MSNBC anchors have itching for fresh federal gun control legislation long before the Newtown shooting last December, but the network went into overdrive with the push and hasn't looked back. Although the president's push for gun control is on the administration's back burner at the moment, the network is still feverishly seeking to keep gun control at the forefront of the national discussion, even and especially if it means using kids as props to do so.
Take Thomas Roberts, who on the May 24 edition of his 11 a.m. MSNBC Live program interviewed 7-year old Myles Nelson who imaginatively "came up with an idea for using chocolate bullets instead of real ones in the aftermath of the Newtown shooting."
Roberts began the segment by framing the discussion as the, “White House’s agenda to pass sensible gun reform measures.” On January 16 of this year, President Obama, surrounded by children, signed 23 executive actions on gun control, which appears to be the inspiration for Roberts’s segment. Roberts brought on Myles and his teacher Barbara Rankin to hype the child’s chocolate bullets idea and the personal letter in response which he received from Vice President Biden.
The Lean Forward network has no qualms, apparently, with exploiting a grade schooler to further a liberal agenda, apparently believing the fact that the Obama administration is making young Myles a poster child an excuse to do so themselves.
Roberts gleefully hyped Biden’s response to Myles’ ridiculous proposal, proclaiming that:
The Vice President, Myles really liked your letter, because he says that all people liked chocolate. He called you a good boy in the letter that he wrote back to you. But what did you think? How did you feel when you yourself got a letter from the Vice President?
It's not inconceivable that somewhere in the U.S. some grade-schooler has written a respectful letter to the president asking him to stop making guns out to be the bad guys and to allow for good teachers and principals to have guns to defend schools from bad men. While it would also be distasteful to exploit a young kid who sent such a letter, it's quite obvious MSNBC would not find such civic engagement adorable, much less worth putting the kid on air to talk about his letter.
It’s sad that MSNBC has to resort to using children as political props to push its failing gun control agenda. What's more, coming as it does while the Obama administration is roiled in pretty damaging scandals, it's a transparent sideshow to distract from the real news of the day. Using a child and his teacher to do it just adds to the ick factor.
See relevant transcript below.
MSNBC
MSNBC Live
May 24, 2013
11:52 a.m. Eastern
THOMAS ROBERTS: Alright, so since the Newtown shooting, we all know that Vice President Joe Biden has been pushing the White House’s agenda to pass sensible gun reform measures and even taking time to respond to a second grader's letter about making the world safer. So, take a listen to this, because it's a letter from miles nelson. A 7-year-old from Milwaukee. And Myles came up with an idea for using chocolate bullets instead of real ones in the aftermath of the Newtown shooting. In a hand written response the Vice President told Myles if we had guns that shot chocolate, not only would our country be safer, it would be happier, people love chocolate. Last week I had a chance to speak with Myles and his teacher Barbara Rankin, and I asked him how Myles came up with this idea for the chocolate bullets.
BARBARA RANKIN: Myles and I were having lunch together one day and he said, Barb, I have a really good idea. And proceeded to tell me about chocolate bullets and how the world would be safer and no one would be sad. And I said, we needed to send this on to people who could do something about it. And the two of us sat down and wrote letters to Ms. Moore, Vice President Biden and President Obama. And mailed them out.
ROBERTS: And what's pretty amazing, Myles let me ask you, you call your teacher Barb, first of all, let me get that right. You call your teacher Barb?
MYLES NELSON: Yeah.
ROBERTS: Yeah okay. That's pretty cool in and of itself. But I want to get a sense for our viewers, about the letter. Can you read a portion of the letter that you sent off to the Vice President for us?
NELSON: Yes. Dear Vice President Biden, I have a great idea to help make our country safe better and the best. I think guns should shoot out chocolate bullets. Then no one will get killed and no one will be sad. Sincerely, miles.
ROBERTS: The Vice President, Myles really liked your letter, because he says that all people liked chocolate. He called you a good boy in the letter that he wrote back to you. But what did you think? How did you feel when you yourself got a letter from the Vice President?
NELSON: Really excited.
ROBERTS: Really excited. And did you tell barb right away and your parents and kids at school? What did they think?
NELSON: I can't remember.
RANKIN: Actually the letter came to head of our school, Mrs. Flynn. And she brought it up. And first we shared it with Myles and then Myles went in and shared it with his class.
ROBERTS: Now what was the reaction, Barb, was it good?
RANKIN: They were so excited. First of all, it was handwritten and the gold seal, that was the seal of the deal.
ROBERTS: And I understand, Myles that you plan on writing another letter to the vice president. What's going to be in this letter?
NELSON: Dear Vice President Biden, may I please go to the White House and have lunch with you? Sincerely Myles.
ROBERTS: I think that is a great letter. And plus, you said may I, which is very important. So Barb you're doing a great job as Myles' teacher. But I think Myles has some great ideas. So hopefully the Vice President's people are going to reach out to you Myles and get you to the White House for lunch. Milwaukee second grader Myles and his teacher, Barb Rankin. Thank you so much for joining me. I appreciate it.
