The Brady Campaign sent me an email this morning to let me know who they’re endorsing for tomorrow’s mid-term elections. I have to say, the list is pretty thin. This could be due to the fact that they only have $5,661 in cash to spend this cycle.
Mayors Against Illegal guns gave $150,000 to the Raben Group to spend on something, though I don’t know what. Founder Robert Raben also sits on the board of directors of the Alliance for Justice, a group that represents several progressive political causes, but doesn’t seem involved in gun control.
Josh Sugarmann’s Violence Policy Center currently shows a balance of zero. That’s a bit odd, since the Joyce Foundation has pumped roughly $2.1 million into various other groups under the ostensible heading of “Gun Violence.” Still, that money appears to be targeted towards university and community research programs, rather than towards political endorsements.
What’s interesting is that the only Georgia candidate the Bradys have endorsed is Hank Johnson from the 4th District. You may remember him as the Congressman who thought Guam might capsize and sink. I remember him as one of only three Georgia Congressmen to vote for the wretched DISCLOSE Act.
It doesn’t look like $5661 buys much, as they have failed to issue endorsements in 21 states.*
If the last two years have shown one thing, it’s that even with a vast majority, Democrats aren’t willing to touch the idea of gun control with a ten-foot pole. I wasn’t too worried about a new ban of any sort in 2009, but there was the remote possibility of one coming at the tail end of 2011. A lame-duck President and Congress desperately seeking one last piece of “legacy building” might have had the ability to push something through, but even a cynical reading of the poll numbers shows little chance of the Democrats retaining control of the House tomorrow.
Provided all those people who’ve been screaming at me for the last two years actually show up to vote this time, the Republicans will take the majority easily. The future of the Senate is less clear, but traditionally, a shift in House leadership is accompanied by a similar shift in the Senate. The Tea Party candidates in Delaware and Nevada may be the wild card that scuttles that, however.
In any case, we’re safe for now, at least from attacks on the 2nd Amendment. That’s a relief for more than one reason. There’s a great deal of work to be done elsewhere, and conservatives need to approach economic issues with a singularity of purpose that can’t be clouded by other issues.
* People in Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming need not check under their beds for the scourge of Sarah Brady tonight.
Update 11/04: the Brady Campaign is crowing that their efforts helped in re-electing the following Congressmen:
- Sen. Michael Bennet (CO)
- Sen. Barbara Boxer (CA)
- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (NY)
- Sen. Barbara Mikulski (MD)
- Sen. Chuck Schumer (NY)
- Richard Blumenthal (CT)
- Chris Coons (DE)
It’s debatable that they had anything to do with those victories, and it’s even less threatening considering the massive losses they suffered Tuesday night.