June 14, 2010

Apparently, to North Carolinians, the words "Do you fully support the Obama agenda?" are fighting words.

What is wrong with that man tortfeasor?



How can Congressman Bob Etheridge (D-NC2) think he can lay hands on someone for asking a question like that? Why did that question make him so angry? Look how much he believes in his own capacity and right to intimidate! Quite aside from the manhandling, where does Etheridge get the idea that someone who asks a question is required to divulge his name? Is he completely deranged? Does he not remember what a camera is? Has he never heard of YouTube? I bet he has now.

ADDED: Here's how WaPo's Dave Weigel minimizes the story:
But without any name or organizational support, just by riling up a member of Congress, the students have created the first conservative meme of the week. They seem to have learned from organizations such as ThinkProgress that any video of a member acting strangely, no matter how grainy, is grist for the Web.
And Weigel is aptly embarrassed by the first comment:
You refer to this dismissively as "video of a member acting strangely." Sorry, this isn't so easily dismissed. It's video of a member acting thuggishly, committing an assault and battery. And it's video of a member who has the arrogance to claim he has a right to know the identity of someone who asked me a question on the street. He doesn't have any such right. What he has is the dangerous notion that he's exempt from the laws of the District of Columbia and from the dictates of a civil society. And by your so cavalierly dismissing his outrageous behavior, you're complicit.

Posted by: Rob_ | June 14, 2010 10:52 AM...
Of course, the big question now — for anyone with a Weigel-y mentality — is: Who's Rob_?

MORE: This came in the email:
I'm Rob_ 

I know your question at the end of the Etheridge post was facetious, but I figured I'd answer it anyway. I'm Robert Cantor, a retired lawyer and amateur photographer in Rockville, Maryland, unaffiliated with Andrew Breitbart or any other political or journalistic operation but fascinated both by Etheridge's outrageous behavior and the way it was covered in the media. Not only did Weigel mischaracterize it and treat it dismissively, but others like CBS chose to edit down the battery to eliminate Etheridge's very rough grabbing of the young man's neck as well as the repeated requests from the young man that Etheridge let him go. The New York Times, following the pattern of its coverage of Van Jones and Helen Thomas, waited to report anything about the incident until Etheridge had apologized, then made his apology the story and reported little about the incident itself. Thank goodness for Glenn Greenwald, who had the integrity to call for Etheridge to be arrested and the courage to call out the commenters to his post who defended Etheridge.
(Rob gave me permission to copy this.)

444 comments:

1 – 200 of 444   Newer›   Newest»
Hoosier Daddy said...

Is he completely deranged?

Of course he is. He's a liberal ;-)

Actually the second time I watched that video I'm starting to wonder if he had one too many cocktails. Not that's an excuse but if he wasn't inebriated, then he's clearly deluded.

Kensington said...

I get angrier every time I watch that. How dare that man? What gives him the right?

Can't our public servants walk down the street for two seconds without being assaulted with impertinent questions from the peasants?

That seems to be Mediaite's take, anyway.

chuckR said...

He needs the internet 'splained to him. He should seek out that other old Congressional mossback whose conception of how the internet functioned drew heavily on pneumatic message tube systems....

Hoosier Daddy said...

How can Congressman Bob Etheridge (D-NC2) think he can lay hands on someone for asking a question like that?

I think it comes from the 'we're better than you' mentality that seems to afflict our elected officials. Hell Cynthia McKinney punched a Capitol cop and got away with it.

John said...

Liberals are still exactly who we thought they were. This film is just who they are. Anyone reading the ravings of HD House and Garage Mahall and Opus Media on here can be suprised by this. They only assumed the Tea Parties would be violent because they know how violent they would be if they ever come up with a mass movement. And they just assume everyone else is just like them.

lemondog said...

I'd be cranky if I had to go and listen to Speaker Botox.

Elected in 1997.

Time.To.Go!

Of course he is. He's a liberal ;-)

For what its worth Wiki indicates he is a New Democrat or centrist.

I'm Full of Soup said...

He looks tipsy.

AllenS said...

Will it make the evening news?

Unknown said...

Etheridge the Unready had been at a fundraiser for Speaker Pelosi where he had a long talk with Jack Daniels and found out whose ass to kick.

Irene said...

CBS: "Students" is in quotes in the headline. That means, these were imposters posing as students; these "students" set a trap for the congressman.

The congressman, according to CBS, "lost his cool on camera." The first paragraph makes no mention of an assault.

Finally, CBS diminishes the incident by noting that this is "a video that is making the rounds of the conservative blogosphere today."

(See?? This is just like those wacky kids who filmed ACORN.)

Scott M said...

Didn't he learn anything from Cynthia McKinny?

Kensington said...

AllenS:
"Will it make the evening news?"

I'm sure the big 3 are all working feverishly on their "rightwing wingnuts go too far in questioning Congressmen with their violent anti-Obama rhetoric" stories.

Should be quite a scoop!

Freeman Hunt said...

He's clearly drunk.

Reminds me of that recent thread about drunkenness.

Adam said...

C'mon, those young Javerts were askin' for it, just check the leftist take anywhere. Take The Daily Beast (please!):

I'm with Bob Etheridge on this. These on-camera ambushes by "students" of Fox News Inc. are getting to be downright Soviet. I would have cheered Bob if he'd knocked the smug yuppie on his @ss.

Yep, there's a resurgent Komsomol on the march, and its targeting the Dems!

I'm Full of Soup said...

"Conservative blogosphere". heh I am surprised CBS even admits it exists.

AllenS said...

When Etheridge asks: "I have a right to know who you are."

What he meant was, are you an illegal alien? Yeah, that's it.

Freeman Hunt said...

"Who are you? Who are you? Who are you?"

Repeats self.

Hits camera. Grabs student repeatedly.

Invades personal space.

Acts irrationally.

He's drunk.

Now why a Congressperson would think it was a good idea to wander around in public totally soused is another question.

Fen said...

Next time we question our "public servants", bring along a baseball bat.

Bob_R said...

Everybody has their own cocoon. Usually people from the south have a weaker cocoon than someone from the northeast or the west, but I guess 13 years in DC is time enough to spin a damned tight one. Time for someone to send him back to NC. But of course he'll never go. He's a DC lifer now. Soon to be at a lobbying firm on K street.

Big Mike said...

Thanks to Instapundit I've got a link to Etheridge's opponent. Anyone else want to join me in sending a donation?

Perhaps once he's out of Washington, Mr. Etheridge will have the free time to learn how to hold his liquor.

Kensington said...

I think you're right, Freeman, but he still deserves at least a chance to sleep it off in a drunk tank.

I almost can't wait to hear his public apology.

AllenS said...

Student: "Do you fully support the Obama agents?"

Congressman Etheridge: "Show me your drivers license and Social Security card and your birth certificate!"

Fen said...

Now why a Congressperson would think it was a good idea to wander around in public totally soused is another question

I think he was coming back from a fundraiser and had too many cocktails. But that one wanders onto the floor drunk. And yes, votes drunk.

Hey, can we wait a bit for our Libtards to get their talking points? I cant wait to see how they will spin this one.

Geoff Matthews said...

How hard is it to say "There are some things I support and others that I don't".

Looks like this is another seat that will be changing representatives.

The non-answer is the first thing that politicians should learn.

Jason said...

WV:"Mented."

Heh. No further snark needed.

Kensington said...

The lefty talking points are already starting to circulate. It seems the best they can do so far is to claim that the kids were at least as responsible for asking a provocative question without saying who they were.

Once the kids are identified, then we'll be in full "OMG JOE TEH PLUMBER HAD A TAX LIEN AND A BOOB JOB WTF!!!1!!" mode.

vnjagvet said...

He looks drunk to me too. Like the troubled P'bgh QB, Ben Roethlisberger, he deserves shunning even though prosecution is probably not in the cards. A big time out is warranted.

What a horse's ass.

SteveR said...

CSI: Sidewalks of Washington D.C.

Who are you? hoo hoo, Who the fuck are you?

AllenS said...

Etheridge has a thin skin. He's never been asked a question by Helen Thomas, that's for sure.

bagoh20 said...

I really wish people who start shit like that would start getting their asses kicked. Obama? Obama? Over here, I found one who needs it bad.

Richard Dolan said...

Fortunately, the video was shot in DC not Maryland. The in-team has made it dangerous for bloggers to shoot video like this in MD, since it may result in felony charges. And don't count on courts to invalidate those laws. The Mass Sup Jud Ct upheld criminal charges under the MA version against a fellow who had the gall to video a cop.

Is it just an oddity of geography that the states with such laws are mostly one-party, Dem-controlled entities?

Joe said...

Isn't that an open and shut case of battery?

bagoh20 said...

Can you imagine him pulling that on some big guy? He's a bully and I'm sure he governs like one.

N.C., Fire his ass.

Brian Hancock said...

Our beloved political class is cracking up before our eyes.

Good - they are f'ing things up and should feel the pressure.

Adam said...

Etheridge could learn a lot from Alvin ("no comment") Greene. They should hang out together in their coming ample free time.

TWM said...

Not only is he assaulting someone but he's assaulting someone who is much smaller than him and who probably looks about 16. What a bastard. This should cost him the election and if there is any justice a few nights in jail too.

Michael Haz said...

If you were married to Melissa Etheridge, you'd be cranky too.

Kensington said...

Well, he's apologized now but is still pretty much painting himself as the victim of intrusive partisanship.

This guy needs criminal charges filed against him.

Brian Hancock said...

Also reminds me of the Monty Python & the Holy Grail with Dennis and King Arthur.

Dennis: Come and see the violence inherent in the system. Help! Help! I'm being repressed!

King Arthur: Bloody peasant!

Dennis: Oh, what a giveaway! Did you hear that? Did you hear that, eh? That's what I'm on about! Did you see him repressing me? You saw him, Didn't you?

Robert Cook said...

"'Is he completely deranged?

Of course he is. He's a liberal ;-)'"


Do you presume to think all Democrats are "liberals?" Ha! That's like assuming the mainstream media is liberal, or Obama, too. All false.

The Congressman is certainly an asshole and he should have his ass handed to him come election time.

chickelit said...

Drunk on power is what he is.

No need to even invoke alcohol IMO because that gives him an out.

AllenS said...

When this hits the evening news, these two will be called Teabaggers, Facebook friends of Sarah Palin and listeners of Rush Limbaugh.

traditionalguy said...

I suspect PTSD from one too many Tea Partiers questioning the Lies upon Lies that he must make up and tell when he votes for the Marxism lite agenda and has to pretend that he is a Democrat. It's like little Johnny Edwards' old tricks that no longer work. That can be frustrating.

MadisonMan said...

I'll be curious to see how this plays in NC. Good Ol' Boy vs. Uppity Kids? I think he would've done better to ask the Kids to define The Obama Agenda, but drunks are not very quick in their faculties.

I watched only a bit of the video, but the reply We're Students to the query Who are You irritated me. Being a student does not excuse rude behavior.

I'm sure the Congressman will have a well-publicized trip to Rehab, and/or a heart-to-heart chat with a sympathetic Journalist and/or Clergyman in the very near future.

Kensington said...

I wonder if it's starting to really sink in for some of these shmucks that there is a reckoning coming, and it's only five months away now.

I hope so. I wish them many sleepless nights.

Kensington said...

MadisonMan, what did the kids do that was rude, exactly?

El Presidente said...

"Show me your papers!"

Funny those guys didn't look like illegal immigrants.

Trooper York said...

" Adam said...
Etheridge could learn a lot from Alvin ("no comment") Greene. They should hang out together in their coming ample free time."

Alvin would never have done that.
He is a gentleman. He would have thought about it and given a one word answer.

This douche is like every multi term Congress cunt. They should all be ridden out of town on a rail covered in tar and feathers.

Scott M said...

I watched only a bit of the video, but the reply We're Students to the query Who are You irritated me. Being a student does not excuse rude behavior.

Proper response: "I'm one of your constituents who cannot afford to pay for the kind of access that you would pay attention to."

That would have been completely acceptable. As hopped up as he appears, though, the Representative's answer would have undoubtedly been a blank two-second stare and the question "what access".

Sigivald said...

Chuck: I will repeat that "a series of tubes" is actually a perfectly acceptable analogy from the layman's point of view (and encouraged by the way professionals and geeks tend to call connections "pipes").

The analogy is probably more useful than misleading, for most contexts.

(Bad for traffic switching, say, but pretty good for overloading and capacity...)

Methadras said...

Democrats in the Carolinas are about the most humorous thing I've seen on the political scene lately. If it isn't a DNC proclaimed retard running for the senate, it's blitheringly entitled congressman from N.C. who thinks he's entitled to assault someone for asking a question. Way to go congressman for showing us what lurks inside of you.

Methadras said...

Hey, where are the leftards coming to the defense of their comrade-in-assault?

vnjagvet said...

The question "do you support the Obama agenda" is should not be "intrusive" or "partisan" as his apology implied.

Hoosier Daddy said...

I'm with Bob Etheridge on this. These on-camera ambushes by "students" of Fox News Inc. are getting to be downright Soviet.

Indeed. One shudders when remembering the days when the average Soviet citizen ambushed their Politbruo representative with questions.

X said...

Being a student does not excuse rude behavior.


"Hi Congressman. How are you? Do you fully support the Obama agenda?"

I see what you are saying. They basically asked if he was still beating his wife. Unfair!

Big Mike said...

Can someone from NC confirm or deny that Ft. Bragg is in this guy's district? I'm just thinking that he'd best not try to grab a Ranger that way.

(Though I'd pay good money to see a video clip if he did that!)

Methadras said...

I just watched the video again and not only did this human douche bag commit assault and battery, but also theft. He took the kids camera out of his hands as he was assaulting him. Can anyone say felony? Oh, how I wish he would have tried that with me.

Joe said...

It seems the Vlasti are becoming unhinged, in this new topsy-turvy age. Prior to this the Vlasti controlled the flow of information to the Narod,, now the Narod have the power to reverse the flow and the Vlasti are none too keen on this new turn of events. How dare a a Narodnik ask questions of the Great?

vnjagvet said...

The question "do you support the Obama agenda" is scarcely "intrusive" or "partisan" as his apology implied. This is true whether the "asker" was from the left or the right.

Anonymous said...

A TEA party protester got sucker punched by a Democratic supporter of Mel Watt (NC 12) outside his headquarters the other day. Caught on video. I think they're feeling the heat.

AllenS said...

Who is Rob_? A member of the vast right wing conspiracy?

Hoosier Daddy said...

MadisonMan, what did the kids do that was rude, exactly?

Evidently asking a simple question is now considered rude and justifies physical assault.

vnjagvet said...

Sorry, Comrade, X. I was editing while you were posting.

TWM said...

"MadisonMan, what did the kids do that was rude, exactly?"

Are you kidding? They exercised their rights as citizens to ask an elected representative, who happens to be a Democrat, a legitimate question regarding how he is representing them. How can it not be rude?

Rich B said...

Dave Weigel is one of the reasons I dropped my Reason subscription after about 20 years.

Jeremy? AL? Garage? Why aren't you out defending this guy?

Hoosier Daddy said...

You know those 'ambush videos' were really hailed by the left when they were used on guys who said things like macaca.

Michael said...

It appears that in addition to being a bully and a thug the congressman is a lush. The kid, however, was a pussy for not knocking the shit out of him.

Synova said...

"Who are you and do you have a right to ask questions," is hardly a *new* notion.

Or did I miss the last few years (Gannon onward) of demands for Real Journalist privilege?

Rabel said...

Stupid students.
Look at the size of Etheridge.
He about 6 foot 6 and weighs 245.
He's broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip.
Everybody knows you don't give no lip to Big Bob.

traditionalguy said...

First it's South Carolina Democrats, and now it's North Carolina Democrats. These dudes are losing their way in the flood of Obama opposition. What hath Sarah wrought?

Unknown said...

He must have spent some free time hanging with Jean Francois Kerry; "Do you know who I am?", Kerry's emblematic line in the People's Republic, seems to be the motto of this crowd. You would think, seeing as how so many of his confreres are being nailed by cameras/microphones in public. It must be the hothouse in which they live on Capitol Hill.

If Troop is hinting at an amendment for Congressional term limits, he has my support.

Michael Hasenstab said...

If you were married to Melissa Etheridge, you'd be cranky too.

Hah! Although I have to admit, I do like her way with a song.

Big Mike said...

Can someone from NC confirm or deny that Ft. Bragg is in this guy's district? I'm just thinking that he'd best not try to grab a Ranger that way.

Bragg is SF and 82nd. Either way, wouldn't be pretty.

TMink said...

Being a student does not excuse rude behavior.

Being a sitting Congressman does?

And let's be honest for a moment, there was no rude behavior on the part of the civilian.

Two crimes were committed by the sitting Congressman.

OK, that is enough truth, let's go back to lies and spin.

Trey

Opus One Media said...

Of Course...but of course...Hoosier Daddy thinks the congressman is deranged...

Some kid sticks a camera in his face and he asks who he is and he gives the 'project - just a student' answer and the congressman knocks the camera away. I'd have shoved it up his ass.

This must be how civil behavior is defined in rural Indiana.

AllenS said...

HDHouse said...
I'd have shoved it up his ass.

Does anybody else find this statement funny?

chickelit said...

HDHouse wrote: I'd have shoved it up his ass.

No doubt you would! And you'd probably want the video of it happening too so you could watch that part over and over.

Yeesh.

Fred4Pres said...

Etheridge's defense: It was the liquor talking!

Joe said...

Well argued HDHouse….I agree a member of the public asks you a question and you grab them and their property, assault, batter and petty theft. Good idea man.

The response ought to have been as follows:
1) “I’m not in the habit of giving off-the-cuff interviews, on the street, I try to save my time for serving the Nation’s and my Constituent’s needs; AND
2) The question you’ve asked is so broad as to be meaningless. I guess the short answer is ‘No, I do not support the ‘Obama Agenda.’ BUT,…
3) …my Aide will be glad to give you my card with my office line on it. Contact my Press Secretary at that number and try to arrange a more in-depth interview if you like.”
And then, once out of earshot, you lambaste your aide for not intercepting the little punks before they could ask their question, and “what do I pay you for EXACTLY, if not that?”

Freeman Hunt said...

I can't believe people are trying to defend this by saying the students were rude. Please. The man is a member of Congress; people are allowed to ask him questions.

Ever walked down the street in DC? Total strangers will ask you questions even if you aren't a member of Congress. Questions like, "Can I have some money?", "Where are you going?", or "Want to come to my apartment and see my pet snake?" The proper response is to ignore the person, not to smack the person around while demanding to know who they are.

Hoosier Daddy said...

I'd have shoved it up his ass.

This must be how civil behavior is defined in rural Indiana.


The sad thing is that hdhouse can't see the irony is such a statement. Yes hdhouse, we Hoosiers don't consider asking elected representatives questions as being uncivil. Poor baby needs a tissue.

Does anybody else find this statement funny?

Yeah when you consider the dolt probably couldn't even give himself a suppository without Federal assistance.

X said...

I'd have shoved it up his ass.

I have to admire the way the kids kept their cool, stayed polite, and didn't flip out and kill people.

Freeman Hunt said...

Also, I don't think that being drunk gives him an out. People wouldn't think well of any grown man wandering around drunk in the middle of the day, abusing people on the sidewalk.

GMay said...

Oh, he was just drunk?

Looks like he still has plenty of leeway since he hasn't taken any dates swimming in his car.

Joe said...

…have to admire the way the kids kept their cool, stayed polite, and didn't flip out and kill people.

That’s because they weren’t Ninja’s and didn’t *pop* a Boner….

GMay said...

Looks like the only liberal defense on this thread is Robert Cook, who thinks anyone right of Dennis Kucinich is conservative leaning, claiming the guy's not a liberal.

Oh, and MadMan saying those students were being rude. Obviously Cook is a whackjob, but I'd like to see MadMan defend his position on this one.

wv: ruderse (no shit)

Adam said...

"El Pollo Real said...
HDHouse wrote: I'd have shoved it up his ass.

No doubt you would! And you'd probably want the video of it happening too so you could watch that part over and over."

Based on HDH's comment, it appears that in order to watch the video he would have to shove the camera up his own ass.

Quaestor said...

Scott M wrote: "Didn't he learn anything from Cynthia McKinny?"

Yes, he learned that as a Democrat he's permanently on the correct side of any issue, that to oppose him or any policy he has chosen to support is to be in league with Unmitigated Evil, and thus he is entitled, nay morally obliged, to pummel, batter, detain, cuff, kick, strike, wound, imprison, impoverish or kill anyone who offers the least resistance to The Program.

MadisonMan said...

The man is a member of Congress; people are allowed to ask him questions.

Very true. I don't excuse anyone's behavior here. I know how I'd react if someone followed me around with a camera, though, filming me.

Unless I was drunk. 'Cause I'm a happy drunk. Looks like the Congressman is a belligerent drunk.

Freeman Hunt said...

Ha ha. Joe and I have visited the same websites. If I ever get a dog, I'm tempted to name it Francine.

Anonymous said...

NC resident and voter here - the 2nd district is a lovely gerrymandered thing that includes Fayetteville and Bragg.

The Hon. Etheridge comes to our tiny town's 4th of July parade every year...I wonder if he'll show his face this year? If he does, maybe I'll pass out signs to the crowd that read "Who are you?" to hold up as he goes by...

I was just wondering if we would ever be shed of this man. A local paper had opined that the only person who could unseat Etheridge was Etheridge.

Well, he's getting off to a pretty good start I guess.

Joe said...

Ha ha. Joe and I have visited the same websites. If I ever get a dog, I'm tempted to name it Francine.

That is not necessarily, in this case, a good thing…it suggests a certain moral depravity on both our parts. I do know, however, that Pirates don’t hold a candle to ninja’s!

LonewackoDotCom said...

There probably won't be an investigation of any kind, and the reason for that is because those involved have no intellectual power and aren't trying to get it.

----------
P.S. Past comments at this site have unleashed a volley of vile adhominems and libelous comments. Ann Althouse promoted the 'partiers, causing some of them to visit this site and show the true nature of their movement. They can't present a logical argument but instead have to lie and smear from behind (temporary) anonymity. The partiers have a problem with the truth and have clear mental and emotional issues, and some or many replies to this comment will show you exactly what I mean by that. Don't believe the lies that tea partiers spread; instead, take a look at some of the thousands of entries I've posted since 2002. A good place to start is my topics page. For instance, here's my extensive coverage of the NCLR, and here's a list of my posts about George Soros.

Anonymous said...

".......NC resident and voter here ......"

If you get a NC Congressional district map you will see that Ft.Bragg/Fayetteville area is shared by about 4 different districts.

Sliced and diced to perfection.

Hoosier Daddy said...

I don't excuse anyone's behavior here. I know how I'd react if someone followed me around with a camera, though, filming me.

Unfortunately Madisonman that isn't what happened here. If you watch the video he comes down the street and when questioned, stops, gets right into the camera and starts assaulting the questioner.

If our elected officials don't want to be questioned by the electorate, they should just say so and pass a law making questioning them in any place other than an authorized venue a crime punishable by a minimum 5 year prison stint. That will take care of these rude kids.

Sofa King said...

I know how I'd react if someone followed me around with a camera, though, filming me.


Which is...? Don't leave us in suspense, MadMan! What would you do? Ask them to stop? Ignore them? Beat the crap out of them? What does a tolerant Madison liberal do in this situation?

X said...

Any replies to this comment will most likely consist of ad homs, as libertarians concede my points and show their childish, anti-intellectual nature.

do you ever get tired of yourself?

Hoosier Daddy said...

Looks like the only liberal defense on this thread is Robert Cook, who thinks anyone right of Dennis Kucinich is conservative leaning, claiming the guy's not a liberal.

I recall a thread in which Cookie seemed despondent that we don't have a 'true leftwing' in the US. I for one am grateful since a true leftwing usually results in mass starvation and a few ten millions dead when they get in power.

Anonymous said...

Lars -

"sliced and diced to perfection."

I'd never looked at that map before today - it is truly a thing of beauty. If your beauty ideal is Frankenstein's monster, that is.

MadisonMan said...

NC resident and voter here - the 2nd district is a lovely gerrymandered thing that includes Fayetteville and Bragg.

That is a very cool website. Thanks for the link. #2 not quite so gerrymandered as #12, however.

Joe said...

P.S. Past comments at this site have unleashed a volley of vile adhominems and libelous comments. Ann Althouse promoted the 'partiers, causing some of them to visit this site and show the true nature of their movement.

Isn’t it bad enough that your pathetic website and PoV are so sadly lacking in supporters that you have to troll other, far more successful, websites for potential “eyeballs, but now you have to tack on some kind of sniveling boiler-plate to each post? Does Soros pay you by the word or by the posting?

Joe said...

I know how I'd react if someone followed me around with a camera, though, filming me.


Which is...? Don't leave us in suspense, MadMan! What would you do? Ask them to stop? Ignore them? Beat the crap out of them? What does a tolerant Madison liberal do in this situation?


Send them a strongly worded letter from the Campus Ombud(can’t add “man” after this because it’s sexist). In it we would discuss, ad nauseum, the need for tolerance, diversity and civil discourse, but that after having reviewed the tape for its under-lying message of misogyny and racism, that such interactions will no longer be tolerated, under the new Campus Speech Code. And that the perpetrators were guilty of a “Hate Speech” and are subject to fines and expulsion, unless they immediately apologize and seek sensitivity and diversity training from an Ombud-approved course.

GMay said...

Oh look, the Soros-funded troll makes a post no one here will read where he links to his crap blog that no one here visits.

Can I get on the To-Be-Sued list now?

MadisonMan said...

What would you do?

Well, I would be annoyed. How I express my annoyance would depend on other factors going on in my life. I regret I cannot give you a definitive answer.

garage mahal said...

Out of curiosity, do you guys actually believe George Soros pays anonymous blog commenters money, to comment?

Joe said...

Well, I would be annoyed.

Well my neighbors/Life Partner annoy me EVERY day, and yet, somehow, I have refrained from perpetrating Assault, Battery, and Petty Larceny upon them. Of course, I am not an ELECTED public Official, so I guess my example doesn’t count.

Rialby said...

He needs to resign immediately.

Joe said...

Out of curiosity, do you guys actually believe George Soros pays anonymous blog commenters money, to comment? well how else does Lonewacko stay in Cheetos?

traditionalguy said...

Free speech wins again. This poor conservative leaning NC Dem has had to defend the Obama agenda he doesn't even believe in just to get a place at Pelosi's table. That guilt makes him react in anger at being exposed, and he tried to shame and humiliate this young man in retribution. It looks like Obama's agenda has become the ruination of the Democrat party.

Anonymous said...

"Congressman, do you support the Lonewacko agenda?"

"Who is Lonewacko?"

GMay said...

garage mahal asked: "Out of curiosity, do you guys actually believe George Soros pays anonymous blog commenters money, to comment?"

Since your curiosity seems oddly genuine, my answer to your silly question is: No, but if it gets me on LWDC's To-Be-Sued list, then sign me up.

Adam said...

@Garage, Having endured two of Soros's books, I'd say there's a good chance that Lonewacko IS Soros, given their shared inability to construct a coherent argument.

GMay said...

Hey garage, while you're here, got any comment on this hate-filled, violence-inciting Teabagg...I mean...elected official?

Quaestor said...

Kensington wrote: "I almost can't wait to hear his public apology."

Here it is for what its worth, read it weep for our republic, my friends... (copied from Etheridged office site):

“I have seen the video posted on several blogs. I deeply and profoundly regret my reaction and I apologize to all involved. Throughout my many years of service to the people of North Carolina, I have always tried to treat people from all viewpoints with respect. No matter how intrusive and partisan our politics can become, this does not justify a poor response. I have and I will always work to promote a civil public discourse.”

Rep. Bob Etheridge (NC-02)


What a fucking weasel this heap of human waste on legs is. And he represents my state, goddamnit! But unfortunately not my district. I say unfortunately because I shall not have the exquisite pleasure of voting against this natural accident come November. Nor shall I have the pleasure of voting for his worthy opponent, Renee Ellmers, RN. She's a babe, btw. (Worthy opponent? Did I write that? In context it quite left-handed compliment-wise. I can't think of any land dwelling chordate that isn't a worthy opponent for that gastropod)

But I do plan to visit one or more of his campaign events where I shall make a damned nuisance of myself. And should Mr. Etheridge choose an similar response to my provocation he may hear from my attorneys

AlphaLiberal said...

Release the entire video, Breibart brats!

Not to excuse Etheridge losing his temper, but let's see what really happened!

Remember, the convicted criminals who went after ACORN? They said that kid dressed up as a pimp and went into the ACORN offices. He did NOT. That was a lie based on selectively edited tapes.

g2loq said...

Can't we all just get along?

Pompous, sanctimonious, holier-than-thou and, condescending ....

The arisctoc.rats.

Joe said...

Remember, the convicted criminals who went after ACORN? They said that kid dressed up as a pimp and went into the ACORN offices. He did NOT. That was a lie based on selectively edited tapes.

Remember how the ACORN staff didn’t object to his plan to import underage womyn for his prostitution ring? Or how they suggested ways to conceal ownership and profits?

RebeccaH said...

I agree with the first commenter, that Etheridge seemed to be three sheets to the wind. That, of course, excuses nothing and makes his actions all the more reprehensible. North Carolina, do you really want somebody like this representing you?

Quaestor said...

Lonewhacko complaining about "vile adhominems (sic) and libelous comments" is delicious.

garage mahal said...

Hey garage, while you're here, got any comment on this hate-filled, violence-inciting Teabagg...I mean...elected official?

Looks pretty assholish. Just watched it a few mins ago actually. My first thought was that Etheridge looked guilty of something....else. Like he just visited his mistress or something.

Adam said...

Etheridge is probably willing to apologize to those guys in person, just as soon as they tell him where they live.

Sofa King said...

I regret I cannot give you a definitive answer.

Well now I'm confused. So you when you said you knew how you'd react, you meant you didn't know how you'd react? Do you still maintain there was no excusing asking the Congressman a question on camera?

Quaestor said...

You don't want to see the whole video, AlphaLiberal, trust me on this one. If you were to view that spectacle it would fatally compromise the whole edifice bigotry which is the foundation of your Weltanschauung.

wv: ingrak (n)newspeak for ingratitude, which I suspect AL will display plenty of for my advice.

Trooper York said...

This Congress Cunt makes Britney Spears seem like a model of professional behavior.

Maybe he will flash his cootch when he is getting out of his limo.

Roger J. said...

Seems to me the question will be if the questioners charge the congress critter with assault and battery--At least Garage has the decency to identify bad behavior--not so HD House and Alpha Liberal. They seem to be just fine with it.

Synova said...

Oh dear dog... we're not *again* going to talk about how "pimp" isn't someone who openly says he's planning to have his girlfriend turn tricks and import underage girls to be prostitutes and needs to be able to get a house loan on unreportable income but *rather* a "pimp" is a guy in a fedora and chinchilla coat.

No coat, no pimp!

Thus, all clearly expressed intent to operate as a pimp, to open a brothel and to employ multiple women/girls/children as prostitutes is irrelevant.

Really, Alpha... you might as well say that he lied about being a pimp because he wasn't black.

That really is the level of your stupid argument, Alpha. Repeating it doesn't make it any more intelligent.

Trooper York said...

And he will be riding in a limo like every other self-important, arrogant, member of the ruling elite. The mainstream press and other politicans of both parties will circle the wagons to protect this scumsucking piece of shit.

They all need to fired. NOW!!!

MadisonMan said...

Do you still maintain there was no excusing asking the Congressman a question on camera?

Stop writing about what you think I wrote; write about what I actually wrote.

Thank you.

Leland said...

The Daily Beast: I'm with Bob Etheridge on this. These on-camera ambushes by "students" of Fox News Inc. are getting to be downright Soviet.

Soviet? Try walking down a mall concourse sometime. I'd understand Etheridge's wanting to assault the "sir, can I ask you a question" kiosk person. Still, millions manage to accomplish such a feat everyday without assaulting anyone.

Roger J. said...

Oh--and I will defer to the members of the legal profession as to wether the congress critter's behaviour constitutes assault and battery

Joe said...

I'm with Bob Etheridge on this. These on-camera ambushes by "students" of Fox News Inc. are getting to be downright Soviet.

I agree. Look at the trench coats…the fedoras…the truncheons…the MVD troops….what this is, is getting ORWELLIAN….does no one remember that the essence of the SOVIET System was the All-Powerful State and the impotence of the People?!?! And that instead this is the very ANTI-THESIS OF THE SOVIET SYSTEM? Here the People are asking the Powerful questions?

Trooper York said...

We need to vote out every member of both parties and start over with normal Americans of all persuasions who have some honesty and integrity.

Honest normal Americans who will legislate based on common sense and decency not on vested interests and the need to maintain their elected “status” because they could never get a real job.

Regular working people or people who have run a business. Not Ivy League educated scumsucking douche bags that happened to be named Kennedy or Gore or Biden or Cuomo or Bush or Romney.

They all need to leave public life without exception. NOW!!!!!

Unknown said...

Alpha gets it wrong (surprise) anent James O'Keefe. Mr. O plead guilty to a lesser charge (like so many Lefties). No conviction.

HDHouse said...

Of Course...but of course...Hoosier Daddy thinks the congressman is deranged...

Some kid sticks a camera in his face and he asks who he is and he gives the 'project - just a student' answer and the congressman knocks the camera away. I'd have shoved it up his ass.


Bet HD thought it was a swell tactic when Dan Blather did it.

Robert Cook said...

GMay, in an entirely typical demonstration of poor reading comprehension and/or willful misrepresentation, says:

"Looks like the only liberal defense on this thread is Robert Cook, who thinks anyone right of Dennis Kucinich is conservative leaning, claiming the guy's not a liberal."

My remarks are not a defense of the Congressman, whom I clearly state is obviously an asshole who deserves an ass-kicking come election time.

Also, I do not claim the Congressman is not a liberal. I have no idea whether he is conservative, liberal or somewhere in between or at either far pole. I sensibly scoffed at the presumption that, being a Democrat, he is liberal. There are few Dems today who are actually liberal in any real sense, our milquetoast middle of the road President being the prime example of one who is not.

Of course, to our lunatic right wing fringe, anyone to the left of Joe McCarthy is a screaming Commie.

Anonymous said...

Just called my (Democratic) Congressman's office. The staff seemed very receptive to the notion that they should form a posse and boot Etheridge out of office. They hadn't seen the video.

The idea is to make him resign... immediately! Not late this evening, not tomorrow. NOW!

The Democrats know that sort of fetid shit will only hurt their agenda. Yeah, it's a self-interest argument, but the staffers I talked to could identify with it.

And of course this behavior is repugnant offensively in light of our ideals about American democracy and good governance and all that.

Perhaps y'all would like to call your Congressperson and insist that he or she help send this malignant tumor of an asshole to a retirement home where he can't manhandle anyone else??

Quaestor said...

Synova wrote: "That really is the level of your stupid argument, Alpha. Repeating it doesn't make it any more intelligent."

Tut, tut, Synova. In reference to AlphaLiberal stupid argument and argument are synonymous.

Roger J. said...

Somewhere in the bill of rights I think that citizens have the right to petition their government--I gather that at least for a few commenters, asking a question doesnt constitute petitioning? Is that your position? House? Alpha Lib?

Anonymous said...

AL -

Why do you insist on lying about Breitbart. His site does release the whole videos from the start. This was particurly true with the ACORN videos.

Your claim of a "lie" as to the ACORN story is a lie in and of itself. Breitbart never claimed the kid "dressed" as a pimp. They claimed that he represented himself as a pimp to the ACORN workers, which was backed up by the videotape.

I don't think that Soros pays anonymous commenters, but he does fund Media Matters, which provides disingenous the talking points for useless idiots like AL.

Hoosier Daddy said...

Bet HD thought it was a swell tactic when Dan Blather did it.

Or Michael Moore.

X said...

Out of curiosity, do you guys actually believe George Soros pays anonymous blog commenters money, to comment?

Why would the man buy the cow when you give him the milk for free?

MadisonMan said...

We need to vote out every member of both parties and start over with normal Americans of all persuasions who have some honesty and integrity.

True. I wonder how long they'd stay people of honesty and integrity in the Cesspool of DC, however. Power does corrupt.

I think a law would be helpful that states Representatives/Senators can be lobbyists only after they've been out of office for 18 years (three senate terms), or whatever period of years defines an 80% turnover in the Senate.

Joe said...

--I gather that at least for a few commenters, asking a question doesn’t constitute petitioning? Is that your position? House? Alpha Lib?

They have a right, but before they exercise it, they need to identify themselves, their causes, and biases, and submit a list of written questions 10 days in advance to the Congress man’s Press Secretary. Along with a voter registration card with party affiliation marked, plus a $100 contribution to the Congressman’s reelection campaign. It’s fairly standard and painless.

AC245 said...

'Do you still maintain there was no excusing asking the Congressman a question on camera?'

Stop writing about what you think I wrote; write about what I actually wrote.

Thank you.


Your protestations aside, Sofa King pretty well distilled your

"I'll be curious to see how this plays in NC. Good Ol' Boy vs. Uppity Kids? ... Being a student does not excuse rude behavior."

comment to its essence. Now, why don't you answer his question:

Do you still blame the "inexcusably rude Uppity Kids" for the Congressman's assault upon them?

Anonymous said...

...retry in less angry mode:

Just called my (Democratic) Congressman's office. The staff seemed very receptive to the notion that they should form a posse and boot Etheridge out of office. They hadn't seen the video.

The idea is to make him resign... immediately! Not late this evening, not tomorrow. NOW!

The Democrats know that this sort of fetid shit will only hurt their agenda. Yeah, it's a self-interest argument, but the staffers I talked to could identify with it.

And of course this behavior is repugnantly offensive in light of our ideals about American democracy and good governance and all that.

Perhaps y'all would like to call your Congressperson and insist that he or she help send this malignant tumor of an asshole to a retirement home where he can't manhandle anyone else??

Trooper York said...

I would like to say that even though I disagree with Robert Cook in almost everything he has ever posted here, I would much rather see someone like him who has integrity and the courage of his convictions be in Congress to reflect the wishes of like minded constituents from some place like Berkley or Madison, Wisconsin or wherever the left wing festers.

He is the type of normal American who should be in Congress. Like Dust Bunny Queen and Hoosier Daddy and Madison Man and Beth. Honest people of divergent viewpoints who I think would but our country first.

Every Congressional Cunt of both parties should be voted out of office. NOW!!!!!!!!

Lincolntf said...

This is a "local" story for me, as was the lesser reported video of a Mel Watt supporter slugging a Republican pol. It's horrifying really. Violence as a first resort seems to be where we're at in political discourse, at least on the Left side of the aisle.
Etheridge reacted irrationally and violently to a simple question.
The paranoia evident in his "Who are you?!?!?" rant has me hoping that we'll be hearing a "step down to spend more time with my bottle..err ..family..." speech sometime soon.
At the very least, his Repub opponent should crush him this November, stealing a solid (D) seat. I wish more Dems would let the mask slip, I'd just hope they aren't all big psychos like this one.

Joe said...

Every Congressional C*nt(Simply will NOT type or speak that word) of both parties should be voted out of office.

Paul Ryan, too? So why is it that you wish to make the unelected STAFF of Congress the most powerful force on Capitol Hill, Trooper? All of them…OK, then, I’ll agree IF you agree that every blogger ceases blogging, the day after they quit and refrains from restarting for 180 days…..

jr565 said...

Time to cue up some Who:

Well, who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
I really wanna know (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
Tell me, who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
'Cause I really wanna know (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)

GMay said...

Robert Cook can't help himself: "There are few Dems today who are actually liberal in any real sense, our milquetoast middle of the road President being the prime example of one who is not."

Oh Cookie, I'll admit to trolling you for this one. You see if you had stopped right before you wrote what I've just quoted, you would have had me. I would have happily conceded the point. But you just couldn't resist making your usual reality-challenged point.

I thank you for indulging me.

By the way, what's your next pearl ripped from michaelmooretalkingpoints.org going to be? I was intrigued several days ago when you were minimizing the deaths of 3000 Americans on 9/11 on this very blog.

Trooper York said...

Sometimes you have to throw out the wheat with the chaff. There might be good people on both sides of the aisle but they are way too few to worry about. They have no power or influence. That's why things are so fucked up. Normal regular common sense Americans will do better. Both from the right and the left. And get rid of the staff too. If you work in Washington today, you should be forced to go home and get a real fucking job.

Bloggers don't raise taxes and send people off to war and vote on tariffs and vote to restrict our free speech. We need to start over with new people in every single slot. Every single slot.

It would be worth it.

VOTE THEM ALL OUT! NOW!!!!!!!!!!

Trooper York said...

That was the way it was supposed to be. We were supposed to have "Citizen Legislators." Now we only lave Legislators who have only contempt and disdain for the rest of the Citizens of these United States.

If old Sam Adams and Patrick Henry and Crispus Attucks were around today they would be heating up a bucket of tar and stealing a bunch of pillows from Bed, Bath and Beyond.

GMay said...

Trooper said: "We need to start over with new people in every single slot. Every single slot."


You know, my mother was the first person I ever heard make this point - that the 2006 elections weren't a referendum against the Republican party. The People didn't want Republicans out, they wanted them ALL out.

I couldn't agree more.

Quaestor said...

Easy, Trooper, ho up there but use a light rein. November is not spelt N-0-W-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!

wv: eness (n) the quality of being e.

Joe said...


VOTE THEM ALL OUT! NOW!!!!!!!!!!


Tell me oh Mighty Elegizer of the Common Man, hast thou EVER constructed a Federal Law or Regulation? Wouldst thou know where or how one might convert Medicaid into a HSA and voucher system? Tell me oh Common Man is the San Antonio LPD and the JSF a good buy? How might we more profitably organize Defense Spending to optimize for capability? How much of the US’ industrial strength needs to be considered a Defense Mobilization Reserve? How does one distinguish between Defense Mobilization Reserve and Pork?

Don’t get me wrong, the Rule of the Technocratic Best and Brightest is not what I aim for, but what you propose is just as ludicrous…You simply make the staff even MORE powerful. And Robert Cooke or Beth or AL or Ann Althouse AREN’T going to run and win….your local Mayor, your State Representative and State Senator are going to run and win. Why, because they are politicians, and they have a far better idea of what it takes to run and win a campaign.

Sorry dood/doodette, your just nutz…or have I fallen for a crafty bit of trolling, here and secretly you’re laughing at me up your sleeve?

David said...

CONGRESSMAN ASSAULTS STUDENT JOURNALIST

(What the headline would say if a Republican did this.)

The Dude said...

I have never seen him around, but that's just as well - there are plenty of classless drunks wandering the streets - what's another congressman, more or less.

Did see David Price 2 years ago - he was at the NC State Fair and completely surrounded by Secret Service men and a large security detail. Saw the men in suits wearing sunglasses then knew to look for a hot house flower - sure enough, there was Price, out amongst the people, sort of.

Which leads to my actual question about Drunky McDrinkerton, (D, Jack Daniels), which is - where is his security detail? That incident might have turned out differently had someone been a bit more, shall we say, reactive. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Boy had a beat down comin'.

garage mahal said...

The People didn't want Republicans out, they wanted them ALL out.

But not one single Democrat incumbent lost an election that year. My theory is they know they got fucked and lied to about Iraq. This year, they know they got fucked and lied to on the bank bailouts.

AC245 said...

Dems defend Etheridge, attack Breitbart:
A national Democratic Party official e-mailed around a set of talking points about an hour ago, under the subject heading, "Etheridge Gotcha Video Background."

Play along at home, and compare what certain commenters here say about the assault to the official Democrats' talking points:

1. There is always the part of the story that you can’t see in these gotcha style videos — what were these folks doing, how did they approach him, how were the cameraman and/or others off camera acting?

2. Why would any legitimate student doing a project or a journalist shagging a story not identify themselves. Motives matter — what was the motivation here? To incite this very type of reaction?

3. This is clearly the work of the Republican Party and the “interviewer” is clearly a low level staffer or intern. That’s what explains blurring the face of the “interviewer” and refusing to identify the entity this was done for. The Republicans know if they were caught engaging in this type of gotcha tactic it would undermine their own credibility — yet if it was an individual acting on his own there is no reason that person would have blurred themselves out of the video — and if it was the work of a right wing blog they would have their logo on the video and be shouting their involvement from the roof top.

4. This was a purposefully partisan hit job designed to incite a reaction for political reasons — but it is a tactic so low — the parties involved are remaining anonymous.

5. The fact that no one wants to take credit for this should raise real questions in the minds of voters and the press.

6. Push hard w/ blogs the lack of credibility inherent to anything Breitbart does/posts, given its role in the debunked ACORN videos:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/21/opinion/21pubed.html?src=twrhttp://mediamatters.org/research/201006010001

http://gawker.com/5508190/okeefe-and-breitbart-acorn-videos-severely-edited

Trooper York said...

Joe, I always hated the squeaking noise that the flying monkeys made in the Wizard of OZ.

Laws can be written in simple English. And not be 2000 page long Christmas trees where Congress Cunts stack presents for all of their friends. It doesn’t have to be so complicated. They just do that to fool you. They are thieves, liars and knaves without exception.

That is one of the reason I hate lawyers. They couch all of their gobblygook in legalese instead of being honest and straightforward. And what are your basic Congress Cunts almost without exception. Lawyers!!!!!!!!

VOTE THEM ALL OUT!!!!!!!!! NOW!!!!!!!

Unknown said...

freehugsdavidweigel.com :)

Swen said...

Not to worry, after the FTC reinvents journalism and uses a "Drudge tax" to tax news aggregators and bloggers out of existence -- or outlaws them entirely -- you won't be seeing any more of these videos that upset you so. Then our congresscritters can get back to doing the Peoples' Business, lining their pockets and promoting their cronies' agendas with impunity, just like they did when we had to rely on the MSM to tell us about these things.

JoyD said...

I'm shocked to see how one-sided all of the comments are about this crude put-up job. Everyone is just so eager to play the same game. Playing "Gotcha!" is coming to surpass any kind of respectful and thoughtful discourse.
If I were approached so rudely by strange boys, I would react the same way: who are you? who are you? get your camera out of my MOUTH! if they would not step back, I would push back.
...and I am a sweet little white-haired preschool teacher.

Joe said...

Laws can be written in simple English. And not be 2000 page long Christmas trees where Congress Cunts stack presents for all of their friends. It doesn’t have to be so complicated. They just do that to fool you. They are thieves, liars and knaves without exception.

Two unrelated issues….”Simple English” does not say or require or prevent 2,0000 page bills. Go look at the healthcare reform bill. I’m willing to bet it has pages and pages of things like

Sec. 201
Amend US Code Title IX Ch. 546.098 (a)1 to read as follows:
“The Secretary shall (bracket and strike thru) may (end brackets and strike thru) the lessor of the qualified health care facility to comply.”

Sec. 202

And on and on….UNLESS you understand the CFR and the USC, as it stands now, you will be a babe in the woods when it comes to “reforming” or “improving” anything.

Now please someone tell me, Trooper is having me on, right?

Sofa King said...

Stop writing about what you think I wrote; write about what I actually wrote.

Oh, I see. My mistake. I thought when you wrote you didn't "excuse anyone's behavior," you meant "anyone," and not "one specific person." Thank you for pointing out my error.

Joe said...

I'm shocked to see how one-sided all of the comments are about this crude put-up job. Everyone is just so eager to play the same game. Playing "Gotcha!" is coming to surpass any kind of respectful and thoughtful discourse.
If I were approached so rudely by strange boys, I would react the same way: who are you? who are you? get your camera out of my MOUTH! if they would not step back, I would push back.
...and I am a sweet little white-haired preschool teacher.


It’s nice that Rep Etheridge’s Mother could join us.
Don''t yuo really mean to say that you are a hot and ready single, in my area, waiting to chat?

GMay said...

John said: "Tell me oh Mighty Elegizer of the Common Man, hast thou EVER constructed a Federal Law or Regulation? Wouldst thou know where or how one might convert Medicaid into a HSA and voucher system? Tell me oh Common Man is the San Antonio LPD and the JSF a good buy? How might we more profitably organize Defense Spending to optimize for capability? How much of the US’ industrial strength needs to be considered a Defense Mobilization Reserve? How does one distinguish between Defense Mobilization Reserve and Pork?"

And yet those who supposedly understand all of the above have still buried us in debt the likes of which our world has never seen. The Gulf turns black while the experts inside the Federal Bureaucracy grind on.

Malfeasance seems to be acceptable by our political class, even mainstream these days. We have elected officials in the legislature that are concerned about islands tipping over or wanting to rename the Department of the Navy to the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps while economies worldwide are on the brink and saber-rattling around the world demands real attention.

And hell, it doesn't really appear as if anyone in the legislature can distinguish between Defense Mobilization Reserve and Pork either, so I'm not really buying the idea that the guys in place have a better handle on things than anybody else quite frankly. I don't think running the federal government is easy, but I don't think it's rocket science either.

I guess I'm just looking for evidence that our Federal government has an iota of credibility.

GMay said...

Shit, meant Joe, not John.

Quaestor said...

JoyD wrote: "If I were approached so rudely by strange boys, I would react the same way: who are you? who are you? get your camera out of my MOUTH! if they would not step back, I would push back.
...and I am a sweet little white-haired preschool teacher."


I invite you to try out your Etheridge defense tactic, sometime. A sweet little white-haired preschool teacher, eh? Not so sweet after a turn in the county slams, I'd wager.

Trooper York said...

Joe, you don't get it. If they had to write it in plain language it would read:

"The government gets to decide what kind of health care you get.
If you don't like it, tough tittie."

Then normal regular people would know what the fuck is going on and would pay attention.

If Ethan Allen were alive today he wouldn't be hawking LazyBoy recliners for a Flag Day sale but getting the Green Mountain Boys to stop making johnny cakes and take down their flintlocks and powder horns.

Joe said...

And neither you or Trooper address the issue that the folks taking thier places won't be Trooper or you, but lower level politicians, moving up.

Blue@9 said...

"Playing "Gotcha!" is coming to surpass any kind of respectful and thoughtful discourse. "

"Gotcha" journalism is impotent if you just walk away. Also, it's not a crime, unlike battery.

GMay said...

AC245 posted:

"A national Democratic Party official e-mailed around a set of talking points about an hour ago, under the subject heading, "Etheridge Gotcha Video Background."

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6."


Looks like the legions have received their marching orders.

JoyD said: "If I were approached so rudely by strange boys, I would react the same way: who are you? who are you? get your camera out of my MOUTH! if they would not step back, I would push back.
...and I am a sweet little white-haired preschool teacher."


Looks like the legions are executing their marching orders.

(Over/under on JoyD posting on this thread again?)

reader_iam said...

AlphaLiberal: Here is the footage from the two cameras separated out from each other. (Given that the faces are still blurred, it's still not *raw* footage, but it's closer than the original product.)

I agree with Mataconis' remark in his first update, by the way: "After watching this, Etheridge’s behavior surely does not appear to be at all justifiable even though it’s clear that these two students were engaging in what is often called “ambush journalism.” It’s a tactic that has been used by both sides of the political aisle, and one would think that Congressman and Senators would know how to react in such situations at this point. Etheridge’s conduct is inexcusable."

Trooper York said...

"Joe said...
And neither you or Trooper address the issue that the folks taking thier places won't be Trooper or you, but lower level politicians, moving up."

You are just assuming that Joe. I mean I don't doubt that you are right but if enough regular people got outraged and supported canidates who have never held public office before, well we would be a hell of a lot better off.

You may call me a dreamer....but I am not the only one.

Trooper York said...

Oh and Joe, you should know that I would never run. I am too excitable.

I prefer the Sam Adams model.

Rabble. Start getting roused.

Blue@9 said...

One time in DC I was at a bookstore and a camera crew from NPR was there. They asked me what I had been reading lately.

Despite their rude and insolent behavior--daring to ask me a question in a public place!-- I resisted the urge to go all Etheridge on them. It may have helped that I wasn't drunk.

tobokie said...

I dont know what the fuss is about as long as the kid isnt an illegal in Arizona its acceptable to demand identity.

GMay said...

Joe said: "And neither you or Trooper address the issue that the folks taking thier places won't be Trooper or you, but lower level politicians, moving up."

Sure I get it. Don't assume.

Do you get the fact that the current crop of careerists have us on an unsustainable path? You cool with that?

Opus One Media said...

Trooper York said...
"They couch all of their gobblygook in legalese instead of being honest and straightforward. And what are your basic Congress Cunts almost without exception. Lawyers!!!!!!!! VOTE THEM ALL OUT!!!!!!!!! NOW!!!!!!!"

Wow Trooper, you have a way with words I must say....and you are nothing if you aren't straightforward...wow this kid pulls no punches...straightshooter...oodles to say and let me tell ya' he says it...no fluff, no flurry...just hard hitting prose...and the emotion! I'm gasping. It is clear that he really feels what he writes and writes what he feels.

Did I mention that we went from one ambush "journalism" example where the thuggy FauxNoise children got what they deserved all the way to "throw the bums out" by the ol'Trooper with a little stage stop at 'Congress cunts'...a real jewel of a phrase that should endear you to every female posting here.

Honestly TY, to paraphrase ol'Rhet, "you should be beaten and often and by a man who knows how".

Trooper York said...

I mean does this Etheridge douche think he is: Jill Zarin?

Jason said...

Some puffed-up moron libtard writes a NY Times editorial or Opiniator piece on how it's the Tea Partiers who have the anger problem in 3...2...1...

Fen said...

Its on FOX now.

Jason said...

What we didn't see though, and what will totally change our perception of the Congressman's actions, is what happened off-camera, immediately prior to the clip:

"Pardon me, Congressman! We'd like you to have this flower from the Church of Religious Consciousness. Would you care to make a donation?"

Trooper York said...

Anytime you want to try hd stop by and say hello.

I am easy to find you senile piece of crap.

Blue@9 said...

Some kid sticks a camera in his face and he asks who he is and he gives the 'project - just a student' answer and the congressman knocks the camera away. I'd have shoved it up his ass.

This made me chuckle, thinking about the likely karmic boomerang.

Your atavistic and violent impulses would land you in prison, where others would shove things up *your* ass.

Joe said...

Sadly YOU don't get it Trooper....there is a mass of EXISTING law, and to deal with it, you need to understand it.

Lincolntf said...

First resort upon being asked a question? Violence!
Joy, I really hope you don't have any children, or that the State supervises them for you.

Methadras said...

HDHouse said...

Of Course...but of course...Hoosier Daddy thinks the congressman is deranged...

Some kid sticks a camera in his face and he asks who he is and he gives the 'project - just a student' answer and the congressman knocks the camera away. I'd have shoved it up his ass.

This must be how civil behavior is defined in rural Indiana.


Ah, so the crusty old fart in you has escaped again. Thanks for showing, once again, the level of irrational dementia you live under. Nevermind, that the congressman is supposed to a servant of the people and not the other way around as Ethridge would have you believe. You are so fucked that I'm sure when you look in the mirror, you want gloss that halo hovering over your head.

Opus One Media said...

Blue@9 said...
One time in DC I was at a bookstore and a camera crew from NPR was there. They asked me what I had been reading lately...."

1. Then we can assume it wasn't a camera crew.
2. It was on private property so they (NPR) must have had permission
3. You were in a bookstore so it is probably safe to assume you are/were interested in reading so the question was on point

and this has what exactly to do with the story at hand..? Or do you think that these little pricks just stumbled upon the congressman by chance?

Please don't let the answer to that last question be 'yes they did'.

Joe said...

Do you get the fact that the current crop of careerists have us on an unsustainable path? You cool with that?

Yes I do, and the shareholders of a corporation don't run Exxon-Mobil, either, they demand NEW MANAGEMENT and hold the new management ACCOUNTABLE.

We call them elections, in politics.

Trooper York said...

Joe, I know what are you saying which is why I think we have to start over. From square one. Redo all of the laws from the bottom up. Repeal each and every one of them. At the least look at every one and re-write them in simple everyday language that even a senile dolt like hdhouse could comprehend.

But that will never happen because the self interest of the ruling classes would never allow it. You see it in each and every thing they do.

It really doesn't have to be that complicated.

Anonymous said...

Can the Democrats really be so insulated and stupid to think that the average common everyday person is going to think that this is OK?

Masses of Democrat voters will be defecting in disgust this evening when they watch this on the news.

Stupid, stupid Democrats. It's the same combination of hubris and spin that got Martha Coakley defeated.

Quaestor said...

HDHouse knows little pricks through bitter personal experience, having had to live with one in his pants.

Anonymous said...

Sadly YOU don't get it Trooper....there is a mass of EXISTING law, and to deal with it, you need to understand it.

You think this is an argument against throwing all the bums out? As if the current crops "understands it?"

I'd be willing to wager that starting from scratch, you'd at least end up with a bunch that would feel an obligation to try and understand it - which would be an improvement over what we have now.

But back to the subject at hand: Etheridge deserves to be tarred and feathered. Literally. Hot tar, chicken feathers. Resignation or forcible removal should be involved as well, but tarring and feathering should stay in place as a punishment.

Michael said...

Alpha: I don't think Breibart is the source of the video, I think they picked it up from YouTube. Because something is on Breibart does not mean that Breibart was the source. Breibart is like a blog and it picks up stories from various parts of the internets. It is sort of like an honest AP. You can read about it.

TMink said...

" This year, they know they got fucked and lied to on the bank bailouts."

And Obamacare.

And the second round of bailouts.

And the oil spill.

And the tax money spent on Acorn.

And etc. etc. etc.

Oh, and it is difficult to defeat an incumbent in the worst of times. It is even harder when they resign before you can.

Trey

Michael said...

HD House: If this turd had an (R) behind his name you would think he was the most evil piece of work yet. You really can't justify this kind of thing from any point of view. I assume you actually saw the videos.

GMay said...

John said: "We call them elections, in politics."

Riiiight. And lookee where we're at today.

We get to pick from an established political class that either A) wants to spend us into oblivion gradually, or B) wants to spend us into oblivion immediately.

If a corporate officer breaks the law, he's fired. If a legislator breaks the law, he's re-elected or he rewrites the law, or both. This doesn't even account for the media running interference.

You can get rid of a shitty corporate officer relatively easily compared to an elected public official where you must wait for election cycles.

Corporate management to political management is not a good comparison.

Anonymous said...

200! VOTE 'EM ALL OUT!

Brian Hancock said...

Like that creep that moved next to Palin, I'm glad I'm not in a position where I have to defend this person or his behavior.

garage mahal said...

If this turd had an (R) behind his name you would think he was the most evil piece of work yet

If he had a R behind his name we would hearing about Obama's SEIU/ACORN Thugs, and how it was a righteous smackdown by Ehteridge. Not saying you personally, but you know we would be hearing it. Because we hear when there isn't anyone being accosted at all.

Buford Gooch said...

I'm continually amused that Lone Wacko self identifies.

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