Following the closing remarks signaling the end of the second day of the Republican National Convention, on Tuesday, CNN’s America’s Choice 2016 panel tackled the party’s support for gun rights. “We haven’t talked about this cheer leading for the NRA, and this cheer leading around the gun stuff,” commentator Van Jones stated, “My concern is that we have a country awash in guns.”
Jones criticized Republicans for not being able to hear what the American people wanted in terms of regulations on guns, “But you've got a real gun crisis and there just seemed to be a tone deafness to the number of funerals from the mass shootings, from the snipers, all this stuff and yet guns, guns, guns.”
Former Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama, David Axelrod had his own problems with the Republicans support the Second Amendment. “If you're trying to expand your base and you’re trying to reach some of these college educated women in suburban areas, is this the way to do it,” he asked, “Do you want to emphasize that issue to it that degree?”
NewsBusters contributor Jeffrey Lord defended the party, “You don't do it by abandoning ship on your principles here. And this is a pretty core principle for the Republican Party.”
Axelrod didn’t let up, asking if the Republicans can find a way to make flyover country kowtow to the big cities:
Because the question is, can you find language or even make a nod to the reality that people in metropolitan areas in particular are feeling, but not limited to metropolitan areas, about gun violence, that isn't so polarizing and that may give you a chance to reach a larger core of voters that you need?
Lord countered by flipping it around on Obama and his refusal to move in the direction of law abiding gun owners:
Let me flip that around on you. When the president— President Obama goes to some of these recent events, one of the first things he does is talk about gun control. So I mean, I’m going to ask the same question in reverse because he never seems to go in the direction of expanding the democratic base by reaching out to folks who are gun owners.