Obama is an 'elitist hypocrite': The NRA's scathing new ad

As President Obama prepares to unveil his proposals to curb gun violence in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre, the National Rifle Association is ratcheting up the tension over the White House's push for new gun-control measures. In a 35-second video released this week, the gun-rights group calls Obama an "elitist hypocrite" for saying he's "skeptical" about the NRA's call for armed guards in schools when his own daughters receive armed Secret Service protection. "Are the president's kids more important than yours?" the narrator asks.

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Wow. "It takes a lot for the NRA to shock," says Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo. "But this is just beyond disgusting." There is no excuse for twisting the arguments against the president's positions in the gun debate into such a personal attack.

Come on, the NRA is making a valid and effective point, says John Hinderaker at Power Line. The wealthy and powerful, especially when they happen to live in the White House, do believe armed security is a good idea, at least when they're not making a push to restrict gun rights.

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Get used to this kind of harsh rhetoric, says Philip Rucker at The Washington Post. The White House has had no immediate response to the ad, but both sides have plenty of Americans backing them up. In fact, a majority of Americans — 55 percent — support the NRA's proposal to try deterring school shootings by posting an armed guard in every school, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll. The NRA's "provocative" elitism charge — as harsh as any attack ad in a political campaign — "illustrates how emotionally charged and personal the debate over gun control is becoming."