Costas: "Mistake" To Give Anti-Gun Commentary During Football Game

[ProgressiveProfessor]

NBC's Bob Costas says his anti-gun remarks on Sunday night were a mistake because 90 seconds wasn't enough time for him to "flesh out" what he meant to say so he was completely understood.

Costas says he should have saved his comments for a different forum, rather than during halftime of Sunday's NFL game, but did so because "this is when the Belcher situation had played itself out.

More at: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2012/12/04/nbcs_bob_costas_says_anti-gun_commentary_was_a_mistake.html Cites the Dan Patrick Show
===================
Going to be interesting to see how far and hard be backs off. I have to believe there will be some price to be paid for it.

[Deep13]

1. Never apologize for telling the truth. nt

[Lex]

2. He just wasn't prepared for the rabid, spittle-flinging, unglued backlash. nt

[ProgressiveProfessor]

10. Neither was Limbaugh, who was rightfully terminated

I don't expect Costas to be fired immediately, but his contract is most likely yearly and he could easily be replaced once he decides to "retire".

[JI7]

3. CNN did not hire Costas to replace Larry King because he didn't want to report

on stupid gossip crap like royal family, kardashians etc and wanted to focus on real issues .

but if you watched when costas filled in for king he did a great job. i was hoping he would be hired. piers morgan has been horrible.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

7. Tripe

Sports are not "real issues" and he, and Piers Morgan, and Larry King...are entertainers.

I do agree about Piers Morgan...Larry had something that his successors and imitators just cannot find.

[JI7]

15. he could have been like Charlie Rose

interview celebs also but not stupid shit like kardashians or honey boo boo.

yeah, right now he reports on entertainment but shouldn't even they speak out at times. like when players are assholes and not tolerate that crap ?

[ProgressiveProfessor]

17. Not when the NRA hates controversy as much as it does

Offline on another very distinct forum...maybe. If the pro gun people give the controversy some legs, he will have problems

Rose was also an entertainer...just a different target audience.

[99Forever]

4. Nothing drives the gun psychos off the deep end...

... faster than talking bad about their precious.

[rDigital]

60. I don't know, but it makes the moderates pissed. nt

[theHandpuppet]

72. Good one

And I totally agree with you. There's a tipping point where gun luv becomes a true sickness.

[TheCowsCameHome]

5. And now Wayne's flock of sheep is upset.

[former-republican]

6. Why do so many of you hate guns on this board in GD ?

The vast majority of Democrats own guns.
Mention guns and it's a feeding frenzy for some you.

[cthulu2016]

9. Perhaps because gun people lie about statistics all the time...

[hack89]

24. In 2011 it was 40% of Dems that own guns

http://www.gallup.com/poll/150353/self-reported-gun-ownership-highest-1993.aspx

Repukes at 55%

[AnotherMcIntosh]

34. Gallup? The same reliable Gallup organization that predicted that Romney would will over Obama?

"The U.S. election 2012, Mitt Romney vs President Obama, today is November 06, 2012. Final Gallup poll shows Mitt Romney will be elected the 45th President of United States of America."

http://www.examiner.com/article/gallup-poll-shows-romney-will-win-the-election-over-obama

Do you have the feeling that their gun-ownership poll is just as accurate as their poll regarding which candidate would win the last Presidential election?

[hack89]

45. So what better number do you have? nt

[AnotherMcIntosh]

50. Thank you for the invitation but, unlike Gallup, I don't just make up numbers.

[hack89]

52. I didn't ask you to make up anything

I was wondering if there was a better source of info - that's all. No big deal if you have nothing.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

57. In our country, where there is still some freedom, no one knows. Polsters make up stuff, but

no one actually knows.

If the politicians within the Democratic Party really believed that there was a decline in gun ownership in Democratic households, they would take advantage of that belief (as they did prior to the 1994 losses to the Repubicans) and actively push for more gun control legislation.

They are not doing that because they have learned from applying common sense and from the losses in the 1994 elections that the number of anti-gunners is actually smaller than the numbers which the anti-gunners believe to exist.

Any anti-gunner who really believes that there are sufficient numbers to support an anti-gun influenced election can run for election. How many are doing that? Apparently none.

Until the anti-gunners can send people door-to-door and inventory gun ownership, no one can ever actually know the number or percentage of guns owned by Democratic households.

[hack89]

59. The only reason for the President to ignore gun control

is because he knows that avid gun control advocates are a loud but fringe group in the party. He throws them a couple of bones in speeches and the party platform while staying as far away from the issue as possible.

The President is a smart man.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

64. What we need is crime control. We need more control over criminals that use guns, not more control

to disarm law-abiding citizens who may need firearms in their homes to deter and protect against home invasions.

You are right that President Obama is a smart man. He is smart enough to know that law-abiding gun owners are not a fringe group within the Democratic Party.

[Bake]

35. The only statistic I know for SURE is that I own one. Or more.

Don't even think about trying to take it away from me.

Bake

[Shivering Jemmy]

66. "Filthy Bagginses it wants to steal"

"The PRECIOUS!!!"

[Bake]

68. Lord of the Rings allusions only prove somebody is a geek.

I own guns. They're legal. End of story.

Call the cops? When seconds matter, the cops are minutes away. I'll call them after I've dealt with the intruder.

Bake

[Shivering Jemmy]

70. Who cares?

Last edited Wed Dec 5, 2012, 12:14 AM - Edit history (1)

If you own guns. Everybody needs a silly hobby. I collect trichinobezoars.

But getting all emo about people coming to steal your guns...kinda sad. You don't see me going all gollum about the hairballs.

And of course I'm a geek. There's nothing better.

[SecularMotion]

11. Why are so many gun nuts alcoholics and wife beaters?

[former-republican]

13. Like I said a feeding frenzy , HA HA

This wouldn't be a gun thread without SecularMotion.

Like clock work in GD

[HERVEPA]

16. Who the hell told you the vast majority of Democrats own guns?

That's pure bull. Do you enjoy just making things up?

[DanTex]

18. Yes, gun fanatics enjoy making things up.

The facts have a heavy anti-gun bias, so the NRA crowd compensates by fabricating statistics.

[former-republican]

20. They do in my state , have you checked yours

[hack89]

25. It is only 40% of Dems that own guns

http://www.gallup.com/poll/150353/self-reported-gun-ownership-highest-1993.aspx

15% less than repukes.

[DanTex]

33. Actually, you are wrong again.

According to that poll. 40% of Dems, live in a household in which someone owns a gun. That includes, for example, Democratic women married to Republican men.

Do you ever get anything right?

[hack89]

48. So give me a better number

what percentage of Dems own guns?

Btw - fine job of pulling that out of your butt. Can't quantify it at all but it is just enough for you to ignore a inconvenient fact. Which is typical.

[DanTex]

53. Pulling what out of my butt?

If you had the first clue what you were talking about, you would know that Gallup polls for household gun ownership, not individual gun ownership.

But you don't. You are a typical NRA mouthpiece: utterly clueless and unable to do anything but repeat talking points.

[hack89]

54. Your Dem wife - Repuke husband deflection

to minimize the number of pro-gun Dems. You really don't want to accept that many of your fellow Dems own guns do you?

It must chap your hide to find your views on guns marginalized even within the party. My views are more in line with Democratic leadership then yours are - why do you think they ignore the entire issue of gun control?

[DanTex]

58. It's not a deflection, it's actually what the poll asked.

I get that the facts are very problematic for a person pushing a pro-gun agenda, but you've linked to that Gallup poll so many times that I would have guessed that maybe just once you would have read the survey enough to understand what the actual polling question was. But I can understand your desire to avoid any sort of fact-checking whatsoever. Like Mitt Romney, you don't want to let facts get in the way of your propaganda.

[hack89]

62. Keep up the good fight

I just wonder why you waste your time on a lost cause.

Even the president has abandoned you.

[DanTex]

65. LGBT rights seemed to be an uphill fight just a decade ago.

Global warming seems to be a lost cause at the moment. Gun violence is a losing cause at the moment, but only in the US -- the rest of the civilized world seems to have it figured out.

Still, the fact that right-wingers currently have the upper hand in certain areas is no reason to just give up. Keep fighting for what is right.

[hack89]

67. Doing nothing will still reduce gun violence

that is the problem you face. Gun violence has fallen to historic lows and still falling.

"It is not falling fast enough" is not going to rally the troops like I think you want.

We have a crime problem plus a mental health problem.

Reforming the criminal justice system to focus on violent offenders plus single payer health care will do more to reduce gun violence then any of your gun grabbing fantasies. And they are more achievable.

[DanTex]

69. That's like saying that Jim Crow laws were OK because it was better than slavery.

The fact of the matter is that gun violence and homicide in the US is at rates far higher than anywhere else in the civilized world, and this is a serious problem. Yes, given that the GOP is full of crazy nutjobs that don't live in reality, gun control, along with things like global warming or single payer healthcare, is going to face political challenges.

That doesn't mean that it isn't a good cause.

Your argument is essentially that we should give up on any issue where the teabaggers have an upper hand at the moment. Not a good argument.

[hack89]

71. No - I am saying your focus is completely wrong

Last edited Wed Dec 5, 2012, 07:56 AM - Edit history (1)

and there is a better way to do it.

Like many Americans, where I live is just as safe as any place in the "civilized" world. 2 gun murders in a population of 60K in the last 15 years. We go years without a shooting - alcohol related deaths are unfortunately a common occurrence.

And it is the same for most of Rhode Island - like every state, gun violence is very geographically concentrated in poor urban neighborhoods struggling with gangs, drugs, poverty and despair. Your consistent desire to lump all gun owners together and view them as dangerous RW precriminals demonstrates your simplistic, emotional approach to a serious matter that is complex and nuanced. There is a reason you are failing and the blame cannot simply be placed at the feet of the teabaggers.

Perhaps we need to fix the root causes of violence?

[AnotherMcIntosh]

36. Gallup is an unreliable organization which predicted that Romeny would beat Obama:

"The U.S. election 2012, Mitt Romney vs President Obama, today is November 06, 2012. Final Gallup poll shows Mitt Romney will be elected the 45th President of United States of America."

http://www.examiner.com/article/gallup-poll-shows-romney-will-win-the-election-over-obama

[DanTex]

39. When it comes to guns the General Social Survey is the most reliable estimate.

Gun ownership rates have been declining for decades:

[AnotherMcIntosh]

41. Look, when it comes to representations from a poll that can actually be shown to not be true, such

as a presidential election, the results show that Gallup is unreliable.

When it comes to representations from a poll that cannot be show to be true, Gallup can just make up the results that its sponsors want.

Was Gallup behind this?

[hack89]

51. Given that graph

how do you explain the incredible failure of gun control in America? Why is gun control completely unable to mobilize significant numbers of Americans to their cause?

Interesting conundrum.

[hack89]

49. So give me a better number. nt

[Deep13]

23. Can I like cars and still be in favor of speed limits and traffic lights? nt

[sarisataka]

8. I don't think he will pay anything

because I think he was supported by the network.

I find his words interesting:

A friend of mine in broadcasting pointed this out to me yesterday, and I agree with him. He said, ‘You violated your own rule.’ Because we have had this discussion before. I’ve always said, if you’re going to get into touchy topics, nuanced topics, make sure that you have enough time to flesh them out, that you have enough time to make yourself fully understood, or save them for forums where you do. In this particular situation, the timeliness of it was, if you’re going to comment on it at all, it had to be this Sunday. Because this is when the Belcher situation had played itself out.

So, I'm thinking I can't address all of the possible aspects of this. Domestic violence; the possibility of athletes, especially athletes who play a violent sport are more prone to domestic violence than people the same age elsewhere in society. The possible connection between football and this particular tragedy. We know that football is connected, and it's effects are connected to other situations. We don't know yet whether it's connected to Belcher, but that's certainly a question that could be asked. The easy availability of guns is another.

I would like to see him in a forum where he can fully develop his points

IMO he came across as entirely one dimensional (which some strongly agree with) but recognizes that there are many facets to the situation. Speaking about the totality may smooth some ruffled feathers and likely ruffle others.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

12. NFL hates controversy with a passion

The longer legs it has, the shorter Costas time will be.

[sarisataka]

26. Don't want to cut revenues

so they may try to let it die a quiet death. (Bad choice of phrasing, no offense intended)

To fire Costas would be akin to admitting fault; keeping him on and continuing discuss keeps the controversy on the front page. I am glad I am not an NBC producer.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

32. It is always about the benjamins

[kaspar411]

14. Spam deleted by gkhouston (MIR Team)

[davidn3600]

19. No matter what, this is a dead issue

The second amendment gives Americans the right to own firearms. And the Supreme Court backed that up even further with the Heller decision.

It is what it is.

Guns to our side is like abortion is to the Republicans. Neither one will ever be banned in the United States. But both sides like to dangle the carrot to get votes and money.

In order to ban firearms, you would have to change the constitution. You will never get it changed. So it's going to stay for as long as America exists. It really is as simple as that.

[Initech]

21. Translation: he was probably threatened by psycho gun nuts and/or the NRA.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

22. More likely the NFL who hate controversy of any kind

and the threats to them are economic.

[sadbear]

46. They certainly put up with the replacement controversy long enough.

And that certainly cost them more benjamins than it would have cost to settle with the real refs before the season started.

[hack89]

27. It is not his job to piss off paying customers

The NRA did not have to do a thing - I am sure the NFL and the network were more than up to the task.

[Hoyt]

30. And those who can't venture out of the house without a gun. We get your annoyance.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

38. His problem at this point is the NFL not the NRA

[Hoyt]

40. He'll handle it.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

42. We shall see

At that level, there are always people waiting to take your seat. I am not concerned about it one way or the other.

I view big professional sports as a drag on society and would not miss it for a moment. I am Un-American like that

[hack89]

44. I don't carry in public

he didn't bother me - I wasn't even watching the game.

[Ruby the Liberal]

28. He should have stuck to his guns on it.

if you will...

[TDale313]

29. I see what ya did there

[REP]

31. I'm surprised that's there's more uproar over his commentary than there being a game to give it at

Well, almost surprised.

I'm from Kansas City; I lived a few blocks from where the Harris House was being shot up by Chiefs' players during Schottinheimer's tenure. I'm used to the braying of, "oh it's the guns making these men do these terrible things!"

Yet there was no coverage - zero - of the police calls to Joe Montana's house when he was hitting his wife ... yet everyone knew about it. Cops do talk, and not all of them were happy with treating the worn-out, aging star with kid gloves.

No one wants to talk about how this sport has turned so violent, is promoted on its violence, about how team rivalries are whipped up into life-or-death contests for the fans (who pay hundreds of dollars to make the team owners richer) and how this celebration of violence with its rewards of money and fame might begin to color the players' view of life.

Ray Lewis stabbed two people after being previously charged with punching a woman in the face. Rae Carruth had his pregnant girlfriend murdered. But as long as the money keeps coming in, don't expect the NFL or anyone else to take a look at the roots of these problems.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

37. Are on-air commentators allowed to drink while on the job? Could that have been his problem?

[sadbear]

43. Wow! No one must say anything disparaging about firearms anytime, huh?

Because, you know, disparaging firearms is the same as disparaging an entire race.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

47. When your golden goose is the NFL, it is the smart thing to avoid controversy

[aaaaaa5a]

55. Mr. Costas, welcome to our club!

Just like the rest of us liberals...... no backbone to stand up for what's right.

[DonCoquixote]

56. I call BS

Ok, Costas is not paid to be a news commentator, but the cycle of gun violence has soaked into pro sports, especially football. I remember when there was so much mayhem among the Dallas Cowboys, they were called the Dallas convicts. Let's also not ignore the fact that when crime happens with pro athletes, we often get fed the standard "see, that is what happens when certain people get money" that is a thinly veiled attack on race and class.

The fact is, Americans love their handguns. I am not calling for anyone's beloved hunting rifle to be taken, but let's be honest, Americans love the whole macho "wrong and strong" mentality, which is why we have a variety of ugly problems. But now, Costas will be pilloried, and the folks in the Gungeon will pour themselves a beer.

[aikoaiko]

61. He chose poorly.

I don't mind that Costa may favor increased gun possession restrictions, but in the heat of a passionate moment he chose to utter statements that had sweeping implications for gun ownership where nuanced and considered thought is required.

He chose poorly.

[Renew Deal]

63. I don't think it was a mistake

Agree or disagree with his comments, we have to speak up in this country. Put it out there and let it go where it will. We don't need the boring sanitized non-opinions that dominate today's news (CNN) and pop culture. Salute to the rebels.

[Ikonoklast]

73. And it looks like Bob Costas will be vindicated, and all his detractors are looking like fools now.

Not that they need any help to do so.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

74. Stalking old posts again I see

Actually prior to this, Costas was under fire, today not so much.

[Ikonoklast]

75. Actually, nothing was going to happen to Bob Costas.

The blowback would have been tremendous, and the NFL has enough problems of its own without sacking a long-time fan favorite.

And I'll post what I want, where I want, when I want.

Try to stop me.

"Professor".