David Jolly: “In the wake of continued terror around the globe and here at home, the American people are rightfully asking what…”

“In the wake of continued terror around the globe and here at home, the American people are rightfully asking what solutions exist within the Halls of Congress, and they are rightfully asking questions about national security and, yes, about the Second Amendment and about firearms. The numbers don't lie. Eighty-five percent of Americans believe that if you are being investigated for terror, you should not be able to purchase a firearm; but 88 percent of Americans also believe that this body should follow the Constitution. The congressional approval rating--not 58 percent, not 88 percent--is somewhere around 10 percent. Why? It is because the American people want to see a Congress that is governing, a Congress that is solving problems. We each run on closely held convictions, and we should honor those every day in the Halls of this body. The days of reaching consensus seem to be imperiled, seem to be just out of reach. We prioritize the politics of blame over the politics of governing. We prioritize the politics of November over the politics of now. In the past few weeks, this conflict has played out in very real time on very closely held issues, personal issues right here in this well. My friends on the left want to vote on a bill that will lose. It will lose.…”