-
It’s Not About Abortion—Except It Is
April 15, 2013 | 148 comments
-
A Think Tank With Action
April 6, 2013 | 0 comments
-
I Know Victoria’s Secrets
March 29, 2013 | 17 comments
-
The New Feminism
March 25, 2013 | 49 comments
-
Rand’s Band of Brothers
March 8, 2013 | 41 comments
The Congressional Spectator
A Criminal Class Member
Keith Ellison loses it — and he couldn’t be more defiant.
Over a century ago, Mark Twain said, “There is no native criminal class except Congress.” In the age of instant Twitter updates and perpetual and instantaneous Facebook newsfeeds, television news shows seem so 2000. So when an exchange between a host and a guest on one of those shows becomes a trending topic on Twitter, well, worlds collide and, for a moment, a political debate proves Twain right once more.
The debate that I reference, of course, wasn’t one—and that’s what makes it interesting. As a recent guest on Sean Hannity’s show on Fox News to discuss the sequester, DFL (Minnesota’s Democratic Party) Representative Keith Ellison managed to enlighten the audience by telling Hannity he was the “worst excuse for a journalist I’ve ever seen,” “a shill for the Republican Party,” and “immoral,” among other gems.
Of course, since Hannity hardly has a reputation for being a wallflower, one might think his questioning or argumentative behavior caused Ellison’s strong response. A look at the tape and transcript proves otherwise. To wit:
HANNITY: Why are you so angry? You’re so angry. Let me ask you a question.
ELLISON: Why are you so angry?
HANNITY: I’m not angry I’m laughing at you because I think this is actually comical.
ELLISON: I’m laughing at you!
HANNITY: Rah, rah, rah, I’ve got it, I know you’re a broken record. Now, let me get you my question.
ELLISON: You’re a broken record.
HANNITY: Here’s my question. Is it immoral — is it immoral —
ELLISON: You are immoral.
The University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs blog “Smart Politics” observed: “While Sean Hannity is the most demonstrably conservative ideologue on the FOX network, and is known for taking off the gloves with some of his liberal guests, he has definitely given Representative Ellison the floor to express his views when appearing on his show.” Indeed, by their count, Ellison spoke more than Hannity during his last two guest appearances, giving him ample time to answer questions and make coherent points.
While not wildly politically active — none of his sponsored or co-sponsored bills have made it into law — Ellison has a unique platform: Elected to local office in 2002, he is now serving his fourth term in Congress and, as a convert from Catholicism to Islam, is the first Muslim to serve in Congress. He has appeared on cable news channels dozens of times before. While the clip itself has gotten a lot of attention from various media outlets, few Democrats or liberal-leaning news organizations responded at all — in praise or condemnation — to Ellison’s outbursts. Only DFL Chair Ken Martin publicly thanked Ellison “for standing up for working families and defending the President’s record.” The nearly-absent response by his own party seems irresponsible and lazy.
In a few minutes, Ellison (and even, one could argue, Hannity) pulled off quite a trifecta: He disappointed his party, made a mockery of his own political standing, and showcased how inane and self-serving political debate has become. Sure, politicians have been tangling via the media since the 1800s. But there are significant issues paramount to our country’s safety, well-being and future, at stake — one of those being the topics at hand. With his six minutes on the air, instead of championing his party’s beliefs and making the case for his party’s stance, Ellison chose to muddle around in the muck of soundbite semantics. Rather than passing on any information that might sway any independent viewers or boost the political knowledge of fellow liberals, his ad hominem attacks left him a laughing stock, a momentary distraction, and a trending topic on Twitter that will disappear as quickly as it appeared.
This is what’s wrong not with politics today, but with politicians. Too many would rather inflate their egos on the soundwaves of momentary fame than sacrifice a fundraising opportunity to actually further an ideological debate or deepen any knowledge of political logistics. It brings to mind something else Twain said: “Suppose you were an idiot and and suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.”
About the Author
Nicole Russell writes from Northern Virginia.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (38) | Leave a comment
More Articles by Nicole Russell
More Articles From The Congressional Spectator
http://spectator.org/archives/2013/03/01/a-criminal-class-member
Follow us:
ADVERTISEMENT
SPONSORED LINKS
FLASHBACK TO: 1995
-
Pope Culture
A man of faith in a godless age is hitting Americans where it hurts.
-
Why the GOP Does Not, Like, Totally Suck
Mr. and Mrs. American Spectator Reader, let P.J. O’Rourke talk sense to your kids.
-
Dames at Sea
-
In the Absence of Guns
In Britain, defending your property can get you life.
-
The Metaphysical Martini
-
Counting the Costs of Clintonism
The debacle of this president’s administration is both a cause and a symptom of the decline of American values. Unless Congress impeaches him, that decline will go on unchecked. An eminent jurist surveys the damage and assesses the chances for the recovery of our culture.
-
Chuck McHagel
It won’t take long for conservatives to scratch this presidential wannabe off their 2008 scorecard.
-
The Legacy of Old John and Mother Fresh-Roasted
-
It’s the Best Time of the Year
The American Christmas, like the songs that celebrate it, makes room for everybody under the rainbow. Is that why so many people seem to be hostile to it?
-
The Bush Crack-Up
Was the President done in by the economy, or by the politics of the economy?
Clip of the Day
ADVERTISEMENT
Appleby| 3.1.13 @ 6:43AM
I saw that, but I would have characterized it as a screaming contest and it went on way too long. I also would note that most people do not understand the difference, which Hannity attempted to explain to the screaming toddler at the other microphone, between a show that reports the news and a show that solicits and trades in opinion. Of course, in the Liberal universe, there is no difference. Anything you can scream over and over without allowing anyone to contradict you, is News. Personally, I think the Representative's Mama needs to come over to his house and slap him silly. In fact she should have done it much more frequently when he was young enough to profit from the lesson.
Albert Constantine Jr.| 3.1.13 @ 8:17AM
At times, I think the Binky/Crying Child explanation is overused. In this instance, I think it was spot on (or as the character Monalisa Vito described in "My Cousin Vinny", "dead on balls accurate".)
marie775| 3.30.13 @ 5:32PM
Are you tired of going office daily? Earn 50$ per hour working from home with Google! I've made $64,000 so far this year working online and I'm a full time student. I've made such great money. It's really user friendly and I'm just so happy that I found out about it. Here is what I do, http://tw.gs/YbVcey
sotto voce| 3.1.13 @ 6:03PM
I saw it too, but I wouldn't call it a screaming contest. Ellison was the only one screaming (to my ears it sounded more like hollering); Hannity just kept trying to draw him back to the question. The Congressman made a fool of himself, that's for sure.
Nancy in NC| 3.1.13 @ 8:19AM
Ellison not only showed his lack of control but lack of vocabularly. He repeated everything Hannity said and talked constantly. If he thinks he won any friends, he would be seriously mistaken.
Von Mises Jr| 3.1.13 @ 9:28AM
Ellison is a arrogant bully like another Marxist and Muslim that comes to mind. Watch how he talks over and is rude to Varney about Mickelson paying 63% tax rate:
http://www.realclearpolitics.c....._rich.html
loulou| 3.1.13 @ 12:38PM
Ellison is stupid AND a Muslim.
Seapuss| 3.1.13 @ 8:22AM
I half-expected the last line of the dialogue to be this:
ELLISON: You're a towel!
bustunloose| 3.1.13 @ 8:24AM
Just another mentally unstable member of congress courtesy of the democrats. Minnesotta proud.
bustunloose| 3.1.13 @ 12:16PM
Land of many lakes or is it flakes ?
Biff| 3.2.13 @ 12:10PM
Must be the cold weather...
Albert Constantine Jr.| 3.1.13 @ 9:54AM
Had the interview taken place at the same studio, perhaps we would have been treated to Ellison waving his finger an inch or two from Hannity's face, taunting "I'm not touching you".
OregonBuzz| 3.1.13 @ 10:17AM
Mr. Ellison has been and is acting like a proper Muslim. Take note America.
1ConservativeUSA| 3.1.13 @ 10:25AM
Ellison is just using favorite strategies of the angry left to squelch the truth and honest debate.
Leftists realize their policies don't solve problems, so they have to throw tantrums and create distractions to defend their power.
Leftists appeal to the emotional folks, the ones who like to sit around and complain about "whitey", "the man", America, or anything else that absolves themselves from personal responsibility.
In the background of his interview, I could hear all the "victims" of the left cheering on Ellison's divisiveness, as they ignore the cold fact that he wants to spend even more as our country is heading towards financial and moral bankruptcy.
Riff Raff| 3.1.13 @ 10:42AM
I think we are giving the exteeeeemed Mr. Ellison way too much credit in assuming that he has any actual "strategy" or program. Ellison is a dhimm-bulb, a loudmouth fool of limited intelligence, low morals, and low character. What amazes me most is that out of a Congressional District of over 600,000 people, this witless moron is the best these people can put up for Congress.
Oldefarte| 3.1.13 @ 10:47AM
It's amazing that he didn't yell out "ALLAH AKBAR"!!!!!!!
cicero| 3.1.13 @ 11:00AM
When was the last time anyone heard a liberal Dem actually say anything in defense of a rational policy? They repeat slogans that mean little, and leave it to their apologists in the media to defend what they have been doing. The defenses usually amount to little more than making excuses for failure, or blaming everything on past discrimination. The liberal agenda has become patently indefensible. However, it sells to the uninformed on the basis that they are really victims who are entitled to somebody else's stuff. They are told that nothing is their fault, and their lack of effort is not really because they didn't get up on time. So far, it has been selling well.
The push will come to shove when even the excuses won't mask the failure, and the leftist elite will try to defend their own wealth from the ravenous underclass that they have been cultivating since the 60's.
Bob K| 3.1.13 @ 12:20PM
Why is anyone surprised by this?
It is the way Muslim politicians behave everywhere in the world when someone disagrees with them.
We should have learned this by now but the diversity industry which now controls our media and education industries has numbed down our tolerances for this crap and dumbed down our electorate to expect it.
Tom Kyba| 3.1.13 @ 1:09PM
I'm Keith Ellison and you're a poopoo head. Modern liberalism at it's finest. Hey Soros groupies, meet your new idiot hero, same as the old idiot hero.
markenoff| 3.1.13 @ 1:39PM
Keith Ellison is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life.
Tafuna| 3.1.13 @ 4:48PM
If Ellison is the "kindest, bravest, warmest, and most wonderful human being" you've ever known then you need to get out more. You must be living under a rock.
Oldefarte| 3.1.13 @ 7:34PM
Yes, and our current POTUS is the greatest one ever, right? .......AND THE COW JUMPED OVER THE MOON WHILE THE DISH RAN AWAY WITH THE SPOON!!!!!!!!!
markenoff| 3.3.13 @ 12:07AM
You need to get your sarcasm meter tuned.
bustunloose| 3.1.13 @ 4:02PM
ELLISON/FRANKEN 2016.
Oldefarte| 3.1.13 @ 9:44PM
Yeah, in Iran maybe!!!!!!!!!!
sotto voce| 3.1.13 @ 6:17PM
This is all Ellison knows how to do. The same week he appeared on Hannity he had a similar meltdown in a Congressional committee meeting. The committee chairman insisted on displaying the ticking Debt Clock during the meeting (presumably to remind the assembled Congress Critters of their dereliction of fiduciary duty). Ellison pitched a fit, yelling that the clock was "ideological propaganda". As a dedicated Marxist, I guess Ellison is qualified to recognize propaganda when he sees it.
Oldefarte| 3.1.13 @ 9:42PM
The tape of this dispicable piece of inhuman garbage should have had his mike cut off one second into this interview. I've never seen/heard an interview so deranged and insultingly argumentative as this one. This bozo is an insult to the political office that he holds. The state of Minnisota should be ashamed to have him as its representative and to have elected him originally. Some weirdos have come forth from same, but this goofball domestic terrorist take the political cake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
homme nike air max BW | 3.2.13 @ 12:11AM
Of course, since Hannity hardly has a reputation for being a wallflower, one might think his questioning or argumentative behavior caused Ellison’s http://www.shoxinfr.com/nike-shox-r2-c-7.html
cicero| 3.2.13 @ 9:46AM
I am always amazed when I talk to an American of any color (usually a black person) who says they .
converted to Islam. No country or group, other than American blacks, has ever converted to Islam. They have been conquered, or forced into it, but never converted because of idiological content.
Islam brought, and continues to bring, slavery to the African continent. They are the only ones who trade in slavery, and deal in slavery in their own countries. They are the only ones who practice terrorism, and the killing of innocents as a political tactic. And yet, people like this fool, Ellison, who started in Detroit, claim it as a religious belief that is suppossed to liberate their racial brethren from the denigration of Christianity. What fools.
Biff| 3.2.13 @ 12:07PM
Cannot help but laugh at Ellison's "I know you are but what am I" debate style, but what is more laughable is his insinuations that he is being mocked because of his religion, or his race, or his political affiliation.
No, Rep. Ellison, you are ridiculed because of you, because of the person you are inside, because of your sad, angry little closed mind. Regardless of what you seem to believe, stupidity is not a race or religion.
Occam's Tool| 3.2.13 @ 12:54PM
However, in counter, might I note Preston Brooks and Charles Sumner. Brooks cowardly attacked Sumner with a cane, beating him senseless. When Brooks was called a coward in the Senate by another Massachusetts Senator (a crack rifle shot), Brooks challenged that Senator to a duel, which was accepted (WITH RIFLES). Brooks chickened out of that one.
In short, Democrats have always been craven bullies and vermin.
Oldefarte| 3.3.13 @ 3:18PM
Nah, they're just scum, but of course that is the very definition of a Democrat, right??????
Ura Fecal| 3.2.13 @ 12:57PM
Let's be perfectly clear: if Ellison live had crapped in his hand, smeared feces on his face, and declared that this was good therapy for acne, the vast majority of Black voters would return him to office and donate to his campaign.
However, if he declared that Buh-lacks should depend less on welfare, and that he supported reducing it, then he would lose to a dead man running against him.
Bill8472| 3.3.13 @ 10:48AM
"You're a broken record."
"No, YOU'RE a broken record."
"I'm laughing at you."
"No, I'M laughing at YOU."
"You're a broken record."
"No, YOU'RE a broken record."
"Is X immoral..."
"No, YOU'RE immoral."
I'm glad I missed that bit of colloquy.
Bill8472| 3.3.13 @ 10:54AM
Did the two of them got to that well-known and highly effective debate technique of "I'm rubber and you're glue"?
Bill8472| 3.3.13 @ 10:58AM
No wonder Ellison converted to Islam from Catholicism. Catholics expect their acolytes to be intelligent.
hrgfue | 3.3.13 @ 10:41PM
thank you for your New post on that site.which is the best blog for us.we are enjoy it and will show them to everyone.
danshanteal| 3.4.13 @ 5:18PM
Reminds ya of Hank Willimas or Maxine Waters. Not too coherent but think they're clever.
The all come from the MSNBC school of meanness.