As good a reason as any

Governing through process of elimination. [Link]

[B]ut the Democrats aren’t planning on having a debate–any debate. They apparently intend, in keeping with their recent practice, that senators should read Reid’s bill and vote on it simultaneously. It is the Republicans, not the Democrats, who would relish a debate on the Left’s harebrained gun control schemes.

And it is Senate Republicans, not Democrats, who are happy to put their votes on record. The senators who wish the whole issue would go away are red state Democrats like Mary Landrieu, Max Baucus, Mark Begich, Kay Hagan and Mark Pryor. For those up for re-election next year, a vote in favor of gun control could be the last nail in the coffin.

So why is President Obama making gun control his number one issue, when it has zero chance of becoming law, and the political impact is negative for some of his own senators? I can think of only two reasons. First, he wants to whip the Democrats’ base into a frenzy in hopes of capturing the House next year, and the base hates guns. I think this motivation accounts for much of what Obama does, but does it really make sense to endanger Democratic control over the Senate, in hopes of a long-shot victory in the House? One wouldn’t think so. Second, Obama may view the gun issue purely as a distraction: anything is better than talking about the economy. Or Obamacare. Or Benghazi. Or Iran. Or North Korea. Maybe he arrives at gun control through a process of elimination. It isn’t a great theory, but it’s the best I can come up with.