ABC News gave up any illusion that they were going to objectively cover the Parkland school shooting on Sunday when fill-in host Martha Raddatz relinquished control of This Week to radical anti-gun activists. Between students claiming the GOP had blood on their hands and claims the NRA was sponsoring the shootings, and letting a Democratic Congressman control the debate and grill a Republican, it was clear ABC stood against gun rights.
After recapping the shooting, the immediate aftermath, and the investigation, Raddatz brought on five students from the high school (only two of them spoke) and let them smear responsible gun owners via the NRA. They promoted their march on Washington, DC later next month, pitching it as “students begging for our lives.” “This isn't about the GOP. This isn't about the Democrats. This is about the adults. We feel neglected and at this point, you're either with us or against us,” declared student Cameron Kasky.
“Cameron, you had some very harsh words this week for Senator Marco Rubio, Governor Rick Scott here in Florida. You said they have blood on their hands,” Raddatz teed up Kasky for his anti-gun/NRA screed:
At this point, any politician on either side who is taking money from the NRA is responsible for events like this. And one of the things we're trying to do here is give everybody a clean slate and create a new normal where there's a badge of shame on any politician who is accepting money from the NRA no matter where they are. At the end of the day, the NRA is fostering and promoting this gun culture in which people like Nikolas Cruz can gun down 17 innocent lives in our school.
“We want to have conversations with President Trump, Senator Rubio, and Governor Scott about the fact they are being supported by the NRA. And we want to give them the opportunity to be on the right side of this,” demanded student Emma Gonzalez when queued by Raddatz.
A short time later Raddatz brought on Democratic Congressman Ted Deutch, who represented the district, and Republican Congressman Carlos Curbelo, who represented South Florida. And after Curbelo talked about how the only one with blood on their hands was the shooter and noted he was eager to get things done, Raddatz turned to Deutch and let him rip into his colleague.
“Do you support universal background checks, yes or no? Do you support the terror watch list bill that says if you’re too dangerous to fly you shouldn’t be able to buy a gun? And do you support what had been the law until 2004 which was a ban on assault rifles that are made for no purpose other than maximum killing,” Deutch demanded to know. And his radical questioning was backed up by Raddatz who asked, “will you do those things? Do you support them?”
There was no comment from Raddatz about how background checks already existed (although some improvement and enforcement were needed), the liberal ACLU’s concerns about using the no-fly list, or the fact that the assault weapons ban didn’t have an effect on crime.
Deutch went on to attack Curbelo for supporting Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) for speaker and claimed he had voted against gun control measures from coming to the floor. He also demanded that President Trump visit Parkland, Raddatz didn’t correct him or remind him that Trump was just there visiting victims.
Curbelo implored the leftist duo that he was “one of the members of Congress who is trying to get us closer to that point where we can have bipartisan legislation that will help mitigate or prevent some of these types of situations in the future.” But Raddatz ending the segment with a sneer and declaring, “you’re still a long way apart.”
The relevant parts of the transcript are below, click expand to read:
ABC
This Week
February 18, 2018
9:13:46 AM Eastern(…)
CAMERON KASKY: People keep asking us what about the Stoneman Douglas shooting is going to be different, because this has happened before and change hasn't come. This is it people are saying it is not the time to talk about gun control and we can respect that. Here’s a time! March 24th in every single city we're going to be marching together as students begging for our lives. This isn't about the GOP. This isn't about the Democrats. This is about the adults. We feel neglected and at this point, you're either with us or against us.
MARTHA RADDATZ: Cameron, you had some very harsh words this week for Senator Marco Rubio, Governor Rick Scott here in Florida. You said they have blood on their hands.
KASKY: At this point, any politician on either side who is taking money from the NRA is responsible for events like this. And one of the things we're trying to do here is give everybody a clean slate and create a new normal where there's a badge of shame on any politician who is accepting money from the NRA no matter where they are. At the end of the day, the NRA is fostering and promoting this gun culture in which people like Nikolas Cruz can gun down 17 innocent lives in our school.
(…)
EMMA GONZALEZ: They need to join us in the March on Washington. They need to find our website. They need to come out against those people supported by the NRA on both sides. We want to have conversations with President Trump, Senator Rubio, and Governor Scott about the fact they are being supported by the NRA. And we want to give them the opportunity to be on the right side of this.
(…)
REP. CARLOS CURBELO (R): We kind of inherited this world of binary choices where we either have to repeal the Second Amendment or no gun safety regulations what so ever. And younger generations of Americans don't see the world that way. I want to represent those people and I want to get something done.
RADDATZ: Congressman Deutch I know you have a reaction to that.
REP. TED DEUTCH (D): I do. I do. And Carlos and I have worked well together. But I have to represent my constituents who want Carlos and others in the House and Senate to just be clear about this. Do you support universal background checks, yes or no? Do you support the terror watch list bill that says if you’re too dangerous to fly you shouldn’t be able to buy a gun? And do you support what had been the law until 2004 which was a ban on assault rifles that are made for no purpose other than maximum killing? All I've heard all week is how frustrated people are with rhetoric. They want action. There are bills we can pass tomorrow. The things we need to do are the ones I just outlined.
RADDATZ: And Congressman Curbelo, will you do those things? Do you support them?
CURBELO: I supported the Thompson-King legislation which expands background checks and rights, by the way, for those who are law-abiding citizens and responsible gun owners.
(…)
RADDATZ: I want to go back to the NRA and what I asked you about Marco Rubio and those kids saying he had blood on his hands. Does he take some blame here?
CURBELO: Look, obviously these are young people very frustrated and obviously in deep pain because of what happened. There's one person who has blood on his hands and it's the perpetrator of this crime.
(…)
DEUTCH: I can tell you what these kids have told me. They don't want to hear about co-sponsoring, they want action. Carlos is a friend. Carlos also voted for Paul Ryan for speaker. It's the Speaker of the House who refuses to bring this up. And the few times we have a chance to actually introduce an amendment to actually bring them to the floor Carlos had voted against those. We need the opportunity to vote. We should -- he should talk to the speaker. He should come to the speaker with those kids and he should encourage Marco Rubio to come to Parkland and to face these kids directly and he should encourage the President to come to Parkland—stop using this for politics—come to Parkland and talk to these kids and their families and everyone who has suffered. That's what should happen. That’s how change will come.
RADDATZ: Congressman Curbelo, I'm going to give you the last word on this.
CURBELO: Martha, I agree with Ted that something has to happen. I'm one of the members of Congress who is trying to get us closer to that point where we can have bipartisan legislation that will help mitigate or prevent some of these types of situations in the future.
RADDATZ: I thank both of you for joining us this morning. You’re still a long way apart.
