As part of the Obama campaign's renewed focus on Mitt Romney's gubernatorial record, leading members of the president's re-election team, including David Axelrod, appeared in Boston this morning for an event. In an unexpected twist, Obama's team were heckled -- apparently by Romney staffers.
Initially, I found reports that Romney aides would literally go to an Obama event to heckle hard to believe, but the Republican candidate actually volunteered to take ownership of the heckling at a press conference this afternoon.
For those who can't watch clips online, Romney said today:
"If the president is going to have his people come in to my rallies and heckle, why, we'll show them we conservatives have the same kind of capacity he does."
I don't think Romney has thought this one through. The smart response would have been for the candidate to say, "If people are going to try to disrupt public events, that's up to them. I'm running for president of the United States, and I don't have time to concern myself with who is or isn't heckling David Axelrod."
But that's not what Romney said. On the contrary, he positioned himself as being responsible for heckling -- he's almost proud of it.
I'm generally not impressed with Mitt Romney's retail skills as a politician, but this is just sad. Why take ownership of obnoxious hecklers on purpose?
As for the heckling itself, Jed Lewison noted that Romney aides shouted, screamed, and even blew bubbles and vuvezelas in the hopes of being disruptive.
Obama campaign senior strategist David Axelrod, who was the featured speaker at the event, told the Romney aides that their efforts to drown out discussion of Mitt Romney's record as governor would not succeed. "You can shout down speakers," he said. "But it's hard to Etch A Sketch the truth away."
Axelrod said that the reason Romney never talks about his gubernatorial record on the campaign trail is that under Romney's leadership, Massachusetts was 47th in the nation in job creation. "You can't handle the truth," Axelrod said, addressing the Romney campaigns efforts to shout down the press conference. "If you could handle the truth, you'd quiet down." The truth, Axelrod said, was that Romney in 2002 promised that his record at Bain would help him lead an economic boom in Massachusetts -- a boom that never materialized. Romney is promising the same thing today, Axelrod said, but there's no more reason to believe Romney in 2012 than there was in 2002.
Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone mocked the Romney campaign's efforts. "Thank you for the bubbles," Curtatone said. "It's a hell of a lot better than the smoke Mitt Romney blew at us ten years ago and that he's blowing across America!"
As for the bigger picture, if Romney is choosing to invite hecklers as a legitimate form of political expression, he may end up regretting how far he opened the door today.
Leave a Comment:
Here's the thing, Mittens: you've already got a dedicated team of hecklers. They're called the GOP caucus in Congress.
...and you have an example of it being done before: The famous Brooks Brothers Riot in Miami during the 2000 recount. Hey. If the public won't come out for you, send your employees. The camera doesn't know the difference.
At least they didn't wrestle Axelrod to the ground, and cut his hair!
What a pathetic excuse of a presidential candidate Mitt Romney to turning out to be. He's a grown man acting like a teenager. What is his motto, "If you can do it, I can do it better," Pathetic!
actually, it reminds me of when my kids were about 5yo ---
"well she did it to meeeeeee"
"If you can do it, I can do it better,"
So, does that mean that Obama supporters are doing it too? The article seems to imply that. Classic, I mean literally classic campaign stuff :). There is noooo way that this is the first time operatives from one candidate try to disrupt the other candidates rallys. The only reason this is even blogged about here is because Steve brought it up.
However, it is funny that Romney basically is saying that is "team" is as good at a certain "skill" as Obama's "team":
this is all over the web ... so maybe your first reaction should not be trying to get over on the dumb liberals
HE says pbo's aides were doing it -- out loud he says it -- go read reid epstein's article at politico (mitt romney crashes solyndra)
The article says that Romney *claimed* Obama has sent hecklers. There is no mention of Romney referring to a specific event, or providing any evidence. In conjunction with the Romney campaign's paranoid rambling that the White House would try to sabotage their press conference at Solyndra, this is deeply weird.
"There is noooo way that this is the first time operatives from one candidate try to disrupt the other candidates rallys." Just because you say it, doesn't make it true. Put up or shut up, @!$%#.
That's cool Redshift, I do not have any proof at my fingertips, so let's say it never, ever happened before - that all campaigns in the history of the U.S. were fine upstanding campaigns with no shenanigans - a literal electoral utopia :). And of course thank you for your mature comment at the end. It is expected here. I thought the name calling was more of a Republican thing....
No Skippie, we progressives can call trolls names. When you imply that The Obomination's Campaign must be guilty of sending hecklers to RMoney events because RMoney says so and use as proof the lack of proof, you are coming across as an @sshole repuknican troll.
Sad,
Look at my posts again:
So, does that mean that Obama supporters are doing it too? The article seems to imply that.
I don't see how that comment equates to me saying that the Obama campaign MUST be doing it. I was asking it that is what Romney's comment meant - NOT mine. I was actually poking fun at Mr. Romney:
However, it is funny that Romney basically is saying that is "team" is as good at a certain "skill" as Obama's "team":
So, again I never said that Obama's side was doing anything and my comment about this not being the first time there were shady campaign tactics was more of a comment, but honestly do you think that every campaign through our country's history never had stuff like this before? If so, then fine - my second comment retracted that and I will cheerlead with y'all on how at least the Democrats are always squeaky clean through time and the Republicans always cheat. Better? Now I have to add another sentence if I want to get my paycheck for being a troll here. I have a word minimum I have to reach. Troll pay is pretty good, but the benefits suck :). And my troll employer does not allow me to call people names like you do, although I must admit it really adds relevance and makes you comments so much more informative.
"Why take ownership of obnoxious hecklers on purpose?"
Because in the GOP bullying, whining, and bragging about horseshyt is what they do!
And because they're stuck at the emotional level of 12-year-old boys.
Next step for Romney's gang of juvenile delinquents, throwing eggs and rotten tomatoes.
With Republicans getting crazier and crazier it's only a matter of time before this happens. So far right-wing violence has been confined to abortion clinics and doctors and a few militiamen punks and nutters like McVeigh but the violence will escalate sooner or later, with gun-waving yahoos screaming "Save America from socialism" and working-class numbskulls chanting "End benefits now, give my money to the rich". The problem for them is if they try anything they wind up dead real quick. Military and law enforcement is on our side, the patriots' side, and right-wing fanatics are only fooling themselves into thinking they can seize power through force of arms, which they consider a valid means of taking the county back since that is how the patriots seized it in the first place from Great Britain.
As evidence of right-wing lust for violence I present this forum from Breitbart. As long as those keyboard kommandos stay in their wheelchairs with inhalers stuck in their mouths they are harmless, let them pose as tough guys, the only ones they fool are themselves. But let one loose waving a gun to "protect his freedom" and he winds up dead real quick.
Jon Stewart compared the right's attacking "socialism" (which is no more than a random insult to them) to Romney's taking credit for the rescuing of General Motors, an entirely socialist action. Dumb@!$%#s don't have a clue.
While taking credit for such a display of poor behavior isn't what one would expect of a candidate for the Presidency; it is not surprising to learn that such a disruption is considered acceptable or even appropriate by a life-long bully's standards.
From what we know of Romney's past and upbringing, I think it's what we should expect from him.
And besides, disrupting the other party's meetings is brownshirt SOP.
To what is he referring when he talks about Obama aides heckling him?
As Romney sees it, Obama had "his people" - regular, voluntary citizens - heckle Romney events (even though Obama obviously had nothing to do with that), so Romney can have "his people" - paid aides - heckle Obama events at Romney's explicit request.
Other than that, no difference whatsoever.
Katherine,
Not sure, but if about a dozen Obama supporters showed up at a random Romney event, they likely doubled the attendance total.
Romney has such thin skin that he counts a journalist asking him a question to be heckling.
Victimhood, call out the flying monkeys!
Convenient victimhood. Nixon was kind of similar, really. Convincing himself that Kennedy only defeated him in 1960 with dirty tricks allowed Nixon to give himself permission to do the same in 1968 and 1972. Were there instances of Democratic rat-@!$%#ing in 1960? Probably. On the same scale as Republicans in 1968 and 1972? No.
Team Obama has done nothing to Romney to date that matches what Romney's people did. But like Nixon, blaming the other side gives Romney the excuse he needs. I have to wonder if, like Nixon, Romney's people will commit crimes in the process, or whether their actions will remain at the level of a middle-school class president campaign.
And when, pray tell, did Obama aides heckle Romney's speeches? Is this another one of those "everybody who's not for me is an aide and close confident of Obama because shut up that's why" things?
Ye. Also, Bill Ayers.
I think they're referring to the flak that Rachel dishes out.
Oh Romney...looking forward to being a failed candidate?
I'm beginning to think Steve Benen doesn't understand the people Romney is trying to impress. Wingnuts will ABSOLUTELY LOVE this. They think in-your-face-with-a-fist is the way to be in life. They think walking down the hall and knocking the other guy down with their shoulder is smart tactics and the way to show who is boss. This is Romney business tactics. It is get out of my way. This is the way these dicks conduct themselves in business and in personal interactions with people they don't agree with. This is Fox. There will be none of the mamby-pamby sissy-ass 2008 McCain deferring to civility nonsense in this campaign.
I'll say it again: Democrats are not going to know what him them. This is going to be ugly. It is going to be brazenly uncivil. And Republicans are going to be BRAGGING about their extreme incivility, not running from it. And it will work.
After the last two years, how can people not know that?
But Romney can't get elected with only the people who hate Obama and think thuggish tactics are great. The fact that he's still going out of his way to impress people he should be able to take for granted, at the expense of making him look bad to everyone else, shows how weak his position is.
I think you're right.
But he can use their money. And these tactics' results get in the air and lend an air of confidence (undeserved, of course) and superiority (undeserved, of course) and leadership (undeserved, of course) that is accepted by people who don't pay enough attention.
Yes and no. They would never do it themselves, but get all tingly when Chuck Norris slams someone's face into a cactus.
Money is important because it can only go so far in buying elections. Historical evidence shows fascist money can also go to hire street punks. It's coming, just wait.
Romney is all about the heckling, even taking scissors after people if he doesn't like their hair. Good nickname Willard Scissorhands? Maybe people can just bring a large cardboard pair if prop scissors to the rallies.
That's exactly right. This is exactly the sort of person Romney is and has been since at least 18. And it is why the WP article was useful. It is exactly what Republicans are. This is WHO THEY ARE. Obnoxious, pushy ass holes
and paranoid, delusional ones at that
Because it will raise lots of money.
And for every vuvezela played at an Obama event, a wingnut gets that funny feeling below the beltline. WOLVERINES!
Since it was Romney's own staffers doing the heckling, Romney could not have given your response as it would insight questions like "Does Romney not know what his staffers are doing?" and such. By claiming responsibility he scores points with conservatives who want him to be tough on Obama.
"i'm running for president ... i want to talk about jobs ... hecklers can, and i'm sure will, heckle all they want ... if they have questions, i'll be happy to answer those, too ... now, as i was saying ...."
This doesn't show that you are tough on President Obama, it shows that you are stupid. Okay let's say Romney didn't know what his staffers were going to do, he could have said that kind of behavior would not be tolerated by anyone who works for him, if the other side acts like that, that doesn't mean we should. I true leader would have handle it that way, but we all know Mitt Romney is a rich bully, who knows how to make money, and stab the middle class and poor in the back . Oh yea, and Mitt is great at telling lies.
We have already had a congresswoman shot and a lot of innocents killed at a recent campaign event. What the hell is Romney thinking? Where is the leadership?
What Republicans are thinking is obvious. They are not smart enough to keep a secret. And Republicans are brilliant at leadership, leading the country straight to bankruptcy, civil unrest, and a fascist coup.
It's one thing to have supporters of a campaign show up and heckle a candidate on their own intiative and free will. It's completely another thing to direct paid staffers to do it. I'm not sure if that's what happened here, but it sure sounds like it. If so, well I'm glad the extreme wingnuts will love it, but it won't translate to votes from independents, moderates, and others who actually think for themselves.
"Why take ownership of obnoxious hecklers on purpose?"
A Republican's claims never have to be proven, they just need to be MADE, thus becoming Truth.
In this case, there is absolutely zero evidence that the Obama Administration is arranging for Romney press conferences to be heckled...but Romney just said that the President indeed arranges to have "his people" heckle Romney events. Thus, Obama has "his people" heckle at Romney events. And it will become common wisdom that "each side does it." But the right will believe that Romney did it out of necessity, because Obama started it. And he's so sure the "Obama started it" conceit will become accepted wisdom, he's not even shy about admitting his campaign's role in heckling the Obama presser...
I swear, Romney's campaign is so inept that I at times think it's the political equivalent of Mel Brooks' comedy The Producers (the original one, the good one). Romney thought there would be some advantage to running for President, but he didn't want to be President. Now that he's the candidate, he has to run the worst campaign imaginable, so he won't nail down a position, he associates with asses like Trump, he openly endorses things a majority of Americans dislikes, and intends to repeal things that the majority likes...AND IT'S STILL A CLOSER RACE THAN IT HAS ANY RIGHT TO BE.
Inept? They're using tactics and lies that can't be defended against. It's the child equivalent of the never-ending series of "Why?" questions manifesting itself in "I'm rubber, you're glue" form. And Americans are stupid enough and ignorant enough and irresponsible enough to buy into it. Republicans know this and are unscrupulous, unethical, and ruthless enough to use it.
The sad thing is is that Democrats can't or won't understand this and take measures to fight it.
It's going to work. You've already the results. All the latest polls show a tie. It's sickeningly wrong, but it's working and it's going to work more.
Exactly. The best of all possible and all that.
Prove it! Evidence shows Democrats are in cahoots. Democrats ARE smart enough to keep a secret, to let Republicans do the dirty work and take the heat while Dem rake in their share of the loot. Clear evidence is that Republicans would never have been able to pull off their stunts (tax cuts, military spending) without Democrat backing.
Very quickly now we will witness a grand descent into the ugliest level of political campaigning as Mitt Romney's campaign's got nothing but the emotional laden political strategy of divide and conquer to try to secure a victory at the polls!
ACA is being judicially reviewed and what does Romney have besides it? -Nothing
Our economy is slowly recovering and how does Romney take such news? -He disregards it or moves the goal posts of the recovery to attack President Obama from angles that make no sense!
Romney attacks crony capitalism in front of a secret location, why? -He has to become dramatically against what essentially he did as governor of Mass. in order to pivot from his dismal record as an elected official.
Now Romney sends in the goon squad to heckle his political rival, and expects civil discourse to continue? -What a hack!
All politics aside, Romney seems to be an unyielding ignoramus - someone who has no business representing anyone, especially in the people's White House! -Kevo
Kevo...
You must be wrong in your analysis! Jonathan Alter tells us that this is going to be a clean campaign because the Super Pacs will make sure that it is clean.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/ten-miles-square/2012/05/how_superpacs_will_keep_the_ca037537.php
Unless, of course, Jonathan Alter is still full of sh!t.
Wow, Romney really is a legend in his own mind. Apparently, it's never occurred to him there might actually be people out there who don't like him. Once again, he's proving he's out of touch.
What's he doing is showing us all just how extreme the hatred is of Obama. Has any obnoxious behavior from Republicans actually hurt them lately? Demanding tax increases on poor people and cuts for rich? Proposing to end Medicare? Lying out of their teeth? Answer: no. They know how stupid and ignorant Americans are. Because they're educating them with Fox.
Precisely. And not only Fox, the fascists have a range of mouthpieces- WSJ Opinion, American Thinker, NewsMax, Limbaugh, Coulter, Sowell... Ignorant people are having their heads filled with lies as we speak.
Hey, he's got to do what he's got to do to get that 50.1%. Has anyone asked David Duke who he supports in 2012?
Romney has shown the world so far that he would be perfect as President of the Tea Party, and a disaster as President of the United States.
Once a bully, always a bully...
I wonder where one learns that kind of response.....?
Wolfe Blitzer said to someone recently, "You are kind of sounding ridiculous now."
And that someone responded, "No Wolfe, you sound ridiculous!"
24/7 campaign coverage and great clips of the immature adults in the room!
Did Obama's "professional" hecklers shout "You lie!" or something Mr. Rmoney?
If I was a Republican I would feel so ashame of what is our candidate. Instead of standing up there and acting like a real leader, he stands up their and say there was nothing wrong with his aides, interns, childish behavior. It shows that the high school bully who held down some kid and cut their hair against their will is still in Mitt Romney, he has not mature at all. The other night while paling around with the racists birther Donald Trump, Mitt released his birth certificate, once again trying to be funny. But I want to know when will Mitt release his tax returns? What is he hiding?
Why don't Mitt Romney make all of us laugh by releasing his tax returns, like his Dad did. His Dad was showing he had nothing to hide, he release 12 years, what has Mitt released so far?
Expect Mittens to release more returns in very late October. Fox Noise, Rushbo, Shawn Insanity and such will attack any analysis by the Obama Campaign as just being nasty attack politics. The Corporately Owned Media will not want to do any real indepth analysis for fear of unduly influencing the election. Mittens multiples of offshore accounts used to 'shelter' income from taxes will not be discussed.
Excellent!
That is a testable prediction. Let's see if it comes true. Or, generally, let's see how well Mitt's feet are held to the fire:
-Off-shore accounts
-Draft dodging the Vietnam War
-Military-age sons who refuse to serve in military
-Holding Mitt accountable for his interminable lying and hypocrisy