VIDEO: Rep. Etheridge (NC2) roughs up college student (PM UPDATE: BE “APOLOGIZES” & DEMS CALL VIDEO A GOP SETUP)
I can’t view the video from the computer I’m at, but it’s been described to me by The Right Scoop and it sounds pretty bad. Make sure to click the link to watch.
Here’s how Big Government’s Mike Flynn describes it:
Last week, Democrat Congressman Bod Etheridge (D-NC2) attended a fundraiser headlined by Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He was asked by some students on the street whether he supported the “Obama Agenda.” He didn’t take it well.
[…]
Fortunately, Rep. Etheridge isn’t one of those gerry-mandered political welfare queens. According to the Cook Report, his district is an R+2 district. He has a credible opponent. Check her out here.
Let’s recap what we saw on this video. A sitting Congressman–a presumed living extension of James Madison and other founding fathers–was asked on a public street whether he supported the President’s agenda. His response was to hit away a video camera and assault a student. The age of Pericles this ain’t.
You can also learn more about Renee Ellmers, Etheridge’s Republican opponent, by following her on Twitter and Facebook.
Update/Related – 10:00 AM: This comes on the heels of a citizen assault that happened last weeks outside of Congressman Mel Watt’s (D-NC-12) Greensboro office. The out of control liberal who did the punching – Govenor Vance Spencer – alleged that the man he assaulted, NC Tea Party’s Nathan Tabor, “pushed” him first. As a result of this allegation, Tabor was charged with simple assault as well. Stay tuned for more on both of these developing stories.
Update 2 – 10:56 AM: Here’s a second video taken of the Etheridge incident.
Update 3 – 1:49 PM: Ben Smith reports that Etheridge has sort of apologized, while Democrats are suggesting this video was a GOP setup:
Bob Etheridge’s abject apology for roughing up an anonymous conservative videographer is being accompanied by a quiet defense of the Congressman from national Democrats.
A national party official emailed around a set of talking points about an hour ago, under the subject heading, “Etheridge Gotcha Video Background.”
Democrats are seeking to raise questions about the video, which first appeared on Andrew Breitbart’s Big Government, because of what’s widely viewed as the media’s mishandling of the ACORN story, which emerged without context from edited videos. In particular, party officials say the video was likely taken by a tracker for the Republican Party, which would explain the effort taken to conceal his identity.
Let’s assume for laughs that all of the above is true. Does that excuse Etheridge’s nasty, physical reaction? No, it doesn’t. But what the above does tell us is that once again even though the Democrat under fire sort of takes responsibility for his actions, the party itself will ignore the issue of the unwarranted assault and instead try to shift the focus from the perpetrator to the victim.
Surprise.