Quick reply to Jay Carney. Yes, today IS the day to talk about it.

[madfloridian]

Last edited Fri Dec 14, 2012, 07:52 PM - Edit history (1)

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/white-house-press-secretary-jay-carney-today-is-not-that-day-to-discuss-gun-laws/

In response to the tragic elementary school shootings in Connecticut this morning, White House Press Secretary expressed his deepest sympathies with the affected families and said that “today is not that day” to discuss gun laws.

Carney was asked during a White House press conference whether today’s violent incident raises “limiting gun violence” on President Obama‘s priority list for the second term.

“We are still waiting for more information about the incident in Connecticut,” Carney replied. “As we do, I think it’s important, on a day like today, to view this as I know the president, as a father, does, and others who are parents certainly do: which is to feel enormous sympathy for those families affected and to do everything that we can to support state and local law enforcement and to support those who are enduring what appears to be a very tragic event.”

He concluded: “There is, I am sure, will be, rather, a day for discussion of the usual Washington policy debates, but I do not think today is that day.”

Crossposted at Twitter

[uppityperson]

1. How about recovering the bodies, letting all grieve for a day and then discussing it? Yes, the

discussion NEEDS to happen, but how about letting the bodies cool at least and let the parents grieve for a day? Or do you think people will forget about this atrocity by tomorrow?

[democrattotheend]

16. I agree with you

And I think that's what he was trying to say.

That said, the president declined to push for gun control in the wake of the Giffords shooting and I hope that once the dust settles, he will push for a renewal of the assault weapons ban and other gun control legislation.

[Tx4obama]

2. Today is NOT the day for the White House to talk gun policy. The focus should be on the families...

the bodies haven't even been removed from the school yet.

Tomorrow is soon enough to talk policy.

A few more details from the White House press briefing earlier. White House spokesman Jay Carney said while today is not the day to debate gun policy, an assault weapons ban "does remain a commitment" of President Obama.
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/12/14/shooting-reported-at-connecticut-elementary-school/

[mfcorey1]

3. No, today is not the day. nt

[regnaD kciN]

4. No, today is not the day to talk about that...

...but tomorrow is. And I mean "twenty-four hours from now," not "sometime in the indefinite future, when people have forgotten."

[madfloridian]

11. Tomorrow never comes.

It never has. One shooting after the other, still no talking about it.

[democrattotheend]

17. I agree, mostly

Either tomorrow or sometime in the next week, once the dust settles. The president probably has not even finished calling the families yet.

[WI_DEM]

5. No, sorry MF, but today is not the day. It is a day to grieve and mourn so many

innocent losses. There will be time to debate gun laws and hope that somehow this madness can end.

[madfloridian]

9. Not a day to politicize, but a day to begin the talk. If this changes nothing...

then there is no hope.

[Schema Thing]

6. I think the WH is striking exactly the right tone. The blood isn't even dry ferchrisake.

[madfloridian]

13. The first thing I saw on Twitter today when I went there...

was a statement saying not to politicize the gun control issue. It is in my mind a way to shut down debate quickly.

BTW the blood never does get dry from mass shooting to next.

I taught kids that age. We had our share of lockdowns, but never ever like it has been lately.

[Johonny]

7. our nations mental health crisis, economic crisis, gun violence

there is never a day to talk about it. However Washington can spend a month talking about the absolute nothing that is their own made up fiscal cliff. That politicians these days don't and won't even engage in dialogue let alone policy making on anything remotely having to do with the vast majority of American society is why so many see the country as hopelessly broken. This hopelessness is created on purpose to feed into the for-profit industries that make money off fear, hate and mental illness. And thus cycle goes on and on.

[forestpath]

8. Of course not. That would take guts. Instead they must pay proper deference to the NRA,

and its enablers and apologists first.

[Harmony Blue]

10. We must show courage

we have to start right away...we are not even that far removed from the last gun crisis....

[OldDem2012]

12. Sorry, not until ALL of the facts are in and we know exactly what we're dealing with....

....just my opinion, but I'm pretty tired of knee-jerk reactions that end up being wrong for whatever reason.

[madfloridian]

15. You think it's knee-jerk to start talking?

I don't.

[madfloridian]

21. Could you tell me what in your opinion would excuse today's massacre?

I am serious about that question. I have wondered what you meant about waiting until we knew what we were dealing with.

Frankly we are dealing with about 20 dead very young children, and I can not imagine how my saying it's time to talk could be considered by anyone out of line.

[OldDem2012]

22. Serious or not, did you bother to even think before you asked that question?....

This story hits home for me in ways you will never be able to comprehend.

My wife and I have two children, a 14-yr-old son in high school and a 12-yr-old daughter in elementary school. My wife runs a preschool on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. Think about that.

Additionally, I was in school at Virginia Tech for seven years in beautiful Blacksburg, VA. Think about how these mass shootings make me feel when I clearly remember when a madman ended the lives of 32 people at my beloved college to include a professor who had survived the Holocaust.

Where in the blue-blazes Hell could you possibly think I was trying to "excuse today's massacre"??? That's the kind of knee-jerk nonsense to which I was referring earlier. Try thinking carefully the next time you question somebody's thinking on this or any other subject.

I don't have anything more to say to you or anyone else on this topic. To be real honest, I didn't owe you as much as I told you.

[madfloridian]

23. I generally don't respond when I am so blatantly insulted.

But this time I will. There are 20 young children dead.

Why in the world if you and your wife have such connections to students and Virginia Tech, would you get upset with me in the first place for saying it is time to talk about all these mass killings?

This is about more than gun control. I never post about that, dangerous topic.

This is about doing something to stop these things, and I don't see why waiting to find out more about it as you first said....would be beneficial to anyone.

You need to go back and read my posts without all the anger. I have never been one to pick fights, and I did not do so here. I feel it is time to demand something be done to stop all these massacres.

And on edit:

I taught for 33 years, the little ones for most of those years. I experienced the lockdowns where the fear was so great they could not control themselves to wait for the restroom. One day 4 hours with 7 year olds locked in. Tears and crying.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

14. What did MSNBC's Welker mean when she said

would the event in Connecticut "re-ignite President Obama's efforts to get stiffer gun control enacted"?

I have little interest in guns so I guess I've tuned out the President's gun policies. I was unaware that the president has any stiffer gun control policies he wants enacted.

[madfloridian]

18. I don't ever post about guns. Today I am posting about those dead kindergartners.

I doubt that will even start the talk we need to have.

I think Obama, like others before him, has mentioned controlling automatic weapons.

That guy today had 30 shots without reloading.

Those little kids didn't have a chance.

[BlueCheese]

19. It's sad how afraid we are of the NRA and the gun lobby.

Hooray. At some unspecified point in the future, we will have "the usual Washington policy debates." But not today.

When the Sago WV mine collapsed, was it not the day to talk about mine safety?
When an airplane crashes, is it not the day to talk about flight safety?
When the 9/11 attacks occurred, was it not the day to talk about countering terrorism?
When Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans, was it not the day to talk about disaster preparedness?

Why is it only when we have yet another gun-related massacre we're not supposed to talk about what might stop the next one?

Obviously many people on DU, on the Internet more widely, and in offices and cafes and homes across the country are talking about this morning's massacre and whether gun control could have prevented it. Why isn't today a day for the most powerful person in the country to talk about it?

[madfloridian]

20. Good post. The time is never right.

Obama did sound he like might want to talk about it. On Martin Bashir's show Joan Walsh said it out loud, even mentioning Carney's "unfortunate" phrasing.

I did not expect many to agree with me, but I was really surprised at how vehement the disagreement was.