The Washington editor of the conservative National Review Online slapped down a critical article by Maureen Dowd this weekend, after the New York Times columnist said President Barack Obama’s incompetence was to blame for the failure of gun background check legislation last week.
“It’s unbelievable that with 90 percent of Americans on his side, he could get only 54 votes in the Senate,” she wrote. “It was a glaring example of his weakness in using leverage to get what he wants. No one on Capitol Hill is scared of him.”
Robert Costa, who is deeply embedded in Republican politics, especially in Congress, agreed with MSNBC contributor Joan Walsh that Dowd’s account of the realm of the possible on Capitol Hill was severely misguided.
“When you talk to Republicans, who supported Toomey/Manchin, they are glad the President was on the sidelines,” he said on MSNBC on Saturday. “The minute the President weighs into this debate, Republicans say ‘We can’t deal with this.’”
He added: “I don’t think the President could have done a lot to win Republican votes. They have only so much room to roam on the right. If you start to tiptoe towards the center, the grassroots really start to pay attention.”
The Manchin-Toomey amendment would have expanded mandatory background checks to firearm purchases at gun shows and Internet sales, but it fell five votes short Wednesday of the 60 needed to overcome a filibuster. It garnered four Republican votes, but suffered four Democratic defections.
Costa again said Monday that the idea Obama could have done more to pressure Congress into placing further limits on guns “is hard to see.”
This idea that O could have done more to win GOP votes on gun control is hard to see. Pro-Toomey/Manchin Repubs glad he was on sidelines
— Robert Costa (@robertcostaNRO) April 22, 2013
I agree w/ @joanwalsh that the dynamics of Congress, not the level of O’s investment, is what killed bkgrnd chks mediaite.com/print/msnbcs-j…
— Robert Costa (@robertcostaNRO) April 22, 2013
