Obama/Biden Looking to Get Media On Board the Gun-Control Bandwagon

Erika Johnson has a theory I like.

Quoting Reuters:

Biden’s task force is examining legislation that would ban assault rifles, but is also looking at the role of violent movies and videogames in mass shootings and whether there is adequate access to mental health services.

Biden and his task force are slated to hold meeting this week with victims of gun violence, gun safety groups, hunting groups, and gun owners, White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters.

“His group will also meet with representatives of the entertainment and video-game industries,” Carney said.

Allah's theory? They're floating this notion, that they just might come cracking down on Hollywood and Silicon Valley (is that a thing anymore?), in order to mau-mau them into giving them lots of media support for their gun-banning agenda.

In any case of a lunatic killing people with guns to live out his power fantasies, the fantasy industry blames the gun industry and the gun industry blames the fantasy industry. It's hardly a surprise that Obama will side with the fantasy industry, as he likes them and hates gun owners.

The only knock against the theory is that these people were almost all on Obama's side in the first place.

I suppose we'll have some minor new thing, some more ratings or whatnot, and an agreement in the entertainment industry for "voluntary" restraint (and any restraint which is exercised to head off the implied threat of actual censorship isn't voluntary, by the way).

This will be a fig leaf. Obama seeks to take away Americans' rights and will sell the idea that he is a man of moderation by also taking away some rights to free expression. See? A "balanced approach."

More: I speculated yesterday that NBC is already fishing in troubled waters -- trying to get CBS roughed up by the government for its violent programming, and thus to better position itself to finally move out of fourth place.

Given that Obama's talking this way, I think my speculation is reasonable.

posted by Ace at 05:54 PM

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