Hours after promising action, Rep. Dold sides with party, blocks bill to keep guns from people on terrorist watch list
Deerfield, IL — Today’s behavior shows why Republican Rep. Bob Dold (IL-10) needs to be replaced this November. There is a jarring disconnect between his words and his actions. When it comes to keeping guns out of the hands of people on the terrorist watch list, Rep. Bob Dold’s rhetoric doesn’t match reality.
Rhetoric:
“Thoughts and prayers are not enough.”
“It’s time for action.”
“We cannot allow partisanship to define this debate.”
Reality:
Less than three hours after saying those words on the floor of the House of Representatives, Republican Rep. Bob Dold voted with his party to block action on the ‘No Fly, No Buy’ bill — for the 12th time.
Sorry, Congressman Dold, but you don’t get credit for co-sponsoring legislation if you proceed to block it. Empty promises from vulnerable career politicians aren’t enough.
Gun violence is a serious issue for the 10th District. Dold is great at getting headlines for himself but terrible at reflecting 10th District values when it counts.
Update: Dold’s claim that he never blocked the bill is wrong and is politics at its worst:
(1) Procedural votes determine what legislation Congress will vote on.
(2) The dozen procedural votes mentioned are not “unrelated.” In each case Democrats were asking Republicans to pause the current discussion to vote on Democrats’ gun safety legislation instead. In each case every Republican (including Dold) voted to continue the current debate rather than vote on the gun bill.
(3) Democrats offer the “No Fly, No Buy” bill during debate on other bills because Republicans will not allow gun safety legislation to be considered at all. Ever. There is no other time for Democrats to try. That is why the votes appear to be related to other issues. Every vote cited asks the exact same question: Can we pause what we’re doing and vote on the gun bill? Every time, Dold voted “No.”
(4) Dold’s “procedural votes” blocked the “No Fly, No Buy” bill from being voted on every time Democrats tried to offer it. That is an undeniable fact.
It is hypocritical and cynical to claim you never voted on a bill when that is true only because you stopped yourself from having the opportunity.
The procedural nuances Dold cites to rationalize his decision are not at issue because the result is clear. He was presented with the choice to either act on gun legislation or stick with his party. He chose the latter.
And here is how the nonpartisan publication The Hill described what happened (6/14/2016):
“House Democrats used a procedural vote for unrelated legislation Tuesday that, had it gone their way, would have forced a vote on a bill banning people on the FBI’s terror watch list from buying guns.
Democrats had previously tried the maneuver 11 other times for what they have deemed the ‘no fly, no buy’ bill in the aftermath of last year’s terrorist attack in San Bernardino, Calif.
In other words, Democrats offered the “No Fly, No Buy” bill during debate on other bills because Republicans would not allow the gun safety legislation to be considered at all. Ever. There is no other time for Democrats to try. That is why the votes appear to be related to other issues. Every vote referred to asks the same question: Can we pause what we’re doing and vote on the gun bill?
“Despite calling for a vote on the bill earlier in the day, Dold sided with fellow Republicans during Tuesday’s procedural vote. Centrist Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), meanwhile, was the only lawmaker who broke with his party.”
Dold voted “No.” Period. Even though he had called for lawmakers to be bipartisan and to act immediately, Dold then sided with his party to block the bill.
