The American Spectator

Rachel| 6.14.10 @ 2:32PM

So the focus is now on supposed "hunter killer teams" attested to by an anonymous unamed "operative" rather than what happened in the video itself? Sheesh. Way to deflect away from the real problem, a corrupt congress out of control. Don't you care about your kids and grandkids?

JP| 6.14.10 @ 2:39PM

Yes,
Rachel. The GOP has thousands of these black shirts. Armed with iPhones and vitriol they will hunt down and pester every Dem from San Fran to Bangor. They will attack these poor Dems with such nasty questions as, "Are you a Liberal?" or "Why did you vote for ObamaCare?" Such questions are fighting words in our kindler, gentler era of Obama bi-partisanship.

Laila| 6.14.10 @ 3:06PM

Perhaps the GOP can round up about 500 of these "black shirts" and hold a rowdy "Love In" at these Liberal Congressmen's homes.

Why should the SEIU have all the fun?!

sage| 6.14.10 @ 2:42PM

Playing for keeps indeed. You are either with Comrade Obama and his job-killing, government-expanding agenda or you are against it.

Juanito Cabrone| 6.14.10 @ 2:46PM

"I think you're going to see those kids keeping a very low profile for a while," said the operative. "The D-triple-C is playing for keeps -- they're out for blood."

Priorities: Persuasive, well reasoned discussion of issues, or the blood of some college kids with a flip video camera? What to choose, what to choose.....

Hunter| 6.14.10 @ 2:47PM

Etheridge finally exposes himself as the latest in along line of Obama, Democrat dogsh*ts. ...He thinks he has police powers to "hold" anyone asking him a question on the street!!! Etheridge must be flushed in2010...In 2010 it is no longer an issue of yellow dog Democrats or Blue Dog Democrats but identifying the recently emerged Dog Sh*t Democrats!!...They may be Great Dane Dog Sh*t or Lap Dog dog sh*t but smell 'em out & flush them away!!!!!!!

bubbachump| 6.14.10 @ 8:56PM

hunter, you lil gop stooge monkeybutt, you, bush/cheney/rove should have been flushes in 1999, bush/gop are the most corrupt ever in history to date,,,,,,,hunter, KISS OL RUSTY

REMEMBER NOVEMBER!!| 6.14.10 @ 9:03PM

Our fine union run Public School Education System on display--once again.

I weep for our nation.

hunter| 6.14.10 @ 9:01PM

hunter, you must have placed yo vote in the mens room, by the way, you much be a monkeybutt repooblican with a bad case of da RED-ASSSSSS, GET YO GOP MONKEYS TO TAKE CARE OF YO RASH, HUH HUH HUH HUH

WEAZER| 6.14.10 @ 9:04PM

hunter, your gop turd-blossem rove must be behind this,,,,,,,,,,,,this is just another gop bullsheet tatic, hunter, you must be a dingle bery on karl roves faggootty buttt, haha, haha

Nobama| 6.15.10 @ 1:03AM

That you, Rahm?

TexEd| 6.14.10 @ 2:47PM

This incident tells a lot about the mind set of Democrat Congressmen. They have been brainwashed to believe that anyone asking a question they'd rather not hear is part of an evil conspiracy.
This is proof that even the most benign dem congressman MUST BE REPLACED! Even a new dem is better than any one of these insanely partisan hacks.

wizzer| 6.14.10 @ 9:08PM

tex ed you from the low life state of texassss, home of air guard flunkie bush, fat ass karl rove, crooked tom delay, you got plenty of room to talk out of your azzzhole, the bush gop is the most corrupt repuglicans ever was, run that mouth, shows how low yo iq is

Nobama| 6.15.10 @ 1:04AM

Get a life, Rahmbo.

Eric Cartman| 6.14.10 @ 3:04PM

It's starting - like I have said, the civil war is close. Confronting these aholes is going to get worse as the Nov. vote gets closer. Get ready, here it comes!

REMEMBER NOVEMBER!!| 6.14.10 @ 3:08PM

Don't be afraid, Eric--we're on the RIGHT side, the side of freedom.

We will prevail!

Eric Cartman| 6.14.10 @ 4:02PM

Don't worry, no fear. Just have that feeling like just before you know a firefight is going to start lol. Or your first jump. Weeeeeeeee!

Tom Billings| 6.14.10 @ 3:20PM

As to "they are always in twos", this is self-selecting in any case where a video can be shown. This is hardly uncommon in any situation, given the wide proliferation of high-end cellphones and mini-video cameras. Until I see something more specific than terms like "conservative operative", I will be comparing such articles as this to those that declared the TEA Party groups to be under-educated rednecks (remember, they turned out to have higher education and income levels than the norm).

Since I have also talked with people here in Portland who have called the NYT a "conservative" paper, I will not judge the voracity of such a source till I see more.

It helps not at all that inflammatory military terms such as "hunter-killer teams" are used to describe people seeking to speak to a congressman, and uninterested in doing violence themselves. If the author wants this treated credibly, then he needs to say where his info came from, and who has organized these "teams".

RebeccaH| 6.14.10 @ 3:22PM

"Notice they're always in twos?"

I'd say, for safety in numbers, given previous Democratic/public union/or liberal responses to being questioned and faced with facts.

erp| 6.18.10 @ 4:37PM

Exactly right. There always needs to be a camera person to document the incident.

Bugz| 6.14.10 @ 3:33PM

The Congressman goes apeshit when asked a simple question, and you are criticizing the students? Your criticism seems misplaced.

BackwardsBoy| 6.14.10 @ 3:42PM

College filmmakers are now part of GOP "black ops"? Perhaps you've forgotten, what with all the rights that this administration is busy eliminating, but an elected representative has an obligation to answer any and all questions put to him by any constituent.

Lance| 6.14.10 @ 4:00PM

You are the true definition of clinically insane, JP. 'Kinder, gentler obama bipartisanship. Lemme guess, you still support and admire the incompetent fool in the WH?

Paul Zummo| 6.14.10 @ 4:26PM

Not really grasping that whole "sarcasm" concept, are you?

DirtCrashr| 6.14.10 @ 4:00PM

The Democrats have the band Green Day and the Tony Awards to enjoy their own blackshirts. They got one helluva applause for singing that bi-partisan warm and fuzzy kumhbajah question, "Do you know the Enemy?"

Oligonicella| 6.14.10 @ 4:30PM

"Notice they're always in twos,"

You mean like, an interviewer and a cameraman? What bullshit. That's normal procedure for a video interview.

NoMo| 6.14.10 @ 4:48PM

Ummmm. These aren't even Michael Moore tactics. Moore is far more aggressive. What if Newt had grabbed Moore's wrists?

Cheshire| 6.14.10 @ 5:22PM

I doubt if he could have found the blob's wrists.

scott| 6.14.10 @ 4:48PM

Yes, the two kids in the "hunter killer team" had a very devious plan - ask the congressmen a question about his support of Obama's agenda. Clearly the congressman would then have no choice but to assault them on camera.

Of course these tactics and strategies cannot be disclosed by the un-named "operative" - it would render the tactics unusable in the future.

Imagine many such "Hunter Killer Teams" asking Democratic politicians questions all over the country!!!!!

Those oh so clever and evil republicans.

M. Report| 6.14.10 @ 6:11PM

'Always two there are: Master and apprentice.' :)

In Illinois it is a felony to videotape a LEO;
Maybe the protection could be extended
to CongressCritters ?

Bur seriously, folks, TPTB knew the situation
was hopeless, they are panicking now because it
has gotten serious before they were safely
retired; Expect to see more bad behavior
and resignations 'To spend more time
with my family'.

Pete2| 6.14.10 @ 6:52PM

Typical Robert S McCain dribble. Anyone with any intelligence knows this guy is a whackjob.

Jeff| 6.15.10 @ 9:45AM

Actually, if you knew him (and I consider him a personal friend), you wouldn't have that nasty opinion.

Libs R Mean| 6.15.10 @ 1:09PM

Has Mr. Personality put YOU in a choke hold yet?

If not, too bad.

J. Moses Browning| 6.14.10 @ 6:55PM

Of COURSE there are elite GOP "hunter-killer" video teams. We train at a "secret" facility near Scottsdale, Arizona. They started us with little cardboard cut-outs with "camera" written on them with a Sharpie. Once we got the basic tactical moves down, we moved on to camera phone basics, and finally, what they called "The Crucible" - shooting live video of screeching, hopping monkeys as we asked them questions like, "Who's going to pay for Obamacare." It was tough dodging the monkey poop, but those of us who stuck it out got our pins and have deployed to state capitals. After five years, we can get permission to join the Epsilon Force, which specializes in Democrat congressmen and senators.

Film at eleven!! Boo-YAH!!

cbinflux| 6.14.10 @ 7:17PM

Believe the video. The commentary is just misdirection -- and BS.

richard40| 6.14.10 @ 7:20PM

No I realize why the students did not want to give their names, and why the congressman wanted them so badly. Once the congressman had their names, he could send his left wing thugs out against them.

bubba| 6.14.10 @ 9:17PM

richard , richard, richard , you 40 year old dummy,,,,,,Etherridge seen he was set up before the camera was filming,,,,,,,,,this is a set up from ol turd-blossem karl rove, you need to clean you gop party up before you run yo mouth

Rahmbo| 6.15.10 @ 1:06AM

Somewhere a rubber room is missing its bubba.

Jeff| 6.15.10 @ 9:50AM

And you know he saw the set-up how?

And just because your side does what you apparently don't like, doesn't mean ours does.

And it's irrelevant anyway - you're just trying to change the subject. How is it more important that these kids were out to "gotcha" a politician, than for his reaction?

Libs R Mean| 6.15.10 @ 1:12PM

They were on a public sidewalk, braintrust. If Mr. Personality can't answer a civil question in public he doesn't belong in the Congress.

Etheridge looks like a mean drunk.

passionate conservative| 6.15.10 @ 8:56PM

Somewhere, a condom broke and Bubba slipped out.

seguin| 6.14.10 @ 7:42PM

There are always two-BUT THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!

P.S. umm...instead of "hunter-killer", what about "interviewer-cameraman?" Occam's razor and all that?

Nate| 6.14.10 @ 9:27PM

It DOES NOT MATTER what those two young men were up to. They might have been trying to prank him, or harass him, or they might have been just trying to ask him a question. It doesn't matter. That Congressman's behavior is totally unacceptable.

If he did not commit a crime, he certainly violated the standards of behavior we have the right to expect of elected officials. He ought to be kicked OUT of Congress, and he ought to be prosecuted if what he did constitutes assault, which it certainly looks like to me.

In addition to the many political and economic troubles this country faces, we face a deeper, worse problem: the unaccountability of people in places of authority and power. I'm a liberal Democrat and I favor getting this guy the hell OUT of office, and I don't care if the most nightmarishly conservative Tea Partying, Glenn Beck listening whacko in the south takes his place.

Nobubba| 6.15.10 @ 1:11AM

The only whacko I see is YOUR guy, Nate. Why are you Liberals so violent? Tsk tsk!

truthseesall| 6.15.10 @ 12:01AM

Bob Etheridge:
"I have seen the video posted on several blogs. I deeply and profoundly regret my reaction [ but most of all that this was taped and I was outed for who I really am...oh, and that my MSM cohorts were not able to do better spin control....damm this internet! ] and I apologize to all involved," Etheridge said in a prepared statement.

Rick| 6.15.10 @ 12:27AM

Not only does the congressman twist the kids arm, shove him around, rip at his jacket but he takes his camera phone as well, this guy has to go http://www.kooks.com/congress/.....Phone.html

Nobubba| 6.15.10 @ 1:09AM

Violence ALWAYS comes from the LEFT--even its representatives.

Dummocrats are going batshit crazy with fear--they must be scared of the upcoming political bloodbath in November.

Thomas| 6.15.10 @ 9:24AM

Rep. Bob Ethridge's behavior speaks for itself. But, what we have here is clear, unequivocal documentation of an obvious over-reaction to a simple question. Unlike the Democratic claim of the the N word being shouted in front of a couple of hundred cameras and sound recording devices, none of which managed to record it. If the Congressman did not wish to answer, a simple "Sorry, Son, I can't talk right now," would have sufficed. This was not in-your -face ambush journalism. The young man did not pursue the Congressman, did not thrust his camera into the Congressman's face and did not badger him with questions. The Congressman pursued the young man with the camera, he held him against his will and kept demanding that the young man answer his questions and never offers an apology to the young man for his behavior. All over a simple question from a man on the street. I guess people will just have to make up their own minds about this.

mark l.| 6.15.10 @ 12:19PM

the wapo headline that they would have written if the guy was republican:

"Another Maccacca Moment"

Noel| 6.15.10 @ 2:23PM

Even the "hunter-killer" rhetoric is overblown. It's just some college Republicans asking a question. the proper response is to smile and say "You kids have a nice day!"

Instead, he let the mask slip.

I don't blame the kids for not giving their names, either, given that a powerful authority figure became instantly violent and vindictive, and above the very laws he writes.

Enhanced interrogation, indeed. He may not grasp the concept of "rights", but he grasps college students pretty good.

AGobbler| 6.16.10 @ 3:25AM

Why doesn't your "operative" make comment on the fact that Etheridge took the phone and walked away with it. Are you going to tell me they don't "know" whose phone it was? His apology and the lack of anyone coming forwards smells. Payoff? Intimidation? Or a set up that got an unexpected reaction and they refuse to divulge why they were there waiting on Etheridge?