Steve Schmidt: ‘It’s Just Stupid’ When Pols Say ‘It’s Too Early’ to Talk Gun Control

RUSH EXCERPT:

SCHMIDT: "Yeah, look, we're having this discussion about change and I think this culture of instant gratification applies to our politics. That, well, the kids had a rally and tens of thousands of people marched and people walked out of schools and now this problem is going to be fixed. I think to Zerlena's point that democracy, and I think the American people to a large degree are alienated from the hard work of citizenship. It requires participation. It requires commitment. It requires being informed. If you go back to the 19th century when we were having a debate in this country about whether we should have mandatory public education, the purpose for mandatory public education was to teach good citizens. Create good citizens. And so politicians who say, for example, we can't talk about this moment of connection between insane or evil person and high-capacity automatic or semiautomatic weapon. It's just stupid. And when people get voted out of office and on the supply and demand curve, that balance changes, you'll see some changes to, you know, to the gun laws. And I think the other thing, too, is that there's always been places that are profoundly violent in the country. Inner city Baltimore, Chicago, but I think middle-class white people as a general proposition were insulated from it. I think back to when I was a little kid, the summer of Sam. The son of Sam. Growing up in north Jersey, we weren't allowed to go into the front yard after dark. It's silly thinking back on it but the violence was remote. And now it's everywhere."