MSNBC’s Jen Psaki said that it isn’t the people who want change politicizing gun violence but Republicans who want to maintain the status quo.
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Psaki said, “If you don’t feel safe at schools or places of worship, you are not alone. If you don’t feel safe at grocery stores, parades, movie theaters, you are not alone. If you don’t feel safe at shopping malls, you are not alone. If you are sick of being told that calling for change is politicizing tragedy, you are definitely not alone. The issue here is not about you being outraged or fearing for your own life and the lives of loved ones. The problem is not you calling for change and for leaders to actually do something. The people politicizing tragedy here are not the people calling for change, the people politicizing tragedy are those fighting against change. ”
The MSNBC host later called out Republicans, “from the NRA to show for it. Yes, they always have the right words to say for the base. They always have the right talking points, plenty of thoughts and prayers, and calls for everyone not to talk politics. But when families have suffered, when communities are reeling, as they are in Allen today, refusing to act to protect the people in your state .out of fear of losing your base of support is politicizing tragedy. Refusing to support common sense gun reform measures because you fear losing your rating with the NRA’s politicizing tragedy, don’t be muzzled by the people who accuse you of politicizing a mass shooting when you call for change. They want you to be silent, they want you to let this slip from the headlines so that they can go back to being comfortable instead of politically courageous. ”
The next time a Republican complains about the calls for change because the vast majority of the country thinks that we ought to do something to prevent people from getting shot while they are trying to live their daily lives consider who is really doing the politicizing.
People who don’t want to die in a mass shooting aren’t playing politics. The game players are the people who use every mass shooting as an excuse to sell fear and more guns.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
This story originally appeared on Politicususa
