Republican candidate 'body-slams' Guardian reporter in Montana

[catfish1957]

@Philip_Elliott




"The candidate committed assault against a reporter," former Rep. Joe Walsh, a Republican. "That should be a big deal."

Wow,  the high and mighty Joe Walsh has decided to bypass legal due process, and convict.

I think the wild man (Joe Walsh)  of the James Gang and Eagles makes more sense.

[kevindavis007]

[Emjay]

@Philip_Elliott




"The candidate committed assault against a reporter," former Rep. Joe Walsh, a Republican. "That should be a big deal."

Reporters are not Holy Men and pushing a guy away is not assault .... unless, of course, you broke his widdle glasses.

[Silver Pines]

@CatherineofAragon


How dare you bring common sense.. We need to scream and shout and act like keyboard tough guys..

@kevindavis

Pffft, I come from redneck central Virginia.  This is farming country, and I'm surrounded by rednecks, and I consider that a good thing. I don't know any man who would behave like Gianforte over a question.

[kevindavis007]

@kevindavis

Pffft, I come from redneck central Virginia.  This is farming country, and I'm surrounded by rednecks, and I consider that a good thing. I don't know any man who would behave like Gianforte over a question.

May have went a little overboard, but still it was wrong what Gianforte did.

[Emjay]

@kevindavis

Pffft, I come from redneck central Virginia.  This is farming country, and I'm surrounded by rednecks, and I consider that a good thing. I don't know any man who would behave like Gianforte over a question.

We don't really know what happened.  There is no video .... only inconclusive audio and the Fox reporters are waiting to speak until they find out whether they will get fired or not depending on what they say.

And rednecks in Texas react badly if you accidentally know their beer over.  You must have some gentlemanly rednecks up your way.

[jmyrlefuller]

@kevindavis

Pffft, I come from redneck central Virginia.  This is farming country, and I'm surrounded by rednecks, and I consider that a good thing. I don't know any man who would behave like Gianforte over a question.

Of course, because most don't. You are taking a hostile reporter with an agenda to throw an election at face value and disregarding any evidence or common sense to the contrary.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

Sort of similiar:

31e. Canefight! Preston Brooks and Charles Sumner

REPRESENTATIVE PRESTON BROOKS of South Carolina thought Sumner went too far. Southerners in the nineteenth century were raised to live by an unwritten code of honor. Defending the reputation of one's family was at the top of the list. A distant cousin of Senator Butler, Brooks decided to teach Charles Sumner a lesson he would not soon forget. Two days after the end of Sumner's speech, Brooks entered the Senate chamber where Sumner was working at his desk. He flatly told Sumner, "You've libeled my state and slandered my white-haired old relative, Senator Butler, and I've come to punish you for it." Brooks proceeded to strike Sumner over the head repeatedly with a gold-tipped cane. The cane shattered as Brooks rained blow after blow on the hapless Sumner, but Brooks could not be stopped. Only after being physically restrained by others did Brooks end the pummeling.

http://www.ushistory.org/us/31e.asp

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

That's basically every fake tough guy on this thread.

[roamer_1]

Pffft, I come from redneck central Virginia.  This is farming country, and I'm surrounded by rednecks, and I consider that a good thing. I don't know any man who would behave like Gianforte over a question.

@CatherineofAragon

You will find that the South is more genteel than the West, redneck or not.

I thought it was funny... And rather inconsequential... Just a tussle.
The real hilarity was the reporter getting carted off in an ambulance. LOL!

I will withhold judgement on Gianforte's manners till I get the whole story... If the gent needed his eye dotted, then he got away easy.

[kevindavis007]

Of course, because most don't. You are taking a hostile reporter with an agenda to throw an election at face value and disregarding any evidence or common sense to the contrary.

I would have just ignore the reporter.

[kevindavis007]

That's basically every fake tough guy on this thread.

Yep they talk a good game..

[Emjay]

@CatherineofAragon

You will find that the South is more genteel than the West, redneck or not.

I thought it was funny... And rather inconsequential... Just a tussle.
The real hilarity was the reporter getting carted off in an ambulance. LOL!

I will withhold judgement on Gianforte's manners till I get the whole story... If the gent needed his eye dotted, then he got away easy.

Woo hoo !!  A first   Someone waiting until the facts are in before making a judgment.  Okay, I'm impressed and I'm leaving before someone disillusions me which is sure to happen in 5 4 3 ...

[skeeter]

That's basically every fake tough guy on this thread.

Says the guy who loves insulting people anonymously.

Trolling fail.

[Silver Pines]

@CatherineofAragon

You will find that the South is more genteel than the West, redneck or not.

I thought it was funny... And rather inconsequential... Just a tussle.
The real hilarity was the reporter getting carted off in an ambulance. LOL!

I will withhold judgement on Gianforte's manners till I get the whole story... If the gent needed his eye dotted, then he got away easy.

@roamer_1

You don't know my father-in-law, lol.

He's a successful business owner, but he's a man you wouldn't want to mess with.  But he wouldn't do something like this.  It's just wrong, and dumb.

[corbe]

We don't really know what happened.  There is no video .... only inconclusive audio and the Fox reporters are waiting to speak until they find out whether they will get fired or not depending on what they say.

And rednecks in Texas react badly if you accidentally knock their beer over.  You must have some gentlemanly rednecks up your way.

   That's simply not true @Emjay we only get mad if you spill the bong water on the 20 year old carpet.

[Frank Cannon]

@Philip_Elliott




"The candidate committed assault against a reporter," former Rep. Joe Walsh, a Republican. "That should be a big deal."

So sayeth the one term Rep who lost to a Leftist loser like Tammy Duckworth.

[kevindavis007]

@BenSasse  8h8 hours ago


A big part of a public servant's job is teaching civics. If the First Amendment means anything, it means you can't body-slam a journalist.

[Smokin Joe]

Fair or not, here are the optics, and they will likely work against the candidate.

Billings:
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/the-latest-on-the-alleged-assault-by-u-s-house/article_e82859d5-aaa8-5fbb-af6f-b92826a7a57a.html

http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/in-montana-voters-can-t-change-already-cast-absentee-ballots/article_473b5cdc-06ed-55cb-9d1b-b60bf5b2fb26.html

(Quist ads all over the website)

Missoula
http://missoulian.com/news/politics/state/what-we-know-live-updates-on-montana-s-special-house/article_f984da5f-09f1-5111-abcd-479a1deef7de.html

http://missoulian.com/news/government-and-politics/gianforte-cited-for-misdemeanor-assault-allegedly-body-slammed-reporter/article_f5b0749d-62e1-517b-873a-3602bb3560bb.html

(Also plastered with Quist ads, statement of pulled support)

Bozeman
http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/politics/if-gianforte-wins-election-house-will-have-final-say-if/article_5cf2e50a-b471-55f5-9d37-c8d6d305bd72.html

http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/crime/sheriff-gianforte-declined-follow-up-interview-with-investigators/article_6c247dc5-c85b-570f-aa20-b91fef615a1c.html

http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/politics/politicians-react-to-gianforte-s-alleged-assault-of-reporter/article_4e0010fd-13ea-54e7-aeb0-22cd85a39498.html

(Quist ads there, too)

Butte
http://mtstandard.com/news/local/early-butte-turnout-steady-as-voters-react-to-gianforte-assault/article_d2b6112e-911c-5f33-be2e-9a92d8c52fc7.html

http://mtstandard.com/news/state-and-regional/gianforte-keeps-low-profile-after-assault-charge/article_b728924f-9817-569c-867d-6a1d2feb5bea.html

(More Quist ads)

Great Falls
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/2017/05/25/assault-allegation-against-gianforte-prompts-comment/346373001/

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/2017/05/25/lee-newspapers-withdraw-gianforte-endorsement/345237001/

(no conspicuous ads either candidate)

Helena (State Capitol, for the geographically challenged)
http://helenair.com/news/local/an-ir-view-independent-record-withdraws-endorsement-of-gianforte/article_0d7d40b6-8d5d-587c-86f7-290a611b53db.html

http://helenair.com/news/politics/voter-turnout-reaches-percent-in-lewis-and-clark-county/article_5e6d65ea-6e32-5e00-ab21-1e8592cab710.html

(Yep, Quist ads in evidence).

First off, surprise, surprise, the press came out against, or at best sort of neutral toward a guy accused of assaulting one of their own. No matter what else he did or said, that will be the act which will follow the candidate. Most of the non-local stories are AP, and identical from paper to paper. It's the same message being broadcast far and wide.

Now, this is only a few of the towns in Montana, but those are the biggest. Which means the most votes. And colleges. Which means, as towns have increasingly, the bigger they get, somewhat more liberal viewpoints than the folks who live out in the country or in smaller towns.

That isn't saying between two regular folks there might not be a tussle from time to time, but those are regular folks who would likely never consider going to Washington and being in Congress, and who likely wouldn't even get a foot on the campaign trail. Besides a little scrap between ordinary folks isn't even always regarded as insignificant, some people will call the police over that, a lot more than say, 20 or 30 years ago when people had a tendency to settle things among themselves.

But the combination of getting in a tussle with someone who is going to get nothing but sympathy from 'their own' in the matter, and having to deal with a press which leans liberal in the first place is a nasty pair of punches to administer on election's eve for any campaign, anywhere, especially when self-inflicted. There is no time to sort it out, no time to gloss it over, and no time to upstage it with something winning and let those who aren't pleased forget (if they will).
Politics is the art of pleasing everyone until you don't, but there is supposed to be an election in between those milestones. Better judgement would have had Mr. Gianforte on his best behaviour, even if the reporters were not.

[roamer_1]

You don't know my father-in-law, lol.

He's a successful business owner, but he's a man you wouldn't want to mess with.  But he wouldn't do something like this.  It's just wrong, and dumb.

Well, of course the timing wasn't too good (it never is)... And normally there's an invite to take it outside - the final warning - But if the guy stood in need of it, that's alright with me (read: none of my business).

I can only reckon it to the Palin brawl a while back - A thing that hardly raised an eyebrow here, but seemed to offend the sensibilities of most folks.

The bar here is set lower than most folks expect. Part of our more libertarian and independence minded way.

[anubias]

It happened in front of three FOX employees.  They were in the middle of an interview with the Gov.  The Guardian idiot interrupted and wouldn't stop.  FOX says the gov lost it, grabbed him on either side of his neck, threw him to the ground, jumped on top of him and punched him three times.

Not smart.  But I understand.  ;)

37% of voters had already voted.  Wonder if the good gov will still win the election tonight? 

[roamer_1]

Fair or not, here are the optics, and they will likely work against the candidate.

@Smokin Joe
Yeah, no doubt.

But I wasn't going to vote for him anyway.
He's got a RINO smell to him, ala Raciot - Something folks here still have a sensitivity to.

[Frank Cannon]

@BenSasse  8h8 hours ago


A big part of a public servant's job is teaching civics. If the First Amendment means anything, it means you can't body-slam a journalist.

Well thank God that the arbiter of good taste Bens Asse has given us his opinion. I know many of us were dying to hear what a Senator from Nebraska had to say about a House election. I will sleep easier now.

[Smokin Joe]

@Smokin Joe
Yeah, no doubt.

But I wasn't going to vote for him anyway.
He's got a RINO smell to him, ala Raciot - Something folks here still have a sensitivity to.

Is there a political equivalent of the Darwin Award? He might win yet, but if not does he get a 'Dean Scream" for just being dumb? Maybe a bronzed foot with a bullet hole in it....?

[Old Warrior in Exile]

   ...we only get mad if you spill the bong water on the 20 year old carpet.

Dude... Careful with the bong water. It contains desirable THC resin.