Tom Foreman: Issue pulling overestimates how supportive the public is on an issue like background checks. But that doesn't mean republicans should be afraid of losing their seat if they try to port it, he writes. He says in today's polar ized partisan environment, going against your party's base is all but certain to provoke a major political backlash.Foreman: Republicans don't run for office because they want to fight with conservatives,. right? If you were to reverse it, and you imagine what a moderate democrat might feel if they were to come out on the pro life side, Just what their lives would count for?"
In calling for Republicans to pass gun safety measures like expanded background checks, Democrats point to polls that show most Americans support the idea.
They aren’t wrong about the polling. In fact, some polls show that over 90 percent of Americans support expanded checks.
Polling, however, does not tell the whole story.
Guest: Nate Cohn, a domestic correspondent for The Upshot at The New York Times.
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