Althouse: Body-slammed in Bozeman.

May 25, 2017

Body-slammed in Bozeman.

The news from Montana.

207 comments:

1 – 200 of 207 Newer› Newest»

the traveler said...: Things have changed already: http://www.lifezette.com/polizette/bombshell-montana-assault-witness-changes-story-admits-no-neck-grab/; 5/25/17, 1:40 PM
rhhardin said...: There's right and wrong, and there's entertainment.; 5/25/17, 1:42 PM
rhhardin said...: Reporter made to dance with gunshots aimed at ankles.; 5/25/17, 1:43 PM
Drago said...: I like Montana.; 5/25/17, 1:43 PM
rhhardin said...: There's no reason guys shouldn't be as entertained by reporters as soap opera women are.; 5/25/17, 1:45 PM
rhhardin said...: Deadpool has some amusing quips, by the way.; 5/25/17, 1:46 PM
traditionalguy said...: Apparently the angry Republican candidate guy pushed the Brit Tabloid guy by the upper chest as he twisted away and and they fell to the floor together. If he hit him while on the floor and on top of him , then that was an assault.

This should win the election for the Trump guy.; 5/25/17, 1:46 PM
Mark Jones said...: Gianforte thought the reporter was a Nazi. It's perfectly acceptable to punch Nazis, right?; 5/25/17, 1:48 PM
rhhardin said...: Deadpool to sullen mean teenage girl

DEADPOOL: Look! I'm a teenage girl! I'd rather be anywhere than here. I'm all about long, sullen silences, followed by mean comments, followed by more silences. So what's it gonna be, huh? Long sullen silence, or mean comment? Go on.

NEGASONIC: You've got me in a box here.; 5/25/17, 1:49 PM
tcrosse said...: This sounds a lot like the Shawinigan Handshake. In 1996 the Canadian PM Jean Chretien grabbed a protester warmly by the throat and wrestled him to the ground. Because Chretien, a particularly loathsome article, billed himself as just a little guy from Shawinigan, the name stuck.; 5/25/17, 1:50 PM
Michael K said...: The Guardian, from the home of the terrorist bomber.; 5/25/17, 1:50 PM
Matt Sablan said...: "Fox News Channel reporter Alicia Acuna, who was preparing to interview Gianforte at the time, said the candidate "grabbed Jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him to the ground.""

-- Isn't that technically a choke-slam?

Well. Either way, if he slammed someone, that probably puts his candidacy down for the count.; 5/25/17, 1:50 PM
Carter Wood said...: An estimated two-thirds of the ballots have already been cast. Early voting deprives people of the full information required to cast a knowledgeable vote. And it's an attack on a once-important civil ritual.

In other words, bah.; 5/25/17, 1:51 PM
Dave from Minnesota said...: So a lefty tabloid guy from a foreign country comes to Montana and gets obnoxious with a candidate. And most people have voted already before election day.

It'd be different if said candidate roughed up the nice older political reported from the local paper.; 5/25/17, 1:54 PM
dreams said...: I wish I could vote for him.; 5/25/17, 1:54 PM
traditionalguy said...: The wife asked me what a body slam meant. It is mostly in the news today for police officers caught on camera arresting a suspect. The arresting officer throws the subject to the ground to remove their mobility, and then holds them down to cuff them.

It looks mean. It is standard wrestling move, but you have to keep hold on the way down and not throw them down to avoid injury. Or, in WWF fake wrestling it is an acrobatic dance move that looks hard, but from which the thrown actor just jumps right up uninjured by the throw, and continues the dance.; 5/25/17, 1:55 PM
robother said...: Sadly, no folding chair was within reach.; 5/25/17, 1:57 PM
eric said...: I don't for a moment believe the account of the fox news reporter.

First she said the congressman choked the reporter. Now she says she couldn't see clearly, it could have been his shirt.

If I learned anything from the Michelle Fields incident, reporters are filled with hyperbole.

My guess is it happened closer to the way the congressman said. They scuffled a little as the reporter got into his face, then they both fell to the floor. The congressman probably grabbed him as they were falling and fell on top, thus creating the impression of a body slam.

Then the reporter, having someone on top of him, was probably being hit by knees and elbows and such as they both flailed on the ground.

Anyway, the audio of this event doesn't seem to support the reporters account.; 5/25/17, 2:01 PM
traditionalguy said...: Bottom line: since the reporter was a man and not a woman, no harm done. Being a Beta Male does not change the rule.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court guy was in trouble for doing this to a woman who was the aggressor, but the man's hands being on the woman rule overcame that defense.; 5/25/17, 2:03 PM
I Callahan said...: Gianforte thought the reporter was a Nazi. It's perfectly acceptable to punch Nazis, right?

Hah!!! Thank you for pointing this out - it has made my day!!!; 5/25/17, 2:04 PM
Kevin said...: He should have just grabbed him by the pussy.; 5/25/17, 2:07 PM
Once written, twice... said...: Ann, of course your Althouse Hillbillies think this is okay. You must be so proud.; 5/25/17, 2:20 PM
Larry J said...: Carter Wood said...
An estimated two-thirds of the ballots have already been cast. Early voting deprives people of the full information required to cast a knowledgeable vote. And it's an attack on a once-important civil ritual.

In other words, bah.

The one advantage I see to early voting is that it makes it more difficult to mount a last minute smear campaign ("election-eve surprise"). When people can vote early, when do you drop the smear? If you do it too soon, the candidate will have time to respond. Wait too late and a lot of people have already voted.; 5/25/17, 2:24 PM
Heywood Rice said...: My guess is...

Blah blah blah (make shit up) blah blah blah leftist tabloid, blah blah blah, terrorists. The media, Blah!; 5/25/17, 2:24 PM
tcrosse said...: Ann, of course your Althouse Hillbillies think this is okay. You must be so proud.

Save it for the schoolyard.; 5/25/17, 2:27 PM
Dave from Minnesota said...: Larry, it goes both ways with early voting. Yes, what if new true info comes out 10 days before an election.

But it lowers the impact of fake news...the "October Surprise" thing. Or even if the event is real, but not put into full context. Many newspapers don't print political letters to the editor in the final days leading up to an election for this reason. Someone could write a hate letter, get it published on Sunday before a Tuesday election, and the target hasn't the time to respond.; 5/25/17, 2:27 PM
Earnest Prole said...: It’s always interesting to see the rationalization of the inexcusable based solely on whether a politician has a D or an R following his name. If you switched the party affiliations the rationales would turn on a dime.; 5/25/17, 2:28 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: At some point, kicking hack ass is all that's left.

I hope it helps him.; 5/25/17, 2:32 PM
Unknown said...: Just a little too convenient for guilt-by-association with Trump. And no video? We have testimony from a female reporter who was probably traumatized by two men fighting. Maybe we could hear from a witness who wasn't traumatized and dis-regulated. A man perhaps.; 5/25/17, 2:36 PM
Etienne said...: click-bait.

War against Make America Great Again™; 5/25/17, 2:39 PM
Dave from Minnesota said...: Earnest, it may have to do with putting up with a substandard candidate because the alternative is worse. That is why I get active in party politics during the primary season. Trump was number 19 on my list of those running for President last year. The other 16 Republicans, plus McMullin and Webb were preferred by me. But I voted for The Donald because of Hillary and also Hillary's judges.

So this episode is not something I like. He has to have more self control around an annoying creep. But do I want to see lefties celebrating their victory? 1 of 24 House seats they need?; 5/25/17, 2:41 PM
khesanh0802 said...: A sure way to win in MT; kick the shit out of some weenie Brit. Hell I'll vote twice for the guy!; 5/25/17, 2:46 PM
Paul Sand said...: My brain auto-finished the title: "... with the Memphis blues again."; 5/25/17, 2:48 PM
exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...: I will hazard a guess that bodyslamming a Guardian reporter might be received a bit differently in Montana then it would be in oh, say, Pasadena or Cambridge Mass.

We'll see.; 5/25/17, 2:49 PM
chickelit said...: Video or it didn't happen.; 5/25/17, 2:53 PM
David Begley said...: Way worse happens in Madison and Bozeman bars every weekend.; 5/25/17, 2:53 PM
Rick said...: Usually the charge of bias is driven by whether the party identification is included after the name. But in this case the accused is identified as a Republican in the headline plus each of the first three paragraphs even though his name isn't included until the third paragraph as if it is a minor detail.

Which to much of the media it is.; 5/25/17, 2:56 PM
chickelit said...: What is extremely suspicious is that a camera was pointing at the accused. Where is that evidence and why is it being withheld?; 5/25/17, 2:56 PM
rcocean said...: Have we learned anything from Michelle "the liar" Fields?

Don't trust fucking left-wing reporters to tell the truth about Republicans.

I don't believe for a second the Republican "Body slammed him". What's really funny, is the little twerp reporter (he looks like Pajama Boy with glasses) called an ambulance to take him to the Hospital. Which of course found nothing.

Whether Jacobs' mommy had come and pick him up and stop him from crying is unknown.; 5/25/17, 2:58 PM
Nyamujal said...: This is clearly fake news. The only people capable of any violence are leftists.; 5/25/17, 2:59 PM
exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...: Blogger Nyamujal said...
This is clearly fake news. The only people capable of any violence are leftists.

5/25/17, 2:59 PM

At least he didn't hit the reporter over the head with a bike lock.; 5/25/17, 3:02 PM
rcocean said...: "There's no reason guys shouldn't be as entertained by reporters as soap opera women are."

Indeed. Its not every day a reporter gets roughed up. Maybe, Republicans need to do it more often.

I'd be surprised if this hurts him with the Montana voters - the males anyway.; 5/25/17, 3:02 PM
rcocean said...: "Video or it didn't happen."

Exactly.; 5/25/17, 3:03 PM
readering said...: Of course the Republican is going to win in Montana. But the criminal proceeding after he takes office will be interesting.; 5/25/17, 3:04 PM
Carter Wood said...: Larry J said:

The one advantage I see to early voting is that it makes it more difficult to mount a last minute smear campaign ("election-eve surprise"). When people can vote early, when do you drop the smear? If you do it too soon, the candidate will have time to respond. Wait too late and a lot of people have already voted.

There was a state Senate election in Williston, N.D., once where a scurrilous yellow flyer showed up on doors late Monday night. For years, Republicans blamed their loss on that damn yellow flyer.

Post it a month earlier?* The author would have been tracked down and the attacks refuted.

So, you have a point.

Still, today with social media, the smears are constant, replicating scurrility at every turn. It's harder to keep them quiet until voting day, and knowledgeable voters are perhaps more willing to dismiss them to begin with.

I prefer having ALL the information, including whether some burned out candidate throws a reporter to the ground.

* The stuff of journalistic legend during my time as a reporter in N.D.; 5/25/17, 3:04 PM
MadisonMan said...: If elected, I hope he doesn't do that to his co-legislators. Their brittle old bones will snap like kindling that's been drying for decades.; 5/25/17, 3:06 PM
Tommy Duncan said...: Ann, of course your Althouse Hillbillies think this is okay. You must be so proud.

OK, who ordered the righteous indignation with a side order of mockery?; 5/25/17, 3:07 PM
rcocean said...: BTW, doesn't anyone find it odd that a Reporter - supposedly trained to observe things - said Gianforte "Chocked him" and then recanted when questioned by Ingraham?

Reminds me of all the reporters who saw Fields "Viciously pulled to the Ground by Lewandowski" - when she wasn't even touched.; 5/25/17, 3:07 PM
Nonapod said...: Rush was pretty much just calling the Guardian reporter an annoying 120 pound dweeb and implying he deserved it.

Look, I obviously wasn't there and don't know all the fine details. I don't know if the Fox reporter is making it out to be a lot more violent than it actually was (though if you're tweaking your story as time goes on it certainly doesn't help your credibility). I also don't want the Republicans to lose a seat. But bad behavior is bad behavior, it shouldn't be encouraged or rewarded.

Also, if you're a politician running for office and some reporter is being a dick... if reporter gets "all up in yo grill"... you physically responding, pushing, grabbing, punching, whatever is giving them exactly what they want... especially if you happen to be a conservative/republican/right leaning politician. You should know better.; 5/25/17, 3:08 PM
Michael K said...: Fox News Channel reporter Alicia Acuna, who was preparing to interview Gianforte at the time, said the candidate "grabbed Jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him to the ground.""

She has already changed her story to delete that part.

The Guardian reporter shoved a camera in his face after forcing his way into the room. It looks like a last minute hit job.

He grabbed the camera.; 5/25/17, 3:08 PM
rcocean said...: "But the criminal proceeding after he takes office will be interesting."

He's been charged with a misdemeanor.; 5/25/17, 3:09 PM
Michael K said...: "whether some burned out candidate throws a reporter to the ground."

The left is working on this maneuver.

Remember when the guy at the Trump rally supposedly knocked a women with an oxygen tank of her back to the ground ? That was last summer. She screamed and asked for paramedics.

The guy was charged and ordered to appear in court. It turned out he is blind and was being led through the crowd by his wife who was holding his hand. The "injured" woman rejoined the demonstration a few minutes later.; 5/25/17, 3:13 PM
Brookzene said...: You sure are cultivating a sweet little neo-Nazi party here, Althouse.; 5/25/17, 3:15 PM
Carol said...: Ehh, I was disappointed when I saw this on Twitter last night, but I went and voted for him today anyway. He never was a great candidate, not blessed with looks and not a great speaker. He's an EEng and entrepreneur and probably doesn't suffer fools.

We don't have a deep bench of candidate in Montana. The one who should be the Grand Old Man of the GOP, Marc Racicot, dumped us to be a lobbyist in DC.; 5/25/17, 3:18 PM
Birches said...: Also, if you're a politician running for office and some reporter is being a dick... if reporter gets "all up in yo grill"... you physically responding, pushing, grabbing, punching, whatever is giving them exactly what they want... especially if you happen to be a conservative/republican/right leaning politician. You should know better.

I agree wholeheartedly about this. Some of the comments on here are a little abrasive, though I imagine most are in jest.

I checked in with my inlaws this morning to see if they had early voted. I figured they would have regretted sending it in early. But no, they were still going to vote for him. One problem with Nationalizing elections, lefties.; 5/25/17, 3:22 PM
Titus said...: This would be a plus for Montana republican voters...I assume.

Bonus points if they kill a reporter.; 5/25/17, 3:24 PM
Sprezzatura said...: "and probably doesn't suffer fools."

Incl himself?; 5/25/17, 3:24 PM
Birches said...: Shades of Preston Brooks? Look out Senate, Gianforte's coming for you.; 5/25/17, 3:27 PM
wwww said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/25/17, 3:31 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: We voted yesterday, but this wouldn't have changed our vote. My partner thought that this would win votes for Gianforte. We shall see. Earlier this week, I heard somewhere that turnout was pretty low, which means that this race really depends on who can fire up their supporters the best.; 5/25/17, 3:34 PM
David Docetad said...: What amuses me is the number of conservative bloggers who immediately bought this story, which is unraveling as we type. We need a name for the phenomenon, similar to the Murray Gell-Mann effect, where people who are experts on the topic of fake news by the liberal media, immediately fall hook, line, and sinker for fake news by the liberal media.; 5/25/17, 3:34 PM
eddie willers said...: reporter was transferred to hospital by the medics.

With a slip & fall lawyer on his speed dial.; 5/25/17, 3:35 PM
Rick said...: Brookzene said...
You sure are cultivating a sweet little neo-Nazi party here

The mask slips on yet another asshole.; 5/25/17, 3:35 PM
Jim at said...: Maybe Gianforte felt isolated. That seems to be the excuse for violence nowadays.; 5/25/17, 3:37 PM
readering said...: Folks here drone on interminably about leftists. Well, this is a propaganda gift to those folks they profess to think get too much favorable treatment when Republicans hear about an assault on a reporter and talk like it's great news.; 5/25/17, 3:37 PM
Sprezzatura said...: "My partner thought that this would win votes for Gianforte."

Is that a good thing?; 5/25/17, 3:39 PM
Dave from Minnesota said...: reporter was transferred to hospital by the medics.

With a slip & fall lawyer on his speed dial.

I got called in to testify (or whatever the word is) for a fake injury lawsuit once. The guy's lawyer was really good. Put the "victim" in a wheelchair and neck brace. When we (there were two of us) walked into the courtroom we had to use incredible amounts of self control not to laugh.

He won by the way. As I mentioned, he had a really slick lawyer. Makes Better Call Saul look ethical.; 5/25/17, 3:41 PM
Owen said...: I think there could be big money running a clinic for public figures on how to deal with these people getting too close. The tactics could include evasion and escape, proper blocking, taking out audiovideo gear that gets shoved in your face, and the undetected administration of pain. Crushing an instep while "stumbling." The old knee to the groin in a truly sincere accident. "Backing into" someone's teeth with an elbow. It could be quite gracefully executed.; 5/25/17, 3:45 PM
Sprezzatura said...: "As I mentioned, he had a really slick lawyer."

Did the attorney go to Madison to learn Con Law, Fed Jurisdiction, Civil Procedure, or Religion re the Con?; 5/25/17, 3:47 PM
Bob Boyd said...: Granted, Gianforte did assault one out-of-state reporter, but to put it in perspective, his Democrat opponent took money to play bluegrass music.
For years.; 5/25/17, 3:47 PM
mockturtle said...: David D. says: We need a name for the phenomenon, similar to the Murray Gell-Mann effect, where people who are experts on the topic of fake news by the liberal media, immediately fall hook, line, and sinker for fake news by the liberal media.

This doesn't surprise me. Scam artists are themselves easily scammed. WC Fields' contention was that You Can't Cheat an Honest Man. I think you can, actually, but it's easier to cheat a crooked one, an opportunist. And most news reporters are not very bright.; 5/25/17, 3:49 PM
Yancey Ward said...: I predict this will increase his margin of victory, not reduce it.; 5/25/17, 3:50 PM
James K said...: Is that a good thing?

It reflects the current status of the journalism profession in the minds of the voters. In that sense it's a good thing, as the lack of credibility is richly deserved.; 5/25/17, 3:50 PM
mockturtle said...: Maybe Gianforte felt isolated. That seems to be the excuse for violence nowadays.

Yes, maybe he felt marginalized--even bullied--by the media. ;-D; 5/25/17, 3:51 PM
Bob Boyd said...: When Gianforte's campaign team heard the reporter had been treated and released, they were concerned it made the candidate look weak.; 5/25/17, 3:54 PM
rcommal said...: Just won a bet: That I could in less than two seconds go to a well-known blog and find plenty of commenters justifying and rationalizing that higgish candidate's behavior and even celebrating what happened. Thanks. A spare $100 bucks is nice.

But I still find you disgraceful and disgusting, and even unAmerican--including commenters I used to like, respect and admire.; 5/25/17, 3:56 PM
JohnAnnArbor said...: I think there could be big money running a clinic for public figures on how to deal with these people getting too close.

You're kidding, but I do think a non-politician, or anyone new to the being-interviewed-all-the-time thing, could use advice on this kind of thing. Reporters will do things that normal humans, especially from rural areas, consider invading your personal space or otherwise rude and annoying.

That's not reason enough to HIT someone, of course. But folks unfamiliar with the phenomenon could use a warning to avoid reacting instinctively to someone suddenly rushing up into your face, asking questions already answered (a biggie), asking clearly stupid/unanswerable questions, and not leaving when asked.

It could even lead to funny incidents:

REPORTER (shoving recorder within a half-inch of candidate's mouth): Sir, we heard from reliable sources you used to like to beat your wife while listening to old Bee Gees albums on a record player set to 78 rpm. Could you tell us when and why you stopped doing that?
CANDIDATE: **no response**
REPORTER: Sir...?
CANDIDATE (smiling pleasantly after a pause): Oh, I'm just counting to ten. Advice from a friend about how to deal with assholes with microphones. I'll start over and do it aloud for you. One, two, three....; 5/25/17, 3:56 PM
rcommal said...: "Thuggish," not "higgish"; 5/25/17, 3:57 PM
rcocean said...: "reporter was transferred to hospital by the medics."

Oh hello? If you call for ambulance and state its a medical emergency, the medics will Always take you to a hospital ER.

Where else would they take you? The morgue?

Writing that he was "transferred" makes it sound like they rendered a medical judgement.; 5/25/17, 3:58 PM
Sprezzatura said...: "It reflects the current status of the journalism profession in the minds of the voters. In that sense it's a good thing, as the lack of credibility is richly deserved."

Ok.

Assuming the stuff re your suggestion that the MSM sucks, how is it helpful to push back against this by getting hit w/ an assault charge?

1) Physically attacking a reporter doesn't improve journalism.

2) If you do believe that attacking reporters will improve journalism, surely it's best to beat up reporters in a way that is more hidden. To avoid witnesses and being charged w/ a crime.

I dunno.; 5/25/17, 3:58 PM
Humperdink said...: British paparazzi doesn't look like a good fit in Montana.; 5/25/17, 3:59 PM
Meade said...: "If elected, I hope he doesn't do that to his co-legislators. Their brittle old bones will snap like kindling that's been drying for decades."

Tall and handsome, Sumner was also pompous and arrogant.; 5/25/17, 4:00 PM
rcocean said...: People getting angry and attacking the Republican Candidate don't have slightest idea what really happened. Without a video, they're just taking the word of Jacobs and his friends -which isn't worth shit.

No doubt during the Monica Fields incident they were upset that anyone defended Lewandowski. After all, she was "viciously pulled to the ground" and damn near killed.

Right?; 5/25/17, 4:05 PM
James K said...: Assuming the stuff re your suggestion that the MSM sucks, how is it helpful to push back against this by getting hit w/ an assault charge?

You asked whether this incident getting Gianforte more votes is "a good thing." My comment was only a response to that question, not whether Gianforte allegedly body-slamming the reporter was a good thing. On that, it depends: If it was unprovoked, probably a bad thing. If it was provoked, or in fact the reporter was the aggressor, maybe good.; 5/25/17, 4:07 PM
rcocean said...: "Tall and handsome, Sumner was also pompous and arrogant."

Ah the good ol' days. When a Congressman could cane a Senator and get cheered for it.; 5/25/17, 4:07 PM
Achilles said...: 3rdGradePB_GoodPerson said...
"My partner thought that this would win votes for Gianforte."

Is that a good thing?

Depends. Most of you leftists cheer on or are at most ambivalent about violence against people who disagree with you.

Most people would recognize how you have been acting and respond rationally. For many of us we view leftists as violent thugs who will only stop attacking us and being decent people if they are forced to. You are just reinforcing this deduction.; 5/25/17, 4:07 PM
Dave from Minnesota said...: James K, that is my take. Gianforte was provoked.

Now the British guy, this will make him famous. He has to be very happy about this. He got what he wanted.; 5/25/17, 4:09 PM
hombre said...: rcommal: "But I still find you disgraceful and disgusting, and even unAmerican--including commenters I used to like, respect and admire."

If you are serious with this drivel why would anyone want to be admired by you? Most of these comments are offered humorously. Most of us don't know what happened and are less likely than you to accept media accounts - one of which has already been disclaimed. Some of us who have experienced hostile media encounters - Guardian is a leftist smear rag - feel at least some sympathy for a novice politician trying to deal with one on the eave of the election.

None of that makes us as righteous as you seem to be, but it doesn't make us deplorable either.; 5/25/17, 4:10 PM
Yancey Ward said...: No, Rcommal, what the commenters here are doing is demonstrating that they don't believe the story based on just the accounts of two journalists. There was supposedly a camera in this office at the time, and I really want to see the video before I just believe two journalists' claims about the incident itself. As it was described, it was made to sound like a vicious and unprovoked attack, but even the witness has started to back away from her initial account, and the change she has made makes it sound like the candidate's version of the event is more likely to be correct, which common sense and experience was telling me right from the start- quick blitzes, take downs, and punches are not how most scuffles start. Pretty much every single one I have seen in my lifetime involved hand and arm grabbing, shoving followed by people trying to pull away from each other, and most of those rarely even went beyond that stage into more violent encounters.

If someone is going to claim that a person basically started with a choke, take down, and punching down on a pinned victim, then the witnesses had better be consistent with this account, and all of the evidence that is claimed had better be open for review. If not, then I will simply hold my judgment until it has been seen.; 5/25/17, 4:11 PM
rcocean said...: These things always bring out the cucks. Red State and Rich Lowery for example. I haven't read Rod Denher at TAC, but I'm sure he's all hysterical and blaming Trump for it.

You'd think, they'd wait for more evidence before piling on with the liberal Democrats, but nothing makes them happier.; 5/25/17, 4:12 PM
Tommy Duncan said...: People getting angry and attacking the Republican Candidate don't have slightest idea what really happened. Without a video, they're just taking the word of Jacobs and his friends -which isn't worth shit.

I'm sensing a parallel to the Trump/Russia saga.; 5/25/17, 4:13 PM
Bay Area Guy said...: Wait a sec - I thought body slamming an obnoxious journalist was a Constitutional right in Montana. He might gain votes for this:); 5/25/17, 4:15 PM
hombre said...: Bob Boyd: "...but to put it in perspective, his Democrat opponent took money to play bluegrass music."

Reportedly in nudist camps, presumably "reflecting the values of rural Montana" as per his campaign pitch. LOL.; 5/25/17, 4:18 PM
rcocean said...: Let me say this. I don't agree with the idea that Congressmen or anyone else can never resort to "physical violence".

If you're a man, you simply don't let certain things go without a response. If some man pushes you, you push back. If some guy pushes a camera in your face, you push it away. If someone hits you, you hit back. If someone spits in your face, you clobber him.

Just because you're running for office doesn't mean you have accept physical abuse or insults.

Of course, any physical response needs to be reasonable and proportional to the original abuse or attack. And we're talking about 2 healthy grown men, not women, kids, and cripples.; 5/25/17, 4:21 PM
mockturtle said...: But I still find you disgraceful and disgusting, and even unAmerican--including commenters I used to like, respect and admire.

We are crushed.; 5/25/17, 4:22 PM
Big Mike said...: I thought we Americans taught the Brits their manners at Yorktown in 1781 and again at New Orleans about 34 years later. Have they forgotten so soon?

Anyway, the right thing to do when some asshole shoves a microphone in your face is to grab it out of his (or her) hand and crunch it with the heel of your boot while saying "oops."; 5/25/17, 4:28 PM
Anonymous said...: "You sure are cultivating a sweet little neo-Nazi party here, Althouse."

Well "the Press is the enemy of the State" after all, so it's warranted, right?; 5/25/17, 4:30 PM
Kevin said...: You sure are cultivating a sweet little neo-Nazi party here

The correct procedure is to dress in all black with a mask and surround yourself with leftist demonstrators. Then you can beat the crap out of people while the police stand by and the media is totally unable to figure out who it might have been.; 5/25/17, 4:31 PM
Kevin said...: I thought we Americans taught the Brits their manners at Yorktown in 1781

If only he'd had the forethought to yell that before rushing him!; 5/25/17, 4:32 PM
n.n said...: The Nazis denied life unworthy in abortion chambers and established [class] diversity to discriminate between people based on the "color of their skin".; 5/25/17, 4:35 PM
Saint Croix said...: none of the existing tags apply?; 5/25/17, 4:35 PM
Saint Croix said...: journalist derangement syndrome; 5/25/17, 4:35 PM
southcentralpa said...: Great. Now I have "Me and Bobby McGee" stuck in my head, but with "Body slammed in Bozeman" instead of "Busted flat in Baton Rouge"; 5/25/17, 4:37 PM
Saint Croix said...: breakdown of reasoned discourse; 5/25/17, 4:37 PM
n.n said...: Perhaps journolists, and [class] diversity professors, could offer a gesture of common courtesy to the people they are targeting. Demanding that people speak is akin to suggesting that people are not entitled to be in charge of their own freedom of speech. There seems to be an unreconciled conflict of interest between journolists and their subjects.; 5/25/17, 4:43 PM
Kevin said...: The difference in the reactions seems to be that one side abhors violence in all forms. That would be the people on the side of the black masked thugs who purposely show up to deliver violence against anyone advocating a particular point of view.

Then there are the people who are against organized violence but still recognize that some people are going to push you to a point where defending yourself may be the correct action. These are the people on the side of "don't tread on me".

I don't know what the history was between these two, or what the reporter was doing when the candidate had enough. What I do know is that some situations warrant smacking the person who is purposely invading your space, and no press credentials change that equation. The candidate may very well have been over the line. But you can't tell just because he went after the reporter.

If we're really come to the point where a person can't defend himself from an individual who's gone over the line, but black-masked people can show up to direct violence at whomever they choose, then we really have gone Nazi.

But not in the way the Nazi-callers think.; 5/25/17, 4:44 PM
mockturtle said...: southcentralpa reports: Great. Now I have "Me and Bobby McGee" stuck in my head, but with "Body slammed in Bozeman" instead of "Busted flat in Baton Rouge"

Fits nicely, doesn't it? :-D; 5/25/17, 4:51 PM
Clyde said...: Rick said...
Brookzene said...
You sure are cultivating a sweet little neo-Nazi party here

The mask slips on yet another asshole.

He/she is a new troll whose Blogger ID was created this month.; 5/25/17, 4:52 PM
Clyde said...: Bob Boyd said...
Granted, Gianforte did assault one out-of-state reporter, but to put it in perspective, his Democrat opponent took money to play bluegrass music.
For years.

At a nudist resort, according to Rush Limbaugh on today's show. Quisp also didn't pay his taxes during several years, from the same source. Those delinquent taxes were only settled this year. Gee, wonder who paid them off. Soros, maybe?; 5/25/17, 4:55 PM
Michael K said...: "breakdown of reasoned discourse"

It's coming but this is probably not an example.; 5/25/17, 4:56 PM
exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...: "Well "the Press is the enemy of the State" after all, so it's warranted, right?"

The Western Media loves Big Government.; 5/25/17, 4:58 PM
Dave from Minnesota said...: "Well "the Press is the enemy of the State" after all, so it's warranted, right?"

The Western Media loves Big Government.

From Jan 2009 to Jan 2017, formerly counter-culture Rolling Stone was just a mouth piece for The State. Imagine if they would have started out that way.....taking Nixon's enemies list and running monthly hit pieces on the people on his list as a way to empower the executive branch.; 5/25/17, 5:03 PM
Fen said...: Journalists cheerlead violence by the Nazi Left. They even lie (Martin, Brown, Gray) to create racial
Violence that took the lives of several policemen. Anyone who hits a "journalist" has my vote.; 5/25/17, 5:05 PM
Earnest Prole said...: Earnest, it may have to do with putting up with a substandard candidate because the alternative is worse.

Exactly. For some, truth is contingent on whether a D or R follows the name.; 5/25/17, 5:08 PM
Anonymous said...: Trump pushes aside the PM of Montenegro.

The fish rots from the head.....; 5/25/17, 5:10 PM
Fen said...: "To sweep all 50 states the President would only need to do two things - blow the Sultan's brains out in Times Square and then walk across the street to Nathan's and buy a hot dog" - Leo, West Wing.; 5/25/17, 5:11 PM
Drago said...: Earnest Prole: "Exactly. For some, truth is contingent on whether a D or R follows the name."

Whats the matter? Can't your names shake these consonants?; 5/25/17, 5:11 PM
Drago said...: Inga literally bites on every single leftist meme. Without fail.

Hilarious.; 5/25/17, 5:12 PM
Anonymous said...: It was hilarious to see Trump shove his way to the front. I'm sure it'll play well to the rest of the world too.; 5/25/17, 5:14 PM
exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...: "From Jan 2009 to Jan 2017, formerly counter-culture Rolling Stone was just a mouth piece for The State."

As Instapundit wrote, most reporters are DNC operatives with press cards.

Which is why any leftist Nazi comparisons are absurd. The overwhelming majority would be just fine working for the Ministry of Information under a Democratic regime. The last 9 years showed that.

How many of them were upset when the Obama administration wiretapped Fox reporter James Rosen? Or when the IRS was sicced on Tea Party groups?

It's tough to care about their rights when they show so little respect for mine.; 5/25/17, 5:15 PM
Dave from Minnesota said...: My god, Trump may have pushed another leader out of the way. He's just like Hitler. No, he's worse than Hitler. Hitler would have had someone else push the guy out of the way. But Trump is Hitler x 2.; 5/25/17, 5:17 PM
Dave from Minnesota said...: We knew Trump has a HUGE ego. That is one of the reasons he was number 19 on my list of who was running for president last year.

But he is still better than Hillary.; 5/25/17, 5:18 PM
Dave from Minnesota said...: And Hillary wanted to jail the Little Sisters of the Poor because they won't purchase birth control pills and give them out for free.; 5/25/17, 5:19 PM
Drago said...: Inga: "It was hilarious to see Trump shove his way to the front. I'm sure it'll play well to the rest of the world too."

The US President is always accorded the prime spot for that group photo.

Always.

I'm sorry you and the not-yet-member-of-NATO leader don't know that.

Lol; 5/25/17, 5:20 PM
Drago said...: By tomorrow the fake news will be that Trump shoved him, pushed him down, "pantsed" him, gave him a wedgie, took his lunch money and dumped him in a trashcan.; 5/25/17, 5:22 PM
Fen said...: Oh great, pearl clutching from leftists that smirked when Proffesor Bike Lock cracked a guy's skull open.

Yawn.; 5/25/17, 5:22 PM
Drago said...: Let's see, is patting a Montenegran on the back an impeachable offense?

What if Trump was served wine in the wrong glass? Surely that would be, no?; 5/25/17, 5:26 PM
Dave from Minnesota said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/25/17, 5:26 PM
Dave from Minnesota said...: Today reminds me of the Monday after the inauguration. Local AM news station starts local programming at 5 AM. They ran 30 minutes of anti-Trump stories. Anecdotal stories (that had holes in them so large you could use them to drain pasta). Press releases by leftwing groups being read as legitimate news, etc.

I am a very reluctant Trump supporter and wish someone more qualified was in the White House. But this anti-Trump jihad is rather goofy and disturbing.; 5/25/17, 5:28 PM
rcocean said...: "Oh great, pearl clutching from leftists that smirked when Proffesor Bike Lock cracked a guy's skull open."

Or punching Richard Spenser. (Or was it poisoning?)
Or attacking people at Trump rallies
Or assaulting Charles Murray
Or threatening to assault Milo or Coulter at Berkeley
etc. etc. etc.; 5/25/17, 5:29 PM
rcocean said...: "It was hilarious to see Trump shove his way to the front."

Already been debunked.; 5/25/17, 5:30 PM
Bob Boyd said...: @ Clyde

If you're in the right nudist colony it'd be easy to forget about things like paying your taxes, but there's no excuse for playing Bluegrass. None.; 5/25/17, 5:35 PM
Fen said...: Inga: "I'm sure it will play well to the rest of the world"

World: "We don't care. And please leave us out of your little coup. We think you are nutz"; 5/25/17, 5:46 PM
Drago said...: I understand the lefties at the World Court are referring war crimes charges against Trump for the "pictorial MURDER" of the Montenegro President.; 5/25/17, 5:50 PM
Drago said...: It was also reported that a single green M&M was found in the bowl of brown M&M's in Trump's room which may have precipitated this latest horrific and terroristic protocol outrage.; 5/25/17, 5:52 PM
Matt Sablan said...: Little Montenegro!

Whatever happened to the Gatsby stuff?; 5/25/17, 5:55 PM
Kevin said...: It was hilarious to see Trump shove his way to the front. I'm sure it'll play well to the rest of the world too.

Why shouldn't Trump get the prime photo spot? The American people paid for it.; 5/25/17, 5:59 PM
Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...: Re NATO: Trump should drop US military spending to the level of our european allies and not increase it until they do. That would show them.; 5/25/17, 6:13 PM
Sprezzatura said...: "The American people paid for it."

Not the smart ones. E.g., billionaires who avoided taxes cause as an offset they used the hundreds of millions of dollars of other people's money (e.g. loans) that they lost.; 5/25/17, 6:17 PM
JohnAnnArbor said...: Little Montenegro!

Whatever happened to the Gatsby stuff?

I remember that line.

I think Montenegro was the only Allied nation to lose its independence after World War I.; 5/25/17, 6:19 PM
Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...: Rich Lowry has a theory:

Trump Got Trolled

"I’m open to believing the worst on Russia, but at the moment I think the likeliest theory of what’s happened is that Trump, in effect, got trolled into lashing out over the investigation and the press coverage.

If President Donald Trump has acted as his own worst enemy in the Russia controversy, as everyone says, he’s been baited into it.

It’s possible to see Trump’s entire campaign in 2016 as one long troll of respectable opinion. He routinely stoked the outrage and disgust of the media and the establishment in a way that boosted him in the eyes of his supporters. It’s no accident that among his most ardent admirers were fellow practitioners, like Ann Coulter and Milo Yiannopoulos.

It’s not as if the Democrats and the media consciously sought to drive Trump over the edge. Their obsession about Russia is genuine enough: in part, a reaction to legitimate questions about the hacking last year; in part, a way to vent shock and outrage over the outcome of the election. But their focus on Russia has, for all intents and purposes, been an inspired act of trolling.

It’s hard to imagine Trump’s enemies scripting a better reaction from Trump to the Russia story than his ham-handed attempts to tamp it down. With a limited understanding of the workings of government and of Washington politics, Trump didn’t realize that an investigation in a highly charged political environment is like quicksand; the more you fight it, the deeper you sink. More press coverage. More witnesses to be called. Yet more investigation.

Trump has flailed his way all the way into the appointment of a special counsel. The calls for impeachment, the even more intense and negative (if that’s possible) media coverage, and Comey’s public testimony may elicit more damaging eruptions by Trump in a spiral downward. It may be that the trolling has just begun."; 5/25/17, 6:38 PM
mockturtle said...: Or punching Richard Spenser. (Or was it poisoning?)

If you are referring to Iceland, it was Robert, not Richard, Spencer.; 5/25/17, 6:40 PM
Bob Boyd said...: Headline: S&P and NASDAQ close at record highs after MSM reporter body-slammed in Montana.; 5/25/17, 6:42 PM
Fen said...: Rich Lowry? We decline to consider analysis from a cuck that got everything wrong about the last election.

His last scintillating piece was that Trump Got Played By Ted Cruz.; 5/25/17, 6:45 PM
Fen said...: On a related note, would you like to buy some stock from the brokers that pushed Enron? Then why bother with information brokers like Lowry?; 5/25/17, 6:49 PM
HoodlumDoodlum said...: Earnest Prole said...It’s always interesting to see the rationalization of the inexcusable based solely on whether a politician has a D or an R following his name. If you switched the party affiliations the rationales would turn on a dime.

I can't speak for anyone else, but pushin' around a reporter or two would be the kinda bipartisan action I could get behind, EP.; 5/25/17, 6:51 PM
urbane legend said...: Bob Boyd said...
Granted, Gianforte did assault one out-of-state reporter, but to put it in perspective, his Democrat opponent took money to play bluegrass music.

Democrats will take money for anything.
For years.
And as long as they can get it.; 5/25/17, 6:56 PM
Earnest Prole said...: My eight-year-old daughter asked me if it was okay for a politician to slam a reporter to the ground, and I explained to her that the answer depended on whether the politician was a Republican or a Democrat. She was confused, but I explained to her that there are some things you can only understand when you become an adult.; 5/25/17, 6:57 PM
Bob Boyd said...: Two self-important assholes start scuffling over a phone and fall down in a heap.; 5/25/17, 7:01 PM
Bob Boyd said...: If these guys were members of my imaginary gym, I'd kick 'em both out.; 5/25/17, 7:03 PM
Sprezzatura said...: Couldn't some folks follow this dude around and explain: "I'm sorry. He's an idiot."?

Or, does that only happen after he's elected?

https://twitter.com/EliStokols/status/867869067914424320

R voters sure know how ta pic em.

Carry on.; 5/25/17, 7:22 PM
Michael K said...: Rich Lowry has presided over the evisceration of National Review.

John Derbyshire.

Mark Steyn.

Who will be next. I won't know because I dropped my subscription after 35 years.; 5/25/17, 7:22 PM
Fen said...: You can explain to your daughter that Republicans used to be against slamming reporters, even when the other side endorsed such behavior. But we got tired of having our skulls cracked open while Democrats cheered.; 5/25/17, 7:25 PM
Fen said...: "Who are you? Who are you? I have a right to know who you are" said the Democrat congressman as he grabbed the student reporter by the

"Hey! that's not right!" screamed the

"It's a conspiracy to make him look bad" responded the democrats who are clutching their pearls and feigning outrage today.; 5/25/17, 7:29 PM
Sprezzatura said...: "You can explain to your daughter that Republicans used to be against slamming reporters, even when the other side endorsed such behavior. But we got tired of having our skulls cracked open while Democrats cheered."

How many assaults occur in America every year?

What percentage of these assaults involve a press person attacking a conservative?

I'm trying to pin down the data that supports the idea that this pol's assaulting a press person is retribution for the claimed epidemic of the press assaulting pols.

I dunno.; 5/25/17, 7:35 PM
Hagar said...: It seems the "body slamming" may have been as fanciful reporting as the "grabbed by the throat."
Two knuckleheads scuffling and stumbling and falling down in a heap sounds quite likely.

As for the "dignity of the House," surely you are joking! Right?; 5/25/17, 7:39 PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: Just won a bet:...A spare $100 bucks is nice.

I'm sure that is a $100% true story.; 5/25/17, 7:43 PM
Hagar said...: And Paul Ryan should have stayed out of it. Just dodge the question like any experienced politician would do.; 5/25/17, 7:51 PM
Fen said...: "I'm trying to pin down- "

Lovely strawmen.

And I already have stayed examples of:

1) media deliberately lying about Garner Martin, Brown, Gray and Scot to gin up racial violence, resulting in the assassinations of several police

2) a democrat congressman grabbing a reporter by the throat, to the tune of crickets from the

3) Professor Bike Lock cracking open

4) Media greenlighting the punching of "nazis" in the

Etc etc ad nauseam.

But I dont need to bother explaining it to you - you are obviously partisan and not discussing this in good faith, else your position wouldn't be so shamelessly hypocritical (read your own post, to yourself)

So all you really need to know is that my side has about 10 years of skull cracking banked. We can discuss peace afterwards, maybe. But likely not

You guys really should have shunned the Leftist Nazis in your party. Now its too late.; 5/25/17, 7:52 PM
Fen said...: "Just won a bet"

I know you didn't win a bet. You know you didn't win a bet. Right now, I don't want to hear about the bet you never won" - Ingrid, Game of Thrones; 5/25/17, 7:54 PM
Sprezzatura said...: Fen,

Thanks.

I now see that you think you have good reasons for justifying R pols committing assault against the press. I apologize for not understanding that you felt you'd already proved the case.

Even so, it does seem that our laws have not yet caught up w/ your wisdom. Presumably we can change laws (Constitution?) so that Rs can injure the press when they don't like what the press says.

MAGA

Carry on.; 5/25/17, 7:59 PM
Fen said...: 3rd grade reading comprehension.

And drop the faux outrage - you never gave a damn when your tribe used violence to shut down speech, so why should we take you seriously?; 5/25/17, 8:04 PM
Fen said...: Prisoners dilemma.

We have always kept our mouth shut.
They have always ratted us out.

And now they have the audacity to whine that we are ratting them out.; 5/25/17, 8:08 PM
Sprezzatura said...: Fen,

You've won me over w/ your wisdom and list of mean libs.

But, now we must develop a way to implement you plan to allow victimized R pols to beat up members of the press.

I think that the changes to our laws/Constitution will need to have a way of guaranteeing that the person doing the beating is an R, and the person being hurt is a member of the press. Otherwise the libs may try to hurt cons, but then claim that they were the con and the actual con was the lib.

What's the best way to ensure that only cons are legally allowed to injure libs?

Unless we eliminate private voting, and then give folks a tally re how many Rs they vote for, it'll be hard to know for sure that someone (a con) is justified in smacking someone else (a lib).

Also, do you think there should be a limit to how much a con can hurt a lib? On the range between a flick and death, how much suffering do libs deserve w/o the perpetrator (assuming they're a con) being punished?; 5/25/17, 8:14 PM
Fen said...: Actually we are now playing the Iterated Prisoners Dilemma.

Except my side has all the guns.

Good luck.; 5/25/17, 8:15 PM
narciso said...: ah yes the folks who ran the gauntlets in san jose and Chicago, would care to see the sudden solicitousness for nonviolence,; 5/25/17, 8:24 PM
MPH said...: Lots of deplorable comments here.; 5/25/17, 8:44 PM
Sprezzatura said...: "Lots of deplorable comments here."

Duh.

You do know what blog it is that you're reading? Right?; 5/25/17, 8:47 PM
Earnest Prole said...: You can explain to your daughter that Republicans used to be against slamming reporters, even when the other side endorsed such behavior. But we got tired of having our skulls cracked open while Democrats cheered.

That’s smart advice, Fen, and I will tell my daughter that. She know when she grows up she will join a tribe, and it will tell her whether the body-slamming or skull cracking is good or bad depending on the tribe the victim belong to. But until then she is on her own and will have to think for herself.; 5/25/17, 8:58 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: The media are bullies. Sometimes, people snap.

Take your faux moral outrage and shove it.; 5/25/17, 8:58 PM
mockturtle said...: MPH asserts: Lots of deplorable comments here.

Why, thank you! :-); 5/25/17, 9:00 PM
Karen Galle said...: I heard the 'reporter' on the local Philly radio tonight. He's not a Brit, but some stringer from Baltimore apparently. Or originally from Baltimore. Philly media likes to tie itself to national stories as best they can, and I suppose Charm City does as well. It's sad, really. "Tokyo Sumo Champion had aunt who lived in Kensington' type of awful. It's unfortunately all they have left.; 5/25/17, 9:03 PM
exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...: PB is far more upset about this then he was about children getting torn to shreds in Manchester. That night, he was going on about terrorism being like lighting strikes and bathroom falls.

Leftists have their priorities you know. Can't get morally outraged about everything.; 5/25/17, 9:23 PM
narciso said...: Updating ://acecomments.mu.nu/?post=369933; 5/25/17, 9:57 PM
Bad Lieutenant said...: Earnest Prole said...
It’s always interesting to see the rationalization of the inexcusable based solely on whether a politician has a D or an R following his name. If you switched the party affiliations the rationales would turn on a dime.

5/25/17, 2:28 PM

But not you, surely. Never you.; 5/25/17, 10:29 PM
Bad Lieutenant said...: Now now, there's no need to hit people. Or reporters. What you do is you throw a plastic bag over their head. Once they find there's no more oxygen in the bag, they generally calm down one way or the other.; 5/25/17, 10:32 PM
Bad Lieutenant said...: Blogger AReasonableMan said...
Re NATO: Trump should drop US military spending to the level of our european allies and not increase it until they do. That would show them.

5/25/17, 6:13 PM

I'm confused. I'm not sure if you think this is really a good idea or not. You like to jam up threads with a lot of gobbledygook so let me make it simple. You want Trump to pull American forces out of Europe, and/or take us out of NATO?? Is that a threat to us or to them?

Who needs who more? Which party do you think would regard that as the greater threat? You are invariably insincere so I guess you truly think that the Europeans would love that or that it would be bad for us.; 5/25/17, 10:38 PM
exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...: Gianforte is now up 50 -45%.

It's just shocking to me that the people of Montana are so callous about the injury done to a left-wing reporter from a British newspaper.

Why, they're like Hitler!; 5/25/17, 10:42 PM
Earnest Prole said...: But not you, surely. Never you.

Democrat : Republican :: Coke : Pepsi; 5/25/17, 11:11 PM
Kelly said...: Personally I think the hate mongering by the media drove the poor guy to snap.; 5/25/17, 11:11 PM
JackWayne said...: NYT reports 7 min ago, Gianforte 50-44 with 72% in. I guess one party will have the blues tonight.; 5/25/17, 11:29 PM
Kelly said...: https://www.facebook.com/DailyCaller/videos/10154506867716770/; 5/25/17, 11:52 PM
veni vidi vici said...: Quist got his sac charbroiled this evening. That had to hurt at DNC HQ.; 5/26/17, 12:03 AM
Bad Lieutenant said...: Blogger Earnest Prole said...
But not you, surely. Never you.

Democrat : Republican :: Coke : Pepsi

5/25/17, 11:11 PM

And Earnest Prole::?; 5/26/17, 12:03 AM
Bay Area Guy said...: Are the Russians meddling in this Montana congressional race too? The Wapost and NYT keeps assuring me that Trump and his supporters are self-imploding, yet, darnit, Dems keep losing these special elections. What is going on?!!?; 5/26/17, 12:06 AM
Earnest Prole said...: And Earnest Prole::?

Distinctions not cost-effective.; 5/26/17, 12:06 AM
David Baker said...: SLAM!!!!

Now they're consoling themselves over at CNN.

BTW, anyone else notice that Hannity went missing tonight? And hardly a day after FOX took him to the woodshed.; 5/26/17, 12:23 AM
rcommal said...: In terms of election results, there really has never been any doubt that Gianforte would win, both historically speaking and analytically speaking, not to mention in terms of basic realism. In my estimation, this would be true even if most votes had NOT been cast in early voting, which, in fact, of course they had. Math matters. As does reality. Democrats were, and are, welcome to engage in wishful thinking, not to mention hopeful fantasy. As are partisans and tribalists, of all stripes, welcome to vomit projection and words all over the place, devoid of reality and intellectual honest however much they want and to whatever degree.

That said, I stand 1000% (and that extra -0- is not a typo though, to be sure, it's hyperbole) behind the very first comment I made on this thread. Full stop.

And make no mistake about it, just because I'm not wasting my time in pushing back at projections of intent from other people, that doesn't mean that I haven't seen and read them. Why should I defend against complete bullshit? I said what I said. It was brief, direct, specific and precise. Even pithy. In other words: Enough.; 5/26/17, 12:25 AM
chickelit said...: The Guardian stringer should release his video of the altercation to bolster his case. If not, it should be subpoenaed by Gianforte.; 5/26/17, 12:34 AM
Achilles said...: David Baker said...

BTW, anyone else notice that Hannity went missing tonight? And hardly a day after FOX took him to the woodshed.

It took the murdoch brothers almost no time at all to drop Fox to 3rd place. It is dying. There was talk of removing Hannity because he is doing actual reporting on the Seth Rich case.

Watch Fox die because it is being run by progs.; 5/26/17, 12:57 AM
JackWayne said...: We'll see if Hannity comes back from vacation. That's the way they got rid of O'Reilly.; 5/26/17, 1:09 AM
Sprezzatura said...: "Watch Fox die because it is being run by progs."

Hopefully they last long enough for Rupert complete the planned gutting of Roger's hidden surveillance bugs.....er.....oops.....I mean hopefully they finish building the new, exciting studio that's going to bring the Fox family together.

Carry on.; 5/26/17, 1:29 AM
Yancey Ward said...: I doubt the assault charges cost the Republican any votes at all- probably increased his margin. On to Georgia!; 5/26/17, 1:36 AM
readering said...: Well the apology in the victory speech reads properly contrite. Wonder if he was woodsheded.; 5/26/17, 1:45 AM
Bruce Hayden said...: "his taxes during several years, from the same source. Those delinquent taxes were only settled this year. Gee, wonder who paid them off. Soros, maybe?"

It wasn't really the taxes, I think, but rather the skipping out on debt that hurt the Democrat, Quist. Think of the fate of the Brad Pitt character in "A River Runs Through". In a state where your word is your bond, cheating the people who do work for you doesn't go down well. I also think that he was hurt by the knowledge that a lot of the money behind him was coming in from out of state. Gianforte may have spent a lot of his own money, but it was still Montana money.

The advertising was interesting. Gianforte, towards the end, was out advertising Quist a bit, at least on the Missoula stations. But, it was more quality than quantity that stuck out for me. The Gianforte ads were harder hitting, pushing the lier/cheater meme, as well as that Quist would vote with the much despised Nancy Pelosi. Quist just seemed to walk around with his big cowboy hat and mustache. Which, yes, had a very Montana feel (though the cowboy hats over here in the west are much more conservative). I keep trying to talk my partner into allowing me to grow one of those big cowboy mustaches, but no such luck. When it gets down over the lips even a fraction, she is on me to trim it. One more, maybe Dilbert point - Gianforte's own ads had an "ask", requesting that you vote for him. I didn't see a Quist ad with the similar.

For those on the left who point to Trump's margin here, keep in mind that Dem Bullock won reelection (over Gianforte) as governor in the same election, and 2 1/2 years ago, the state had a Dem governor and 2 Dem Senators. One of those seats is now Republican, but the Dems still have the governorship and one US Senate seat. Crooked Hillary lost big here for one big reason - she is, well, crooked. Quist was hit pretty hard for what most consider minor honesty issues. Clinton was far, far worse, and everyone knew it. No one really cared that Trump was a braggart, but her actions were deeply offensive to a large number of Montanans.

Not surprised that those big (Montana) city newspapers withdrew their Gianforte endorsements. Their clientele is a bit more urbane, and they probably hope to be read by (real) big city papers like the NYT, etc., but the comments I heard today were pretty consistently positive - that the reporter was lucky to have gotten off so easily. Privacy is a big thing in MT, and the Brit reporter was violating Gianforte's. You just don't get in someone's face like that here, if you aren't going to back it up.; 5/26/17, 1:52 AM
Earnest Prole said...: The Guardian stringer should release his video of the altercation to bolster his case. If not, it should be subpoenaed by Gianforte.

The sheriff, a Gianforte supporter, has the power to compel this and all other evidence; following his investigation he charged Gianforte with assault.; 5/26/17, 2:07 AM
Fen said...: SMACK!

Journalist: WTF?! What the hall was that for?

American: I hit you.

Journalist: I know, asshole. I tink you bwoke my nose...

American: You asked for it.

Journalist: Dude! Ever heard of the 1st ammendment? All I did was ask if you support -

American No not that. From before. You said we should punch Nazis in the face. A moral obligation, you said.

Journalist: Wha- you idiot! I'm a Marxist not a Nazi!

American: Oh. My bad. Stand up. I'm gonna have to hit you again.; 5/26/17, 3:37 AM
Big Mike said...: With 98% reporting it's Gianforte 50.4%, Quist 43.9%, and the Libertarian 5.7%. If one assumes, as I do, that the journalists involved staged that little show as a last minute ploy to put Wuist over the top, then they just got a one-fingered salute from the electorate.

Which they will ignore because they're too deep in their bubble to process it.; 5/26/17, 4:17 AM
urbane legend said...: Jack Wayne said...
I guess one party will have the blues tonight.

The blues never sounds good on a banjo.; 5/26/17, 4:55 AM
Fen said...: Sidebar - our Monica Wannabe is back. Apparently, men are no longer allowed to comment on safe spaces.

She's kinda let herself go since her lunch with Bill. Intellectually. I would talk about her breasts but she is striking the "Look at my boobs why are you staring at my boobs" pose again. Which I think is code for "talk more about me" but one can never be sure these days.; 5/26/17, 5:04 AM