The National Rifle Association was vilified plenty during the recent March for Our Lives rally, and likely will remain a target of anti-gun groups in the near future.
“So how does it feel to spend a day being called a child murderer on national television?” asked Boston Herald columnist Michael Graham.
His question was directed to Cam Edwards, a popular NRA broadcast host, and resulted in a telling conversation.
“You get used to it. This is nothing new, maybe just more ramped up,” Mr. Edwards replied, noting that the NRA is a membership organization — and an attack on the group is an attack on the 6 million people who want to protect the Second Amendment.
“NRA members are some of the best people in this country: first responders, educators, veterans, moms and dads. Not people who care more about their guns than their kids. And certainly not domestic terrorists,” said Mr. Edwards.
They also go to the polls.
“Americans who support gun rights are registered voters,” Mr. Graham pointed out, citing a new NBC News survey which found that 58 percent of Americans believe that gun ownership does more to increase safety by allowing law-abiding citizens to protect themselves.
He says that condemning this demographic could create “dangerous political territory” for the Democratic Party.
“If these Americans get the message that Democrats and the Left are declaring them Public Enemy No. 1, if they feel like their culture and values are under assault, that’s one way to get a relatively unmotivated GOP base fired up for the midterms,” observes Mr. Graham, whose column is also carried by CBS News.
BLOOMBERG’S ANTI-GUN GROUP READY FOR MORE
Just 48 hours after the end of the March for Our Lives events around the nation, the primary organizing group — which is backed by billionaire Michael Bloomberg — is poised for the next step.
“Students inspired the nation and demonstrated that they are a force in the gun violence prevention movement, committed to continuing the fight. To further that momentum, Everytown for Gun Safety announces new resources, including a $1 million grant program dedicated to spurring student-driven advocacy to end gun violence,” the group noted in a statement.
The organization says it already has another 200 community events, plus 75 legislative meetings at Senate offices in 41 states. The group says it has 4 million members and that 33,000 student “recruits” join each week, eager to found their own chapters and focus on voter registration drives “to call out lawmakers beholden to the gun lobby.”
Everytown for Gun Safety is part of a coalition of three anti-gun groups which grew out of Mayors Against Guns, founded and funded by Mr. Bloomberg in 2006.
THE BRAZEN BROADCASTERS
“The news media’s obviously insatiable appetite for scandal news surrounding Republican President Donald Trump is sharply at odds with their aversion to covering such stories about Democratic President Bill Clinton two decades ago,” writes Rich Noyes, the senior editor of Newsbusters.org who compared coverage by CBS, ABC and NBC, then and now.
There is, Mr. Noyes says, a “brazen double standard” at work.
Between them, the three networks broadcast 23 reports about accusations of sexual impropriety involving Mr. Trump, totaling 40 minutes of airtime, with most — 30 minutes — centered on adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Former Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal garnered 8 minutes, while former “Apprentice” contestant Summer Zervos was the subject of just over 1 minute.
The broadcasters’ zeal appeared less pronounced in days of yore.
Mr. Noyes cited Paula Jones and her accusations that then-Gov. Bill Clinton had sexually harassed her in a hotel room in 1991. CBS and NBC totally ignored her story while ABC gave those charges just 16 seconds. The networks ignored the case until Ms. Jones later filed a civil suit.
A few years later, the analyses also found that Kathleen Willey, who had similar claims about Mr. Clinton initially drew 94 seconds of coverage on CBS and NBC while Juanita Broaddrick’s accusation of rape was only covered by NBC, which got 7 minutes of airtime.
“Two decades ago, when faced with sexual misconduct charges against a Democratic president, supposedly enlightened liberals in the news media could have helped launch something akin to the #MeToo movement. Now they are gleefully covering scandalous charges against a Republican president, leaving one to wonder: Is that a sign that the times have changed, or just the party label of the man in the White House?” asked Mr. Noyes.
MR. SAVAGE AT 24
Talk radio kingpin Michael Savage has marked the 24th anniversary of the first day he went on the air — March 24, 1994 — recounting myriad events which shaped his broadcast presence.
They include being formally banned from Britain, writing 25 books, championing President Trump, and providing both commentary and imaginative observations on policy, immigration, religion, science, culture, health and family issues. And of course, his beloved dog Teddy was always part of the conversation.
Mr. Savage himself calls his approach “creative talk” and notes that the 24 years have raced by. His own sarcasm, humor, and bodacious theatricality, he says, separates him from “the flat world that has become talk radio.”
And by all indications, he’ll likely reach his quarter-century mark on the air.
POLL DU JOUR
• 60 percent of U.S. voters feel more optimistic now than they did a year ago; 82 percent of people who voted for President Trump, 79 percent of Republicans, 52 percent of independents and 45 percent of Democrats agree.
• 51 percent overall feel more optimistic about their finances now than a year ago; 74 percent of Trump voters, 70 percent of Republicans, 51 percent of independents and 33 percent of Democrats agree.
• 51 percent overall say their enthusiasm is “about the same” now as was in previous elections; 60 percent of Trump voters, 60 percent of Republicans, 58 percent of independents and 40 percent of Democrats agree.
• 45 percent overall approve of the job Mr. Trump is doing; 89 percent of Trump voters, 82 percent of Republicans, 41 percent of independents and 13 percent of Democrats agree.
• 44 percent have a favorable opinion of Mr. Trump; 89 percent of Trump voters, 82 percent of Republicans, 37 percent of independents and 11 percent of Democrats agree.
Source: A Fox News poll of 1,014 registered U.S. voters conducted March 18-21.
• Murmurs and asides to [email protected]
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