UPDATE: Bloomberg’s Cash Goes after Mark Begich – Doesn’t Sway AK Senators
Mayors Against Illegal Guns Ads
UPDATE:
Alaskan Senators Mark Begich (D) and Lisa Murkowski (R) both voted no on the Manchin-Toomey Amendment. Senator Begich was one of only 5 Democratic Senators to vote against the amendment – 4 Republicans voted for it.
Quoting TPM:
The Republicans who voted for the bill were Sens. Pat Toomey (PA), Mark Kirk (IL), Susan Collins (ME) and John McCain (AZ). Democrats who voted against it were Sens. Heidi Heitkamp (ND), Max Baucus (MT), Mark Begich (AK) and Mark Pryor (AR) — the latter three are up for reelection in 2014. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) changed his vote to no in the last minute to reserve the right to bring up the bill again.
Murkowski and Begich both voted yes on the Grassley/Cruz Amendment.
Below is the article published earlier today:
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has famously pledged 12 million dollars to go after pro-gun legislators – and it looks like Alaska’s own Mark Begich is on his short list.
These new ads, seen here were found by the writer on HuffingtonPost.com – but as they are part of the ‘adchoices‘ network they will possibly to show up any site that takes ads from the company – if the persons IP shows they’re in Alaska. (During research for another article they were seen on RawStory as well).
When you click on the ad it brings you to a petition/contact page with talking point to tell the Senator’s people.
Call Senator Begich and urge him to support the bipartisan compromise that will expand criminal background checks for gun sales and help save lives. Enter your information on the right and we’ll give you a call and connect you to Senator Begich.
Once you’re connected, tell Senator Begich’s office the following things:
- Tell them your name and where you are from.
- Tell them to support expanding criminal background checks on gun sales, which will help save lives.
Oddly when I entered my info it redirected me to Sen. Murkowski’s office (tried 4 times, same redirect.. hopefully will have an update on that tomorrow). You can listen to the audio of the phone call at the youtube video below.
Here is the full text from the Bloomberg petition page:
The Senate is poised to vote on historic gun reform legislation that closes the gaps in federal law that allow felons, seriously mentally ill, domestic abusers and other dangerous people to get their hands on guns.
Call Senator Begich and urge him to support the bipartisan compromise that will expand criminal background checks for gun sales and help save lives. Enter your information on the right and we’ll give you a call and connect you to Senator Begich.
Once you’re connected, tell Senator Begich’s office the following things:
- Tell them your name and where you are from.
- Tell them to support expanding criminal background checks on gun sales, which will help save lives.
Criminal background checks have already blocked more than 2 million gun sales to potentially dangerous people. But under current law, a criminal can either choose to go to a licensed dealer – where background checks are required – and be prohibited from buying a firearm, or they can go online or to a gun show and buy a gun from a private seller that isn’t required to run one and buy a gun now questions asked.
Thirty-three people are murdered with guns every day in this country, and around 40% of gun transfers happen without a criminal background check. The single biggest step we can take to save lives is to fix loopholes in our laws that allow criminals, domestic abusers, and other dangerous people to buy guns without a background check.
Criminal background checks do not interfere with Second Amendment rights, and even 86 percent of gun owners and 74 percent of NRA members support them.
It’s time to end gun sales with no background check or questions asked. Please call Senator Begich today.
Help us keep the momentum during this historic moment
Right now, Mayors Against Illegal Guns is bringing gun violence survivors, family members of victims, police chiefs, faith leaders, and mayors to Washington, DC to talk directly to their Senators.
We’re running TV ads in key states and flooding Senate offices with thousands of calls from supporters like you. But we need your help to keep the pressure up.
A senate seat is a terrible thing to waste. I can’t name one issue on which Begich has shown himself to be a leader. Not Murkowski, either, but I’m not likely to follow where she would want to lead.
I’m having some pretty serious issues with Senator Begich’s stance.
I’ve seen reports that he said/says the amendment WOULD undermine 2nd amendment rights, not could, would. Pray tell how, Senator?
http://www.toomey.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=968
Is this because of your “concern” for how it might play out in our vast rural areas, a not insurmountable challenge, or is it because you see some other deficiency like good ole Senator Murkowski always does , whilst she plays her game of waiting for perfect legislation?
I saw one report that he said this amendment was arrived at in an emotional framework unsuitable to coming up with good law.
Well, Senator, the “rational law ” argument is starting to wear very, very thin for a lot of us.
It is irrational to continue to ignore that we have a very serious problem with guns in this country from where I sit out here in everyday person world. It is irrational to assume that proposed law which expressly forbids a national gun registry whilst working to develop and pay for a system to manage background checks, sheesh, with appeal rights and all built in, would unduly burden 2nd amendment rights WITHOUT TELLING US WHY AND WHEREFORE IN DETAIL.
Am pretty damn tired of the don’t-worry-your-emotional-lil-self arguments coming out of representatives who want me to continue to support them. Pffft!
It’s just politics as usual. How you gonna win a election in this pathetic red state ifen you vote against the nra?
Read the comments on the adn. Laskans are armed ignorant, and believe regressive republicans are looking out for them.
Who would be a better senator for progressives…treadmeedwell? joemiller? the guy that was elected governor but works for the oil companies,sp2.0
It isn’t gonna get any better. Money has overpowered the will to do the right thing cuz it’s the right thing to do…Hang on. Fresh water…now that is going to be something to have…
Dems are outnumbered in Alaska. Give Republicans any slight excuse to vote the party line, and they’ll take it.
Here’s why:
http://nomoremister.blogspot.com/2013/04/tell-me-again-about-how-gop-is-dying.html
Hard to say what needs to be said. It isn’t nice. In almost every way, Begich has been a huge disappointment. He is a clone of Ted Stevens on military and defense issues, he is ineffective on important issues affecting Alaska (need to rely on Murkowski instead), and on gun safety issues he totally lacks political courage and becomes a boot-licker for the NRA. Ugh.
John Huber: Lisa Murkowski voted the exact same way as Begich on this issue! Think you forgot to mention that in your comment.
Mead Treadwell must be popping the champagne today. If Begich had a chance to beating him before, he pissed it away today. Begich has never been a leader. He’s always tried to find someplace in the middle, give everyone what they want and hope that nobody asks him any hard questions. The trouble here was that there were only hard questions, and there really was no middle. So Begich picked his side and essentially made the calculation that the Alaskan Democrats will have to stick with him. I guess we’ll see.
I couldn’t call, (and didn’t feel like it would do much good to holler at an intern), so I emailed him. There’s a pull-down menu for the topic of the email. I chose “retirement”. His.
He appears to be pandering to the redneck vote, which he won’t get anyway. I was not particularly surprised to hear how he voted, in that light, but I did NOT hold back. He’s made a grave mistake to think that trying to get conservative votes by getting a better NRA grade is going to make any goddamn difference at all when he’s just pissed off a hearty chunk of the 27% or so of Alaskans who reliably vote D. He ain’t going ANYWHERE without us.
Adams for Senate.
The onlytimes in the past 25 years that a democrat has won a statewide election in Alaska has been when the Rs shoot themselves in the foot (or their candidate is convicted of a felony). I’m not happy with most of his votes, but I would rather re-elect Begich than any candidate who wins the Republican primary. Sure I would rather have a liberal as my senator, but I will settle for a moderate conservative like Begich.
Suit yourself. I won’t settle; I’ll get loud.
And there isn’t a lot of difference between Joe Miller and Mark Begich, so maybe you have the right plan.
You obviously don’t know Joe Miller. There’s a world of difference between Miller and Begich.
Begich voted no today and background checks bill was defeated.
On the other hand, he voted yes on an NRA sponsored bill that would have allowed reciprocity regarding certain concealed firearms. This was backed by all but one Republican (Mark Kirk of Illinois) and thirteen Democrats including Begich. Because both parties agreed that 60 votes were needed to pass anything today, it failed even with 57 votes. Hey, I thought the Republicans were the party of states rights and small government and keeping the feds out of things. But this law would have forced states who don’t allow concealed carry permits, or might have strict regulations on them, to allow people from other states with less strict laws, to carry in the other states. Gotta love it. And we should start referring to him as Begich (R-AK) or maybe (PD-AK), pretend Democrat.
I emailed his office with the request as to why he voted no. I was ready to haul out the old (thin) checkbook when I heard Joe Miller was forming an exploratory committee, but am not really to write the check now. If someone like Scott McAdams throws his hat in the primary, Begich is a gone guy for me.
I called Senator Begich’s office today and went off. After I finished my rant, I asked the person on the other end if she had to hold the phone away from her ear, she said “no”. She said she has listened to a lot “louder/yelling ” phone calls today.
Great point, Bigtoe. What about a Democrat who ACTS like one? Too much to ask?
Cue some slimeball insider to sit me down and tell me I don’t know how the world really works.
I’m guessing Sen Begich doesn’t want to be a senator anymore. I wasn’t quite ready to throw him out but this issue got me off the fence. He has voted like a democratic senator on occasion but more and more he seems to be going the way the wind blows as opposed to doing the right thing.
If I wanted a republican senator, I’d have voted for one. Alaska has many other progressive dems from which to choose and I’ll be voting for one of them.