The Senate reportedly has reached a bipartisan agreement on a weak-ass gun control compromise following horrific mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas. The framework to which 10 Republican Senators agreed doesn’t include universal background checks or a national red-flag law, and it doesn’t ban AR-15s or even raise the age for people to purchase assault weapons. Instead, it would merely give money to states to implement their own red-flag laws, create an “enhanced review process” for gun buyers under 21, and earmark some more money for school safety.
Today, Republicans briefed their members on the negotiations during a caucus lunch, and HuffPost’s Igor Bobic tweeted that Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) told reporters he had “concerns.” I mean, I have concerns about North Dakota having two Senators despite its population of less than 800,000 people, but I digress.
Cramer’s assessment of the lunch? “I think we’re more interested in the red wave than we are in red flags, quite honestly,” he said, jaw-droppingly.
Yes: A U.S. Senator has just admitted out loud that his party may do nothing on gun control because they would rather focus on picking up seats in November’s midterm elections and possibly regain control of both the House and Senate in a “red wave.”
CBS News Congressional correspondent Scott MacFarlane wrote that Cramer didn’t stop there—he finished the thought by musing a bit more on the red wave, saying, “And we have a pretty good opportunity to do that.”
It’s not entirely clear whether Cramer is saying the quiet part out loud about himself or bravely dragging his colleagues for their absolutely ghoulish priorities. When the New York Times asked him what voters back home would think if he voted for any significant gun restrictions, Cramer said, “Most would probably throw me out of office.”
His honesty is frankly enlightening, as it proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that most elected Republicans actually don’t care how many Americans die from gun violence—they simply want to keep their well-paid jobs and maintain power so they can continue to do the bidding of corporations and megadonors. Enjoy hell, guys.