WASHINGTON -- Following the mass shooting at Umpqua Community College, a "smoldering" (as one commentator put it) President Obama gave a revealing speech -- a clarification, a culmination, of much that had come before. "What has become routine," he said, "of course, is the response of those who oppose any kind of commonsense gun legislation. Right now, I can imagine the press releases being cranked out. 'We need more guns,' they'll argue. ... Does anybody believe that?" "This is a political choice we make," he claimed, "to allow this to happen every few months in America."
The president's frustration, after delivering a sad series of similar speeches, is understandable. But his argument is still indefensible.
Even if you support "commonsense gun legislation" (as I do), there was nothing in Obama's speech that effectively argued for it. No policy proposals or serious justifications. No one listening to the speech would be persuaded to take a position he or she did not already hold. Obama was saying, in essence, that it is obvious what we should do about mass gun violence, that evil people are blocking it, and that they have innocent blood on their hands.
More: www.realclearpolitics.com
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.