Republicans growing a pair

(Via Drudge)

It would seem that the Democrats are not as completely in control of the House of Representatives as they think they are:

House Democrats pulled a bill to grant voting rights to Washington, D.C., after Republicans offered a motion that would repeal the gun ban for the District.

The move is a clear signal that Democrats have lost control of the House floor on the voting rights issue after minority Republicans presented the Democratic majority with a politically unpalatable motion that their conservative members would be forced to support for fear of angering the gun rights community.

It’s with no small amount of glee that I note the item that’s dividing the Democrats–GUN RIGHTS!

After the ’06 elections there was a lot of speculation that the newly elected conservative Democrats would not march in lockstep with the loony left who usually controls the party agenda. It looks like there was some accuracy in the speculation, since the House leadership was unable to keep their troops in line on this issue, which has historically been important to the socialistc nutjobs who have been steering the Democratic ship aground in recent decades.

Of course the cynic in me has to wonder if the gun rights amendment was proposed solely because it would poison a bill the Republicans wanted dead, or if there was some measure of understanding what sorts of things their base holds dear and making a nod in that direction as well.

I hate that DC won’t get the gun rights part of the bill, but I’m happy we don’t have to fight the unconstitutional voting part in court. I’ll count this one a win.