This Reporter Gets It

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Kimberly Strassel is a journalist and member of the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board. Unlike many in her profession, she is a conservative. Moreover, she has been steadfast in her support of Judge Brett Kavanaugh and has been very vocal about it on Twitter.

Yesterday, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (RINO-AK) broke with her Republican colleagues and voted against invoking cloture on the nomination of Judge Kavanaugh. While saying that Kavanaugh was a good man she said he was not the right man for the Supreme Court “at this time”.

Strassel, in a pair of tweets, points out what Murkowski is really standing for.

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Cloture Invoked On Kavanaugh Nomination

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The Senate voted 51-49 to invoke cloture on debate regarding the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court. This means that a final vote can be taken as early as Saturday afternoon. Cloture was invoked at 10:36am EDT which started the 30 hour clock on debate. If the Democrats relinquish the floor at anytime during that 30 hour period, the final vote can be called.

The only Democrat to vote for cloture was Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) while the only Republican to vote against it was Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). Manchin is up for re-election this year while Murkowski doesn’t have to face Alaska voters until 2022. President Trump won both states in the 2016 election.

If this vote holds without any more Republican defections, then Judge Kavanaugh will become Justice Kavanaugh. The one wrinkle in this right now is Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) who plans to be out of town on Saturday to attend his daughter’s wedding. Too bad she didn’t have a June wedding!

The ayes and nays are below:

Grouped By Vote Position 

YEAs —51
Alexander (R-TN)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Blunt (R-MO)
Boozman (R-AR)
Burr (R-NC)
Capito (R-WV)
Cassidy (R-LA)
Collins (R-ME)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Cotton (R-AR)
Crapo (R-ID)
Cruz (R-TX)
Daines (R-MT)
Enzi (R-WY)
Ernst (R-IA)
Fischer (R-NE)
Flake (R-AZ)
Gardner (R-CO)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Hatch (R-UT)
Heller (R-NV)
Hoeven (R-ND)
Hyde-Smith (R-MS)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johnson (R-WI)
Kennedy (R-LA)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lankford (R-OK)
Lee (R-UT)
Manchin (D-WV)
McConnell (R-KY)
Moran (R-KS)
Paul (R-KY)
Perdue (R-GA)
Portman (R-OH)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Rounds (R-SD)
Rubio (R-FL)
Sasse (R-NE)
Scott (R-SC)
Shelby (R-AL)
Sullivan (R-AK)
Thune (R-SD)
Tillis (R-NC)
Toomey (R-PA)
Wicker (R-MS)
Young (R-IN)
NAYs —49
Baldwin (D-WI)
Bennet (D-CO)
Blumenthal (D-CT)
Booker (D-NJ)
Brown (D-OH)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Coons (D-DE)
Cortez Masto (D-NV)
Donnelly (D-IN)
Duckworth (D-IL)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Gillibrand (D-NY)
Harris (D-CA)
Hassan (D-NH)
Heinrich (D-NM)
Heitkamp (D-ND)
Hirono (D-HI)
Jones (D-AL)
Kaine (D-VA)
King (I-ME)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Leahy (D-VT)
Markey (D-MA)
McCaskill (D-MO)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Merkley (D-OR)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Murphy (D-CT)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Peters (D-MI)
Reed (D-RI)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schatz (D-HI)
Schumer (D-NY)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Smith (D-MN)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Tester (D-MT)
Udall (D-NM)
Van Hollen (D-MD)
Warner (D-VA)
Warren (D-MA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)

Firearms Legislation Introduced This Week In Congress

Three more bills affecting gun rights and shooting opportunities have been introduced since Monday. Two are anti-gun and come from well-known gun prohibitionists and the third is a bill that would protect hunting, shooting, and fishing on public lands. It is interesting to note that on Carolyn McCarthy’s HR 437 that 70% of the co-sponsors come from states that severely restrict gun rights.

HR.437 – Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY)
Co-Sponsors:
Rep Bishop, Timothy H. [DNY-1] – 1/29/2013
Rep Blumenauer, Earl [D-OR-3] – 1/29/2013
Rep Brady, Robert A. [D-PA-1] – 1/29/2013
Rep Carney, John C., Jr. [D-DE] – 1/29/2013
Rep Cartwright, Matt [D-PA-17] – 1/29/2013
Rep Cicilline, David N. [D-RI-1] – 1/29/2013
Rep Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] – 1/29/2013
Rep Conyers, John, Jr. [D-MI-13] – 1/29/2013
Rep DeGette, Diana [D-CO-1] – 1/29/2013
Rep DeLauro, Rosa L. [D-CT-3] – 1/29/2013
Rep Deutch, Theodore E. [D-FL-21] – 1/29/2013
Rep Eshoo, Anna G. [D-CA-18] – 1/29/2013
Rep Esty, Elizabeth H. [D-CT-5] – 1/29/2013
Rep Frankel, Lois [D-FL-22] – 1/29/2013
Rep Grijalva, Raul M. [D-AZ-3] – 1/29/2013
Rep Hahn, Janice [D-CA-44] – 1/29/2013
Rep Himes, James A. [D-CT-4] – 1/29/2013
Rep Holt, Rush [D-NJ-12] – 1/29/2013
Rep Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2] – 1/29/2013
Rep Jackson Lee, Sheila [D-TX-18] – 1/29/2013
Rep Larson, John B. [D-CT-1] – 1/29/2013
Rep Levin, Sander M. [D-MI-9] – 1/29/2013
Rep Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-19] – 1/29/2013
Rep Lowenthal, Alan S. [D-CA-47] – 1/29/2013
Rep Lowey, Nita M. [D-NY-17] – 1/29/2013
Rep Maloney, Carolyn B. [D-NY-12] – 1/29/2013
Rep Matsui, Doris O. [D-CA-6] – 1/29/2013
Rep McCollum, Betty [D-MN-4] – 1/29/2013
Rep McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2] – 1/29/2013
Rep Meeks, Gregory W. [D-NY-5] – 1/29/2013
Rep Meng, Grace [D-NY-6] – 1/29/2013
Rep Miller, George [D-CA-11] – 1/29/2013
Rep Moran, James P. [D-VA-8] – 1/29/2013
Rep Nadler, Jerrold [D-NY-10] – 1/29/2013
Rep Pallone, Frank, Jr. [D-NJ-6] – 1/29/2013
Rep Pascrell, Bill, Jr. [D-NJ-9] – 1/29/2013
Rep Perlmutter, Ed [D-CO-7] – 1/29/2013
Rep Quigley, Mike [D-IL-5] – 1/29/2013
Rep Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9] – 1/29/2013
Rep Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA-28] – 1/29/2013
Rep Scott, Robert C. “Bobby” [D-VA-3] – 1/29/2013
Rep Serrano, Jose E. [D-NY-15] – 1/29/2013
Rep Sherman, Brad [D-CA-30] – 1/29/2013
Rep Sires, Albio [D-NJ-8] – 1/29/2013
Rep Slaughter, Louise McIntosh [D-NY-25] – 1/29/2013
Rep Speier, Jackie [D-CA-14] – 1/29/2013
Rep Swalwell, Eric [D-CA-15] – 1/29/2013
Rep Takano, Mark [D-CA-41] – 1/29/2013
Rep Tierney, John F. [D-MA-6] – 1/29/2013
Rep Tsongas, Niki [D-MA-3] – 1/29/2013
Rep Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD-8] – 1/29/2013
To regulate assault weapons, to ensure that the right to keep and bear arms is not unlimited, and for other purposes.
Referred to the House Judiciary Committee
(Since the text hasn’t been received yet, I am presuming that this bill is the House version of Feinstein’s S.150 – Assault Weapons Ban of 2013)

S.170 – Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Co-Sponsor:
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV)
– 1/29/2013
A bill to recognize the heritage of recreational fishing, hunting, and
recreational shooting on Federal public land and ensure continued
opportunities for those activities. 


Referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

S.174 – Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)
Co-Sponsors:
Sen Lautenberg, Frank R. [D-NJ] – 1/29/2013
Sen Murphy, Christopher S. [D-CT] – 1/29/2013
A bill to appropriately restrict sales of ammunition. 
 Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee.