Five Observations of The Obama/CNN “Guns in America” Town Hall Meeting

[Valin]

The American Spectator:

Aaron Goldstein

1.7.16

 

I watched the "Guns in America" Town Hall Meeting on CNN which was hosted by Anderson Cooper featuring President Obama. Here are five observations.

 

1. At the top of the show, Cooper admitted that CNN approached the Obama White House about doing this town hall after the San Bernardino attacks. So even though the San Bernardino attacks were a result of Islamic terrorism, CNN nevertheless approached the Obama Administration with the idea of having a town hall meeting about gun control and the Obama White House enthusiatically agreed. It once again demonstrates that CNN and the Obama Administration share the same political objectives. It also demonstrates that Obama and CNN would rather talk about anything other than Islamic terrorism. Of course, when it comes to President Obama the words Islamic and terrorism will never collide in the same sentence.

 

(Snip)

 

2. I'm not sure why Obama agreed to this meeting. He came off worse tonight than he did in his first debate with Mitt Romney. Without a teleprompter, he is utterly incoherent. As the meeting wore on Obama came off as patronizing especially towards Kimberly Corban, a rape victim, who want to be able to purchase and carry a weapon to protect herself and her family.

 

On the one hand, Obama insisted he wasn't trying to make it harder for Americans to purchase guns. What utter nonsense. Obama has repeatedly said that the problem is easy access to guns. Of course, he's trying to make it harder for Americans to obtain guns. On the other hand, Obama claimed that people weren't well trained to use weapons. So Obama blames law abiding Americans for having too many guns and being too incompetent to use them.

 

Obama also did himself no favors when he said Americans who had anxiety about gun confiscation were engaging in "conspiracy theories". Well, then why praise Australia's gun confiscation program? If Obama praises Australia's gun confiscation program is it then unreasonable to conclude that he might support some form of confiscation program? If Obama wants a common sense solution then he should exercise common sense and refrain from insulting people who have the temerity to hold an opinion different from his own. He would be wise if he employed the philosophy that one captures more flies with honey than with vinegar. When President Obama demands that everyone "stop exaggerating and mischaracterizing each other's positions" it would be nice if he led by example.

 

(Snip)

 

5. All things considered this town hall could have been much worse. There was an effort to have people from both sides of the issue heard including Taya Kyle, the widow of Chris Kyle and I think she and others skeptical of Obama came off as reasonable and well measured. The same could not be said of Obama.

 

(Snip)

 

[Valin]

Obama’s bologna meets Taya’s grinder
Scott Johnson
January 8, 2016

CNN convened a town hall forum for President Obama to bloviate on issues of “gun violence” last night. I’m posting the complete video below. CNN has posted a transcript here (along with a two-minute compilation of highlights). The NRA declined CNN’s invitation to attend. The radical Chicago cleric Michael Pfleger was on hand. Reverend Wright was apparently not available.

 

I wonder if CNN thought about inviting John Lott. If they didn’t, I would guess it’s because they are unfamiliar with his work, or because he would make their heads explode. One or the other. Lott argues the proposition More Guns, Less Crime and deconstructs just about every proposition Obama holds on the subject, including his purported belief in the Second Amendment (Lott interacted with Obama at the University of Chicago Law School). Audio of Levin’s interview with Lott this week is posted here (about 20 minutes). Lott’s NR column “Obama’s gun-control order is dictatorial, and it won’t work” is also on point.

 

It was left to the beautiful Taya Kyle, widow of the late Chris Kyle, to make the case in her own way (video below, about six mintues).

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOQZj8QqGMw

 

(Snip)

[Valin]

DU

 

Did you actually read the story?

 

Or watch the town hall? President Obama was clear that he isn't coming to take anyone's gun and that he isn't even trying to make it more difficult for people who can legally own a gun to purchase that gun. He's simply trying to keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldn't have them. Not sure what leap of logic you took to get to "guns are no longer out of reach for discussion.

 

[Draggingtree]

Obama’s Town Hall on Guns Just More of the Same

Posted by Aleister January 8, 2016 at 10:00am

 

Straw men, loopholes and accusations.

 

Obama’s “Guns in America” town hall event on CNN last night was a quiet event with plenty of respectful questions from the invitation only audience but failed to present any new ideas for dealing with gun violence short of making it harder for people to buy guns.

 

Within the first 15 minutes, Obama complained that every time he tries to do something on guns, his message is distorted by his critics.

 

ABC News reported:

 

Obama Slams Charge That He’s Taking Away Guns as ‘Conspiracy’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7PnnxejaH8

http://legalinsurrection.com/2016/01/obamas-town-hall-on-guns-just-more-of-the-same/

[Draggingtree]

Obama: Gun Proponents' Suspicions, 'Conspiracy' Theories Just Part of American DNA

 

BY BRIDGET JOHNSON JANUARY 7, 2016

 

President Obama scoffed at CNN host Anderson Cooper for questioning whether it was "fair" for him to brand pro-gun opponents as conspiracy theorists for fearing firearm registration or confiscation.

 

Obama was surrounded by people on both sides of the gun-control issue at a CNN townhall held at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.

 

Mark Kelly, husband of former Rep. Gabby Giffords, asked the president "to explain, with 350 million guns in 65 million places, households from Key West to Alaska -- 350 million objects in 65 million places -- if the federal government wanted to confiscate those objects, how would they do that?" https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/2016/1/8/obama-gun-proponents-suspicions-conspiracy-theories-part-of-american-dna

[Draggingtree]

The Essential Paradox of Gun Control

Son of Spengler January 8, 2016 37 COMMENTS

 

On Tuesday, President Obama gave a speech outlining his new gun control program. As is typical for him, the speech was fatuous, disingenuous, and replete with factual errors. It was also warmly received by three group: Democrats, the media, and the shareholders of gun manufacturers.

 

Shares of Sturm, Ruger & Co. and Smith & Wesson jumped by double digits earlier in the week (though they’ve since retreated) in anticipation of a spike in sales. Since Obama assumed office and the end of last year, their stock has yielded compounded annualized total returns of 43 and 38 percent, respectively, compared to 16 percent for the S&P 500 Index. Every time the president tries to advance his gun control agenda, gun manufacturers reap a windfall.

https://ricochet.com/the-essential-paradox-of-gun-control/

[SrWoodchuck]

@Valin & @Draggingtree!

 

It was the only time I've ever heard Oblunder acknowledge Chris Kyle.....as anything....much less the hero that he was.

 

Other than that it was a "Gardeners Town Hall"...full of manure & CNN & WH "potted plants."

 

Oblunder without TOTUS =

 

Insightful speech from a Constitutional Professor Tedious Meandering Gasbag

 

The NRA was correct in skipping this "Skippy" fest. They were asked to attend & debate, with their rule being that they could not ask anything but one (1) scripted & CNN/WH vetted question.

[Draggingtree]