W. Kamau Bell is a sociopolitical stand-up comedian and the host of the
upcoming CNN original series "United Shades of America." He lives in
Berkeley, California. Follow him on Twitter
(CNN)It's times like this that I wish President Obama were the black
militant socialist the right is convinced he is: some combination of young
Malcolm X and an even older Bernie Sanders. (I am thinking about the kind of
Bernie Sanders we will see if he doesn't become president and totally gives
up on the system.)
W. Kamau Bell W. Kamau Bell
This country could use that kind of president, with black people in fear for
our lives during every interaction with police and with literally every
American at risk of some other American deciding to take out as many
innocent people as possible because ... Jesus and Muslims and women with
opinions!...
We could use a President who was, like, "OK. Everybody turn in all your guns
tomorrow by 5 p.m. After that, if I catch you with a gun then I'm sending
SEAL Team Six to your house with a recent Facebook picture of you and those
tanks that shoot fire that we haven't used since Waco -- Ummm -- I mean
since World War II."
If the President were that guy, then all the anger and distrust (and
outright disrespect) directed at him would make sense.
But it doesn't, because he isn't.
The 'Guns in America' town hall in under 2 minutes
The 'Guns in America' town hall in under 2 minutes 01:55
Thursday's town hall meeting on guns in America was a stark example of how
out of proportion the right's feelings are to what the President is actually
doing, or to what he might want to do, or to even what he says at all about
pretty much anything.
When I heard President Obama was having the meeting, I was kind of happy for
him. I thought, "He does well in those situations." I pictured President
Obama standing in the middle of a semicircle of people, with that whole
no-suit-jacket-or-tie-with-the-top-button-of-his-dress-shirt-undone-and-his-
sleeves-rolled-up -- that whole "Let's get to work!" look that he likes to
sport at times.
In those situations he is at his best: relaxed, funny, off the cuff,
thoughtful and smart, like your favorite substitute teacher.
"He will be able to knock this out of the park," I thought. But the moment
the town hall began I knew he was in trouble.
It felt more like a deposition than a town hall meeting. It felt more like
President Obama was testifying in his own defense and his alibi was falling
apart. And why was that? All the President wants is for fewer Americans to
die from gun violence. That shouldn't be a controversial opinion.
But it is controversial to many on the right, because the President himself
is controversial. His very existence is problematic. He, himself, doesn't
makes sense to people on the right, so they don't trust him.
How the conversation continued after the guns town hall
How the conversation continued after the guns town hall 04:28
Seven years into the Obama presidency the right feels the same way about
President Obama as I would if I woke up tomorrow and a talking horse were
president. I'd be like, "Seriously? This horse is the president? Well, that
just doesn't make any sense. Lemme see that horse's papers. I know I saw
them before, but I just want to see them one more time."
The big difference between me and the right is that after seven years of the
Mr. Ed presidency I think I would start to settle in and believe it was
true. But to the loudest members of the GOP, something still doesn't feel
right about this Obama character being President. They can't trust anything
that comes out of his mouth. And they feel like they have to do something.
Obama's new gun rules don't mean your doctor will rat you out
Your doctor won't rat you out
And that brings us to all these guns. For me, this boils down to a few
questions:
Gun owners, how many different ways and/or times does President Obama have
to say that he doesn't want to take your guns away? Is there a specific way
he needs to say it? Because if there is, then just tell him and I'm betting
he will hold a press conference immediately and say it that way.
Or is there a number you all have in your head, and once he hits it you will
stop pretending like he's never said it? Can you tell us what the number is?
Or at least can you tell us if President Obama is close to hitting the
number? Because if he is, again, I'm pretty sure the President would clear
his schedule and just spend the next few weeks saying, "I don't want to take
your guns away" over and over until he hits the magic number.
Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter on Obama's town hall
Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter on Obama's town hall 03:17
And then we could all have a productive discussion about how to solve the
problem of America doing nothing when innocent people die for no reason due
to guns being held by the people who kill people.
So Thursday night, instead of having a productive and engaging discussion
about how to have fewer parents learning from a phone call that their
children have been murdered at school, President Obama was mostly on trial
for a crime he didn't commit: stealing our Second Amendment rights.
The real divide on gun control
The real question on gun control
And let me be clear, this would be a great week for President Obama to be on
trial. Not about guns, but about his administration raiding the homes of
undocumented Central American refugees and then deporting them back to the
countries they fled for fear of violence in the first place.
You would think that between not taking people's guns away and deporting
undocumented people, President Obama would be a favorite of conservatives
this week. He should be the leading GOP candidate for President with this
record, but no. They still can't get past the fact he is the President in
the first place -- twice.
Teen: President gave me genuine answer
Teen: President gave me genuine answer 02:40
And let me be clear about something else, gun owners. I want President Obama
to want to take your guns away. I don't trust you with your guns. I don't
trust you to fire them safely. I don't trust you to store them safely. I
don't trust your kids not to find them. I don't trust you not to get them
stolen.
I don't trust you not to issue a blanket blame of everyone with mental
health issues every time there is a mass shooting, even though we all know
that for the most part people with mental health issues are only dangerous
to a pint of Ben & Jerry's.
And frankly, I don't trust you not to shoot me with your guns for no reason.
But that's just me, and my friends and family.
But it certainly isn't President Obama. So stop pretending that it is.
The longer you gun owners do pretend the President wants your guns, the more
innocent people die, because you can't get past your disbelief that Obama is
the President long enough to have a conversation that would save people's
lives.
upcoming CNN original series "United Shades of America." He lives in
Berkeley, California. Follow him on Twitter
(CNN)It's times like this that I wish President Obama were the black
militant socialist the right is convinced he is: some combination of young
Malcolm X and an even older Bernie Sanders. (I am thinking about the kind of
Bernie Sanders we will see if he doesn't become president and totally gives
up on the system.)
W. Kamau Bell W. Kamau Bell
This country could use that kind of president, with black people in fear for
our lives during every interaction with police and with literally every
American at risk of some other American deciding to take out as many
innocent people as possible because ... Jesus and Muslims and women with
opinions!...
We could use a President who was, like, "OK. Everybody turn in all your guns
tomorrow by 5 p.m. After that, if I catch you with a gun then I'm sending
SEAL Team Six to your house with a recent Facebook picture of you and those
tanks that shoot fire that we haven't used since Waco -- Ummm -- I mean
since World War II."
If the President were that guy, then all the anger and distrust (and
outright disrespect) directed at him would make sense.
But it doesn't, because he isn't.
The 'Guns in America' town hall in under 2 minutes
The 'Guns in America' town hall in under 2 minutes 01:55
Thursday's town hall meeting on guns in America was a stark example of how
out of proportion the right's feelings are to what the President is actually
doing, or to what he might want to do, or to even what he says at all about
pretty much anything.
When I heard President Obama was having the meeting, I was kind of happy for
him. I thought, "He does well in those situations." I pictured President
Obama standing in the middle of a semicircle of people, with that whole
no-suit-jacket-or-tie-with-the-top-button-of-his-dress-shirt-undone-and-his-
sleeves-rolled-up -- that whole "Let's get to work!" look that he likes to
sport at times.
In those situations he is at his best: relaxed, funny, off the cuff,
thoughtful and smart, like your favorite substitute teacher.
"He will be able to knock this out of the park," I thought. But the moment
the town hall began I knew he was in trouble.
It felt more like a deposition than a town hall meeting. It felt more like
President Obama was testifying in his own defense and his alibi was falling
apart. And why was that? All the President wants is for fewer Americans to
die from gun violence. That shouldn't be a controversial opinion.
But it is controversial to many on the right, because the President himself
is controversial. His very existence is problematic. He, himself, doesn't
makes sense to people on the right, so they don't trust him.
How the conversation continued after the guns town hall
How the conversation continued after the guns town hall 04:28
Seven years into the Obama presidency the right feels the same way about
President Obama as I would if I woke up tomorrow and a talking horse were
president. I'd be like, "Seriously? This horse is the president? Well, that
just doesn't make any sense. Lemme see that horse's papers. I know I saw
them before, but I just want to see them one more time."
The big difference between me and the right is that after seven years of the
Mr. Ed presidency I think I would start to settle in and believe it was
true. But to the loudest members of the GOP, something still doesn't feel
right about this Obama character being President. They can't trust anything
that comes out of his mouth. And they feel like they have to do something.
Obama's new gun rules don't mean your doctor will rat you out
Your doctor won't rat you out
And that brings us to all these guns. For me, this boils down to a few
questions:
Gun owners, how many different ways and/or times does President Obama have
to say that he doesn't want to take your guns away? Is there a specific way
he needs to say it? Because if there is, then just tell him and I'm betting
he will hold a press conference immediately and say it that way.
Or is there a number you all have in your head, and once he hits it you will
stop pretending like he's never said it? Can you tell us what the number is?
Or at least can you tell us if President Obama is close to hitting the
number? Because if he is, again, I'm pretty sure the President would clear
his schedule and just spend the next few weeks saying, "I don't want to take
your guns away" over and over until he hits the magic number.
Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter on Obama's town hall
Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter on Obama's town hall 03:17
And then we could all have a productive discussion about how to solve the
problem of America doing nothing when innocent people die for no reason due
to guns being held by the people who kill people.
So Thursday night, instead of having a productive and engaging discussion
about how to have fewer parents learning from a phone call that their
children have been murdered at school, President Obama was mostly on trial
for a crime he didn't commit: stealing our Second Amendment rights.
The real divide on gun control
The real question on gun control
And let me be clear, this would be a great week for President Obama to be on
trial. Not about guns, but about his administration raiding the homes of
undocumented Central American refugees and then deporting them back to the
countries they fled for fear of violence in the first place.
You would think that between not taking people's guns away and deporting
undocumented people, President Obama would be a favorite of conservatives
this week. He should be the leading GOP candidate for President with this
record, but no. They still can't get past the fact he is the President in
the first place -- twice.
Teen: President gave me genuine answer
Teen: President gave me genuine answer 02:40
And let me be clear about something else, gun owners. I want President Obama
to want to take your guns away. I don't trust you with your guns. I don't
trust you to fire them safely. I don't trust you to store them safely. I
don't trust your kids not to find them. I don't trust you not to get them
stolen.
I don't trust you not to issue a blanket blame of everyone with mental
health issues every time there is a mass shooting, even though we all know
that for the most part people with mental health issues are only dangerous
to a pint of Ben & Jerry's.
And frankly, I don't trust you not to shoot me with your guns for no reason.
But that's just me, and my friends and family.
But it certainly isn't President Obama. So stop pretending that it is.
The longer you gun owners do pretend the President wants your guns, the more
innocent people die, because you can't get past your disbelief that Obama is
the President long enough to have a conversation that would save people's
lives.
