A screenshot from the Web site of the National Rifle Association, showing an ad about security for President Obama's children. (photo: NRA)
16 January 13
he National Rifle Association has unveiled a new advertisement on its Web site
accusing President Obama of being an "elitist hypocrite" for expressing
skepticism about the group's proposal to put armed security guards in
schools, while accepting secret service protection for his daughters.The ad does not show images of the president's daughters but refers to them in the first line of audio, in which a narrator asks: "Are the president's kids more important than yours?".
The narration continues: "Then why is he skeptical about putting armed security in our schools when his kids are protected by armed guards at their school? Mr. Obama demands the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes, but he's just another elitist hypocrite when it comes to a fair share of security. Protection for their kids and gun-free zones for ours."
In addition to Mr. Obama, the ad displays images of four other figures excoriated as elitist hypocrites: Vice President Joe Biden, who is drawing up proposals to curb gun violence, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an outspoken advocate of gun control, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, who has promised to introduce legislation banning assault weapons, and David Gregory, the moderator of NBC's "Meet the Press," who had a heated exchange during a recent interview with Wayne LaPierre, the vice president of the powerful gun lobby.
My colleague Michael Shear reports that the White House issued a strong reaction to the ad, calling it " repugnant and cowardly."
Michael D. Shear @shearm
Strong WH react to NRA video: "To make the safety of the President's children the subject of an attack ad is repugnant and cowardly."
During a discussion of the N.R.A. ad
on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," on Wednesday, the program's host, former
Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough, dropped his head and asked,
"What's wrong with these people?"
Joe Scarborough @JoeNBC
The NRA needs new leadership. This extremism is frightening and over the line. nbcnews.to/11zjSfN
After his co-host Mika Brzezinski called the group's
leaders "sick in the head," Mr. Scarborough said: "they need new
leadership is what they need. Their leadership has dragged them over the
cliff. They are now a fringe organization, with millions of mainstream
Americans" as members. "This extremism," he concluded, "is frightening."
No comments:
Post a Comment