Even for Larry O’Donnell, this is over-the-top and a disgusting piece where he first somehow links Tom Selleck and his prior ads for the NRA and current position on the NRA’s board for every mass shooting since Columbine, and then goes on to question Selleck’s “humanity”:
I think O’Donnell’s past role in Hollywood is giving a little to much credit to Tom Selleck, or any celebrity endorser for that matter, when it comes to advocating a position. Yes, it’s nice to have Selleck on the board if you’re the NRA and he’s been generous to the organization, but the real power of the NRA comes from politicians that support the NRA’s views. Politicians like Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Here’s an excerpt from a December 2012 op-ed on Reid and the NRA written by CODEPINK co-founder Medea Benjamin:
In the past, Reid has touted the rights of gun owners and eagerly sought the NRA’s endorsements, contributions and praise. In 2004, Reid was one of the rare Democrats to be endorsed by the NRA. In 2009 he sought to please the powerful lobby by supporting a controversial bill to allow gun owners with concealed weapon permits to cross state lines. The legislation, which was vehemently opposed by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, fell just two votes short of the 60 votes needed. The NRA, however, was delighted that Reid had supported the bill and allowed it to be brought to the floor for a
vote.
In 2010, when Reid was engaged in a bitter re-election campaign against Republican Sharron Angle, the NRA refrained from endorsing, but contributed to Reid’s campaign and reminded voters of his pro-gun record. An NRA letter to its Nevada members touted that Reid “opposed the Obama administration’s interest in reinstating the assault weapons ban, halting momentum; helped pass a law that allows gun owners to carry firearms in national parks; voted against the District of Columbia’s gun ban; voted for legislation to allow pilots in commercial airline cockpits to be armed.” It also noted that Reid was instrumental in passing legislation halting lawsuits that were attempting to hold gun manufacturers and dealers responsible for weapons used in criminal acts.
NRA head Wayne LaPierre called Senator Reid “a true champion of the Second Amendment” and said “no one has been a stronger advocate for responsible gun ownership than him.”
After the Aurora, Colorado movie theater shootings in July 2012, Senator Reid blocked any debate about gun control, insisting that the Senate schedule was “too packed” to spend time on it.
If just being a board member of the NRA is enough for O’Donnell to question Selleck’s humanity, then what should O’Donnell question regarding Harry Reid who takes NRA money and votes to further the NRA agenda?
I get that O’Donnell needs ratings and playing the Selleck card does so, but if O’Donnell really wants gun control in America he should 1. go after President Obama and the cupcake “executive actions” he announced this week and 2. treat Senate Democrats who favor gun rights with the same lunatic rantings he has reserved for Republicans and Tom Selleck. O’Donnell can blame the NRA all he wants, but they’re not the ones who are going to vote.