Senators Slam ‘Offensive’ NRA Move, Marriage Equality Endorsements Pile Up, and More

Hitting Back at the NRA:

Two Democratic senators are demanding that the National Rifle Association “immediately stop” making robocalls promoting its agenda to residents of Newtown, Conn., the site of last year’s deadly elementary school shooting. In a letter to the NRA, Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, both from Connecticut, blasted the powerful gun lobby for its “inappropriate” and “incredibly insensitive” actions while accusing the organization of hitting a new low. The senators added that it was “just another example in a long line of offensive steps your organization has taken in the wake of this tragic shooting.” Blumenthal and Murphy also urged the organization’s CEO Wayne LaPierre to “put yourself in the shoes of a victim’s family member who gets a call at dinnertime asking them to support more assault weapons in our schools and on our streets.” (Read more)

McCaskill Backs Gay Marriage: As the Supreme Court is about to hear a pair of landmark cases on gay marriage, Missouri Sen. (and former Todd “legitimate rape” Akin opponent) Claire McCaskill, a Democrat, is finally endorsing marriage equality. “While churches should never be required to conduct marriages outside of their religious beliefs, neither should the government tell people who they have a right to marry,” she wrote on her Tumblr. McCaskill tweeted the link to the post with a Bible verse from I Corinthians 13: “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (Read more)

Warner Does Too: Another Democratic senator, Mark Warner of Virginia, also vocalized his support for same-sex marriage. Like McCaskill, Warner made the announcement via social media, but instead of Tumblr he chose Facebook. “I support marriage equality because it is the fair and right thing to do,” Warner, who is up for re-election in 2014, wrote. “Like many Virginians and Americans, my views on gay marriage have evolved, and this is the inevitable extension of my efforts to promote equality and opportunity for everyone.” McCaskill’s and Warner’s announcements are the latest in a series of political endorsements encouraging the legalization of same-sex marriage. (Read more)

Clinton’s Endorsement: Former President Bill Clinton is weighing in on the upcoming Los Angeles mayoral election, endorsing City Controller Wendy Greuel over City Councilman Eric Garcetti. Greuel worked in the Clinton administration at the Department of Housing and Urban Development and was an active supporter of Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign. “In her many years of public service in Los Angeles … Wendy has personified good, honest and effective government, improving the lives of countless Angelenos while saving millions of their tax dollars,” Bill Clinton wrote in a letter. (Read more)

Going for the Gold: Can left-leaning MSNBC supplant right-leaning Fox News as the top cable news channel by the end of next year? Phil Griffin, the president of MSNBC, tells New Republic writer Rebecca Dana that he’s optimistic about that prospect. As Dana noted, MSNBC is more successful now than it’s ever been, pulling in more than 1.5 million viewers in its weekday prime-time lineup around the election. “It’s a cockiness that has funneled down,” Dana wrote. “In a recent staff meeting, one of Griffin’s producers coined a new term for Fox News: ‘Loserville.’ ” (Read more)

Pro Pot: Two brothers from California want to legalize marijuana and they’re creating a super PAC—the first of its kind—to make it happen. Legalize Marijuana Super PAC.com was founded “to deal with legal troubles concerning probationary issues with medical and recreational marijuana use,” The Hill reports. The men also oppose law enforcement efforts in Oregon to crack down on Marinol, an FDA approved synthetic alternative to marijuana. “What we’re trying to do is not only [raise awareness], but take in contributions and donations to help vocalize our situation,” Mark Rogers, the organization’s president, said. (Read more)