Cable news was awash in coverage of the “sit-in” for gun-control laws staged by Democratic U.S. House members this week. Staging their protest just before a scheduled Independence Day holiday, House sitters chanted, “No Bill—No Break,” and vowed to “occupy” the House floor until Republican leaders agreed to hold a vote. Time magazine reported that Democrats intended to “sit-in” for days.
Twenty-six hours later, it was over. The Democratic occupiers went home for the holiday, without forcing a vote. Had they failed?
No, not exactly. House Speaker Paul Ryan exposed a Democratic fundraising effort attached to the sit-in, with emails from minority leader Nancy Pelosi and Rep. John Lewis asking for contributions of up to $500 “to defeat these AWFUL Republicans. Let’s get 32,000 more gifts during the sit-in.”
What’s more likely: That the mass email fundraising effort arose spontaneously, or that it was planned from the beginning?
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