From Eyeblast:
I’m hearing reports on twitter that this video has been removed from youtube already (Update: and indeed it has). I guess UFC claimed copyright infringement? Regardless The Right Scoop saved this one from going down the memory hole and posted it up on Eyeblast.
Frankly if I were the student being assaulted in this video I would press charges against this nut. Of course if this student chooses not to press charges this congressman should be forced to publicly apologize and leave office in disgrace. This is despicable behavior from an adult let alone a congressman.
UPDATE: Here is the full video all the way through from both cameras (via DCCameraGuy and Moe Lane)
For a truly bizarre take on this story, see Colby's post at Mediaite: Congressman Loses Cool To Students With A Flip Cam, But Comes Out The Hero? But this is the same site that blames Rabbi David Nesenoff for "bringing down Helen Thomas"
For a more rational reaction to this, see Jim Treacher's post here: Dems gone wild!
It's amazing that Tea Partiers are accused of all kinds of violence (and hateful rhetoric), without any incidents of violence, and here we have an actual assault by a Democrat on a college student, (and someone spewing hateful rhetoric) and people think him a hero (and make excuses for Helen's comments).
Stunning.
Bob Etheridge must go.
Memeorandum has lots more on the Etheridge smack down.
Not really wanting to play the devil's advocate here, but with all the "sting" operations by any self-made paparazzi team who can take things out of context with a flipcam and a soundbite and an Internet connection, it really does make sense that the Congressman should be sure of who he is talking to, and these two were clearly avoiding telling him for some reason, making the whole scenario dubious from the start.
ReplyDeleteAnd there are better ways to approach a public figure then jumping up to him on the street, pushing a camera in his face, asking what is clearly a loaded question, and refusing to identify yourselves in anyway. What school were the alleged students from? Why are their faces blurred? What was the "project"?
Maybe trying something simple and polite like "Congressman, I'm John Doe from CUA, and I was wondering if you could answer a question for the project we are doing for our Modern Government class?" is too hard for college students today?
And I am also very sure that more than one "undercover" investigative reporter has already tried the "class project" ruse while *posing* as a student (or even being a journalism student, maybe) to try and get more information than the "CNN" logo would usually let out of the bag.
He looked quite "sovrapensiero", and as he noted in his forced apology, was worn out at the end of a tiring day (I think a Nancy Pelosi fund raiser would by trying on anyone, even a democratic politician) as he walked up, responded politely and correctly to the "Hi Congressman, how are you", but then from the first camera angle, which couldn't even get the Congressman's entire face into the screen, the "student" obviously had the camera quite literally "in his face" (*before* his getting irate), and well within a threatening area of the "personal area" that everyone has.
The first couple " 'Who are you's" went sliding by with evasive responses, as though the students pretended to have the right to demand the question of the Congressman, though they didn't identify themselves at any point by their own names or as constituents of the Congressman, as someone that was actually doing a real project, and not a sting video phishing scam, would probably do.
And if that is considered assault (he grabbed the hand when he tried to grab the one with the camera, I could easily be persuaded from the first camera angle, mainly because the impolite student was pointing it at his face, only a short distance from the Congressman's nose), I think we are in a sorry state.
Should the Congressman should have given a polite "call or write my office and ask for an appointment about your project"? Definitely.
Did he overreact when the camera was literally shoved directly in his face by two pushy and inopportune students? Maybe.
Should he be vilified because on a bad day he lost his temper towards two pretty clearly misbehaving and trying college students? I think not.
he had no right to grab that kid, hold that kid, and pull him by the neck.
ReplyDeletealso, cameras do have zoom, and as you can see in the second video, it wasn't in his face. Also, the congressman was walking towards them, was passing them, and then turned, stopped, and leaned towards the kid. They weren't walking with him, Etheridge turned, stopped and grabbed his camera and his wrist.
impolite student? They called him sir, and asked him to please let go and that they were just students, repeatedly.
Misbehaving college students? Seriously? They were standing on a sidewalk (standing) holding camera phones and asking Congressmen questions as they walked by.
a sting video phishing scam - LOL! Congressman, do you support the Obama agenda? That is a sting?
"the "student" obviously had the camera quite literally "in his face" (*before* his getting irate), and well within a threatening area of the "personal area" that everyone has." Check the bottom video - he didn't.
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/06/14/law/
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nationalreview.com/campaign-spot/204222/my-best-description-video-rep-etheridge-acted-manly
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSorry, it still looks like paparazzi attack tactics. What student gets dressed up in suit and tie to ask questions on public sidewalks? And when the Congressman asks "from where" after their repeated claims to being students, they evade the question again, making the whole thing seem really fishy as though they were trying to provoke him. The "sir" doesn't make it polite for me, just a little bit less impolite. The question remains as to why they would refuse to supply any information as to their affiliation or reason for filming other than as "students doing a 'project' for school".
ReplyDeleteIt does raise the question in my mind, as now we can film anything anytime, most people with videocameras in their phones and all... politicians are obviously public figures, and so have a different measure of personal privacy applied to them, but do we (as single individuals) have the right to film any public figure anytime we want without his (or her) permission whenever they are out in public, like on the street? That seems a slippery slope to start descending.
I think calling him a hero as was listed in some comments cited by one of the articles is obviously wrong. The congressman over-reacted and would have been much better off just walking on (and maybe getting published as "indifferent" or "superior" or "inaccessible" to his constituents), but I can hardly see reason for assault and battery charges, particularly as it didn't seem rough enough as assault. I do think he had a right to know who was filming him, and the particularly evasive responses provided to the simple initial questions would rapidly send up warning signals to any normal person, much as it did to the congressman, that something very odd was occurring, raising his caution another level as well. You are interviewing people on the street in Washington DC for a student project? Fine, but you identify yourself and your organization and the project, and then start interviewing, or you seem very very suspicious in my eyes. Just why did they refuse to name their school and continue repeating "we're only students"? Were someone to pull that interview stunt on me on the street with that kind of evasive responses to a simple "who are you and why are you asking me this?", and the first thing I would have done was check all my pockets for valuables...
perhaps had Etheridge not got in the kids face, grabbed the camera and his wrist after asking "who are you?" but was more civil, and engaged them, the boys would have told him who they were.
ReplyDeleteAnd like I said, the guy could have kept on walking. The boys were standing still.
And it's not the first time Etheridge got grabby.
ReplyDeletehttp://dailycaller.com/2010/06/18/etheridgegate-day-5/