More blather... ...but NO ACTION
Ranting, raving gop prez hopefuls Hit bam over isis – silent on weapons
WASHINGTON — The Republican presidential field offered more prayers for the massacred Thursday — and zero solutions to stop the mass shootings.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz kicked off a parade of the major GOP candidates at the Republican Jewish Forum by asking for a moment of silence for those gunned down in San Bernardino, Calif., then accused President Obama of failing to protect Americans because he didn’t stop terrorism.
But he made no mention of any efforts to keep guns from terrorists — or other violent or disturbed people who want to shoot up innocent civilians.
Cruz later warned of “the gathering storm of homicidal maniacs who tell us they want to kill us,” calling for the U.S. to stomp out ISIS.
But at no point did the Texas senator — who will hold a Second Amendment support rally at a gun range in Iowa on Friday — mention bipartisan legislation to keep suspected terrorists who are on the no-fly list from getting guns.
Donald Trump, who is leading the Republican presidential contenders, oddly bragged about his dealmaking acumen, telling the mostly Jewish audience: “I’m a negotiator like you folks. We’re negotiators.” But he didn’t mention guns. Former neurosurgeon Ben Carson carefully read prepared remarks about the Arab-Israeli conflict, looking to prove he does know something about foreign policy — even though he pronounced the terror group Hamas’ name like “hummus” and walked offstage without taking questions, unlike the rest of the candidates.
Once again, no mention of guns.
Sen. Lindsey Graham went into a tirade about the GOP needing to reach across the aisle before calling on the U.S. to pour troops into Syria to “kill every one of these bastards we can find” and warning of the existential threats of Iran and ISIS.
But at no point did the South Carolina Republican mention keeping guns from those people.
Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida said Obama was placing “his own legacy ahead of our mutual security” and warning of the threats to “Paris or London or New York or Miami.” But he never mentioned guns. One after the other the candidates came, denouncing Obama’s national security efforts and saying he has failed at protecting Americans, while ducking any talk of keeping weapons from terrorists and the mentally unstable.
House Speaker Paul Ryan largely talked around the issue during an appearance on CBS’ “This Morning,” focusing instead on a GOP-pitched bill that zeroes in on people with mental illness who try to buy firearms.
Later in the day, during his first major address as speaker, Ryan did not once mention the San Bernardino shooting or guns in his prepared remarks.
Those lapses stood in stark contrast to Obama, who on Thursday repeated calls for more gun control to slow the relentless recurrence of mass shootings in the U.S.
“We need to make sure when individuals decide they want to do harm we make it harder because right now it’s just too easy,” he said at the White House.
“We’re going to have to I think search ourselves as a society to make sure that we take some basic steps that make it harder — not impossible — but harder for individuals to get access to weapons,” he said.
Other Democrats followed, saying that the time for prayer is over — it’s time for action.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said he is tired of grieving for victims of mass shootings.
“This has become a ritual in the House. I would much rather have moments of action than moments of silence on the House floor,” he said on CNN.
Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal said the blame for the killings falls on Congress.
“In 30,000 tragic deaths every year — and now #SanBernardino — Congress is effectively complicit for its inaction,” he tweeted.
Attorney General Loretta Lynch also expressed frustration with a lack of urgency on gun control legislation.
This “is not what we stand for, this is not what we do, this is not what we work for,” she said. “It’s not what we live for, it’s antithetical to our values.”
Many have attributed the failure to enact gun control legislation on Republicans influenced by the National Rifle Association, a fact that Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) blasted on the Senate floor Thursday.
“Those who choose to do the NRA’s bidding will be held accountable by our constituents,” Reid said. “Something has to be done. We must take a stand. The American people are desperately looking for help, some help, any help.”