On December 15, Obama’s anti-gun Surgeon General nominee Vivek Murthy needed 51 votes to be confirmed. He reached 51 because one Republican–Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL)–joined Democrats to confirm him.
Breitbart News previously reported that Murthy’s “political activism” was even too much for some gun control lawmakers, like Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV). And on the day of the vote, Manchin made clear he would not support Murthy.
But Kirk stepped up and voted “yea” in Manchin’s place. In so doing, he abandoned the NRA and the Second Amendment for a Surgeon General who has been clear in his intention to treat guns as “a healthcare issue.”
According to Roll Call, Kirk’s abandonment of the NRA and the Second Amendment is part of his greater attempt “to moderate his voting record in the run-up to 2016 given that he will be a top target for Democrats in a blue state.” In other words, he’ll supposedly sacrifice the defense of gun rights and distance himself from the NRA for the appearance of being a centrist when his name appears on the ballot in two years.
The problem with this plan is that Kirk voted for gun control in April 2013 too. What was his reasoning then? Was he already trying to moderate? He also opposed lifting the ban on firearm possession at “federally controlled water project sites” in May 2013, although the purpose behind ending the ban was to allow campers and visitors to possess guns for self-defense.
It should be noted that Kirk is straining to distance himself from the NRA just over a month after more than 91 percent of NRA-endorsed candidates won in the midterm elections.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.