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?
Maybe thats because Ozero made a political speech at a Memorial Service?
considering guns have been around for ages, the media almost as long,, it would certainly seem the media can not deny that it has profited by reporting the violence it ‘unwittingly’ also perpetuates.. and when celluloid hit the reel,, how many thousands of movies have served as the canvasses for the depiction of death and destruction wrought thru firearms alone, who profited and still continues to every hour of every broadcast day.. who is surprised today’s talking heads do the same? and they say the NRA is scaling back its presence on FascistBook .. smack a person upside the head with a 2by4 long enough.. they’ll ban them too.
If they have to tell us that, then he didn't.
Did he also write the speech he gave the day of the shooting? He couldn't even pronounce "Newtown" correctly. The talking heads said the name every 3 minutes but, once again, he was clueless.
For the past 4 years, given the stats for ammo and gun sales, I’d say that the general population has prepared itself for Obama’s gambit re: gun control/confiscation. No matter the emotions of the present run amok, Obama’s efforts will run into a buzz saw.
Didn’t hussein say, “if they come with knives, we’ll come with guns”? Just which side of this is he on? Talk about flip flopping.
I don’t see China banning knives after their school stabbings which happened on the same day but they sure got on the horn crying out for the US to ban guns.
The Obama can fix anything crowd marches on.
With Obama, rape victims are urged to disarm, bare it all and go back to that dark street... where of course OBama’s friends are and will be listening to him and be good now so long she is disarmed. (sarc off)
.338 Lapua?
Yes, fine caliber.
Or a smooth old model 71 Winchester .348
Sure complements my old model 94 Winchester.
Not shabby for an old beast.
“Gun control failed those kids.”
Gun control is government’s admission that it cannot and will not guarentee a person’s absolute safety while claiming its monopoly to do violence upon whosoever it chooses.
Obama went there for the same reason the Westboro Baptist Church claims to be going there.
Publicity.
It’s a great Photo-op for him.
Molon Lobe!
Personally, I think all of these school shooting are planned and implemented by the government to justify forcing gun bans. Too many coincidences here.
As about a full-blow oxymoron as you can get.
full-blown...
Back in the late 80- 90’s the State of California tried o force owners of “assualt weapons” to register them with the state. no one, NO ONE, complied. The State Attorney General at the time, Dan Lungren, refused to enforce the law. (Dan was my US Rep.) for 18 years until finally, after 3 election cycles of massive Democrat effort to defeat him, he was defeated in 2012.) I suspect that any Obama efforts will have a similiar result on a national level.
The people need to demand that Obama and Congress do something right now to help protect our kids and drop their political agenda.We should have asap:
1. Government funding for tasers/mace in every classroom.
2. Security experts or police to provide training for tasers/mace and to establish a defensive plan. Teachers should also know how to use what’s at hand (fire extinguishers?)
3. Panic buttons in every front office that would alert the teachers and police at the same time. Just like fire drills, that alarm should trigger a plan to get students to safety and help with the attacker.
I know I sound like a broken record on this stuff but it’s steps we can take now to help protect the kids. I hate that my daughter ( a teacher) and grandkids are in schools today still sitting ducks for whatever whacko shows up while O and Dems only concern is to disarm Americans.
Let them put that in their pipe and smoke it.
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