Posted on 12/17/2012 9:32:07 AM PST by Kaslin
The NBC, ABC, and CBS morning shows on Monday all touted President Obama seemingly calling for more gun control during a Sunday night vigil for the victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting. NBC's Today provided the most hype as correspondent Lester Holt proclaimed: "While he offered words of comfort, he also laid down a political gauntlet....sketching the outlines of what amounted to a policy statement on gun violence."
Holt acknowledged: "He did not utter the words 'gun control,' but his message could set the stage for such a debate." Speaking to co-host Savannah Guthrie later on the broadcast, Holt observed: "He didn't talk specifics, Savannah. But you got the sense that he was laying down a political gauntlet, saying perhaps it's time now to look at this issue of gun violence from all perspectives, political risks laid to the side." Guthrie replied: "Well, we'll see what happens when lawmakers get started in January with the new term."
Good Morning America was more subtle in it's coverage of the President's remarks on the shooting, but news reader Josh Elliott did convey: "President Obama was not specific about what he'll do to prevent similar tragedies. But political insiders predict tightened gun control will be a major priority in his second term." Co-host George Stephanopoulos declared it to be: "A bracing call to action from President Obama right there."
On CBS This Morning, correspondent Jeff Glor noted that Obama "spoke as a weary leader," explaining moments later: "I think a lot of us were surprised by the call for change, and we were talking about this. I think it's certainly very possible that at this point it becomes an unexpected priority now in his second term."
Later on the show, Glor further remarked: "...remember the President did not talk about the gun control issue at all on the campaign trail and now he is." Co-host Gayle King replied: "I'm hearing in the town last night they were saying they hope that the President will now speak up and that he will use the bully pulpit and lead to some change." Glor observed: "The President did not address the issue after Aurora happened in July." Co-host Norah O'Donnell added: "Or in Tucson after Gabby Giffords."
During a report on gun control during the CBS morning show, White House correspondent Bill Plante pushed the President from the left on gun control: "President Obama said last night he would use all the power of his office to prevent a repeat of the tragedies like the Newtown massacre. The President supports renewing the ban on assault weapons, but he ignored the gun control issue in his first term. And when he ran for president in 2008, he tried to reassure gun owners.
Here is a transcript of Holt's December 17 Today report:
7:01AM ET TEASE:SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: The President wrote these remarks himself and I can tell you it contained a more forceful call to action than even some close aides had expected.
7:03AM ET SEGMENT:
GUTHRIE: NBC's Lester Holt is here with more on that. Lester, good morning to you.
LESTER HOLT: Savannah, good morning. A tough weekend, the community needed the President to come here. He met with the first responders, the families. But the speech he delivered is not the one that many people expected. For while he offered words of comfort, he also laid down a political gauntlet. For the fourth time since taking office, President Obama stood before a community shattered by mass murder to offer words of comfort.
BARACK OBAMA: I can only hope it helps for you to know that you're not alone in your grief.
HOLT: The President called last Friday the worst day of his presidency. And this time he came with more than words of consolation. The President, sketching the outlines of what amounted to a policy statement on gun violence.
OBAMA: Can we honestly say that we're doing enough to keep our children, all of them, safe from harm? I've been reflecting on this the last few days, and if we're honest with ourselves, the answer is no. In the coming weeks, I'll use whatever power this office holds to engage my fellow citizens, from law enforcement, to mental health professionals, to parents and educators, in an effort aimed at preventing more tragedies like this. Because what choice do we have?
HOLT: He did not utter the words "gun control," but his message could set the stage for such a debate.
OBAMA: Are we really prepared to say that we're powerless in the face of such carnage? That the politics are too hard?
Any discussion on restricting the First Amendment for violent movies and violent teaching video games?
Maybe it is time to confront these perpetually hysterical “activists” with the facts that: (1) You cannot make life totally safe, and (2) Crazy people should be locked up.
Well, the proper way is a constitutional amendment. Anything less is just more oppression from the Government.
I hope everyone is contacting their congresspeople in support of the 2nd Amendment.
Me too. I’m so angry at these marxist SOBs that are taking away our individual rights and freedoms I’m ready for CW2. I’d rather these monsters come at me with force than to enslave us like they are doing with this stupid brainwashing by the media etc.
I say we throw the political gauntlet down right back at them and change defamation laws so that every Jim Holmes (”who’s a member of the Tea Party, by the way”) and “Ryan” Lanza out there can easily recover hundreds of millions in lawsuits whenever innocent people are smeared by the MSM.
This guy will jump on any excuse to divide the country.
I figure since he has thrown down the ‘gauntlet’, he should be the first to mavigate it by giving up all secret service protection and walking his own gauntlet unarmed and putting his own children in a DC school with regular ‘folks’.
Fair enough, Obama. Lets start with a pilot program right in your home town of Chicago. Give us a ring back when you get the killing down below double digits on any given weekend in Chicago.
navigate. I hate it when I do that!
Root cause analysis should demonstrate that guns aren’t the problem here, they’re simply the tools being used to bring the problem to fruition.
If the Republicans are smart they’ll use their control of the House to hold hearings to conducts thorough root cause analysis. Which will expose the cynical attempt to exploit tragedies like this for what they are.
Kinda like the liberals in Michigan.
In one sentence they’re calling on the governor to veto the bill that would allow guns in schools and in the next, they’re threatening his 16 year old daughter.
Bring it, you skinny Kenyan f%*k!
We’ll probably be doing our Christmas shopping in the firearms department of Cabelas this year.
My husband has decided he really needs another rifle, and I really need a small, easily concealed revolver.
How many children have been killed by Fast and Furious guns ? What ? You do not know. Why not ? Have all the guns been recovered ?
How many children have been killed by the rebels you supported and funded in Syria and Libya ? What ? You do not know. Why not ?
All weekend long, “the comforter in chief, the comforter in chief, the comforter in chief” is all I heard. I almost threw myself of a bridge this morning.
The lesson of the Sandy Hook massacre is that the government cannot protect you or your family. The government cannot be your last line of defense.
Those kids were murdered in government custody, behind a security wall, in a gun free zone, in the 4th most gun-regulated State. Those kids had all the protection gun control could give ... and they were massacred by one scrawny 20-year-old punk.
Gun control failed those kids. Don’t let the government take away the means for you to protect yourself because of their failure.
SnakeDoc
Wow, what a lot of pancake makeup...
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