Friday, May 26, 2017

Montana voters unpersuaded by news accounts

Via Drudge:  Just 24 hours after being charged with assault for allegedly body-slamming a reporter in his Bozeman campaign office, Republican Greg Gianforte on Thursday defeated Democratic opponent Rob Quist to win the special election for the U.S. House seat in Montana.

The race was thrust into the national spotlight in dramatic fashion on Wednesday night after Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs described being "body-slammed" by the GOP candidate, and a Fox News crew who witnessed the incident said the former technology and software executive "grabbed Jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him into the ground behind him."

"I'm sick and tired of you guys," Gianforte said in audio of the event released by The Guardian. Jacobs told "Good Morning America" Thursday morning, "I went from being vertical one moment to being horizontal the next."

After the incident, the Gallatin County Sheriff cited Gianforte for misdemeanor assault, and instructed him to appear in court by June 7.

(Link to more)

14 comments:

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

Unlike Jake Tapper, who thinks a politician pushing a reporter is a constitutional crisis, Montanans don't.

Obama spying on Americans: Crickets at CNN

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Heh

chickelit said...

Release the video!

Chip Ahoy said...

I'm at the point where I can't stand all the winning. Measured by how miserably shaken the noisy noncomprehending world.

Like Sara Wilson in this comment thread on this subject at Hot Air. Linkie-poo Sara, poor thing, just cannot have it sink through her thick skull that the title "journalist" does not bestow impunity. Not to the voters. Not at this point in American history. She thinks that it does. She thinks the old rules must apply. She insists and everyone else must comport with her vision of things. Her entire flow of argument puts all responsibility on the candidate and none whatsoever on the journalist no matter the hostile circumstance the journalist creates, same as Paul Ryan thinks.

So they both lecture. On and on and on and on and on, drilling the same lecture.

The Dude said...

Perhaps if more politicians would lay a beat down on reporters we might respect said politicians more than we do, say, used car salesmen.

ricpic said...

It used to be practically part of the job description of a reporter - "journalist" reeks of pomposity - to be a pain in the butt. With the important addendum that the reporter be a pain in the butt to both sides. A return to being an equal opportunity harasser and the public's antipathy to the press would melt away. Well okay, it would lessen somewhat.

Chip Ahoy said...

Proper body slam. Anything less is some reporter's typical misrepresentation.

I had to weed through 6 million titles on YouTube about Gianforte, all uploaded like BANG, before finding this video. Maybe it was two pages of results and not 6 million. I forget exactly, but a lot of videos.

Chip Ahoy said...

A constitutional crisis. What a maroon.

edutcher said...

He spoke truth to power.

Leland said...

It's not just Montana voters...

AllenS said...

Chip, get used to the winning.

rcocean said...

To me "body slamming" a Guardian reporter is a feature not a bug.

I'd love to see Trump bodyslam Lester Holt.

rcocean said...

Thanks Chip.

I was extremely skeptical when I first heard Jacobs was "body slammed". I thought, the Congressman (now) picked the guy up and slammed him to the ground. Really? How many people do that in real life?

In real life, people punch you, hit you, push you to the ground. They rarely pick you up and "slam you" into the ground. Its an unnatural instant reaction to anger over someone invading your personal space.

rcocean said...

BTW, Andrew Jackson would've simply shot the man. And no one would've dared to criticize him.

Because Jackson would've shot them too.