New NRA ad comes under attack

by KATIE GLUECK, politico.com
January 16th 2013 5:54 AM

The National Rifle Association on Tuesday released a controversial new ad that makes reference to President Barack Obama's daughters - sparking outrage from critics who charged the spot is over the line.

The video calls Obama an "elitist hypocrite" for not embracing armed guards in schools even as his daughters enjoy armed protection at their schools.

See Video: http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/htmlFederated?bgcolor=%23FFFFFF&width=289&height=217&playerID=309045726001&publisherID=1155968404&%40videoPlayer=2097205470001&dynamicStreaming=true&videoSmoothing=true&isVid=true&isUI=true&

(Also on POLITICO: NRA knocks Obama on daughters' security)

"Are the president's kids more important than yours?" the ad's narrator asks. "Then why is he skeptical about putting armed security in our schools when his kids are protected by armed guards at their schools? Mr. Obama demands the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes, but he's just another elitist hypocrite when it comes to a fair share of security."

The gun group's spot came under immediate attack.

Former White House Press Secretary and Obama advisor Robert Gibbs slammed the ad on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" Wednesday morning.

"I mean, it is disgusting on many levels," Gibbs said. "It's also just stupid."

(PHOTOS: Politicians speak out on gun control)

He added, "This reminds me of an ad that somebody made about 2:00 in the morning after one too many drinks, and no one stopped it in the morning."

"What's wrong with these people, Mika? What's wrong with these people?" Joe Scarborough, host of "Morning Joe," asked co-host Mika Brzezinksi in disbelief.

"They are out of step, out of the mainstream, totally out of sync with what's going on in our society, and quite frankly after seeing that, I think some of the people who run that thing are sick," Brzezinski said. "I really do. I think they are sick in the head.

"And I'm serious," she continued. "I am embarrassed right now."

Later, replaying the ad, Brzezinski added, "It may disgust you. It terrifies me."

Melody Barnes, the former director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, said the country should brace for more ads like the NRA spot.

"And that's what's going to infiltrate the debate," Barnes said. "Those are the kinds of visits members of Congress are going to get, and that's why people have been scared to take on this issue even after tragedy after tragedy in our communities around the country, and the American people have to be prepared for that and make a decision what kind of country do we want to live in and the message that they want to convey to their policymakers about the kinds of laws and the kinds of policies that we're going to have."

Sasha and Malia Obama attend Washington's posh private Sidwell Friends School.

"Their whole goal is to ratchet up the rhetoric," Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) said on CNN's "Starting Point" about the NRA ad. She added, "Let's stay calm. Let's look at the function of these weapons… we need to ban those weapons that have the functionality that can kill a whole bunch of folks in just a few seconds."

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