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[massivekettle]

Wouldn't speaking or making decisions on public speech based primarily on reasoning such as that be a more pertinent, applicable example of "politicizing" a situation?

You seem to be arguing that he basically needed to not say the things he needed to say for Washington-insider political purposes, as opposed to whatever positive benefits they might promote outside that particular bubble.

Yes, but not when you are basically saying "I told you so" every time. 50% of the people get it. The other 50% doesn't. That's a reality Obama has to accept. It should have sink in by now. He's not going to get the 50% that doesn't want gun control to accept it immediately. It's deeply ingrained in the culture of this country for some reason.

I mean, I know everyone's jumping on you but

We're averaging more than one mass shooting a day

When could he talk about it that wouldn't be "politicizing"?

He's already talked about it plenty. Clearly, raising the issue doesn't work, and Democrats don't have the legislative power to change things at the moment.

 

[LAUGHTREY]

Wasn't 'politicizing' a mass shooting in Australia the entire reason they were able to finally get guns under control there?


Do people just talk out of their ass for fun or something?

 

[MilkyJoe]

http://www.gallup.com/poll/1645/guns.aspx

As long as Americans are that divided on the issue, and given all the shenanigans in Washington, it will take a generation or two before anything will happen.

The only thing Obama is doing here is harming the Democrats' prospects for 2016.

The only thing he is doing is to grow a pair and stand up for what is the right thing to do, fuck the politics.

 

[Real Hero]

He would be a terrible president if he didn't 'politicize' it at this point

 

[peanutbutterlatte]

Yes, but not when you are basically saying "I told you so" every time. 50% of the people get it. The other 50% doesn't. That's a reality Obama has to accept. It should have sink in by now. He's not going to get the 50% that doesn't want gun control to accept it immediately. It's deeply ingrained in the culture of this country for some reason.




He's already talked about it plenty. Clearly, raising the issue doesn't work, and Democrats don't have the legislative power to change things. It's a moot issue at this point.

Enjoy living in constant fear/ignorance of everyone you know and love getting murdered at the pull of a trigger I guess man.

 

[Pai Pai Master]

Yes, but not when you are basically saying "I told you so" every time. 50% of the people get it. The other 50% doesn't. That's a reality Obama has to accept. It should have sink in by now. He's not going to get the 50% that doesn't want gun control to accept it immediately. It's deeply ingrained in the culture of this country for some reason.

He's already talked about it plenty. Clearly, raising the issue doesn't work, and Democrats don't have the legislative power to change things at the moment.

I'm not really sure what you're arguing. Should we just give up and come to terms with the fact that any random 10,000+ individuals will get to eat a bullet each year?

It doesn't matter if he's talked about it plenty already. We don't stop talking about it until something changes.

 

[liquidtmd]

There's one point I agree with, though, is the fact that it was quite despicable of Obama to politicize the issue (yet again). It's just going to make people that were on the fence even more annoyed at his attempt to bring forth gun control/revoking the second amendment.

1. Fine. Obama should just say 'thoughts are with the victims' and go home to get ready for the next shooting press conference. Same time next month?

2. Bringing in more stringent gun control and revoking people's right to bear your precious shooty pew pew guns completely are not mutually exclusive points

 

[Bobby Roberts]

He's not going to get the 50% that doesn't want gun control to accept it immediately.

Do you honestly believe the italicized is his aim, though?

Do you really think that when he speaks on this subject, his goal is to immediately convert 50 percent of the population? Do you think that the President honestly sets the bar for his oratory abilities that high?

 

[evilromero]

There's one point I agree with, though, is the fact that it was quite despicable of Obama to politicize the issue (yet again). It's just going to make people that were on the fence even more annoyed at his attempt to bring forth gun control/revoking the second amendment.

It's societal and a topic related to public safety. But if you're saying he shouldn't politicize it then you're dead wrong. That's his job. It's to govern a country. And the definition of politics isn't Democrat vs. Republican.

I feel bad for you if you can't see that his response is possibly the most reasonable reaction to an incident like this. Action must come. There has to be adjustments to our way of life to sustain life and ensure the safety of everyone.

The antagonist in this case are short-sighted individuals who are scared of their own shadow. Who refuse to compromise to make society greater.

 

[Sheroking]

The only thing he is doing is to grow a pair and stand up for what is the right thing to do, fuck the politics.

It's not even bad politics.

Polls show most Americans are for stricter gun laws, including more gun owners. The insane people who want to avoid any legislation at any cost are never, ever going to vote Dem anyway.

 

[jstripes]

Wasn't 'politicizing' a mass shooting in Australia the entire reason they were able to finally get guns under control there?


Do people just talk out of their ass for fun or something?

"Politicizing" is just code for "Don't you dare even talk about taking away my guns."

 

[hydragonwarrior]

What you're suggesting is intentional political cowardice from Obama and the rest of the Democratic party.

...which is fairly accurate of the current Democratic party anyway..

 

[massivekettle]

Wasn't 'politicizing' a mass shooting in Australia the entire reason they were able to finally get guns under control there?


Do people just talk out of their ass for fun or something?

My point is that he's done it plenty of time already and nothing's changed and nothing will change in the short to medium term. I guess that's why some people are mad at him. They get it, he wants stricter gun control but half the country fundamentally disagrees with the idea.

Enjoy living in constant fear/ignorance of everyone you know and love getting murdered at the pull of a trigger I guess man.

If that was the case, you would have Sandy Hooks every day given firearm ownership in the USA. Let's not exaggerate here

 

[DrGonzo615]

I think its fucking hilarious that people think that their guns are keeping the government at bay.

Do they not know that the government has flying death robots that bomb you from thousands of feet above?

 

[KHarvey16]

Yes, but not when you are basically saying "I told you so" every time. 50% of the people get it. The other 50% doesn't. That's a reality Obama has to accept. It should have sink in by now. He's not going to get the 50% that doesn't want gun control to accept it immediately. It's deeply ingrained in the culture of this country for some reason.




He's already talked about it plenty. Clearly, raising the issue doesn't work, and Democrats don't have the legislative power to change things at the moment.

Yeah everyone knows if you bring something up and aren't met with immediate acceptance by a majority of the population, you have to stop mentioning it. This is how we make progress. When gay people wanted some fundamental rights they asked nicely and respectfully stopped speaking when the country initially said no. Eventually, without any proding, the country changed its mind and here we are.

 

[B.O.O.M]

Welp saw a more gun = this could have been avoided type of comment on my FB feed ....was hoping not to but guess I was being naive.

 

[EatinOlives]

seen this posted on facebook.

also, i don't know how reliable this is but apparently isis is claiming responsibility in the shooting

http://heavy.com/news/2015/10/chris...s-pictures-photos-attack-influence-terrorism/

The Iran deal specifically requires Iran to get rid of their means of acquiring nuclear weapons and heavily monitors their activities throughout that process.

This whole "omg he's making it easy for them to get weapons!!!" narrative is factually wrong.

 

[Bobby Roberts]

Again: It's funny how the first step in the citizenry using the tools available to them to enact social change is, for many Americans, inherently, immediately a negative that should be avoided. "Politicizing an issue" is how things get fixed, societally. Politics is how people make their world look different on a large scale.

And there are cultural norms in place in America that automatically make you feel like an asshole for having even considered that avenue.

This is why we stand still. Because too many people are trained to obstruct that forward progress in the name of false piety as a reflex.

 

[Blader]

If that was the case, you would have Sandy Hooks every day given firearm ownership in the USA. Let's not exaggerate here.

And as has been pointed out multiple times in this thread, we've averaged more than one mass shooting per day this year so far.

 

[Stinkles]

If that was the case, you would have Sandy Hooks every day given firearm ownership in the USA. Let's not exaggerate here.

We have more than one mass shooting per day on average.

Please consider that fact and edit your post about exaggeration.

 

[Air Zombie Meat]

If that was the case, you would have Sandy Hooks every day given firearm ownership in the USA. Let's not exaggerate here.

If you look at it in terms of numbers of gun related deaths you already do.

 

[Messypandas]

Theres a gun in america for every man, woman and child. But the answer is more guns.

 

[Veritigo_X]

The Iran deal specifically requires Iran to get rid of their means of acquiring nuclear weapons and heavily monitors their activities throughout that process.

This whole "omg he's making it easy for them to get weapons!!!" narrative is factually wrong.

We can thank the GOP for that. They love throwing out straight faced lies to their base.

 

[Transistor]

And as has been pointed out multiple times in this thread, we've averaged more than one mass shooting per day this year so far.

$20 says the definition of "mass" is about to be redefined up in here

 

[EatinOlives]

Theres a gun in america for every man, woman and child. But the answer is more guns.

Gotta buy guns to protect the guns from other guns.

We can thank the GOP for that. They love throwing out straight faced lies to their base.

I mean this is far beyond just a "controversy", where two different viewpoints have their own points and counterpoints. One of the two sides of this "controversy" literally involves being factually wrong. That's not a controversy, that's just a bunch of idiots.

 

[Jonm1010]

Shooting happens

Conservatives: This is a problem of mental healthcare in this country.... There is a clear war on Christianity taking place! We need MORE guns in law abiding citizens hands!

Obama: Perhaps its time to look at meaningful actions to mitigate these tragedies because safety concerns all of us in this country. I believe gun control has shown enough promise everywhere else that it is worth trying here while still allowing people access to guns for sport, hunting and self defense.

Conservatives: Don't politicize this you asshole!!! Shut up and stop talking!......Now about that war on Christianity.
​

 

[massivekettle]

And as has been pointed out multiple times in this thread, we've averaged more than one mass shooting per day this year so far.

We have more than one mass shooting per day on average.

Please consider that fact and edit your post about exaggeration.

I said Sandy Hooks (plural), i.e., multiples of the number of deaths at Sandy Hook (so 28*x)). There is over 1 firearm/US citizen whilst mass shooting casualties amount to 10,000/yr on average.

I personally agree there should be stricter gun control. I just happened to disagree with part of Obama's speech, that's all.

 

[Arkeband]

I said Sandy Hooks (plural), i.e., multiples of the number of deaths at Sandy Hook (so 28*x)).

It's good to know your humanity starts at 28 dead kindergarteners.

 

[Transistor]

$20 says the definition of "mass" is about to be redefined up in here

I said Sandy Hooks (plural), i.e., multiples of the number of deaths at Sandy Hook (so 28*x)).

Called it

 

[shaneskim]

I want a president who never gets political when a tragedy happens.

A mass shooting? No politics, no discussion about how to prevent future ones. Just pray.

A terrorist attack? No politics, no discussion about how to prevent future ones. Just pray.

A natural disaster? No politics, no discussion about how to reduce loss during future ones. Just pray.

MC Hammer has a lot to answer for

 

[Pai Pai Master]

I said Sandy Hooks (plural), i.e., multiples of the number of deaths at Sandy Hook (so 28*x)). There is over 1 firearm/US citizen. Mass shooting casualties amount to 10,000/yr on average.

What is even the point you're trying to make with this

 

[PsychBat!]

Called it

It was obvious


god damn it

 

[LAUGHTREY]

If that was the case, you would have Sandy Hooks every day given firearm ownership in the USA. Let's not exaggerate here

So that's acceptable? Because we don't have 20+ elementary school kids dying every day, just every so often, it's alright?

1 is more than enough.

 

[Messypandas]

Sandy Hook gets mentionned a tad casually now

It wasn't just a stat

 

[Nimby]

seen this posted on facebook.

also, i don't know how reliable this is but apparently isis is claiming responsibility in the shooting

http://heavy.com/news/2015/10/chris...s-pictures-photos-attack-influence-terrorism/

My reaction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_DCs29xw2A

 

[Blader]

Called it

lol

"Not enough people are dying for this to count!"

 

[koryuken]

Sandy Hook gets mentionned a tad casually now

It wasn't just a stat

terrible... those poor children.

 

[massivekettle]

What is even the point you're trying to make with this

That it could be much worse given how many firearms are out there.

So that's acceptable? Because we don't have 20+ elementary school kids dying every day, just every so often, it's alright?

1 is more than enough.

No it's not. There shouldn't be any, ultimately. My point is that it could be worse than it currently is (not that the status quo is ideal).

Tired of getting jumped here, quite frankly.

 

[kaching]

My point is that he's done it plenty of time already...

So have the guys with the guns running around trying to massacre as many as they can...but I guess in this country we should just resign ourselves to bullets and money speaking more freely than free speech itself.

 

[Transistor]

No it's not. There shouldn't be any, ultimately.

So you're saying that there shouldn't be any, but because nothing will be done, it shouldn't be mentioned?

 

[Pai Pai Master]

Sandy Hook gets mentionned a tad casually now

It wasn't just a stat

Yeah it's a stat, it's one of a billion other unspeakable tragedies that gun advocates would love to continue ignoring.

RIP to all those beautiful children and teachers. I will never forget that day and how much it hurt.

Thanks for posting and reminding us all again what is at stake here.

 

[Cymbal Head]

Sandy Hook gets mentionned a tad casually now

It wasn't just a stat

My wife is a teacher and I can't look at this.

 

[Veritigo_X]

Sandy Hook gets mentionned a tad casually now

It wasn't just a stat

God damn... such a sad day for America. Both the event and the response following it.

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

Sometimes it jades me so incredibly to see these incidents crop up with such regularity just being here on GAF. I can't imagine how the president feels about it. Actually, no, I can. The look on his face, and his defeatist tone says it all really. But as others mentioned, if we don't start talking about it now, then will we ever?

 

[KHarvey16]

That it could be much worse given how many firearms are out there.



No it's not. There shouldn't be any, ultimately. My point is that it could be worse than it currently is (not that the status quo is ideal).

Tired of getting jumped here, quite frankly.

If your viewpoint isn't being accepted I thought it was best to stop bringing it up?

 

[Blader]

That it could be much worse given how many firearms are out there.



No it's not. There shouldn't be any, ultimately. My point is that it could be worse than it currently is (not that the status quo is ideal).

Tired of getting jumped here, quite frankly.

Anything could be worse than it currently is. That's not an excuse to not mitigate a bad thing from being as bad as it is now.

 

[B-Dubs]

is this in response to the meme or the article?

Yes.

 

[davepoobond]

the right wing is having a field day with this, blaming obama for politicizing it. what the fuck do they think they're doing?

"wait for the facts" my ass -- they don't fucking care what the facts are. its a delaying tactic, and the only answer is "we need more guns"

 

[Arkeband]

Tired of getting jumped here, quite frankly.

Obama roleplay!

 

[BlastProcessing]

There's one point I agree with, though, is the fact that it was quite despicable of Obama to politicize the issue (yet again). It's just going to make people that were on the fence even more annoyed at his attempt to bring forth gun control/revoking the second amendment.

The sad fact is that mass shootings happen far too frequently. In 2013 we averaged a mass shooting per month. It makes it pretty hard to ever talk about gun control without being accused of politicising it.

Of course, this year we are averaging more that a mass shooting every day. Every single day. So how in the hell can you avoid politicizing it? How?

Do we just pray for there to miraculously be a brief respite in mass shooting so we are allowed to acknowledge that they are a problem?