What is the conservative fight? Conservatives are fighting for freedom and limited government -- the Founders' vision for a country where We the People have inalienable rights not granted to us by government.
Take the gun debate, for example. Underlying the gun debate is a coercive, top down vision for America. The politicians will have access to armed security, the wealthy will be able to hired armed guards, and the politically connected will be granted special permits to carry concealed weapons while the rest of us will have a hollow Second Amendment.
The Senate has simply failed to offer a compelling argument for their anti-gun bill. We need Senators to tell us what's in the bill. As far as I'm concerned, Nancy Pelosi told us all we need to know about that.
Even the best members of Congress need to be held accountable.
Rep. Matt Salmon knows how important procedural moves are in the House and Senate, which is why he called for a return to the Hastert Rule - the rule that House leadership will not bring up a bill for a procedural vote if it doesn't have the support of a majority of the majority.
Often, Representatives and Senators vote based on political calculations rather than principles. If they know the bill will pass, but want to vote against it to provide political cover for themselves in their districts, they will vote for the rule or motion to proceed, but against final passage. If Members of Congress REALLY want to ensure that bad legislation is stopped, they would prevent the bill from even getting to the floor by opposing the rule as first.
Conservatives must keep up the pressure on the Senate and House. We need to make sure they know universal background checks are bad policy and (despite the generic polls) bad politics. They also need to know their constituents will hold them accountable for their actions.
Related:
Heritage Action Scorecard
Dangerous, Ineffective Gun Bill Advances