U.S. Democrats Push For Gun Control, Despite Gloomy Prospects
In the wake of the worst mass shooting in U.S. history, Democrats on Wednesday began a push to tighten gun control, although they are unlikely to get far, experts said.
Sunday saw the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. The identified shooter, Stephen Paddock, attacked concert-goers at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas and later took his own life, killing at least 59 people and injuring more than 500 others.
Local police found over a dozen additional firearms and explosives in his room, according to local authorities and news reports.
In light of the horrific event, Democrats on Wednesday pushed for new gun control legislation. Congressman John Lewis, who has spearheaded the push for tougher laws, called for Americans to have "moral courage" in this issue.
However, experts said Democrats are unlikely to get far in gun control for the following two reasons: First, Republicans, supporters of the constitutional right to bear arms, control both the Congress and the White House, and GOP lawmakers are firmly against anti-firearms legislation.
Second, there is historical precedent. Even after the 2012 shooting incident at Sandy Hook elementary school in the U.S. state of Connecticut, which resulted in the deaths of so many children, Democrats failed to pass a gun control bill.
"If they can't get any (gun control) measures after Sandy Hook, I find it hard to believe they can get any measures through a GOP-controlled congress," Republican Strategist Ford O'Connell told Xinhua.
Trump's Las Vegas Response Draws Praise But Gun Control Debate Looms
President Trump's unifying response on Monday to a massive shooting in Las Vegas may have earned bipartisan accolades, but the president could soon find himself drawn into a political debate about how and whether to tighten regulations on guns.
Trump's prepared remarks about the Las Vegas attack -- which he read Monday morning from a TelePrompTer at the White House -- made no mention of the fierce partisan debate that typically surrounds guns and mass shootings. The moment of silence he conducted on the South Lawn struck a solemn chord around the country. And his press secretary, Sarah Sanders, declined to answer a series of gun control questions on Monday by telling reporters she considered it "premature" to discuss policy while investigators still searched for the shooter's motive.
Meanwhile, Democrats -- including Hillary Clinton, Trump's former election rival -- hinted at the political slog over gun control that likely awaits the president and his fellow Republicans.
"I think that President Trump's response was pitch perfect. I mean, he captured the somber mood and framed it perfectly without getting political," said Ford O'Connell, a Republican strategist. "Now, there's no question about it that the left is gunning for another gun control showdown and debate."
Trump may avoid encountering the gun control debate on Tuesday when he travels to Puerto Rico to survey the damage from Hurricane Maria, O'Connell noted, and he may stave off the showdown on Wednesday by visiting the families of shooting victims in Las Vegas.
"The left is really going to push on this come Wednesday night, Thursday," O'Connell said. "I mean, they're just sort of building up."
Rigged elections? Nasty woman? Trump's Scorched Earth Tactics Have Little Upside
Republican Donald Trump had one last chance at a nationally televised debate to reach out to the undecided voters he badly needs to keep his presidential campaign viable.
He passed on the opportunity. Instead, he chose on Wednesday to stay with the strategy he has employed during recent weeks: Pump up his hard-core supporters and hope that's enough to win.
He suggested he might not accept the election result if his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton wins on Nov. 8, called her a “nasty woman,” and repeated hard-line conservative positions on issues such as abortion and immigration.
While that kind of rhetoric was catnip to his passionate, anti-establishment base, it is unlikely to have appealed to independent voters and women who have yet to choose a candidate.
“When you’re trailing in the polls, you don’t need a headline the next morning saying that you’re not going to accept the election results,” said Ford O’Connell, a Republican strategist who supports Trump.
Pundits React: Who Won The Final Debate, Clinton Or Trump?
Ford O'Connell
Winner: Donald Trump
What started out polite quickly turned into a Sin City slugfest.
Trump had his strongest debate performance, without question. He bested Clinton on the economy, foreign policy, open borders and WikiLeaks, and had her scrambling for cover on the Clinton Foundation.
Trump also did a good job of talking to #NeverTrumpers when it came to the Supreme Court, particularly on the subjects of partial birth abortion and the Second Amendment.
But when you are trailing in the polls as Trump is, what you don't need is a headline the day after the debate questioning whether you will accept the election results or a potential Clinton ad running on a loop in key battleground states featuring his "such a nasty woman" comment.
Those misguided political calculations risk overshadowing an otherwise great debate performance by Trump.
Bottom line: He needed more of a game-changer with 19 days to go until Election Day.
O'Connell is the chairman of CivicForumPAC, an adjunct professor at George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management, worked on John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign and is author of the book "Hail Mary: The 10-Step Playbook for Republican Recovery."
Cruz, Rubio Spar For Second Slot Behind Trump In U.S. Presidential Race
While many viewers were fixed on the ongoing political spectacle that is Donald Trump during Tuesday's Republican presidential debate, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio only had eyes for each other.
The two first-term senators - one from Texas and the other from Florida, both the 44-year-old sons of Cuban fathers and both rising conservative stars in the party - made it evidently clear that they see the other as the primary obstacle to securing the nomination if Trump, the current front-runner, falters.
As such, they engaged in an arm-wrestling contest for most of the evening, sparring on Middle Eastern policy, national security and immigration.
“The Cruz-Rubio battle is now a defining dynamic in this race,” said Ford O’Connell, a Republican strategist.
Both largely left Trump alone - and in fact, when Cruz was invited by debate moderators to attack the real estate mogul, he demurred.
But Cruz had no such restraint when it came to Rubio. Among other criticisms, he accused him of being soft on immigration policy because he helped craft a comprehensive reform measure in the Senate.
A win by Cruz in Iowa could severely damage Trump’s bid, as the real estate mogul’s political message is largely grounded in his current dominance of opinion polls. It could also hand Cruz the kind of momentum that could derail Rubio’s bid to be the candidate around whom anti-Trump voters rally.
“They’re (both) trying to reach as wide a swath of non-Trump voters as possible,” O’Connell said.
Read more from James Oliphant and Emily Stephenson at Reuters
Sanders Saves Clinton From Email Questions, But Benghazi Testimony Looms
At the first Democratic presidential debate Tuesday, front-runner Hillary Clinton avoided tough scrutiny over her email practices as secretary of state, in part thanks to support from rival Sen. Bernie Sanders, but a highly-anticipated congressional hearing next week will likely prove to be more of a challenge.
Clinton attempted to brush off questions about the matter as a partisan attack led by Republicans in Congress, but Cooper pushed back that the FBI is investigating and President Barack Obama recently acknowledged it is a legitimate issue.
When Cooper asked Sanders for his opinion, the self-proclaimed Democratic socialist replied, "Let me say something that may not be great politics. But I think the secretary is right, and that is that the American people are sick and tired of hearing" about Clinton's emails.
"She didn't have to handle the email question," said Republican strategist Ford O'Connell. "Bernie got rid of it for her...He basically said, 'Email scandal be gone.'"
O'Connell said he has never seen a candidate dig their opponent out of the mud like that before. With the ongoing FBI investigation and additional emails being released regularly, he doubts Sanders' comments will silence the issue.
"That may work in the Democratic primary, but this is not going away for Hillary Clinton."
When Clinton appears before the Republican-led House committee next week, she will face much more hostile and skeptical opponents, though. She will also almost certainly be speaking to a much smaller audience than the record 15.3 million people who tuned in for Tuesday's debate, so it may not have as much impact.
"That's not going to be a great spectacle for her," O'Connell said.
What e-mails? Republicans Lose As Sanders And Clinton Play Nice In Debate.
“The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn e-mails.”
It was the line of Tuesday night’s debate, uttered by Bernie Sanders, and Hillary Clinton knew it. She turned to her top Democratic primary challenger, and created the visual to go with the words, shaking Senator Sanders’s hand and grinning broadly.
The message: We (Democrats) are a united party – even if Mr. Sanders technically isn’t a Democrat – and the Republicans aren’t.
Make no mistake, Mrs. Clinton is not out of the woods on the issue that has dogged her for eight months: Her exclusive use of a private e-mail system while secretary of State, raising questions about whether she put national security at risk. She will testify before a House committee next week on the matter.
“It’s clear that there was only one person on the stage in Las Vegas who can actually be the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee – Hillary Clinton,” says Republican strategist Ford O’Connell. “Clinton was hungry and improved from her 2008 performances but her competition was beyond weak. The progressive base might love Sanders, but his ‘town crier’ routine will never fly in the general election.”
Read more from Linda Feldmann at The Christian Science Monitor
The Democratic Debate Winners And Losers According To 3 Insiders
The Daily News recruited three political experts to assess who did well — and who didn't — at Tuesday night's debate. Here is what they said...
Ford O'Connell in the managing director of Civic Forum Strategies and a former adviser to the 2008 McCain-Palin presidential campaign.
WINNER: It's clear that there was only one person on the stage in Las Vegas who can actually be the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee - Hillary Clinton. Clinton was hungry and improved from her 2008 performances.
