Sandy Hook mom to deliver presidential radio address
(CNN) - The White House's full court press for passage of gun violence legislation will continue this weekend when a mother whose son was killed in the Connecticut school shootings uses the bully pulpit of the presidential weekly address to make a personal plea.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney Friday told reporters President Obama asked Newtown, Connecticut parent Francine Wheeler to tape the weekly address heard on radio and seen on the internet. Wheeler's six-year-old son Ben was killed in the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Wheeler and other families who lost loved ones at Sandy Hook have been in Washington this week to lobby Congress for passage of a gun bill.
Carney told reporters the president has been in contact with the families this week. "[H]e believes their voices and resolve have been critical to the continued progress we've seen in the Senate."
A senior Obama administration official tells CNN Wheeler wrote the remarks with her husband and she taped the address in the library at the White House Friday morning. The address features only her and her husband on camera, and she begins speaking by herself.
Carney told reporters this is the first time someone other than the president or vice president in this administration has delivered the weekly presidential address but he did not know the history in other administrations.
CNN found one instance in the George W. Bush administration when first lady Laura Bush delivered the address on the Taliban oppression of women and children in Afghanistan.
President Ronald Reagan began the practice of delivering a weekly radio address on current issues in the 1980's and all succeeding presidents have followed the practice.
Yes, a grieving mother is the NRA's worst nightmare: according to them, she should be dealing with her grief in private, or signing up to get her own AR-15.
i hear if this doesn't work obama will actually dig up one of the dead children and have a ventriloquist speak for them. the ultimate in human tragedy exploitation... the democrat party.
Put some grass to NRA thugs...
Obama has really sunk to a new low. Not only does he continue to use the Newtown victim families for his only personal agenda, but now he has them delivering the presidential radio address. Really???
The laws Obama has proposed would not have prevented your child's death. Obama is using you and your family for his personal political gain.
Another instance where Obama has someone else do HIS job.
The real Thomas Paine would kick you in your poser yarbles.
What do you know – Obama exploiting dead children. Why should this surprise anyone?
Lookie there – Obama using the death of little children to advance his radical, anit-American agenda. surprise, surprise.
Maybe the Republicans can invite the woman that used a gun to save herself and her children from a home invader? She can have the children speak about how scared they were and how glad they are that Mommy had her gun to protect them. And the woman can explain that she needed a higher capacity pistol because after hitting the guy 5 times, he was still alive.
And next week Gabby Giffords should give the address. And the following weeks, each family that has been a victim of gun violence should deliver the message until legislation is passed.
Wow. The dog and pony show has reached a new low. What a great way to tell the rest of the country that their loss for whatever reason doesn't matter because it does not match the president's agenda.
Wow! There are actually right wingers posing as democrats. What is the world coming to when you can't get a radical republican to pose as themselves and state their true views. Pathetic little people.
Harry Reid is obviously the worst part of congress.
Hmmm.. where are all the scmbag liberals..? Why aren't they on this thread, defending their great scmbag POTUS... They aren't here because they have no defense for this.. Someone above said obamas next move is to dig up one of the dead children and use them as a prop... He's already doing this, by USING the mother of one of the children... So ashamed to be an american right now.. our POTUS is scm... 100% scm...
Good for them. It's about time those most terribly affected by guns and gun violence should get their say.
These dead kids are the BEST THING obama could hope for... WOW
WOW! What a bunch of negative, unhappy individuals . . . . .
Maybe next week, the President will share his thoughts on the Dr. Kermit Gasnell's abortion murder trial in Philadephia that began on March 17th. None of the mainstream media organizations other than Fox and USA Today are covering this horrific story.
"Dominican Mama 4 Obama
Me love Obama! He give me and me 15 kids free place to stay in America and no deport! I also get free food and healthcare and no have to work! Obama's America good!"
Yawn. Petty, immature post under someone else's name is petty and immature. You get bonus points for making it racist and insulting to immigrants too. Keep up the good work on all that "outreach," GOPers/teatrolls. You're doing a bang up job.
Got to give you folks on the right all the credit in the world. It's rather disgusting to go after the mother of a child that was gunned down while doing nothing more innocent than attending their local grade school.
Yet, here you all are ... doing just that.
Aaaaaah, conservative gun nutjob tears are ambrosia to my soul. Cry more, guys. Your tears prove just hwo afraid you are that it's working.
So these parents dont have an opionion on gun reform? I have my own opinions about gun reform and it is not because of Obama. I voted for Obama and now find he is more conservative then most moderate GOP if they exist. Since I see most GOP are as extreme in as the Taliban!! Tparty does that stand for Taliban Party? That is what I take for the GOP extremist they in bed with the Taliban....
Seems like are just being used as a puppet
Would any of the proposed legislation prevented the Sandy Hook tragedy?