Obama's gun stance creates trouble for Dems in 2014

Joel B. Pollak

Politico notes that the biggest obstacle to Democrats’ hopes of re-taking the House of Representatives in 2014 may be President Barack Obama. And the reason? His crusade for gun control:

Adding to the complications of running as a conservative Democrat is the lingering presence of billionaire New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has essentially declared war on pro-gun Democrats. Last month, Bloomberg funneled $2 million into his super PAC to sink the fortunes of a pro-NRA Democrat in a special primary election for an Illinois congressional seat. (A Democrat closer to Bloomberg’s gun stance is expected to win the general election.)

Polls consistently show Obama’s positions on issues ranging from immigration to the minimum wage to gun control picking up wide support across the country. But the 2014 battle for the House won’t be fought nationally — it will most likely be decided in several dozen districts, all but a handful of which favor Republicans.

Politico understates the importance of that Illinois race. The Democrat whom Bloomberg–and Obama–backed, Robin Kelly, has said she is in favor of “banning guns” outright and boasted of her “F” rating from the NRA. David Axelrod mocked her opponent, former Rep. Debbie Halvorson, suggesting that she was ironically insensitive to the “carnage” in the district she was running to represent. The real irony was that the Obama machine had recruited the pro-Second Amendment Halvorson to run in 2008.

Kelly was backed by Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), who is featured in today’s Breitbart News story talking about how the assault weapons ban is merely the first step in a long-term agenda to ban handguns.

That might work in urban districts where Democrats rarely lose. It won’t work in swing districts that Obama lost in 2012, which are the districts that Democrats need to pick up in 2014. And it can’t help that they have anti-gun zealots like Schakowsky and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi leading the charge.

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