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Drunken Irishman

(34,857 posts)

162. That's the problem. Many politicians aren't ready to stand up for what is right...

Sun Jan 20, 2013, 05:24 PM

Jan 2013

Too many politicians vote on how they think their constituents want them to vote instead of voting on what they believe is right. If Franken truly believes the assault-weapons ban is not good policy, fine, let's hear his reasons. But this bullshit that his constituents won't support it, therefore he might not support it, is an absolute cop out. So, if his constituents didn't support desegregation ... he wouldn't support it, either?

True. Politicians are there to represent us. But sometimes they're also there to make tough decisions ... that maybe many of us disagree with.

What's the point of having elected officials if they're just going to vote the way they think their voters would vote? That's not leadership. So, let's not call 'em leaders then. Could you imagine if that line of thought existed for many who voted for the Civil Rights Act in 1964? It would've never successfully passed...

Yeesh.

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Sen. Al Franken Raises Doubts About Support For Assault Weapons Ban [View all] DonViejo Jan 2013 OP

WWPWD? SHRED Jan 2013 #1

Somewhat serious answer? karynnj Jan 2013 #3

time for Minnesotans to get on the phone I guess ... rtassi Jan 2013 #4

Indeed. Undaunted Jan 2013 #66

Sounds like many of them already have do so Freddie Stubbs Jan 2013 #78

yes 2pooped2pop Jan 2013 #103

He's not Paul Wellstone WI_DEM Jan 2013 #8

I think because Paul was a friend, mentor and inspiration to Al. progressoid Jan 2013 #36

Wellstone would do what Franken is doing: listening to constituents johnfunk Jan 2013 #11

I wish posters would quote the original source OKNancy Jan 2013 #2

I agree davidpdx Jan 2013 #6

I usually do post the link to the original story, Nancy... DonViejo Jan 2013 #7

I know... you are a valued poster OKNancy Jan 2013 #17

There are about a dozen Democratic Senators that may oppose the AWB hack89 Jan 2013 #5

Don't support AWB? No money from me next time, Al. Get it from your CONSERVATIVE supporters. MotherPetrie Jan 2013 #9

Battle Stations! TOLL FREE! calimary Jan 2013 #10

Actually, "our" politicians dotymed Jan 2013 #12

Good point -- actually doing the job HIS VOTERS sent him there to do. An anomaly, sadly. gateley Jan 2013 #35

+1000 nt Mojorabbit Jan 2013 #82

Agreed. Good post. WhoWoodaKnew Jan 2013 #134

That's the problem. Many politicians aren't ready to stand up for what is right... Drunken Irishman Jan 2013 #162

Maybe he just thinks federal bans of any sort are a bad idea Ter Jan 2013 #13

ATF or FDA? DreWId Jan 2013 #74

IMO, yes Ter Jan 2013 #131

That really surprises me! daschess1987 Jan 2013 #14

How DARE he be undecided jberryhill Jan 2013 #15

Well said. Thanks. russspeakeasy Jan 2013 #28

As far as I can see it isn't saying one way or another /nt still_one Jan 2013 #16

Im sorry, but I do not agree James48 Jan 2013 #18

Well, maybe then butterflygirl Jan 2013 #45

I'm with ya, James. appal_jack Jan 2013 #52

The ban was just SO AWFUL when it was in effect! AlbertCat Jan 2013 #19

LOL. I bet it affects gun stores. Without "assault/tactical" weapons to pique yahoos' interests, Hoyt Jan 2013 #22

Perhaps he doesn't want to commit political suicide hack89 Jan 2013 #24

Perhaps he doesn't want to commit political suicide AlbertCat Jan 2013 #25

This line of thinking is why we got DOMA and the Iraq War... Drunken Irishman Jan 2013 #161

The question is not awfulness. krispos42 Jan 2013 #38

Now, every person that warned that Obama would be moving on gun control once he was elected for his AlbertCat Jan 2013 #50

I'm afraid it's not just the nut fringe minority NickB79 Jan 2013 #137

So: We Should Tailor Our Policies Down To The Level Of Gun Activist-Spawned Paranoia? Paladin Jan 2013 #141

No, that's not what I'm suggesting NickB79 Jan 2013 #142

Let Me Stop You, Right There. Paladin Jan 2013 #145

If they don't like/respect the law, lock them up for breaking it. Simple. nt SylviaD Jan 2013 #150

The for profit prison industry thanks you for your support FrodosPet Jan 2013 #160

So you don't believe in the rule of law? nt SylviaD Jan 2013 #164

I believe in the rule of law FrodosPet Jan 2013 #165

1000s of right wing gun nuts thank you for your opinions. nt SylviaD Jan 2013 #166

Well done. AWB ban only imposes cosmetic differences -- does not affect lethality. immoderate Jan 2013 #55

why does ANY congressman think assault weapons are fine? Are we in a civil war now? wordpix Jan 2013 #20

Midwestern Senators have to be careful on this. JVS Jan 2013 #21

Is there some benign purpose for assault weapons that I am not aware of? LibDemAlways Jan 2013 #23

It is merely a rifle hack89 Jan 2013 #26

A Bushmaster AR-15 .223 Is A "Hunting Rifle"....... Paladin Jan 2013 #29

Why not? Put a 5 round mag on it as required by law hack89 Jan 2013 #31

Your side is the one that's hung up on cosmetics. Paladin Jan 2013 #37

Would you ban the Mini-14? nt hack89 Jan 2013 #39

Aw, A Feeble Attempt At A Trick Question. How Sweet. Paladin Jan 2013 #47

Not a trick question. Merely shows the futility of banning weapons based on appearance. hack89 Jan 2013 #56

I like the wooden stock sir pball Jan 2013 #48

I use my AR-15 for shooting coyotes nick of time Jan 2013 #33

That is incredibly dangerous...and expensive. SunSeeker Jan 2013 #63

I've had the same box of .223 for years now. nick of time Jan 2013 #65

Claims that the AR-15 is used for hunting is NRA propaganda. SunSeeker Jan 2013 #67

Call bullshit all you want. nick of time Jan 2013 #70

I already answered your question. SunSeeker Jan 2013 #73

Have you even read my posts? nick of time Jan 2013 #76

He very well could be a troll, but nothing he is saying so far is wrong. Socal31 Jan 2013 #136

The .223 Rem. round is ideal NickB79 Jan 2013 #139

A .22LR is a piss-poor choice for shooting coyotes NickB79 Jan 2013 #138

I have never been concerned about an actual AWB passing hack89 Jan 2013 #34

What's So Surprising About This? Paladin Jan 2013 #41

I have been hearing that for years - not concerned hack89 Jan 2013 #42

Yeah, Keep That Optimistic Attitude, By All Means. Paladin Jan 2013 #46

You sound like those folks railing against Roe v Wade. hack89 Jan 2013 #58

Tell You What: Let's Talk About What I DON'T Sound Like. Paladin Jan 2013 #95

Yet I bet you and I see eye to eye on many progressive issues hack89 Jan 2013 #98

There you had a nice, respectful post going, something potentially constructive..... Paladin Jan 2013 #105

You really work hard at being offended, don't you? hack89 Jan 2013 #106

gee, you say that to all the girls BainsBane Jan 2013 #154

I unfortunately have been known to sink to the level of my opponents hack89 Jan 2013 #155

but what would you have to post about? BainsBane Jan 2013 #156

Does it matter? hack89 Jan 2013 #157

It is not "merely a rifle." SunSeeker Jan 2013 #64

There are many other rounds that are much more powerful then a 5.56mm hack89 Jan 2013 #69

You don't put a 30-round magazine on a deer rifle. SunSeeker Jan 2013 #71

So implement a ban on large mags. nt hack89 Jan 2013 #72

That too. SunSeeker Jan 2013 #75

So you want to ban all semi-automatic rifles? hack89 Jan 2013 #77

What do you mean "not military style"? nt SunSeeker Jan 2013 #83

There are many civilian semi-automatic weapons hack89 Jan 2013 #85

100-year-old rifles are not the problem. nt SunSeeker Jan 2013 #89

100 year old semi auto rifles work the same way as a modern semi auto rifle. nick of time Jan 2013 #92

They don't shoot with the same energy nor can you pop a 30-round mag in them. SunSeeker Jan 2013 #94

Not quite a 100 years old. nick of time Jan 2013 #99

That's talking about machine guns. SunSeeker Jan 2013 #100

Whatever. nick of time Jan 2013 #102

Link(s)? nt SunSeeker Jan 2013 #108

Here. nick of time Jan 2013 #110

Seeing that it's fed by a "detachable box magazine," it should be illegal, IMO. nt SunSeeker Jan 2013 #112

I won't disagree with you there. nick of time Jan 2013 #113

Did you happen to go to the pdf manual for that rifle? Prog_gun_owner Jan 2013 #146

I see you joined DU to troll this post. SunSeeker Jan 2013 #148

"They don't shoot with the same energy" EX500rider Jan 2013 #104

"BS"? Seriously? Well, here's your link. Can't believe you didn't already know about this.... SunSeeker Jan 2013 #107

Did I say it wasn't doable? EX500rider Jan 2013 #116

All assault rifles should be illegal for civilians to possess. SunSeeker Jan 2013 #118

That part is regulated as a machine gun NickB79 Jan 2013 #140

My step dad took a nail file to a 1940's German Luger Pistol. Prog_gun_owner Jan 2013 #147

Research the Remington Model 8 semi-auto rifle NickB79 Jan 2013 #144

Post removed Post removed Jan 2013 #149

I am talking about the technology being 100 years old. hack89 Jan 2013 #96

You are better off target shooting with 22lr and hunting with 30-06 Ash_F Jan 2013 #120

I disagree hack89 Jan 2013 #121

OK, then use .222 with the bolt action rifles with which they are common Ash_F Jan 2013 #122

It is perfect for target shooting and hunting hack89 Jan 2013 #123

Well for one thing, .223 doesn't have the killing power to bring down game(Deer and bigger) humanley Ash_F Jan 2013 #124

It is a varmint round - not everyone hunts larger game. hack89 Jan 2013 #125

It's popular because of military fetishism Ash_F Jan 2013 #126

Every rifle is basically a military rifle at heart hack89 Jan 2013 #127

it is also popular Duckhunter935 Jan 2013 #130

Self defense is about killing people krispos42 Jan 2013 #43

????? bongbong Jan 2013 #53

You should always keep the possibility of lethal force present in your mind NickB79 Jan 2013 #143

Not a gun advocate (wish we could live like UK or Japan) but nevertheless feel that you make good grantcart Jan 2013 #158

I feel the following. krispos42 Jan 2013 #159

That's the thing about the Constitution - rights aren't about needs. Why does any individual need 24601 Jan 2013 #152

Perhaps he wants to see the specifics of the bill before making a decision Marrah_G Jan 2013 #27

What you said. nick of time Jan 2013 #32

Sounds like Al is considering a run for higher office. Buzz Clik Jan 2013 #30

Sounds like he simply values his job sir pball Jan 2013 #51

Either way. As Rachel Maddow would say, "He is triangulating his position." Buzz Clik Jan 2013 #57

Or simply trying to keep his current one. He is up for reelection next year. Freddie Stubbs Jan 2013 #79

That's his choice but disappointing. Buzz Clik Jan 2013 #84

These new restriction are going to die the House anyway, so why Freddie Stubbs Jan 2013 #87

I think it's called leadership. Buzz Clik Jan 2013 #88

If enough Democrats in the Senate do this, there will be new 'leadership' in the Senate in 2015 Freddie Stubbs Jan 2013 #90

This is a bit circular, isn't it? Buzz Clik Jan 2013 #91

But what if his constituents are against what he believes in. nick of time Jan 2013 #93

Are they? Was Al Franken elected because he is known to be a capitulating centrist? Buzz Clik Jan 2013 #97

But that doesn't answer. nick of time Jan 2013 #101

He is under no such obligation. Buzz Clik Jan 2013 #109

He's under no such obligation to vote how his constituents want him to vote? nick of time Jan 2013 #111

Leaders lead. They don't take polls to make decisions. Buzz Clik Jan 2013 #114

You're seriously saying that elected leaders have no obligation nick of time Jan 2013 #115

Not all the time. How many times have I said this? Buzz Clik Jan 2013 #117

Ok. nick of time Jan 2013 #119

Sounds like everyone should contact Sen. Franken. nt Pale Blue Dot Jan 2013 #40

The message I'm getting from the pro assault weapons posters here is that LibDemAlways Jan 2013 #44

+1 forestpath Jan 2013 #54

An AWB ban does not make children safer in the classroom. immoderate Jan 2013 #59

This is why an AWB is tricky business Puzzledtraveller Jan 2013 #86

Supporters of that ban need to be better educated on the topic madville Jan 2013 #128

I have a handgun. I bought a 20 and a 30 round mag before the first AWB immoderate Jan 2013 #129

That's the most depressing thing I've heard so far today. SunSeeker Jan 2013 #49

The part of the effort that bothers me is the regulation around mental health Android3.14 Jan 2013 #60

Yes, it is very creepy. amandabeech Jan 2013 #163

Sen Franken has a lot of nerve Lurks Often Jan 2013 #61

Franken Clarifies: I Support A Reinstatement Of Assault Weapons Ban jeff47 Jan 2013 #62

Mr. SOPA moron himself. nt Comrade_McKenzie Jan 2013 #68

Not quite. His spokesperson didn't mzmolly Jan 2013 #80

Vague term, better to regulate actual things... Deep13 Jan 2013 #81

i thought he was more enlightened than that samsingh Jan 2013 #132

SamSingh... DonViejo Jan 2013 #133

oh - thank you - he is more enlightened! samsingh Jan 2013 #135

My support for Al Franken is at an end, and I will phone/email my MN friends. nt SylviaD Jan 2013 #151

I'll make sure to call Franken on Tuesday BainsBane Jan 2013 #153

Et tu, senator Franken? Politicub Jan 2013 #167

see post 132 above... DonViejo Jan 2013 #168

Has Franken lost his mind?! nt SylviaD Jan 2013 #169

It is a badly conceived law that won't accomplish a reduction in gun violence aikoaiko Mar 2013 #170