Once again, MSNBC has outdone itself with extreme comments on the subject of gun control. The morning after MSNBC anchor Martin Bashir sacrilegiously altered the Lord's Prayer to portray the NRA as ghoulishly bloodthirsty, Morning Joe panelist Donny Deutsch railed against members of Congress who oppose expanding background checks.
At one point in his tirade, Deutsch leveled a rather sexist complaint against a female conservative senator, suggesting that she was not true to her "primal" feminine instincts to abhor guns. [See video after jump. MP3 audio here.}
"I want to know what their response is going to be" after "a crazy...kills somebody," Deutsch lamented, "because they literally have blood on their hands." The liberal ad executive doubled down on his comments, saying that:
That senator's response the next time whether it's tomorrow, next week, next month, a child, anybody who is killed by somebody that might have been prevented by a background check, I want to know their answers at that moment in time because they have blood on their hands. It’s that simple. There's no gray, there’s no abstract here. It is literally the dots are that connected.
So opposing unnecessary and burdensome regulations on Second Amendment rights means you have blood on your hands? Sadly, such language is commonplace on MSNBC, with co-host Joe Scarborough recently making such comments, claiming that the NRA has “made millions off of Newtown.”
As if that weren’t enough, Deutsch turned his attention to Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) who opposes expanded background checks, making a sexist comment about her opposition:
Is it even more surprising to you when a woman votes against this just from a primal -- because there are differences between the sexes.. And when you see a woman, maternal, blah, blah, blah, blah. It almost takes it to another level.
Rather than chastise Deutsch for his offensive comments, liberal feminist and Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski defended the comments, in fact adding her own take on the issue:
I am surprised for a completely different reason than you think but there are female sensibilities that we bring to the table that are very valuable when it comes to leading our country and we need more women certainly in power and in Washington. I am absolutely stumped by Heidi Heitkamp and Kelly Ayotte or any man who voted no on this just because it's not panning out well for them.
Essentially what Deutsch and Brzezinski are saying is that when a tragedy like Newtown occurs, women get emotional and thus their emotions lean towards the need for greater gun control and more government regulation in Second Amendment rights. Nowhere did the liberal panel consider that women might be outraged that the government failed to protect children in school, a place where they are supposed to feel safe. An atrocity like Newtown has in fact caused many Americans, both men and women, to want armed guards in their children's schools. That idea, by the way, is strongly advocated by the NRA.
Instead Sam Stein of The Huffington Post claimed that such political opposition from people like Kelly Ayotte is purely political:
One of the key motivators here was not necessarily the poll numbers but the prospect of being challenged by someone in your primary.
Such sexism is appalling, especially from a network that fancies itself at the forefront of pushing back on a "war on women." But the fact that the liberals on Morning Joe accept and promote such misogynistic thinking shows the pathetic attempt NBC will go to push their gun control agenda and to insist that women must think in a way that furthers a liberal agenda, not individual rights like those protected by the Second Amendment.
See relevant transcript below.
MSNBC
Morning Joe
May 3, 2013
6:13 a.m. EST
DONNY DEUTSCH: I want to go back to these senators. And unfortunately, the next time a crazy or somebody who would have not gotten a gun from a background check kills somebody, I want to know what their response is going to be because they literally have blood on their hands. I want their response. That senator's response the next time whether it's tomorrow, next week, next month, a child, anybody who is killed by somebody that might have been prevented by a background check, I want to know their answers at that moment in time because they have blood on their hands. It’s that simple. There's no gray, there’s no abstract here. It is literally the dots are that connected.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: I agree. I agree completely. I'm sorry. There's no excuse for this. And if you're seeing what is happening here in terms of the polls and the way that politicians are being received at town halls, I would suggest that you call your congressman, call your senator, tweet, e-mail, do whatever it takes to make sure your opinion is heard on this because I think it's beginning to make a difference. But we have wasted valuable time. We have wasted valuable time where we should be right now in Washington waiting for a fantastic mental health package on the next phase of ways we can address gun violence in America and, instead, we are sitting here asking for background checks, asking for an antiquated system to be updated so at least there’s a chance, a tiny chance that perhaps guns won't get in the wrong hands? This country is-- I mean, being led by a bunch of buffoons. I have to tell you.
STEVE RATTNER: I’d be interested to know Sam maybe you have a viewer insight whether these senators who voted against this had any idea what was going to happen to their poll ratings and basically said I don't care, said I'll take it because the NRA or whomever is just more powerful and I’ve got to follow their lead or what? Or are they simply didn't expect this reaction?
SAM STEIN: From my understanding, and just surveying it as well, one of the key motivators here was not necessarily the poll numbers but the prospect of being challenged by someone in your primary. And this is primarily for Republicans obviously. And there were some Democrats, Mark Begich and Max Baucus, his vote was a little confusing obviously. For Republicans the idea that you would cast this vote would open you up to someone saying let's get this guy out, he is not a pure defender of Second Amendment right rights. And I think that was a huge motivator. Because when it comes down to it you have, you know, very safe seats. The primary way that you end up losing an election is in a primary.
RATNER: But of course, the polls show that even Republicans favor background checks.
STEIN: Correct. And I think there was a misreading. I do honestly think there was a misreading. And it's ironic because every single public poll prior to this was in background checks 80% to 90% and the idea that they could not recognize that that was going to be a popular issue even after this polling is sort of silly.
BRZEZINSKI: Alright, we will be watching. We are looking for the full tape of Kelly Ayotte's answer. I just want to hear it. I want to hear two three minutes of her trying to explain this vote because she went to a town hall. She, obviously, has a staff that helped her get her elected and I'm sure prepared her to answer these questions and I'm sure it's our fault. I'm sure we did not show enough of her answer and I'm sure there is a legitimate other side to this story and I'm sure that when we play two or three minutes of her talking, we're going to be like, thank you.
RATNER: But we also saw her answer yesterday or the day before to the daughter of the woman who was killed. It didn’t make any more sense.
BRZEZINSKI: I got to tell you I have a feeling when we watch this, it's going to be painful. I think it's going to be painful and it’s going to be most painful for her because it just doesn't ring true and the more she talks, the more she digs herself deeper and I’m very sorry to see this happen but it's too bad.
DEUTSCH: I want to ask you a question as a woman. I want to try and phrase this delicately, not delicately. I want to ask you…
STEIN: Are you a woman?
BRZEZINSKI: You’re probably helping me because I have to tell you…
DEUTSCH: Is it even more surprising to you when a woman votes against this just from a primal -- because there are differences between the sexes.
BRZEZINSKI: Absolutely.
DEUTSCH: And when you see a woman, maternal, blah, blah, blah, blah. It almost takes it to another level.
BRZEZINSKI: Okay, and I'll take it to the level that brings women and men when they come to work in Washington they go to the negotiating table and they come to do business at work women don't take as many risks as men and this doesn't make any sense to me so, yes, I am surprised for a completely different reason than you think but there are female sensibilities that we bring to the table that are very valuable when it comes to leading our country and we need more women certainly in power and in Washington. I am absolutely stumped by Heidi Heitkamp and Kelly Ayotte or any man who voted no on this just because it's not panning out well for them.
DEUTSCH: If I was running against any of those candidates, I would do a mother movement against the women.
BRZEZINSKI: I agree. And I think there should be--
STEIN: There is a mother movement and it was started after the death of that girl who went to the inauguration in Chicago and they feature the mother of that girl. And it’s Mothers Against Gun violence, I forget what the exact name is. And they are very powerful.
DEUTSCH: But targeting actually the women or the mothers. I don’t know if any of these senators--
BRZEZINSK: Yeah, I understand your question and I really appreciate it. And I am surprised. But, you know there are things happening in Washington I think that have led to the situation we are in now which is, by the way, not giving the American people what they want in terms of our safety and guns and wasting incredible amounts of valuable time to getting the mental health care to people who really need it because we are sitting here arguing over something ridiculously basic -- background checks.
