On Tuesday, Hollywood actor Matthew McConaughey took to the White House podium to plead for Congress to pass stricter gun control laws in the aftermath of the mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde. As per their usual arrangement, the evening news broadcasts were more than happy to act as stenographers for the leftist agenda.
ABC’s World News Tonight, CBS Evening News, and NBC Nightly News all lead with the McConaughey rant and the ongoing negotiations on Capitol Hill over gun control.
With all the drooling over McConaughey's support for tougher background checks and other measures that the media supports, what's interesting is that they left out his call for restraint on "sensationalized media coverage."
Matthew McConaughey on what needs to be done,:
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) June 7, 2022
- "Invest in mental health care"- "Safer schools"
- "Restrain sensationalized media coverage"
- "Restore American values"- "Background checks"
- Raise age for AR-15s
- Waiting period
- Red flag laws. pic.twitter.com/5bNDP8qZIt
ABC’s Capitol Hill correspondent Rachel Scott started off her slanted coverage by gushing over the “impassioned plea from the White House briefing room from academy award-winning actor and Uvalde native Matthew McConaughey.”
In between playing clips of McConaughey’s speech, Scott swooned over him adding that “McConaughey, a proud gun owner, going door-to-door on Capitol Hill lobbying for reform.”
Over on NBC, national correspondent Gabe Gutierrez hyped that “the White House got a high-profile boost in its push for new gun legislation from actor and Uvalde native Matthew McConaughey.” Before announcing that McConaughey has been “pleading for compromise” on gun control.
Meanwhile, on CBS, chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes was just as dramatic with her description of the mood in the White House briefing room when McConaughey spoke, adding “for about 20 minutes you could have heard a pin drop as Matthew McConaughey spoke about a cause that has suddenly become personal and begged Washington to act.”
Cordes glowingly regurgitated the Hollywood actor’s self-description as not “Republican or Democrat but as aggressively centrist.”
She claimed: “he came to Washington this week to push for measures that polls show most Americans support, like expanding background checks and raising the minimum purchasing age for semiautomatic weapons from 18 to 21.”
However, when speaking to anchor Norah O’Donnell she revealed that Republican leaders “announced their opposition to a red flag bill in the house that would allow guns to be taken away from people who pose a risk to themselves or to others.”
Norah couldn’t contain her disappointment and scoffed that it was “pretty stunning.”
This cheerleading from the three leftist networks was made possible by Ensure on ABC, Chewy on CBS, and Liberty Mutual on NBC. Their information is linked.
To read the relevant transcript click “expand”:
ABC’s World News Tonight
6/7/2022
6:40:06 p.m. EasternRACHEL SCOTT: Tonight, an impassioned plea from the White House briefing room.
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: I would like to bring up Matthew.
SCOTT: From Academy Award-winning actor and Uvalde native Matthew McConaughey.
MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY: Uvalde, Texas, is where I was born. It's where my -- my mom taught kindergarten less than a mile from Robb elementary. Uvalde is where I learned to master a Daisy BB gun. Uvalde is where I learned responsible gun ownership.
SCOTT: The actor now calling for concrete steps.
MCCONAUGHEY: We need background checks. We need to raise the minimum age to purchase an AR-15 rifle. These are reasonable, practical, tactical regulations.
SCOTT: His family traveled to Uvalde days after the school shooting. Today, one by one, he honored the 21 lives lost too soon.
MCCONAUGHEY: Now Alethia, her dream was to go to art school in Paris and one day share her art with the world.
SCOTT: He met with the family of teacher Irma Garcia. Her husband Joe died of a heart attack just days after Irma was killed. Their family saying he died of a broken heart.
MCCONAUGHEY: Then there was the fairytale love story of a teacher named Irma and her husband, Joe. Together, they were the glue of the family. Both worked overtime to support their four kids. The money she had made two summers ago paid to paint the front of the house. The money she made last summer paid to paint the sides of the house. This summer's work was going to pay to paint the back of the house. Because Irma was one of the teachers who was gunned down in the classroom -- they never got to paint the back of the house.
SCOTT: And then there was this moment from McConaughey who talked about the little girl, 9-year-old Maite Rodriguez, and her trademark sneakers. The horror of that weapon leaving only the sneakers to help authorities identify her.
MCCONAUGHEY: These are the same green converse on her feet that turned out to be the only clear evidence that could identify her after the shooting. How about that?
SCOTT: McConaughey, a proud gun owner, going door-to-door on Capitol Hill lobbying for reform.
CBS Evening News
6/7/2022
6:33:09 p.m. EasternNANCY CORDES: Good evening, Norah. You know, the White House briefing room is typically a pretty raucous place, but today, for about 20 minutes you could have heard a pin drop as Matthew McConaughey spoke about a cause that has suddenly become personal and begged Washington to act.
MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY: We have a life preservation problem on our hands.
CORDES: Uvalde's most famous former resident took the podium this afternoon to convey the anguish his hometown had shared with him.
MCCONAUGHEY: We start by making the loss of these lives matter.
CORDES: His wife, Camila, carried with her the shoes that belonged to one of the 10-year-old victims, mate Rodriguez, who had emblazoned them with a hand-drawn heart to symbolize her love of nature.
MCCONAUGHEY: These are the same green converse on her feet that turned out to be the only clear evidence that could identify her after the shooting. How about that?
CORDES: The parents of another victim, 10-year-old Alithia Ramirez, gave him some of her artwork.
MCCONAUGHEY: Now, this particular drawing is a-- is a self-portrait of Alithia drawing with her friend in Heaven looking down on her drawing the very same picture.
CORDES: McConaughey grew up in Uvalde and learned to shoot in Uvalde. He has considered running for office in Texas and describes himself not as Republican or Democrat but as aggressively centrist.
MCCONAUGHEY: Find a middle ground, the place where most of us Americans live anyway.
CORDES: He came to Washington this week to push for measures that polls show most Americans support, like expanding background checks, and raising the minimum purchasing age for semiautomatic weapons from 18 to 21.
MCCONAUGHEY: Responsible gun owners are fed up with the Second Amendment being abused and hijacked by some deranged individuals. These regulations are not a step back. They're a step forward for a civil society and-- and the Second Amendment.
CORDES: But that argument has not swayed most Republican leaders. In fact, just today, they announced their opposition to a red flag bill in the house that would allow guns to be taken away from people who pose a risk to themselves or to others. Those Republicans, Norah, say that such a bill would trample on Americans' Second Amendment rights.
NORAH O'DONNELL: Pretty stunning, Nancy Cordes, thank you.
NBC Nightly News
6/7/2022
7:03:18 p.m. EasternGABE GUTIERREZ: Today The White House got a high-profile boost in its push for new gun legislation from actor and Uvalde native Matthew McConaughey.
MCCONAUGHEY: We are in a window of opportunity now that we have not been in before.
GUTIERREZ: An emotional McConaughey, grimly highlighting a replica of green shoes worn by one of the Uvalde massacre's young victims. Ten-year-old Maite Rodriguez.
MCCONAUGHEY: These are the same green converse on her feet that turned out to be the only evidence that could identify her at the shooting. How about that?
GUTIERREZ: Bipartisan negotiators now say a gun deal could be reached this week. Democrats don't have votes to raise the minimum age to buy ar-15-style rifles. Negotiators are instead focusing on stricter background checks, incentivizing states to pass red flag laws, more money for mental health and school security. McConaughey pleading for compromise.
MCCONAUGHEY: We need to restore our American values and we need responsible gun ownership. Can both sides rise above, can both sides see beyond the political problem at hand and admit we have a life preservation problem on our hands?
