In what seemed like an effort for them to have their own NRA smear-fest similar to CNN’s, ABC’s This Week hosted both NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch and anti-gun Parkland student David Hogg. And as would be expected, Loesch owned host George Stephanopoulos because of his profound ignorance on guns and his leftist politics. When the schooling was over, he turned to Hogg and let him smear gun rights advocates.
Hogg was brought on after the interview with Loesch and from the get-go, Stephanopoulos was enthralled with his baseless smear campaign. “David, you see there what you're up against. NRA against any changes in the minimum age, against universal background checks, against a ban on semi-automatic weapons,” he asked the teen.
“Honestly, it's just disgusting. They act like they don't own these politicians. They still do,” Hogg bitterly spat. “And what I want people to know is, look at Dana. Look at what she’s saying. Is she actually saying anything or is that just a tone to distract the American public and distract her NRA members from the fact that she's not serving them? She's serving the gun manufacturers.”
Stephanopoulos implored Hogg to explain how he planned to wake up the duped NRA members so they could pressure their leadership. “They have to do that. And in the same way that this is Democracy that is currently broken, the NRA is an organization that is completely broken,” Hogg declared.
It’s interesting that Hogg proclaimed the NRA was a “broken” organization because according to recent media reports, the Broward County Sheriff’s office had upwards of four officers camped outside the school while the shooting was going on. And in addition to that, reports say the department had been called to the shooter’s residence some 39 times with other claims against the shooter, which included threatening someone with a gun.
There were also warnings about him and his possible intentions made to the department and the FBI weeks before the shooting. But on that subject, Hogg didn’t want to criticize his anti-gun allies. “From before like these investigations come out, from what I have seen from Sheriff Scott Israel, he's a good man, he cares about the people,” he argued. “I don't know what happened in his organization. I’m not a sheriff, I can’t speak on behalf of them. Honestly, I just know that I support anyone that is trying to protect the lives and the future of America.”
“We've seen white hot intensity in the days after the shooting, then it goes away. Zero change. How do you prevent that from happening this time,” Stephanopoulos asked him. “As many critics of my generation will say, millennials are some of laziest like most critical people. I don’t think that they’re lazy. But I think we're definitely critical. Especially on social media. And we love to complain about things. We absolutely do,” Hogg touted.
Hogg then looked directly at the camera and attacked Loesch and the NRA one last time:
It's something where we're going to have to look and look really hard into what the foundation of the country is and ask ourselves, is that what we're becoming? To the members of the NRA, I want to say this. Listen to Dana, is she really speaking to you guys? Is she trying to fight for you guys? Or is she actually trying to fight for the gun lobby? She seems -- everything she was saying seems like spectacle. Is it just her tone? Or is it what she's saying?
For all his talk of “looking really hard” at the foundations of America, Hogg really didn’t seem to understand where the right to bear arms came from.
The relevant portions of the transcript are below, click expand to read:
ABC
This Week
February 25, 2018
9:14:19 AM Eastern(…)
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: David, you see there what you're up against. NRA against any changes in the minimum age, against universal background checks, against a ban on semi-automatic weapons.
DAVID HOGG: Honestly, it's just disgusting. They act like they don't own these politicians. They still do. It's a Republican-controlled House, Senate, and Executive branch. They can get this stuff done. They've gotten gun legislation passed before in their favor and the favor of gun manufacturers. And what I want people to know is, look at Dana. Look at what she’s saying. Is she actually saying anything or is that just a tone to distract the American public and distract her NRA members from the fact that she's not serving them? She's serving the gun manufacturers. She’s not serving the members of the NRA. Because the people joining the NRA, 99.9 percent of them are amazing people that just want to be safe, responsible gun owners and I full can support that.
STEPHANOPOULOS: How do you convince them to convince their leadership that we need change?
HOGG: They have to do that. And in the same way that this is Democracy that is currently broken, the NRA is an organization that is completely broken.
(…)
STEPHANOPOULOS: David, you heard the other point Dana was making about the Broward County Sheriff’s office. Do you feel let down by them?
HOGG: Honestly, I know that the people that work in law enforcement are some of the hardest working individuals in America. I know they work every single day to protect the lives and just innocence of American school children and the American public in general. Were there mistakes made? Absolutely. Is anything going to change? I certainly hope so. But this is something that we can't go back and change now. We have to look to the future and fix it. From before like these investigations come out, from what I have seen from Sheriff Scott Israel, he's a good man, he cares about the people. I don't know what happened in his organization. I’m not a sheriff, I can’t speak on behalf of them. Honestly, I just know that I support anyone that is trying to protect the lives and the future of America.
(…)
STEPHANOPOULOS: You kids are taking the lead. Young people are taking the lead in the wake of the shooting. Address the point I made at the top of this program. We’ve seen these horrific shootings in the past. We’ve seen columbine. We’ve seen Virginia Tech. We’ve seen Newtown. We've seen white hot intensity in the days after the shooting, then it goes away. Zero change. How do you prevent that from happening this time?
HOGG: Honestly, it's our generation. Columbine was about 19 years ago. And now that an entire generation of kids has grown up around mass shootings and the fact that they starting to be able to vote, is explaining how we are going to have this change. Kids are not going to accept this. As many critics of my generation will say, millennials are some of laziest like most critical people. I don’t think that they’re lazy. But I think we're definitely critical. Especially on social media. And we love to complain about things. We absolutely do. Honestly, trying to fix this issue.
We really do. It's something where we're going to have to look and look really hard into what the foundation of the country is and ask ourselves, is that what we're becoming? To the members of the NRA, I want to say this. Listen to Dana, is she really speaking to you guys? Is she trying to fight for you guys? Or is she actually trying to fight for the gun lobby? She seems -- everything she was saying seems like spectacle. Is it just her tone? Or is it what she's saying?
(…)
