Althouse: "Today, the race for the highest office in our land was diminished to a sad level when the Vice President of the United States used an anonymous and false quote..."

July 25, 2012

"Today, the race for the highest office in our land was diminished to a sad level when the Vice President of the United States used an anonymous and false quote..."

"... from a foreign newspaper to prop up their flailing campaign... The President’s own press secretary has repeatedly discredited anonymous sources, yet his political advisors saw fit to advance a falsehood."

Anglo-Saxongate.

117 comments:

ndspinelli said...: The call goes to the bullpen, "Get Christie warmed up..pronto!"; 7/25/12, 7:10 PM
Andy said...: There is so much other race-baiting from the Republicans, the Obama campaign probably should have ignored this one when the Romney campaign said it wasn't true.; 7/25/12, 7:11 PM
coketown said...: Anglo-Saxons are white and Mitt Romney is white which means Mitt Romney and Anglo-Saxons have stuff in commons but Barack Obama is only half-white which means he is black which means he does not have stuffs in common with Anglo-Saxons because he is black which means there is something he cannot do because he is black and that is racist.

I didn't build that syllogism; someone else made that happen. That someone is David Axelrod. David Axelrod's tweets are revered by Politico as gospel and reported as fact while Romney spokesbroads always "insist" on things: such-and-such is 'a notion Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul insisted was “not true”.' How desperate of her. It is fun reporting Biden and Axelrod campaign farts as news.; 7/25/12, 7:16 PM
Andy said...: Also, this was one of those hilarious moments when something offensive was said, and some cheerleaders immediately jumped forward to defend the Romney campaign for saying such a thing. And then the campaign came out and said actually we didn't say it because we wouldn't say something so offensive and all the people who were defending them are just standing around and looking awkward.; 7/25/12, 7:16 PM
n.n said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 7/25/12, 7:20 PM
traditionalguy said...: Common guys. If Obama cannot use total lies, what can he do?. It's too late to wait for Romney to make a gaffes.

Heck, Romney will hardly say anything t all about the difficult issues traps that Read/Pelosi/Obama have been springing on the GOP for years and years. If Romney wont do himself in then Obama will have to use total lies faster and and faster.; 7/25/12, 7:21 PM
harrogate said...: "Also, this was one of those hilarious moments when something offensive was said, and some cheerleaders immediately jumped forward to defend the Romney campaign for saying such a thing. And then the campaign came out and said actually we didn't say it because we wouldn't say something so offensive and all the people who were defending them are just standing around and looking awkward."

That is EXACTLY what happened. I am sure Pat Buchanan had a column all written and now he can't decide whether or not to delete it. Have another Scotch, Pat! Oh, the humanity!; 7/25/12, 7:22 PM
chickelit said...: Anglo-Saxon is a language.

WASP is the race-baiting term smeared on the tip of Andy R's tongue.; 7/25/12, 7:22 PM
n.n said...: Racist! Racist... I mean Wolf! Wolf!

Perhaps Biden doesn't understand what constitutes prejudice in this context.

Anyway, the narrative is melting, melting. It was designed to marginalize a majority of the population based on nothing more than the incidental coloring of their skin. Unfortunately, they were impatient and elected to prematurely narrow their trap to focus on their real prey, and have thus irrevocable revealed the true nature of their purported concerns. It is not about race, gender, or whatever. It is about claiming the pole position in a society for their political, economic, and social benefit.

I don't know, maybe everyone operates with selfish interest and abandon; but, surely the collective-minded's offense to individual dignity, not to mention human life, is far more progressive and comprehensive.

I've always considered so-called "collective" politics to be fundamentally corrupt and everything else corrupt in the exception. The American variety of actors in the first class have only reinforced my observation of their motives and character.; 7/25/12, 7:22 PM
jungatheart said...: Chris Christie is an over-bearing schlub who would mainly appeal to those conservatives already on board. I'm a pretty tough cookie, but I experience a visceral reaction related to his tough-guy goodfella style.; 7/25/12, 7:22 PM
Amartel said...: Because having an Anglo-Saxon heritage is a BAD THING. Thanks for the insight, shameless identity politics whores. And thank you, too, in-house junior league bigot.; 7/25/12, 7:24 PM
ndspinelli said...: I just read Obama is skipping the Aids Conference and gays are really pissed. But like our little hatboy lapdog, they'll still vote for him and Obama knows it. I saw Elton John and others giving praise to W for being "The best President in the fight against Aids." W fights Aids, Obama just keeps fucking you in the ass, hatboy. I'm sure he uses protection however.; 7/25/12, 7:26 PM
JohnBoy said...: I am white. I hate myself. Therefore I am.; 7/25/12, 7:26 PM
traditionalguy said...: Anglo-Saxons means King Alfred's Angle (English) speaking people who took over when Rome pulled out, but 600 years later lost the Island to the French speaking Normans in 1066.

It is the PC police in Angleland that now want to decry any reference to that history that might hurt the feelings of the Immigrant Hoards. Oops, that sounded Racist!; 7/25/12, 7:29 PM
Rusty said...: chickelit said...
Anglo-Saxon is a language.

WASP is the race-baiting term smeared on the tip of Andy R's tongue.

Hasn't it occurrred to you yet that Andy is eye candy on some other guys arm. A life support system for a cock.; 7/25/12, 7:31 PM
ndspinelli said...: deborah, Christie IS TOUGH he doesn't just talk tough. He was a very tough US Attorney fighting the Mob and corruption, and he's a tough governor. We'll have to take your word you're a "tough cookie." However, I'm skeptical.; 7/25/12, 7:34 PM
ndspinelli said...: Hatboy hasn't responded on other threads or here about Obama shitting on gays. The truth hurts.; 7/25/12, 7:36 PM
coketown said...: Wait. I just realized that the impetus behind this story was something Joe Biden said.

I thought the media stopped reporting on s!@# Joe Biden says when it was revealed that everything he says is absurd, stupid, goofy, racist, wrong, or insignificant.

Wait. I just realized how much I have in common with Joe Biden!; 7/25/12, 7:36 PM
jungatheart said...: Skeptical away. It's his over-bearing mouthiness that won't play well with lots of people. I admit he's funny at times, but a little goes a long way. Not what Romney needs, and the campaign will spend way too much time walking back his off-the-cuff witticisms.; 7/25/12, 7:39 PM
wyo sis said...: We do have a common Anglo-Saxon heritage, but it's not polite to mention it among the racist left.; 7/25/12, 7:41 PM
Amartel said...: Biden, like Andy R., is a lefty intellectual. Because, shut up, you Anglo Saxon.; 7/25/12, 7:42 PM
edutcher said...: Gee, I mean, Choom is half white - or is Joe saying even that's a lie?

Maybe it just means the Romster doesn't hate the Limeys the way Choomie does.

Even though they never really did anything to his grandfather.

Andy R. said...

Also, this was one of those hilarious moments when something offensive

I think they were talking about the shared Anglo-Saxon heritage of the American and British peoples, but don't worry your pretty little head about it. Politics is too complicated for you.; 7/25/12, 7:45 PM
chickelit said...: Rusty wrote: Hasn't it occurrred to you yet that Andy is eye candy on some other guys arm. A life support system for a cock.

I'll belch to that.; 7/25/12, 7:46 PM
KCFleming said...: It'll be one lie after another from Obama and Biden from now until Nov. 4th.

Might work, too. The people were dumb enough to put an idiot like Joe in office, why not again?; 7/25/12, 7:47 PM
Revenant said...: I, for one, am deeply offended that the anonymous source failed to credit the Scots, Irish, and Welsh for their contributions to America.

Deeply offended.; 7/25/12, 7:49 PM
Unknown said...: Wasn't BO touring around Ireland recently talking about the special bond he feels on account of his Irish ancestors?

If Romney starts closing in I expect the Democrats to try to find the bottom with race baiting tactics. This was supposed to be the post racial president. But then, it was supposed to be the most open administration in history too.; 7/25/12, 8:00 PM
test said...: Here's another Obama surrogate making unfounded claims of racism. It's pretty clear Obama knows he can't win on the merits.

“Mitt Romney, he’s speaking to … a segment of the population who does not like to see people other than a white man in the White House or in any other elective position,” Lucas said Tuesday. “Let’s be real clear about it — Mitt Romney is speaking to a group of people out there who don’t like folks like President Barack Obama in any elective or leadership position. We know what’s going on here. And some people may be afraid to say it, but I’m not. … He’s speaking to that fringe out there who do not want to see anybody but a white person in a leadership position.”

Found via www.discriminations.us; 7/25/12, 8:02 PM
jungatheart said...: The kind of thing that got him elected:

http://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=4Xkw8ip43Vk; 7/25/12, 8:03 PM
Shanna said...: I, for one, am deeply offended that the anonymous source failed to credit the Scots, Irish, and Welsh for their contributions to America.

Indeed. I demand an apology! And maybe some cash.; 7/25/12, 8:04 PM
rhhardin said...: Obama has Hapsburg ears.; 7/25/12, 8:05 PM
Carnifex said...: @Andy

Quick! Let's all shout so that everyone knows! Republican's are RACISTS! RAAAAACCCIIIIIIISSSSSTTSSSSS! RRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCIIIISSSSSTTTTSSSS! I think that worked. Did everyone find out? Republicans are RACISTS!

RACISTS! RACISTS RACIST! RACISTS RACISTS RACISTS! RACISTS RACISTS RACIST RACISTS!

(tell a lie oftyen enough and people start to believe it, right Andy?)

Andy, do you sleep with black people? Because if you don't, you're a racists.

Andy, do you sleep with women? Are you sexists?

Andy, do you see how making unfounded assertions are really really stupid? Or are you stupid?; 7/25/12, 8:06 PM
Dante said...: Let's assume it's all true, even that Mitt Romney believes this stuff (for the sake of argument).

This is the leftist game play. "Mexican-Americans," "African-Americans", etc., all group together because they have something in common, and we ought to split up the country based on these tag lines due to the "in-common" part. The extreme forms are institutions like "La-Raza."

Why gay-Americans would complain about this stuff, when it's all from the leftist/Democrat play-book, makes little sense to me. These differences are important and impart commonality, or they don't. Which is it?; 7/25/12, 8:07 PM
bagoh20 said...: Yea, but what about Palin, and stuff!

Remember her? I thought she was real important, and needed destroying, maybe someone should give Obama her number.

You got to be impressed with the current GOP Vice President bench. Every single one is better than the current President, which was actually true last time too.; 7/25/12, 8:14 PM
chickelit said...: Eustace Chilke said...
Wasn't BO touring around Ireland recently talking about the special bond he feels on account of his Irish ancestors?

BO = Barack O'Bama?; 7/25/12, 8:14 PM
Tom Spaulding said...: ...and all the people who were defending them are just standing around and looking awkward.

The Irony. It burns.; 7/25/12, 8:22 PM
Michael said...: Probably meant to say "Anglo American" relationship which is the common description of the bond forged by the powers since the last war.; 7/25/12, 8:28 PM
cold pizza said...: A "quote" from an anonymous source ("wink, wink, nudge, nudge") has all the veracity of citing comments from a blogger's thread. If it advances a narrative some desperately want to be true, it follows that it must therefore be true.

Unless it was captured on tape or corroborated by other sources, it may as wall have been uttered by Bigfoot to Nessie.

There is a difference when national security secrets are involved and classified details laid bare, where corroboration is made manifest by the outrage of the operators involved. Anonymous sources who reveal sensative information damaging to the oountry, as an exercise in political gameship, need to be outed and turned over to SEALS for proper wall-to-wall counselling. And you can quote me, anonymously, on that! -CP; 7/25/12, 8:45 PM
Eric said...: There is so much other race-baiting from the Republicans, the Obama campaign probably should have ignored this one when the Romney campaign said it wasn't true.

Did you mean for there to be logic in this sentence?; 7/25/12, 8:48 PM
Hagar said...: "Anglo-Saxon heritage" generally refers to the language and the common law system, and those are indeed inherited from England.
No Celtic contribution, rather to the contrary.

BTW, the Angles came from southern Jutland and the Saxons from northern Germany.; 7/25/12, 8:54 PM
Anga2010 said...: And those D-Nile virus carrying moquitos would be able to eat home food in America too! YAY!; 7/25/12, 8:56 PM
Automatic_Wing said...: "Anglo-Saxon heritage" generally refers to the language and the common law system, and those are indeed inherited from England.

Yeah, this. Are we now supposed to pretend that the country wasn't founded by a bunch of English guys?; 7/25/12, 9:12 PM
sakredkow said...: Here we are back for another round of Who's Offended the Most.; 7/25/12, 9:15 PM
West Town said...: "BTW, the Angles came from southern Jutland and the Saxons from northern Germany.

7/25/12 8:54 PM"

Don't let Michelle O or Mayor Bloomberg know that Hamburgers are involved. You'll really get them fired up.; 7/25/12, 9:20 PM
Eric said...: Don't let Michelle O or Mayor Bloomberg know that Hamburgers are involved. You'll really get them fired up.

Bah, what can Bloomie do with the cops going on strike over the lack of gun control?; 7/25/12, 9:26 PM
Ralph L said...: Obama has Hapsburg ears
But not the jaw and underbite, so speaking Austrian shouldn't be a problem.; 7/25/12, 9:32 PM
B said...: Eric said...Did you mean for there to be logic in this sentence?

You have to look at what Andy Capp said in context. Then you're sure there is neither logic nor provenance. He just pulled it out of his ass. Along with a lot of other unsavory things perhaps, but no logic.; 7/25/12, 9:39 PM
Michael K said...: They are really desperate. The "you didn't build that..." is killing them. They have obviously polled or focus grouped that and are scared stiff.

"A life support system for a cock."

Why do you assume he is the penetrator instead of the penetratee?; 7/25/12, 9:43 PM
yashu said...: The "you didn't build that..." is killing them. They have obviously polled or focus grouped that and are scared stiff.

Earlier tonight I received an email from the Romney campaign with a link to a video of the full context of that line.

The Romney campaign is linking to an extended video, without editing or intervention, of Obama speaking. 100% Obama.

They want a battle over context, bring it on.; 7/25/12, 10:04 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: I just caught a snippet on the local news of Joe Biden saying "we are facing some strong headwinds....".

Slow Joe has been in DC almost 40 years now and he should accept a lot of blame for how f-ed we are.; 7/25/12, 10:24 PM
Seeing Red said...: Obama not only removed the bust of Churchill, his gifts were insulting and Andy thinks what was said was offensive? LOLOLOL; 7/25/12, 10:26 PM
bagoh20 said...: So nobody would suggest Obama might have some extra insight into African relations that Mitt might not have? Well, half an insight anyway?

I'm sure I just offended myself somehow, and I will not let me forget it.; 7/25/12, 10:35 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: Burrito. Want to see?; 7/25/12, 10:48 PM
heyboom said...: Liberals love them some anonymous sources.; 7/25/12, 10:51 PM
gk1 said...: It is pretty clear Joe Biden is a stroke victim and can not be held accountable for his numerous brain farts. Why is this any different?; 7/25/12, 11:07 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: No mole?; 7/25/12, 11:09 PM
Juan Pablo said...: Let's be very clear: What the President wants to say to the Anglo/Saxons is simply "Special Relationship? You didn't build that"; 7/25/12, 11:11 PM
chickelit said...: Lem said...
No mole?

Lem, Anglo-Saxons aren't know for spicy sauces.; 7/25/12, 11:16 PM
Alex said...: Keep spinning GOP. 20-somethings abhor racists.; 7/25/12, 11:19 PM
wyo sis said...: Sometimes a burrito is just a burrito.; 7/25/12, 11:29 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: "Today, the race for the highest office in our land was diminished to a sad level when the Vice President of the United States used an anonymous and false quote..."

Oh bullshit - it was ALWAYS diminished to a sad level,...; 7/25/12, 11:32 PM
Quaestor said...: Hagar wrote:
[The] Angles came from southern Jutland and the Saxons from northern Germany.

The commonly held narrative comes almost entirely from Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum by Saint Bede, who was writing in the early 8th century about stuff that happened in 5th and 6th centuries. According to Bede a minor tribe called the Jutes (Jutes from Jutland, ok?) settled the land at mouth of the Thames, founding the Kingdom of Kent. The Saxons settled further inland, concentrating in Essex (the East Saxons)Wessex (the West Saxons) and Mercia; and he has the Angles settling the north and east (East Anglia and Northumbria). This is all very neat, and in Bede's time England was that patchwork of kingdoms known today as the Heptarchy (Though whether there were indeed seven independent kingdoms or more, or fewer is not clear. Bede didn't publish a list.)

The problem is the archaeology doesn't support such a tidy model. Lately scientists have been using the incidence of O-18 in teeth recovered from ancient graves to trace the origins of the people buried there. It seems that most of the burials identifiable as Saxon by the grave good contain people who were born in what is today Holland, and not in Germany (Saxony) or Denmark (Jutland). It now appears that the so-called Anglo-Saxon invasion was more of a small-scale migration, which did not displace the native Britons. What's not explained by the oxygen isotope data is the fact that the native British culture and language was displaced very thoroughly, such that east of the Cambrian Mountains almost nothing of the Celtic language survived. The native Britons may have not been killed off like the history books claim, but it seems they stopped talking Celt and started talking Anglo-Saxon quite abruptly. Hard to explain, what?

By the time of the Conquest English was a dialect of Old Low German with some Norse influence via the Danes. Then the Normans added their French to the mix. After being well shaken for about four hundred years our language got all modern and expressive just in time for Shakespeare to take all the credit. But of the Celtic tongue, there's hardly a trace, in spite of Tudors making a big to-do about being Welsh. It's sobering to realize that Hindi has had a bigger influence on Modern English than the British language that survived the more than three centuries of Roman occupation.; 7/25/12, 11:32 PM
Luke Lea said...: My guess was that it just reminded them of something they had been meaning to do anyway.; 7/25/12, 11:40 PM
A. Shmendrik said...: Don' yo be callin' me no Anglo-Saxin' - I b a proud Bohemian-American!; 7/25/12, 11:45 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Lets suppose somebody or maybe even Romney himself said this..

Didn't Bush get in trouble when early on he used the word "crusade" in reference to the war on terror?

According to this language purity principle, most words in the English language have some connotation or were somehow used to further a racist past... no? therefore we should not used them.. hell, I further propose we break this tie with a racist past and speak Chinese instead.

Chinese, a pure language, born from good people, not tied to racism, sexism and homophobia.

I'm brillinat.; 7/25/12, 11:50 PM
chickelit said...: Very interesting stuff on O-18 isotopes and history, Quaestor. I think I missed my calling.; 7/25/12, 11:53 PM
Quaestor said...: What vocation did you miss, chickelit?; 7/26/12, 12:11 AM
Quaestor said...: Lem wrote:
I'm brillinat.

brillinat??

I'm am so smart. I am so smart. S-M-R-T...D'oh!; 7/26/12, 12:17 AM
chickelit said...: Applying isotope analyses to historical questions instead of to chemical reaction mechanisms.; 7/26/12, 12:21 AM
Chip Ahoy said...: A race for the highest office.

One of the London newspapers ran a 'photos of the week' that included Prince Charles and Camilla playing a parachute game. Charles appears toube running in the sleaziest lupine skulking manner,

They're under the parachute. A ring of people hold the edge of a parachute and poof it over the subjects like a room then it collapses on them then the people poof the parachute again and the people underneath are caught in amusing positions and facial expressions. Thus Prince Charles appears to be slinking away. It's one of those amusing photographs that sends b3ta members into fits of furious photoshopping automatically. Charles stealing a wheelchair wheel, Charles pulling a rickshaw, Charles carrying a petro canister, with boxing gloves, in the French revolution, and on and on for seven pages so far. With an official challenge already going, sometimes a photo is just so compelling that it takes over like that without anybody discussing it. Everybody wants to do something with the same portion of the same image that everybody caught.

Camilla isn't funny in the photo, the kid is acting funny too but his photo isn't funny at all, the people are not funny, but Charles, he's hilarious, so he's taken out and put into even more unlikely situations. There are many other hilarious photos of him too. But here, well, he's just a very funny man.; 7/26/12, 12:25 AM
bagoh20 said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 7/26/12, 12:28 AM
bagoh20 said...: Damn, that burrito looks good, Chip!

And the Bill Whittle video at Crack's link is devastating and hilarious. That guy is really good. It's like he says exactly what your're thinking, only it comes out right.; 7/26/12, 12:30 AM
Eric said...: Keep spinning GOP. 20-somethings abhor racists.

Yeah, too bad they don't vote. By the time they do they'll have grown up enough to realize you're trying to play them with false narratives like this one.; 7/26/12, 12:49 AM
bagoh20 said...: "Keep spinning GOP. 20-somethings abhor racists."

They don't even know what one is. They think it's someone who says "There's no free lunch".; 7/26/12, 1:01 AM
MayBee said...: Obama used to use his middle name in speeches to Islamic countries to appeal to them as a sort-of Muslim kin.

Anyway, the media here has been touting Michelle Obama coming for the Olympics. They say she is very popular here, so I can see how someone might be tempted to plant a story to poison Mitt's trip.; 7/26/12, 1:24 AM
Eric said...: Anyway, the media here has been touting Michelle Obama coming for the Olympics. They say she is very popular here...

Good. Maybe the can retire to London in January.; 7/26/12, 1:59 AM
Eric said...: "they"; 7/26/12, 1:59 AM
rcommal said...: To hell with the reasonable.; 7/26/12, 3:15 AM
rcommal said...: On account of both "so-called" and "it ain't."; 7/26/12, 3:17 AM
DEEBEE said...: It was diminished four years ago when we collectively thought that the color of the skin was a proxy for content of character.; 7/26/12, 4:27 AM
Craig said...: Were there any weapons of mass destruction involved?; 7/26/12, 6:05 AM
Matt Sablan said...: Who reports a story like this without having a name to put on its face? Anonymous sources are a weak link in any story; when all you have is an anonymous source... don't publish.; 7/26/12, 6:48 AM
Matt Sablan said...: On the plus side, it is anonymous, shadowy, perhaps fictional, Romney advisers laying up perfect gaffes compared to Obama, on video, saying things like "you didn't build that" and promising flexibility to the Russians in a second term. When it comes to "saying stupid things prior to an election," I think we all know which should get more weight.; 7/26/12, 7:00 AM
Pookie Number 2 said...: Only douchebags like Andy believe that an insistence on competence rules out black people.; 7/26/12, 7:11 AM
Hagar said...: Questor,
The Brits tend to call all the old Scandinavians "Danes," probably because of their four Danish kings, but the "kingdom" of York (Jorvik) was Norwegian, not Danish.

The Romans also called all the tribes south and west of the Rhine "Celts" and those east and north "Germans," which was easy and convenient, but not correct.; 7/26/12, 7:33 AM
Anonymous said...: The left is offended by history--that's perfectly understandable given that their historical legacy is racism, genocide and mass murder on almost an unimaginable scale--Dixiecrats, Planned Parenthood, Social Democrats, Stalin, Duranty, Mao, Pol Pot.

A lefty's favorite fragrance is Eau de Corpse.; 7/26/12, 7:40 AM
Joe Schmoe said...: Brillinat is a good portmanteau for 'naturally brilliant'.

Lem, you are brillinat. You too Quaestor.; 7/26/12, 7:44 AM
Tank said...: Con man.

Con man gonna con.

Nothing new here.

Move it along.

Hey, I did not build that con man.; 7/26/12, 7:50 AM
machine said...: “The Telegraph, which stands by the piece, told TPM that the paper has not received a request from the Romney campaign to retract or correct the story.”

In an interview with NBC News, Romney doesn’t dispute the accuracy of the Telegraph report, saying “I don’t agree with whoever that advisor might be.”

Dog whistle politics....how the South was won.; 7/26/12, 8:04 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: The reason Obama selected Biden? They are both fond of lying. Plus, Biden is such a stupid fucking moron, all glory goes to dear leader.; 7/26/12, 8:04 AM
Colonel Angus said...: The reason Obama selected Biden?

To make Obama look intelligent.; 7/26/12, 8:12 AM
Matt Sablan said...: Machine: “Today, the race for the highest office in our land was diminished to a sad level when the Vice President of the United States used an anonymous and false quote from a foreign newspaper to prop up their flailing campaign,” Williams said in a statement. “The President’s own press secretary has repeatedly discredited anonymous sources, yet his political advisors saw fit to advance a falsehood.”

From the article. Quoted. In the post.

The news ran a hit piece without the balls to stand behind their story with an actual name. After Iseman and the National Guard Records and the variety of other outright lies the media has been told by anonymous (and sometimes, not-so anonymous!) sources, it behooves them to not just print -another- attack on -another- Republican without actually doing some gosh-darn reporting.; 7/26/12, 8:12 AM
chickelit said...: The word "machine" is not of Anglo-Saxon origin and according to the OED Dictionary of Etymology, in late 19c. the word ?machine" was a slang the word used for both "penis" and "vagina," one of the few so honored.; 7/26/12, 8:15 AM
Matt Sablan said...: Not only that, but ABC has a story disavowing it.

I find it interesting that unnamed, potentially fictional advisers are allowed to be considered fair game for smearing Romney, but Obama's actual, word-for-word quotes are baseless smears.; 7/26/12, 8:15 AM
chickelit said...: I always figgered machine was a hermafrodite; 7/26/12, 8:17 AM
Matt Sablan said...: Romney's potentially fictional adviser: An obvious, racist dog whistle. Clearly, he is racist.

Obama talking about "typical white people:" Not racial at all! How could you even suggest it? "Police acting stupidly," "my son would look like Trayvon?" None of these are racial, at all. Clearly, he is post-racial.; 7/26/12, 8:20 AM
Brian Brown said...: machine said...
Dog whistle politics....how the South was won.

You tell 'em!

I mean, us Tea Party dummies speak in code that only we understand and we win elections! And we're like soooooo stuuuuupid and stuff!

Meanwhile, the President, who is the greatest orator since Cisero and like super-duper smart, says plainly spoken words and you and your silly ilk run around saying "he didn't say that" and "that's not what he meant"!

So confusing, being a silly leftist.; 7/26/12, 8:21 AM
Mitch H. said...: The native Britons may have not been killed off like the history books claim, but it seems they stopped talking Celt and started talking Anglo-Saxon quite abruptly. Hard to explain, what?

Founder effect? You see it happening a lot on the open steppe prior to the modern era - one relatively-small clan wins control of the seething mass of various clans and tribal coalitions, and suddenly we're all Avars. A year later, the Avars are out and we're Turks, or Huns, or Penechegs. Culture and language can be pretty fluid in the absence of written records and so forth.; 7/26/12, 8:23 AM
alan markus said...: Dog whistle politics....how the South was won.

Yeah - Romney's crew must be real political geniuses: 1) Get the statement put in a foreign news source (how many from the South read UK news?)/ 2) left bloggers breathe life into it (ooh look - Romney is a racist, maybe!)/ 3) becomes a main stream story/ Romney responds to it/ 4) & Ergo - the dog whistle blows and Romney picks up the South!

A stroke of genius!

Compare that to the clown show that the Obama campaign has become - will be spending most of their efforts trying to walk back that "you didn't build it" meme right up to the election.

PS: Please, left bloggers, take a bow for being such good players!; 7/26/12, 8:26 AM
roesch/voltaire said...: Romney also claims "many of the Auroara shooting suspects's weapons were illegal," which is not true so knows what to believe about this candidate who seems to spin lies and fabrications in so many statements.; 7/26/12, 8:34 AM
Tank said...: This is it.

Zero can't run on his record. LOL.

Romney, although not really conservative, is a basically decent, capable guy.

So, from this point forward to November it will all be:

1. Distractions.
2. Romney is racissss.; 7/26/12, 8:35 AM
Colonel Angus said...: My guess is the homemade bombs and hand grenades are indeed illegal.; 7/26/12, 8:37 AM
Craig said...: Book 'em, Danelaw.; 7/26/12, 8:49 AM
Matt Sablan said...: Roesch: Romney clarified through a spokesperson he was referring to the bombs. A weak walk back, but whatever. I'm expected to believe Obama didn't say what he said, so, you know.; 7/26/12, 8:52 AM
CWJ said...: Anglo-saxon, niggardly, whatever. If it sounds racist, who needs actual meaning.; 7/26/12, 8:54 AM
Gary Rosen said...: Andy R.:

"There is so much other race-baiting from the Republicans"

That's rich coming from a fervent supporter of the anti-semitic party.; 7/26/12, 9:23 AM
Brent said...: roesch/voltaire,

You do not seem to understand the meaning of the word "lie", and yet you employ it so freely.; 7/26/12, 9:28 AM
Brent said...: Andy R is a rapist.

I just know it.

Rapist Andy.

We don't have to even consider one word you write here Rapist Andy.

You are disqualified from being considered as having done or said anything of value ever, because you are a rapist.

Rapist Andy; 7/26/12, 9:31 AM
Bryan C said...: ““We are part of an Anglo-Saxon heritage, and he feels that the special relationship is special,” the adviser said of Mr Romney, adding: “The White House didn’t fully appreciate the shared history we have”.

So, "[The United States] is part of an Anglo-Saxon hertitage, and [Romney] feels that the special relationship is special."

The special relationship between the US and the UK is an historical and political fact. Obama doesn't think it's important. Romney does.

Was there some other part of the quote that was offensive? Because I'm not seeing anything offensive here.

Not unless you're the sort of fervent racist who assumes that "We" cannot include President Obama as a member of this shared Anglo-Saxon heritage because he's half-black. That's offensive, and you should be ashamed of yourself for jumping to such an ignorant conclusion. And the Romney campaign is right to repudiate that twisted logic.; 7/26/12, 9:35 AM
Christopher in MA said...: Dog whistle politics. . .how the South was won.

No doubt. I'm sure Bull Connor, George Wallace and Orval Faubus w2would agree with you.

psst. . .those guys were Democrats. I'm whispering because I know how much hearing the truth hurts historical ignoramuses such as yourself.; 7/26/12, 9:52 AM
NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...: alan markus said...

Dog whistle politics....how the South was won.

Yeah - Romney's crew must be real political geniuses: 1) Get the statement put in a foreign news source (how many from the South read UK news?)/ 2) left bloggers breathe life into it (ooh look - Romney is a racist, maybe!)/ 3) becomes a main stream story/ Romney responds to it/ 4) & Ergo - the dog whistle blows and Romney picks up the South!

Nah, just shows what a dimwit machine is. Only Low Country SC and Tidewater VA could be legitmately labled hot beds of Anglo-Saxonry. The vast majority of the back country South is a Scots-Irish/German mix with no particular love for the English.; 7/26/12, 10:00 AM
jeff said...: "We have a common Anglo-Saxon heritage"

How is that untrue?
How is that offensive?

"Obama describes the special bond he feels on account of his Irish ancestors"

How does this differ from the top statement, offensive wise?

I'll wait.; 7/26/12, 10:14 AM
Calypso Facto said...: Remember back when, after the Jason Blair scandal, the NYT committee formed to study integrity at the paper said: "The committee also recommended more restricted use of anonymous sources.

Unidentifed (sic) sources are an unavoidable commodity in a newspaper that intensively covers criminal justice, diplomacy, and foreign intelligence. But we use them far too casually,"

Yeah, neither does the NYT. Yesterday NYT race-hustler-in-chief Charles Blow says these uncorroborated remarks that sound vaguely "white-ish" from unidentified sources about constitute "the seepage from a hateful few slipping in like water through a compromised dam."
And "it will not be enough for the Republicans to plug the holes. They must drain the reservoir."

Sigh. I think I first saw it posited here on Althouse by one of you smart commenters that as soon as the Bain attacks proved ineffective, the unfounded racism charges would come out. Sad to see it come true.; 7/26/12, 10:48 AM
Matt Sablan said...: I can see using anonymous sources when someone is whistle blowing, or something like that. But, the adviser, if he exists, was acting in his capacity as part of the campaign. The shield of anonymity should not protect him there. You provide anonymity to sources for scoops, not basic background; certainly not for uncoorobartable... or whatever... remarks.

At least, that's how journalism -used- to work.; 7/26/12, 11:04 AM
Eric said...: The reason Obama selected Biden?

To make Obama look intelligent.

It's also assassination insurance. Nobody, but nobody, wants to see slow Joe in the oval office.; 7/26/12, 12:58 PM
Q said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 7/26/12, 1:10 PM
Q said...: Barack Obama's website ..

Obama has repeatedly reaffirmed the special relationship between the US and Israel, meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu seven times since he took office.

Bad, bad, bad special relationship!

The President is working to address Israel’s security needs and ensuring Israel’s future as a Jewish state and the homeland for the Jewish people.

Doesn't that sound rather .. what's the word ... racist? Rather a lot more racist than mentioning that the American Founders came from England?; 7/26/12, 1:13 PM
Q said...: this was one of those hilarious moments when something offensive was said, and some cheerleaders immediately jumped forward to defend the Romney campaign for saying such a thing.

if you were prohibited from telling lies, you'd be prohibited from all communication.; 7/26/12, 1:15 PM