Michelle Obama Archives -

The Obligatory “Gun Violence” Reference In Obama’s SOTU Speech

I guess it would be too much to ask to hope that President Obama might concentrate primarily on national security, economic growth, and jobs growth in tonight’s State of the Union speech. The obligatory reference to so-called gun violence (sic) along with a pledge to keep pushing gun control with or without the aid of Congress.

From the speech:

Citizenship means standing up for the lives that gun violence steals from us each day. I have seen the courage of parents, students, pastors, and police officers all over this country who say “we are not afraid,” and I intend to keep trying, with or without Congress, to help stop more tragedies from visiting innocent Americans in our movie theaters, shopping malls, or schools like Sandy Hook.

The British paper The Guardian notes, however, that it seems the First Lady has somewhat shifted her focus from gun control issues. The point out that she had four invitees last year post-Newtown to push the issues. This year the sole invitee representing “gun violence” is the school bookkeeper from Atlanta who talked a school shooter into giving up the gun.

From four invitees in 2013, the number of guests of the first lady invited this year to spotlight the problem of gun violence in the US is one. She is Antoinette Tuff, a bookkeeper from Georgia credited with preventing a shooting at an elementary school in an Atlanta suburb by talking the would-be shooter out of it.

Otherwise, the makeup of Michelle Obama’s viewing box for Tuesday night’s speech is largely unchanged from a year ago. Among her 22 guests (Jill Biden and Valerie Jarrett aside) are small businesses’ proprietors and employees, overachieving students, young immigrants, beneficiaries of the Affordable Care Act and a wounded veteran.

President Barack Obama ended his 2013 State of the Union speech with an emotional call for Congress to vote on new gun legislation. Underscoring the point was the presence in the first lady’s visitor box of the parents of a Chicago teenager killed in gun violence; a police lieutenant who was shot 15 times when he responded to the mass shooting at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin; and a teacher at Sandy Hook elementary in Newtown, Connecticut.

Let’s hope this is a harbinger of things to come.

UPDATE: Here is a link to a video clip of Obama and this part of his State of the Union address. I’m linking because it is an auto-play video.

For Once, Michelle Obama Is Correct

In a speech to campaign donors this weekend, First Lady Michelle Obama said something with which all of us in the pro-gun rights movement can agree. She said the Supreme Court is at stake in 2012.

Michelle Obama spoke on Friday night at the Providence, R.I., home of Joseph Paolino Jr., a former mayor of the city. About 220 people were scheduled to attend, and the event was expected to raise more than $300,000 for the president’s re-election campaign.

Obama told those in attendance that “we stand at a fundamental crossroads for our country. You’re here because you know that in just 13 months, we’re going to make a choice that will impact our lives for decades to come.” After addressing issues like health care and the economy, she invoked the appointments of Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor.

Sandy Froman, former President of the National Rifle Association, made similar comments about what is at stake in the 2012 election at the Gun Rights Policy Conference in Chicago. However, she said it would be our gun rights and that we should “pray for the five.”

Just as important will be the Presidential appointments at the District and Appeals Court levels. Using the example of President Bill Clinton, Ms. Froman said that a 2-term President will get to appoint almost 50% of the Federal judiciary. Can you imagine how many anti-gun judges Obama could appoint in a second term?