Aside from post-poning the planned vote on the bill to repeal health care, the Tucson shooting has focused attention again on gun control - or at least the sale of extended gun clips - and the quality of mental health services.
The vote for repeal will certainly get back on track, but the national agenda will certainly be impacted by this for more than a little while. It's not inconceivable that it can have an impact on the 2012 election, though that is still far in the future. It will be the Republican leadership's job to make sure this doesn't happen. We will track what they do to make sure this doesn't happen. As with everything else in politics, the question will be how independent voters process these events, and how it affects their opinions of the two parties.
- Public opinion background, Gallup.
