VOTE: Is It Inappropriate for Children to Appear With President Obama at Gun Control Announcement?
At a press conference on Tuesday, Press Secretary Jay Carney announced that President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will hold an event at the White House on Wednesday to reveal a package of concrete proposals on gun control. Carney added that the commander in chief will be joined by children from around the country who wrote to him in the wake of the tragic Newtown shooting expressing their concern about gun violence.
Critics are already reacting, asking whether the decision to include children in the political event is appropriate.
Conservative talk
show host Chris Plante said the move was "Cynical; it's shameless; it's the use of children as props [...] They'll be stacked according to skin color and ethnicity in order to frame the president's face."
Leslie Marshall, a Left-leaning host, disagreed with critics who say the president is trying to "guilt" those who oppose stricter gun control.
"I don't think he's trying to guilt anybody," she said, "I think he's making a strong point [...] He is a parent, I'm sure, as well as a president who was probably very touched by the children's letters." Marshall added that she doubts the event will sway any politicians or average citizens in their views.
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