Gun Control’s Second Chance, Limbaugh in Trouble, and More

Gun Control, Take 2:

The failed bipartisan gun control bill that would have expanded background checks may be on the verge of getting new life in the Senate. According to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, several lawmakers—he wouldn’t say which ones—who voted against the bill last month have indicated they have flipped their position and would vote for the legislation, which is sponsored by Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa. Reid, however, was quick to acknowledge that the additional votes still leave him at least three shy of the 60 needed to pass. Gun control advocates are gearing up in order to get those extra votes. (Read more)

Cherry Popping: Meantime, in the House of Representatives, Republicans continue to play their favorite game of pretend called “Let’s Vote to Repeal Obamacare!” For those keeping score at home, this will be the 37th time the House GOP makes an effort to kill the Affordable Care Act. Even some in the party have been forced to admit the whole thing is nothing more than a chance for freshmen Republicans in the House to lose their “repealing Obamacare ‘virginity.’ ” “If you’re a freshman, the guys who’ve been up here the last year — we can go home and say, ‘Listen, we voted 36 different times to repeal or replace Obamacare’ — tell me what the new guys are supposed to say,” South Carolina Congressman Mick Mulvaney explained. “We haven’t had a repeal or replace vote this year.” Because, what, the 36 previous votes haven’t wasted enough time already? (Read more)

Sanford Surges: Uh oh. Looks like famed Appalachian Trail hiker/admitted adulterer Mark Sanford has a real shot at heading to Washington after the latest Public Policy Polling survey revealed he has grabbed the lead in the South Carolina congressional race. Sanford, the scandal plagued former Republican governor of the state, leads Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch by 1 percentage point in PPP’s final poll. Voters in the state’s 1st Congressional District will cast their ballots Tuesday in the special election contest. If the latest survey results hold, look for House Republicans to vote again to repeal Obamacare so GOP “sex pioneer” Sanford can lose his repeal Obamacare “virginity” too! (Read more)

Dialing Down: It looks like radio personality Rush Limbaugh is about to take a major hit related to the controversy that erupted when he called Georgetown Law student and contraception advocate Sandra Fluke a slut on his program last year. You may recall that Limbaugh initially predicted that the advertising boycott that was enacted after he made the caustic remark wouldn’t cost him anything. But it appears he was wrong. With ad sales at his flagship radio station WABC in New York City (owned by radio giant Cumulus Media) way down, and his contract up at the end of the year, Limbaugh may be forced to take his radio program elsewhere. According to the New York Daily News, “Lew Dickey, the CEO of WABC parent company Cumulus, has said Limbaugh’s controversial comments have diminished ad revenue for the past year — and the slump remains a ‘residual hangover’ for the station. But the rift blew open over the weekend when a source close to Limbaugh told the Daily News: ‘Lew needs someone to blame, (so) he’s pointing fingers instead of fixing his own sales problem.’ ” (Read more)

Video of the Day: In a new “Funny or Day” PSA promoting marriage equality, narrator George Takei teaches how one should deal with anti-gay hypocrites. Take the hypothetical Dale who is featured in the video, for instance. Dale “wants to restrict marriage to a man and a woman. He doesn’t care whether the couple just met on a drunken trip to Vegas, a reality show or if they’re only marrying for a green card. Dale would let any two idiots marry, unless those two idiots are gay.” Watch the video for Takei-approved solutions on how to help people like Dale become more open and accepting.