Gin and Tacos notices that principled small-government conservatives aren’t in a hurry to condemn Joe Miller for having a reporter unlawfully detained:
The most shocking thing is that the right-wing media have harshly condemned the behavior of Miller and his staff. The Weekly Standard referred to the security personnel as “assailants.” Tucker Carlson’s Daily Caller called them “thugs” who “roughed up” the reporter. Sean Hannity, of all people, noted, “By the way, I want to just – this is the part where you’re holding up your credentials. He’s obviously getting in your face. He’s being overly aggressive. And then, you know, you obviously have the right to walk on a street, don’t you?”
Wait.
Wait one second. I’m getting confused in my old age. Those comments are actually from January 13, 2009 when Weekly Standard reporter John McCormack tripped over himself after Martha Coakley staffer Michael Meehan got in his face.
While it was clearly over the line to get in McCormack’s face, the wingnuttosphere quickly turned the incident into the My Lai Massacre. The Weekly Standard called Meehan an “assailant” while going with a misleading photo rather than the video, which shows…well, nothing, really. Daily Caller tried to bolster its daily readership of 13 people by going for over-the-top sensationalism, calling Meehan a “thug” who “roughed up” McCormack even though the reporter claimed nothing of the sort. Hannity suddenly discovered the concept of constitutional rights, patronizingly reminding us that McCormack has a 1st Amendment right to ask questions and wander down a public street.
Oddly enough, none of them have come to the defense of Alaska Dispatch reporter Tony Hopfinger. They are strangely silent on Hopfinger’s right to attend an event at a public grade school and ask questions and quite eager, parroting the official line from the Miller campaign, to depict Hopfinger as some sort of deranged maniac in thrall of his own bloodlust and looking for the most efficient way to behead Miller and consume his spleen. Check out this incoherent and customarily grammatically flawed response from K-Lo…
Heh.
dmsilev
OK, everyone who finds this surprising, please raise your hands. And please send me your email addresses; I have this wonderful business opportunity for you involving the purchase of one vintage suspension bridge in the New York City area.
dms
Fonzie of Freedom
Well, clearly, this is not the same, because one reporter was fighting for freedom, and the other for socialism. And because there’s a government employee involved, that means that there’s pro-statist bias in the media with the politics. Fart.
JPL
Doug, what a tease. Do you really think we want to link to National Review. At least Tbogg has the good sense to copy and paste her comments.
Ash Can
Not surprising, of course, but kudos to Gin and Tacos for calling it out, at least.
WereBear
I’m even more fascinated with the 8 year old Miller trampled in his haste. Shades of The Dead Zone.
But sadly, 8 year olds do not have their own networks, so the reporter it is.
Dennis SGMM
IOKYAT?
ThatLeftTurnInABQ
Freedom-Corps aren’t free
[it scans better in the original German]
freelancer
@Dennis SGMM:
I’m Only Keeping Your African Tarantulas?
cleek
politics is a sport.
catching the other team offsides is a treat. but when your own guys do it: challenge!
something fabulous
@freelancer: It’s OK At Thunderdome?
Dennis SGMM
@ThatLeftTurnInABQ:
Wollen Sie Freikorps? Dann arbeit!
Mnemosyne
@WereBear:
Heh. That’s exactly what I pictured, too, when I read the story.
Of course, these days Hannity and his pals would figure out a way to excuse a conservative who used a toddler as a human shield and CNN/MSNBC/Fox would back them to the hilt.
freelancer
@something fabulous:
C’mon, fabulous, just this once, can’t we get beyond Thunderdome?
Cris
@Dennis SGMM: I’m OK, You’re A Twat?
Cat Lady
Rightards are hypocrites? Shocking!
Stop the pressesAlert the mediaNever mind.Gravenstone
O/T, but a local poll shows Feingold and Johnson in a statistical dead heat. C’mon Russ, kick that Tea Bagger in the short hairs. I long to savor the outraged howls of the Dead Red parts of this misbegotten state…
Cris
@freelancer: Thanks for your effort, but we don’t really need another hero.
Dennis SGMM
@Cris:
I like that! I was thinking It’s Okay if You’re a Teabagger but, the other ones that have been proposed are way better.
El Cid
Private security forces are doing exactly the right thing in doing a citizens’ arrest type thing to non-conservative journalists and citizens, since conservative candidates risk being asked rude questions about things which they don’t want to discuss. These private security forces should have the right at least to tase pushy journalists if deadly force is not authorized.
ThatLeftTurnInABQ
@El Cid:
When private paramilitary police forces are outlawed, only outlaws will have private paramilitary police.
garage mahal
Fox Security
Felonious Wench
The snark in this post from Gin and Tacos is enough to make me swoon.
Suck It Up!
Obama: Angel of Death
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_Os0cwpCQE&feature=player_embedded#!
ad running in Colorado. So yeah, let the pundits keep talking about Democrats who push back. THIS will get a “meh” I’m sure.
WereBear
@Mnemosyne: He was getting the baby out of harm’s way! His shoulder injury from an unspecified round of military duty made him hold the child that way! Because, that’s why!
Omnes Omnibus
@Suck It Up!: that was awesome in its fuckedupness. Wow. Obama as Angel of Death and the Joker… Words fail me; maybe I can express my reaction with interpretive dance.
Tom M
Wow, K-Lo is doing some Men in Black over there. and I talk a bit about… in my syndicated columnist this week...
She’s actually going to don the skin of a syndicated columnist and talk? Woo-hoo, I hope it’s VDH and she’s selling tickets.
Alsotoo
The thing is, these security goons could have and probably should have been arrested for kidnapping. At a minimum, the reporter should sue them.
Bella Q
Question for the militarily informed. What are the downsides for the 2 active duty guys who were working for the Drop Zone
psycopathsecurity team for a partisan political event? I know they need command permission to moonlight, which it’s unclear whether they had, but even with it, can they work a political gig?Sad_Dem
Some animals are more equal than others.
ThatLeftTurnInABQ
@Bella Q:
Look on the bright side, at least they aren’t teh ghey. That might have an impact on unit cohesion. Unlike, say moonlighting as a private political police force, which I’m sure is nobody’s business as long as they don’t kill or badly injure any bystanders. Don’t Ask, Don’t Taze.
something fabulous
@freelancer: @Cris: Hee!
JBerardi
@freelancer:
MST3K reference? Impressive if so…
freelancer
@JBerardi:
Yes, yes it is. Huge fan of MST3K. Even bigger fan of Rifftrax.
trollhattan
@Tom M:
With each paycheck K-Lo cashes, somewhere a school closes.
toony
How I love that blog!
Gin n Tacos = brilliant!
Seriously, if you don’t read that blog every day you are missing out on some snark of epic proportions – no one can do it like Ed [the man , the myth].
Love that site.
maus
@freelancer: http://www.rifftrax.com/rifftrax/room is the best thing ever. Though, I have to say 1) avoid the “Rifftrax presents”, 2) The archive.org shorts are great, and 3) they couldn’t make any of the Twilight series watchable, don’t bother.
Natch
The first paragraph actually got me. I was thinking “they actually said that? good for them for once.” But no the right wing voices can be trusted to be just as craven as ever.
I’m betting neither Joe Miller nor Christine O’Donnell could be trusted to remember another bit of the 1st Amendment: freedom of the press.
freelancer
@maus:
The Room is one of their their finest hour(s).
Rifftrax Presents are mostly miss, but the Jaws 3-D riff, and the Day After Tomorrow riff with just Kevin and Bill are spectacular.
The Twilight riffs, are two of the best, IMHO, and just crack me up so damned much.
Just Some Fuckhead
Don’t forget about Cynthia McKinney assaulting the Capitol policeman. That nearly killed ’em.
Roger Moore
@dmsilev:
Sorry, but buying the Brooklyn Bridge is so 20th Century. The more contemporary business opportunity is the one about my associate in Nigeria needing a trustworthy individual to help him move his money out of the country. If you could just provide him with your name, social security number, and bank account number, he’ll be happy to wire the money to your account.
Brighton
Miller’s goons were acting as private citizens and were not subject to the 4th amendment. They may get sued, but there was no constitutional violation.
Roger Moore
@Brighton:
It doesn’t matter if there was a 4th Amendment violation. There are two problems with what happened. One is that even if there is no Constitutional violation, there is clearly a civil tort; Hopfinger can and should take Miller to the cleaners in court. More important, is it shows Miller’s attitude toward the press and the public. If he’s happy to have his goons illegally handcuff a member of the press when he’s a private citizen, what is his attitude going to be toward the police and military abusing prisoners? It doesn’t give me a good feeling about how he would act as a legislator.
AhabTRuler
@Roger Moore:
Fixeteth. Pour le accuriçie!
Steeplejack
@Brighton:
Your position seems to be based on the idea that the reporter was “trespassing” on private property. I believe the event in question was held at a public school.
JRon
@El Cid: Exactly. And private security forces really should be allowed to do whatever they’re paid to do.
If you can afford to pay someone to beat the crap out of someone else, I mean, that’s your libertarian right isn’t it?
This is only a problem if those were govt forces, you know, hired by the people. Private forces, no big deal.
Svensker
@Suck It Up!:
Good Lord, that is one sick ad.