Inside the Beltway: Republicans grit their teeth

Hipster hunters

“The current flare-up in the long political battle over gun laws is coming at a moment when American gun culture is more expansive than ever, having gained a foothold among the type of coastal elites that, just a couple decades ago, would have dismissed the very idea of holding a rifle as obscene and offensive,” points out BuzzFeed correspondent McKay Coppins. “Hunting and recreational shooting, once viewed by the left as backwater pastimes, have won over a liberal coalition of eco-conscious locavores, hipster hunters, and adventure-seeking New York media elites.”

To illustrate, Mr. Coppins points out a tweet sent out by none other than New York Times columnist David Carr, who revealed he was on his way for some target practice at a local gun range, quipping, “Hide yer children and valuables.”

Poll du jour

• 82 percent of American say President Obama “stands up for what he believes in”; 64 percent of Republicans and 96 percent of Democrats agree.

• 76 percent overall say Mr. Obama is a “good communicator”; 59 percent of Republicans and 90 percent of Democrats agree.

• 66 percent overall say the president is “trustworthy”; 32 percent of Republicans and 95 percent of Democrats agree.

• 66 percent overall say Mr. Obama “cares about people like me”; 32 percent of Republicans and 95 percent of Democrats agree.

• 59 percent say he is a “strong leader”; 25 percent of Republicans and 89 percent of Democrats agree.

• 57 percent overall say Mr. Obama is “able to get things done”; 30 percent of Republicans and 85 percent of Democrats agree.

Source: A Pew Research Center poll of 1,502 U.S. adults conducted Jan. 9 to 13.

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