Rendell blasts Obama for failure to act on gun control
President Obama missed a golden opportunity when, in the wake of the July massacre in Colorado, he failed to press Congress to ban assault weapons and outlaw large magazines for repeating firearms, said former Pa. Gov. Ed Rendell.
Rendell blasts Obama for failure to act on gun control
President Obama missed a golden opportunity when, in the wake of the July massacre in Colorado, he failed to press Congress to ban assault weapons and outlaw large magazines for repeating firearms, said former Pa. Gov. Ed Rendell.
Rendell, in a conversation with television’s Charlie Rose broadcast Thursday night, stopped short of saying Obama lacked the courage to stand up for his convictions.
Instead, he condemned politicians unwilling to stick their necks out for principles they ostensibly represent.
“If you run for political office, and you don’t believe some things that are important enough to risk your political career, then save us the trouble. Then don’t run. Don’t run.” Rendell said. “You have to have the guts to do it.”
Rendell, the former head of the Democratic National Committee, appeared on Rose’s show to promote his book, A Nation of Wusses: How America’s Leaders Lost the Guts to Make Us Great.
Rendell said that polls taken after the Tucson shootings showed that 70 percent of Americans, including 60 percent of Republicans, were for a ban on magazines over 10 rounds.
The fiery former mayor of Philadelphia noted that between 2000 and 2006 there were no mass killings in the United States.
“Since 2007, we’ve had 15 including five last year,” he said, adding that an effort to impose some gun control was now a “winning issue” because sentiment in America had changed enough for the president and congress to take action.
He extolled Obama’s speech at the Urban League following the mass killing. But said it was a mistake to defer action until after the election.
Rendell even provided the words he felt Obama should have spoken:
“If the president had said — two, three, four days after Aurora going back to Tucson and Gabby Giffords — If he’d said look, everybody who’s sane knows that we shouldn’t let allow people to possess assault rifles. Everyone who is sane knows we should let people hold magazines that have more than 10 clips in each magazine, 10 bullets in each magazine.
“I’m going to ask the congress to outlaw them and I want all Americans to say ‘enough is enough.’ No more Tucsons. No more Auroras. It’s time to do something America. This doesn’t impinge on the rights of any lawful gun owners. Let’s get it done.”
Later, Rendell awkwardly described Obama “maybe as smart a man as I ever met, man or woman.” Then he immediately called the president’s leadership qualities into question.
“He’s a quick study on stuff, but it’s all about leadership,” Rendell said. “He doesn’t grasp going out there and fighting and losing. You can fight and lose and still look like a strong leader because you’re still out there pressing for the issues you care about.“
Rendell touched on the forthcoming election, warning that though the president leads in the battleground states — enough to ensure the election — overwhelming opposition in the red states could lead to a majority popular vote for Mitt Romney and force the decision into the Electoral College.
The interview wasn’t all withering assessment and condemnation. He credited Obama with several major achievements.
“He was no wuss when he came to the auto bailout ... he was no wuss on the financial bailout ... he was no wuss on health care,” Rendell said.
Still, a good part of Obama’s leadership problem comes down to a failure to get his message across, Rendell said.
Nearly every taxpayer received an $400 tax credit under this president's tenure, Rendell said.
“But nobody told them about it. They did such a lousy job of communicating what was in the stimulus bill.”
In Rendell’s eyes, just another lost opportunity.
- Sam Wood
You left wing hippies are nothing more than modern day Brownshirts. Gun laws DO EXIST! How about you try enforceing them and leave law abiding citizens alone so they can protect themselves! Just this week a man carrying an AK-47, handgun and other weapons was arrested in Philly PROVEING adequate gun laws exists!?!?! What more do you want? Everyone to willing give up their rights so they can live in the second coming of the NAZI regime or be victims like those in Aurora CO?????
What did Ed Rendell EVER do for gun control in PA as it's Governor: NOTHING.
— tonyS- So, Rendell blasts Obama for failing to make a knee-jerk reaction to a tragedy and using it to further an agenda that rubs against the Bill of Rights! This may be one of the few times I could congratulate Obama, albeit for NOT doing something.
Since 1966, it has been illegal for the mentally ill to legally buy a gun. The shooters in Tucson, and now in Aurora, turned out to be mentally ill, but their doctors had not reported the fact to the authorities. Who is to blame, the gun, or the mentally ill person doing the shooting? I ask Rendell, if he gets his 10-round magazine ban, is he willing to let his 24/7 armed escorts to surrender their Glocks and go back to revolvers? (The magazine holds 17 rounds).— DonQ - Gimme back, gimme back, gimme back my bullets! When Reagan was president, we had Bob Hope and Johnny Cash. Now that Obamas president, we have no hope or cash!!!!— huntnmike3666
- Sheer total nonsense. What a lot of political posturing. Obviously, Rendell never knew the people from the State of Pennsy. This is a hunting State and a big gun ownership State. W/ the exception of some loony centers like sections of Philly...most people in Pennsy are all for gun ownership. Now what Rendell calls an 'Assault Weapon' is a semi-automatic rifle that may or may not look scary but is certainly no assault weapon. To get a fully automatic rifle in Pennsy already requires a lot of money and licensing. Rendell is a corrupt joke. I still can't get over the fact that he found a few million for 'magic bullet' Spector to build a library bearing his name. What a fat corrupt joke you are Rendell...who cares what you think about gun control or any other issue— ghostinthemachine99
- Sheer total nonsense. What a lot of political posturing. Obviously, Rendell never knew the people from the State of Pennsy. This is a hunting State and a big gun ownership State. W/ the exception of some loony centers like sections of Philly...most people in Pennsy are all for gun ownership. Now what Rendell calls an 'Assault Weapon' is a semi-automatic rifle that may or may not look scary but is certainly no assault weapon. To get a fully automatic rifle in Pennsy already requires a lot of money and licensing. Rendell is a corrupt joke. I still can't get over the fact that he found a few million for 'magic bullet' Spector to build a library bearing his name. What a fat corrupt joke you are Rendell...who cares what you think about gun control or any other issue— ghostinthemachine99
- I really don't need to hear about lost opportunities from a man that was too busy covering Eagles games to pay attention to what was happening at the PHA, DRPA, and SRC while holding the office of Governor of the State of Pennsylvania. Totally inadequate oversight of a PHA director that had known issues revolving around sexual harassment. Deafening silence when kids were beat at their own HS in a massive hate crime. Nowhere to be found when DRPA bled money into the hands of the corrupt. Plenty of time to give football analysis. Nice priorities, sir! Does some part of you cringe when people refer to your career as "public service"? Your entire body ought to shake in shame.— CatoTheElder
- Not to mention "Too distracted while sitting on the PSU BoD to ask questions"... Talk about a "wuss"... — factcheck
- Poor Eddie, Obama shunned him for a cabinet position and left him in the cold. I'm not an Obama fan, but dissing Eddie was a very smart move on his part.— dogman5
- It's the price you pay for backing the loser (Hillary) in the last election. — Don_M
- It's the price you pay for backing the loser (Hillary) in the last election. — Don_M
- rendell needs to shut his fat mouth— Zero
- Same old BS for Rpublicans. This country isn't safer because of guns. Thousands are dying in america because the country is flooded with guns That's a fact. Enforce the exsting laws and then Republicans lay off police. ont have a "knee jerk reaction"? How many mass murders and assasinations do you need before something is done?— MikeP
- "Enforce the existing laws?" According to an Inquirer investigation a couple of years ago, Philly has a conviction rate of about 20% for violent gun crimes. In New York, it's 90%. The "don't snitch" culture is not serving the city well. — Don_M
- "Still, a good part of Obama’s leadership problem comes down to a failure to get his message across, Rendell said."
Not really. In the U.S. today, there are (+-) 300,000,000 firearms held privately by some 80,000,000 Americans.
The leftist bogeyman the NRA has less than 4,000,000 members. The rest of these firearms owners are clearly, not all Republicans...actually, no where near it.
So what we're left with is a question:
"Could Obama have been elected in the first place or will he be reelected without the votes of millions of gun owners?"
He could not have nor will he be. In the meantime, he'll be walking on eggshells and keeping his mouth shut. (HTML deleted)— Hugh Jardohn
You can reach Tom Fitzgerald at 215-854-2718 or tfitzgerald@phillynews.com.
Reach Thomas at tfitzgerald@phillynews.com.
