Fox News’ Tucker Carlson thinks the March for Our Lives youth are young enough to own guns, young enough to be slaughtered by them but too young to pay attention to when they speak out against gun violence.
With the huge turnout for the March for Our Lives demonstration in Washington last weekend, along with the poise and passion of the young speakers, Carlson and his staff may have had to work overtime looking for ways to smear them.
But this is Fox News, masters of the “Smear Those Who Disagree With You, Especially If They Appear To Be Popular” brand of punditry.
Thus, with his smarmy condescension, Carlson launched his smears with the following:
CARLSON: If there’s one lesson from this weekend’s March for Our Lives, it’s that ending violence in America is easy. So easy that even children know how to do it. All that stands between the broken, chaotic country we live in and the peaceful utopia of the future is a very small group of very evil people, mostly Republicans.
There were no clips of any of the moving speeches of the many youth touched by gun violence. Instead, Carlson recycled his attack on Parkland student activist David Hogg from last week in order to discredit the entire movement.
“The media dutifully amplified” the March for Our Lives and formed “a protective ring,” Carlson sneered.
Well, if anyone would know about dutifully amplifying a message and forming a protective ring, it would be a Fox News host.
“But do they (the teens) know what they’re doing?” Carlson rhetorically asked. As “proof,” that they don’t, Carlson cited a piece on Vox called, “I’ve covered gun violence for years. The solutions aren’t a big mystery.” Its author was German Lopez (Carlson probably got extra satisfaction attacking someone with a Hispanic surname). Without bothering to provide any facts, Carlson complained that the title “may be an overstatement” because Lopez is only in his 20s.
Carlson’s lack of interest in the facts was on full display here. The second sentence in Lopez’ article states that he’s been covering mass shootings for Vox since 2014. Yet Carlson had carefully spent time determining Lopez' age and supposed immaturity.
Carlson highlighted Lopez quotes in order to attack his suggested solution (to follow Australia’s model of confiscating guns). And, even though Lopez has no apparent connection to the March for Our Lives movement, Carlson suggested they were all one.
CARLSON: This is the problem with letting children write news stories. The articles tend to be dumb, and intentionally or not, they tend to be inaccurate and dishonest. Worst of all, they tend to reinforce the fantasy that complex problems have simple solutions, because that’s what most children believe. In real life, nothing is simple.
[…]
The self-righteous kids screaming at you on television over the weekend aren’t helping at all.
FACT CHECK: the aim of the March for Our Lives is not forced gun confiscation. Also, they are teens, not really children any more.
But why ruin a good smear with the facts?
Democrat Erica Thomas, of the Georgia state legislature, mounted a spirited debate with Carlson but she failed to call out Carlson’s dishonest, deceptive tactics.
This proves yet again that Carlson either can’t or won’t debate gun control like a grown up. Maybe he’s the one who should not be in charge of a news story.
Watch Carlson’s sleight-of-hand below, from the March 26, 2018 Tucker Carlson Tonight.