentucky Senator faces reelection in 2020. His main challenger is retired US Marine Corps Lt. Col. Amy McGrath.
According to her website, McGrath's campaign slogan is:
"ANTI-CORRUPTION. ANTI-OBSTRUCTION. ANTI-B.S."
As of Wednesday, September 11, 2019, the 2020 election is 418 days away.
Think it's time to ditch Mitch? This shirt is available here.
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