RUSH: Next up, White House correspondent Ed Henry said, “Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky,” not Ron Paul, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, “said only a matter of hours ago today, he accused the president of using the Newtown families as ‘props.’ What’s your response to that accusation?”
CARNEY: I don’t know if Senator Paul met with the Newtown families, but the Newtown families aren’t here for the president. (banging on podium) They’re here because their children were murdered. They’re here asking for the Senate to do something that’s common sense. That’s my response.
RUSH: And what the Senate is doing is nothing that would have prevented what happened in Newtown. Am I mean to say that? Is it mean to point that out? There is nothing in the Senate gun control bill that would have stopped what happened in Newtown. I don’t know. See, I live in Realville, and sometimes Realville doesn’t mix well with the — well, I gotta tell you something, folks, on this gun control bill. Headline here from the AP: “Background Check Bill Faces Likely Senate Defeat.”
There’s a Gallup poll out. “Only 4% of Americans Think Gun Control is an Important Problem.” Only 4%! After all the Newtown stuff on Air Force One. After all the so-called lobbying. After all of the caring. After all of the attention. After all of the focus. Only 4% of the American people think gun control is an important problem, but the people in Washington do not care. We’ve got Dingy Harry out talking about the anti-gun bill, letting the cat out of the bag. And that has always been the point, folks.
These polls saying that 90% of Americans believe in universal background checks, not true. They ignore the fact that nearly 100% of Americans do not think this is an issue. Only 4% of Americans think gun control’s an important problem. Can I talk to you about disconnect? If you turn on the media, if you listen to it, read it, watch it, all you’ll think is going on is gun control and immigration. Alternate hours, alternate days, gun control here, immigration there. The next hour, immigration, then gun control.
That’s what’s important to government. That’s what’s important to media. That’s what’s important to Democrats. That’s what’s important to politicians. The American people don’t care. Nearly 100%, 96% of the American people do not think gun control is an important problem. This is all being driven by the left, by the media, by Obama, by government. This is a complete disconnect between the federal government and the people. The federal government is hell-bent on gun control. Ninety-six percent of the American people don’t care about it. Ditto immigration and amnesty. Only 4% think amnesty is an important problem.
Meanwhile — I hate to say this — the Republicans play along. Even if these votes lose, they’ve allowed the left and Obama to push their agenda. There’s no push-back. Four percent of the American people care about gun control. Ninety-six percent don’t. There’s an opportunity here for the Republican Party to identify with 96% of the American people on a fundamental constitutional issue, a freedom issue, a liberty issue, a civil rights issue: gun control. Ninety-six percent of the people do not want this. And, instead, the Republicans go along, allow the left, allow Obama to push this agenda.
Even if the gun control vote loses, what’s happened? The agenda has moved forward. The intensity, the impression is left that that’s all anybody does care about when it couldn’t be further from the truth, it’s a major disconnect. And it is the same thing with immigration. The vast majority of people in this country are worried about jobs. The vast majority of people in this country are worried about the economy. The vast majority of people in this country are worried about debt, government debt and their personal debt. People in this country are not concerned with making certain that illegal aliens who came here voluntarily are granted citizenship. The American people are just not obsessed with that. But all of Washington is.
Republicans and Democrats are obsessed with making sure that illegal aliens are granted citizenship. The American people are not. They’re concerned about jobs, the economy, debt. They’re concerned about a plundering country. They’re concerned about a decaying, dying country. The Republican Party has an identity issue here, an opportunity to relate to and identify with 96% of the American people on two crucial issues. And instead they join the game and they play along with the Democrat agenda. The Democrats set the agenda, the Republicans play along, acting like they gotta get in on it, too.
“Oh, amnesty’s the deal? Okay, we’ll join that, yeah, yeah, yeah, we’re for that.” Well, the American people aren’t. Four percent. Four percent, after all the Newtown stuff, Air Force One, the lobbying, 4% care about gun control. About 4%, 5% of the American people are concerned making sure that illegal aliens, who came here voluntarily, are granted citizenship. Ninety-six percent of the people don’t want that. Doesn’t matter. Yet these are the two big issues, immigration, amnesty, gun control, 96% of the American people want no part of it and yet they’re the two big issues marching forward, great opportunity for the Republicans to relate to, identify with 96% of the American people, and they don’t do it. Why?
My God, folks, the Republican Party here has enormous, huge opportunities to advance principles, to connect with 96%. If you don’t believe that, 90%, 80%, whatever a huge percentage of the American public. And they’re not doing it. Instead, they play along with the Democrats, they play along with the media. I don’t know why. We can only guess, like all of you, fear, they’ve lost their way, they’ve lost their will, they’ve forgotten their principles, nothing to fall back on.