BLOGOMETER: “If you were expecting for the netroots to join more traditional Dem calls for increased gun control following the tragedy in Blacksburg, VA, don’t hold your breath. At deadline, none of the top five netroots sites (Daily Kos, Eschaton, TPM, AMERICAblog, and MyDD) have called for any changes to gun laws (CLARIFICATION: AMERICAblog does ask for a ‘revisit’ of guntrol but nothing specific). And don’t expect them to either. The VA Tech shootings are serving as an albeit tragic marker in demonstrating just how different Dems are in ’07 than they were in ’99. With bloggers in the lead, Dems have gotten past the gun-control issue and helped reclaim majorities with help from netroots backed pro-gun candidates Sens. Jim Webb (D-VA), John Tester (D-MT), and Reps. Brad Ellsworth (D-IN) and Heath Shuler (D-NC). As Rudy Giuliani faces heat from social conservatives for telling them they need to ‘get beyond issues’ like abortion, one wonders how many elections the GOP has to lose before they embrace a similar evolution.”

UPDATE: Harry Reid is with the Netroots on this.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Don Surber: “Not so fast, Blogometer:

No, dearie, the voters of West Virginia got Democrats to change their tune. Had Gore carried us, he would have won the 2000 election without Florida.

Or if he had carried Arkansas.

Or Tennessee.

He lost each of those states because he failed to respect the Second Amendment.

Lesson learned. Kerry toted a gun to the Racine (W.Va.) rally on Labor Day 2004.

Yes, but I think the Netroots folks realized this faster than a lot of more entrenched Democratic leaders.