Since the Parkland, Florida school shooting late last week, the liberal media has been leaping at every opportunity to put one of the young anti-gun student activists on the screen so they can parrot back liberal talking points on guns. A great demonstration of this occurred on Monday’s edition of MSNBC’s Hardball where host Chris Matthews took anti-gun activist Chris Grady through his NRA/GOP bashing paces.
“Hey Chris, thank you so much for joining us tonight,” hyped an eager Matthews. “What do you think when you get up every morning now since Wednesday, what's the first thought and feeling that comes to you about realizing this new world you live in?” Grady responded by noting how he felt “very motivated” and “each day has been incredibly busy, but we know we're making a lot of progress.”
Matthews swiftly shifted from pleasantries to bashing political opponents. After an apparent communication issue, he wanted to know, “Do you know what you're up against?” Matthews then went on a brief tirade against the NRA:
The power of the gun lobby, the NRA. They want guns basically available to anyone open carry in Florida, 18-year-old, you can buy an AR-15 an assault rifle. They basically want as free -- an availability as guns as possible in this universe. More free than anywhere in the world. They want to make it easy get a gun and carry a gun and openly display it. They are all the way with this thing. You're up against that.
Grady seemed to pick up what Matthews was putting down and went along. “Yeah. You know, it's absolutely disgusting how easy it is to access, you know, these assault weapons. No other country in the world -- it's not easy like it is in America,” he said just before claiming mass shootings were a daily occurrence.
“The NRA has consolidated a lot of power. They have a lot of politicians in their back pocket. But as long as politicians continue to get money from the NRA, we're going to vote them out. So they're going to get what's coming to them,” Grady declared.
The MSNBC host teed up his young guest one more time to take a swipe at the NRA, asking, “Do you think politicians, I'm serious here, do you think they ought to wear something on their back that says paid for by the NRA?”
“Yeah, no, they absolutely should. People should know what they're supporting and where they're getting their money from,” Grady declared. “A lot of American citizens might not know just how much money politicians like Marco Rubio are getting from the NRA. And it's absolutely disgusting.”
Beyond exploiting a young person who experienced a traumatic event, Matthews expressed his profound ignorance of gun owners, and their varied interests, by asserting they only had the one:
The Second Amendment people, that's what they think about. I'm not saying you're crazy. That's what they think about. Other people think about health care, education, foreign policy, infrastructure, tax policy. They have a variety of interests. And they'll move on. Next week we'll be talking about immigration again and if there is going to be a bill for the Dreamers. We have a variety of interests. The gun owner has one.
And as evidence of his authority on the matter, Matthews noted: “I have a brother like this.” This is what passes for political analysis at MSNBC and it’s embarrassing.
The relevant portions of the transcript are below, click expand to read:
MSNBC
Hardball
February 19, 2018
7:21:05 PM Eastern [2 minutes 28 seconds]CHRIS MATTHEWS: For more, I'm joined by Chris Grady. He is a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and he joins us now from Parkland, Florida. Hey Chris, thank you so much for joining us tonight. What do you think when you get up every morning now since Wednesday, what's the first thought and feeling that comes to you about realizing this new world you live in?
CHRIS GRADY: Um. You know, each morning we're all very motivated. Each day has been incredibly busy, but we know we're making a lot of progress. So.
(…)
MATTHEWS: Do you know what you're up against? The power of the gun lobby, the NRA. They want guns basically available to anyone open carry in Florida, 18-year-old, you can buy an AR-15 an assault rifle. They basically want as free -- an availability as guns as possible in this universe. More free than anywhere in the world. They want to make it easy get a gun and carry a gun and openly display it. They are all the way with this thing. You're up against that.
GRADY: Yeah. You know, it's absolutely disgusting how easy it is to access, you know, these assault weapons. No other country in the world -- it's not easy like it is in America. And of course, America has constant mass shootings. It seems to be like a daily thing now. Um. But, you know, we know what we're up against. The NRA has consolidated a lot of power. They have a lot of politicians in their back pocket. But as long as politicians continue to get money from the NRA, we're going to vote them out. So they're going to get what's coming to them.
MATTHEWS: Do you think politicians should have, like, when you're on a bowling team, you the name of your sponsor on the back of your shirt so you know who paid for your team shirts and your bowling balls. Do you think politicians, I'm serious here, do you think they ought to wear something on their back that says paid for by the NRA? Just a thought.
GRADY: Yeah, no, they absolutely should. People should know what they're supporting and where they're getting their money from. A lot of American citizens might not know just how much money politicians like Marco Rubio are getting from the NRA. And it's absolutely disgusting.
(…)
7:26:10 PM Eastern [26 seconds]
MATTHEWS [speaking to Montel Williams]: You know the asymmetry of this warfare, which is the gun owner. I have a brother like this. The Second Amendment people, that's what they think about. I'm not saying you're crazy. That's what they think about. Other people think about health care, education, foreign policy, infrastructure, tax policy. They have a variety of interests. And they'll move on. Next week we'll be talking about immigration again and if there is going to be a bill for the Dreamers. We have a variety of interests. The gun owner has one. And that's been their strength.
(…)
