The D.C. Voting Bill has been pulled by Democrats after Republicans added a motion that would repeal the gun ban for the district.
The move is a clear signal that Democrats have lost control of House floor after minority Republicans presented the Democratic majority with a politically unpalatable motion that their conservative members would be forced to support for fear of angering the gun rights community.
Fifty-two Democrats voted with Republicans on a similar measure to repeal the gun ban in 2004. That would be more than enough support for Republicans to add a repeal to the voting rights bill – something a majority of Democrats would vehemently oppose.
Republicans have taken great pride in offering motions to recommit during their time in the minority, an often over-looked legislative procedure that has allowed them to amend various bills on the House floor.
Attaching unrelated motions to bill is an act mastered by both sides of the aisle, so this move by the GOP isn’t the exception, it’s the rule. Like it or not, it’s how Government works (or doesn’t work) today.
I gotta admit – it’s fun to watch.