Gabby Giffords asked Chris Christie for an anti-gun successor to Lautenberg. What we get is NJ’s current sitting AG. I don’t really know his record on guns, or even if he has one, but to be honest I don’t consider it to be remarkably important, because he could be the Carrie Nation of guns and it wouldn’t change much. Even if he voted with us 100% of the time, he’s not going to run in the special election. He’s a placeholder.
Being from New Jersey, I would not expect much in the way of pro-gun votes from him, if he gets to take any at all. I think even if he has some pro-gun votes in him, he’d still likely be a vote for Manchin-Toomey. But so was Lautenberg. It doesn’t get them anywhere. If he votes against any anti-gun bill or amendment, it will just be pure bonus as far as I’m concerned.
The NJ AG’s office is incompetently fighting shall-issue at the Circuit Court. What that means, I don’t know
Everything seems to indicate that Christie is really getting nailed by both sides on his decision. Lots of talk about the cost of this special election, especially.
My guess is the special election is a dodge to get Cory Booker into the seat without jeopardizing Governor Christie’s presidential ambitions.
Cory Booker wouldn’t be the worst pick for gun rights. He has even publicly stated that he doesn’t think gun control would solve the gun violence problems in Newark. He’s a cut above Lautemberg, and that’s sure not saying much.
Chiesa’s (who we mispronounce as “cheeser,” which seems to fit him) signature issue as AG has been the eeeevil of guns in civilian hands. He’s spent something like $100M on buybacks, and celebrates that the bought-back guns are melted down.
Another one of his big focuses has been “diversity” of the bean-counting variety. The press release doesn’t put guns first on his list but it’s all the press really says about him.
http://www.nj.gov/governor/news/news/552013/approved/20130606a.html
http://articles.philly.com/2013-05-09/news/39117991_1_gun-buybacks-street-crime-dec
Anyway, he’s there to be googled. Sebastian’s point is right on: having militantly-anti-gun, needs-not-fear-the-voters-cause-he’s-a-placeholder Chiesa is not different in any material way from militantly-anti-gun, needs-not-fear-the-voters-cause-he’s-a-Dem-and-it’s-Jersey Lautenberg.
Whether or not Christie vetoes the anti-gun bills coming his way is far more important to me than my new summer-intern Senator.
Basically this.
Based on much of what he’s said I think Booker could be a pragmatic, relatively passive, “go along to get along” anti-gun replacement for the “actively hostile to gun rights” Lautenberg.
A pro-gun, Dem or not, Sen from NJ is probably a pipedream, but it’s a win to have one less anti-gun Senator actively proposing more restrictions at every opportunity.
Someone who says “if it makes it to the floor I’ll probably vote for it” is -much- better than someone out in front of the media demanding their pet restrictive bill get pulled out of committee or actively repeatedly pushing amendments that will need defeating.
Booker’s young enough and sharp enough to learn to drop the issue if gun control hurts the Dems in ’14. That is, I think, our big hope for the anti-gun bastions as the anti-gun Senators who made their names on the topic die off and retire.
That’s the only way to “win” a culture war. Your opponents have to fail to pass on their values to the next generation. And for the two most visible culture wars (guns and gays), that’s what is happening. This is causing predictable panic in the losing side.