“Speaker Kevin McCarthy will hold a March 29 fundraiser for Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), the co-chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus and a leading House GOP moderate,” Punchbowl News reported on Feb. 24. “Tickets are going for between $500 and $2,500.”
By way of reporting creds, the political news site claims it “is a membership-based news community founded by journalists and best-selling authors Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer, and co-founded by veteran Capitol Hill reporter John Bresnahan. Punchbowl is the Secret Service nickname for the Capitol. Our credo is Power, People, Politics.”
By way of a caveat and in the interests of full disclosure, while the report seems credible, AmmoLand News has unsuccessfully explored several different avenues trying to independently confirm the fundraiser. At this writing, two other outlets have reported on it, the American Firearms Association and the Washington Examiner, but aside from that, various inquiries and internet searches have come up empty.
That said, such an event would pose a serious disconnect between what the GOP leadership says and what it does, and that McCarthy has not responded to inquiries from multiple sources makes it a fair topic to bring to the attention of activist gun owners. Because as far as they are concerned, Fitzpatrick is a leader in the problem causers caucus, having been endorsed by the Giffords gun control group for his anti-Second Amendment extremism, including enthusiastically supporting the quest for their unholy grail, a so-called “assault weapons” ban. Among other infringements, Fitzpatrick is also leading the charge for registration and confiscation-enabling “background checks,” and a sponsor for the “Closing the Bump-Stock Loophole Act,” and for “closing the Boyfriend Loophole.”
Because “Believe Women,” right?
And per The New York Times via Buffalo News, “Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., received an F [from NRA].”
That makes it fair to ask why Kevin McCarthy, the beneficiary of an A+ rating and endorsement from the National Rifle Association’s Political Victory Fund, is reportedly going out of his way to raise major bucks for someone who is undermining everything about the Second Amendment we’re told he believes in.
“McCarthy is a staunch defender of the Second Amendment and will stand strong against Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi’s radical gun control agenda,” NRA gushes. Meanwhile, Fitzpatrick will stand strong for it.
“Supports Self-Defense … Opposes Government Confiscation … Opposes Biden’s Gun Control Agenda,” NRA continues in explaining why McCarthy is its members’ friend. So why is he reportedly supporting someone who is doing the exact opposite?
And ditto for “A-rated” Jason Smith of Missouri, who is also lending his influence to the Fitzpatrick fundraiser. “Jason is a staunch defender of the Second Amendment and he will stand strong against Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi’s radical gun control agenda,” NRA exhorts, repeating the same boilerplate rah-rah rhetoric they used for McCarthy. “YOUR VOTE DEFENDS FREEDOM! – VOTE JASON SMITH FOR U.S. HOUSE!”
Presumably, “VOTE GIFFORDS’ GUN-GRAB SUPPORTER!” wouldn’t have had the same inspiring effect on the members.
So why do they do it?
Because obtaining and increasing their own power takes precedence over everything.
Fitzpatrick was an “Only Kevin” foot soldier in McCarthy’s ascension to the speakership, so there’s political quid pro quo going on. We’re also reminded of the “narrow House Republican majority.” And he heads one of the “Five Families” (“a nod to New York’s major Mafia clans and popularized by the movie The Godfather”) that McCarthy needs “to keep peace among GOP rivals.”
The fact is, it’s the enemy inside the gates who is best equipped to do the most damage. Fitzpatrick’s votes actually make things narrower when it comes to the right to keep and bear arms, so what McCarthy and Smith would really be saying through these actions is that they’re OK with the Second Amendment taking a back seat to their ambitions and their other loyalties. It’s kind of like when Grover Norquist was an NRA director and chose to put on his tax activist hat to endorse a “Vichycon” who had been given a “leadership award” from the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence. (And surprise, the guy ended up reneging on his tax promises!)
They do it because they can get away with it and no one calls them on it. And like George Carlin said, “It’s a big club and you ain’t in it.”
In this case, and with the above caveats in mind, readers are encouraged to contact McCarthy and ask him about the Fitzpatrick fundraiser. The American Firearms Association has created a form for this, or you can call his office (202-225-4000), or make your views known to him via Twitter or Facebook.
Then contact NRA-PVF and ask if this will have any impact on future grades and superlatives like “staunch defender” in their endorsements.
Related Reading
- Gun Owners Voting for GOP Betrayers Only Encourage More of the Same
- ‘Bipartisan’ Gun Controller Fitzpatrick Shows Why Being “Republican’ is Not Enough
About David Codrea:
David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” is a regularly featured contributor to Firearms News, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.
from https://ift.tt/Q5gv7kZ
via IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment