Ronald Klain is 100% correct. The NRA and the assault weapon ban were not the reason why Democrats lost control of the House in 1994. The NRA was the rooster that took credit for the dawn. Democrats lost the House for a myriad of reasons, including the tax increase, a weak economy, Clinton Administration missteps, Congressional scandals and, yes, the Brady Bill. But more than anything, 1994 was about the final realignment of WWC* voters moving away from the Democrats. In the '80s, they had voted for Reagan at the top of the ticket, but kept returning their incumbent Democratic congressment, especially in the South.
With Clinton winning a plurality of the popular vote, those voters turned away from the Democratic party - again, especially in the South. As Klain points out, the NRA went on to become a partisan group rather than an interest group. The NRA simply will not support Democrats - so why cater to them?
The main takeaway that I've seen from Progressives in the wake of Stoneman Douglas is that it is no longer possible to reason with "responsible gun owners." The responsible ones already agree with most of the proposals. It's about defeating the NRA. Period.
And it's about finishing the coalition work that Obama started of creating a Democratic party that contains women, minorities, city dwellers, young people and now - increasingly - suburban college educated voters. THAT is the future, and it doesn't entail "respecting" ammosexuals who think their right to own weapons of war supersedes the right of the rest of us to be safe.
* White Working Class/Whites Without College
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