The fact that Senator Max Baucus is not seeking reelection has the NRA very, very nervous.

Courtesy of The Plum Line:  

Does the defeat of Toomey-Manchin mean the gun debate has been settled? The National Rifle Association doesn’t think so. 

In a sign of more to come, I’m told that the NRA ran this ad in Montana newspapers defending a Democrat, i.e., Max Baucus, who voted against Manchin-Toomey, and urging Montanans to call Baucus’ office and thank him for his vote:

This is noteworthy, beyond the fact that the NRA — which usually reserves most of its firepower for use on behalf of Republicans — is aggressively propping up a Democrat. It suggests the NRA may still believe Baucus is gettable as a vote for Manchin-Toomey. Buzzfeed’s Ben Smith yesterday laid out an unlikely but possible scenario in which Baucus, who is retiring, gets won over after sustained pressure and flips a few red state Dems and even a Republican or two with him. As Smith puts it, “he has nothing to lose.”

There are lot of people, most notably Democrats, who believe that this gun debate is all but over. 

However it is worth noting that the NRA thinks no such thing.

I hope Baucus DOES give the NRA the middle finger, and that he announces it early so that some other fence sitters get the message, and put the safety of our children ahead of their desire to remain in the Senate indefinitely.

What good is it to have a Senator who is supposed to represent you when all they think about is their nest reelection?