The balls on this guy to lecture other people about being too quick on the draw in wanting to change national policy in the aftermath of a massacre.

My full statement in response to President Trump’s proposed funding cuts to anti-terrorism efforts: pic.twitter.com/L0S6K1WkLX

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) November 1, 2017

I guess it's not too soon to politicize a tragedy.

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) November 1, 2017

Every mass shooting inevitably brings demands for new gun control from Democratic leaders before the blood on the ground has cooled. Here’s Schumer last month, the day after the Vegas rampage:

“As much as we might hope to we cannot banish evil from the earth, Congress can’t do that, the president can’t do that,” he said from the Senate floor. “What Congress can do, what Congress must do, is pass laws to keep our citizens safe.”

“And that starts with guns, especially laws that help prevent guns, especially the most dangerous guns from falling into the wrong hands,” Schumer continued.

Pelosi was quick out of the gate the next day as well:

Now, Democratic Minority leader Nancy Pelosi has also joined the ranks, urging House Majority Leader Speaker Paul Ryan to create a “Select Committee on Gun Violence” immediately and “pass the bipartisan King-Thompson legislation to strengthen the life-saving background checks that keep guns out of the wrong hands.”…

Addressing the mostly-conservative criticism that the day after a mass gun-related tragedy should be reserved for mourning and prayer, Pelosi stated: “Today is a day for prayer, mourning and love, but it must also be a day for action. As Members of Congress, our words of comfort to the families of the victims of the Las Vegas massacre will ring hollow unless we take long overdue action to ensure that no other family is forced to endure such an unimaginable tragedy.”

Has-been Hillary chimed in too:

Our grief isn't enough. We can and must put politics aside, stand up to the NRA, and work together to try to stop this from happening again.

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 2, 2017

In that case, it was right-wingers scolding the left for leaping immediately to half-baked policy fixes in the heat of emotion. And progressives replied the way they always do: The aftermath of a shooting is the perfect time to consider gun control. The nation is momentarily focused on an intractable problem which it normally treats as cultural background noise. The grief people feel is energy that can be harnessed towards a solution. Why wait?

But the same logic applies to the aftermath of terrorist attacks. Only the parties’ roles are different. The media knows its role too. After a mass shooting, the focus is gun violence. After a terror attack, the focus is — well, you know:

Muslim Americans again brace for backlash after New York attack https://t.co/tD5eEpOitI pic.twitter.com/i2xxTgjVEA

— NBC News (@NBCNews) November 1, 2017

Schumer whining about Trump “politicizing” a tragedy is as feeble and phoned-in as the Senate minority extolling the virtues of the filibuster the day after they lose their majority. And the weirdest part is that Schumer had a much better line of attack on Trump available to him in this case. Read Ed’s excellent analysis of the Diversity Visa Lottery Program. Not only did Trump overstate Schumer’s role in that, members of the Gang of Eight like Jeff Flake are reminding Trump that their immigration bill would have ended that lottery. Trump handed Schumer an easy opportunity here to score some political points. He whiffed.

Here he is on the Senate floor this morning, needling Trump by comparing him unfavorably to George W. Bush.

Sen. Schumer: "The contrast between President Bush's actions after 9/11 and President Trump's actions this morning could not be starker." pic.twitter.com/EZ9X6GrjW8

— Axios (@axios) November 1, 2017