Michael Welner, a forensic psychiatrist and a Trump supporter blamed CNN for mass shootings on "Fox and Friends" and said, “I think that CNN’s going to have to answer how they demonize gun enthusiasts and how CNN actually contributes to mass shooting.”
As a TV analyst Welner appears to be auditioning to be a member of the quack Fox News Medical A-Team and colored his commentary accordingly.
Welner, even though he has no evidence to work with tried to explain why Paddock killed 59 people in Las Vegas and as a rabid Trump supporter, claimed it's because gun enthusiasts are demonized by CNN.
Welner took a leap of conservative faith and focused on guns and their second amendment brethren as the real victims of media bias.
After Fox News cut to Trump at Andrews Air Force base, Welner tied it all in to Trump and how to prevent these atrocities..
Welner said, "Here's the big take home in terms of what we can do to prevent. Absolutely people who are gun enthusiasts and who are populists or nationalists in this country are dehumanized. They're demonized."
Welner said that the hatred coming form certain media outlets demonizes "these people."
He continued, "A person who adopts a cause maybe otherwise be law-abiding, but he feels righteously justified that the end justifies the means."
So the media is dehumanizing people and giving them cause to shoot people?
Fox and Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade linked country music fans to Trump supporters to give Paddock the motivation to shoot them.
Welner explained he has no idea why Paddock choose to do what he did so "cause is pointed out by what he said."
Kilmeade then tried to smear CNN's Jeff Zeleny, who was complimentary of Trump's response to the shooting overall but while discussing the tragedy mentioned that many country music fans are Trump supporters.
Kilmeade mischaracterized Zeleny's comments completely.
Brian said, "Jeff Zeleny says that this is -- country music fans for the most part are Republican and the president by showing this type of sympathy is doing something for his base. Are country music fans symbolic of Republicans?"
The right wing media is going ballistic over this remark for reasons unknown, but Welner used it to fuel his fire.
Welner said, "I think that CNN's going to have to answer for how they demonize gun enthusiasts and how CNN actually contributes to mass shooting and I believe that they do."
Throwing in medical jargon to hide his prejudices, Welner comes off like a nut. A Keith Ablow type of nut.
But you know, we can't talk about gun control, right?
Think Progress writes:
"After the Sandy Hook shooting, Welner blamed the violence on video games, telling the ladies of The View, “The major myth of this that we are all making a mistake about is to focus on guns and mental health at the bottom of this. Guns may make things worse, guns may be a contributor, some people are mentally ill and deserve help and need help but aren’t getting it — I get it — but that’s not why this is happening.” He asserted then, as he did Tuesday morning, that as long as the media creates a spectacle, it’ll inspire other shooters."
By the way Fox News covers these shootings just as much as any other media outlet so is he saying Fox News is creating a spectacle too? Nope, they're the good guys because they kowtow to the NRA sufficiently.
Let the suits upstairs at CNN take note: you guys avoid talking about Fox when questioning "why is America so polarized?" "Why don't voters get it about Trump?" etc.
Fox has no qualms about name-checking your network when it comes to laying blame for gun violence.
Recommended: Charles Pierce wrote a tremendous article called "If Newtown Wasn't Enough, Why Would Las Vegas Be Enough?"
