May as well pull the plug on your campaign, Dude. You're toast.
Posted on 06/14/2011 2:40:44 PM PDT by Hunton Peck
A rolling tape on an answering machine has caught an unsuspecting Rep. Fred Clark, D-Baraboo, saying he wanted to "smack around" a woman from his district after she hung up on him.
Clark, who is challenging Sen. Luther Olsen, R-Ripon, in a recall election, was making campaign calls last week when he reached the Baraboo home of Sue and John Stapelman.
The answering machine took the call at first, but Sue Stapelman then picked up. The machine's tape kept recording.
After Clark introduced himself, he told Sue Stapelman that he was challenging Olsen in the upcoming recall election.
Stapelman responded: "Yeah, and isn't that a crime."
She then hung up on Clark, but her answering machine kept the line open and continued recording.
Clark did not know he was being recorded when, after a short pause, he said to his campaign staffer: "OK. I feel like calling her back and smackin' her around."
Clark apologized for the comment on Monday.
"In a moment of frustration after a discouraging phone conversation last week, I made a clearly inappropriate comment to my campaign staffer after the call," Clark said.
"I understand the statement was completely inappropriate under any circumstance and I want to apologize. I am deeply sorry for any distress this incident my have caused for Ms. Stapleman or anyone in her family."
Clark said he has called and left a message apologizing to the Stapelmans, and hopes to speak with them in person soon.
John Stapelman said Monday he and his wife are not happy about the comment. "I think that was totally inappropriate and my wife thinks it was pretty inappropriate, too," Stapelman said.
He said he doesn't think Clark actually was threatening his wife, but the incident does not speak to Clark's character.
"We're pretty independent, actually," Stapelman said of he and his wife's political leanings. "I have to say in this current situation, I'm leaning toward the (Republicans) for fiscal responsibility reasons, in addition to what happened here."
Clark is challenging Olsen for his Senate seat after 14th District residents signed a petition to recall Olsen for his support of Republican Gov. Scott Walker's bill to restrict collective bargaining for government workers.
Stapelman, a nurse anesthetist at St. Clare Hospital, said he spoke with coworkers about the Clark recording and later received a call from the Republican Party of Wisconsin.
John Hogan, director of the Committee to Elect a Republican Senate, went to Stapelman's home to verify the recording and make a copy. The Republican Party of Wisconsin issued a press release about the comment Monday and made the recording available on its website.
(A copy of the recording also has been posted at www.portagedailyregister.com.)
"This disturbing and inappropriate comment gives us an unfortunate glimpse of what Representative Clark is like when he thinks no one is listening," Hogan said in the news release. "Domestic violence is a devastating problem in our state, and abuse is on the rise. To be able to so freely threaten violence against a woman, even in jest, shows a tremendous lack of character."
Sue Stapelman said Monday she didn't have much to say about the matter.
"I was just pretty much flabbergasted when I heard what he said," Stapelman said. "It kind of speaks to his respect for his constituents. He obviously doesn't have very much respect for the voters."
Audio at the link.
May as well pull the plug on your campaign, Dude. You're toast.
Wonder if he’s going to send her a picture of little willy. You just never know what these Democrats are up to anymore.
This is soooo disappointing. A good Democrat wants to smack around a woman????? Only evil Republican Neanderthal types who have made Super Bowl Sunday the worst day of the year for domestic violence could say such a thing. (sarcasm)
Also, has he NOT learned the lessons of Tucson? We’re not supposed to use ANY violent or military terms or metaphors, as the liberals decided that over heated rhetoric pushes people over the edge to commit violence.
Tsk, tsk. He should be ashamed of himself.
We should take a page out of Alinsky and use the Democrats’ own standards against them. It was Democrats who lectured us after Tucson about violent images and metaphors. This Democrat should be called to task on this issue.
.
if he called this house, he’d get many more blunt words. much more blunt.
and if he said he’d slap me around, i’d give him the address
at least THAT would be worth all the tax money i’ve paid
That one’s news to me; it was about two years ago. Here’s the story, which says the cyclist’s injuries were “non-life-threatening”, but that leaves room for broken bones and other unpleasant stuff: http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/53623217.html
Jesus, mary, & Joseph! I read about this incident, but nothing prepared me for the video.
baraboo AND Ripon in the same district? gerrymander much?
Ripon is home of the Republican Party and Ripon good cookies:)
Nothing from the N.A.G,’s. Oh, yeah...democRAT.
can anyone else comment on this story on Pioneer Press website ?
http://www.twincities.com/allheadlines/ci_18277339
it seems they disable comments if/when comments negative of leftist antics are made...case in point, the
WI SC shoot down of judge SueMe. comments had been running 5-1 against demonrats this morning, now it appears comments section is gone
It looks like they’re running the comments through Facebook, so maybe you have to have an active FB account to post one.
I made a FB account just for that...still not allowing me the option.
pathetic they make people sign up for facebutt just to comment.
Kevin Ecker · Top Commenter · Lockheed Martin
At least he has the exact moment his career imploded on tape to enjoy for the future.
I thought that was pretty good.
nope.
I see : “Facebook article commenting: How-to and questions “ below the story..nothing more.
normally I see people’s facebook pic or avatar and their comment box and comment below it
“normally I see people’s facebook pic or avatar and their comment box and comment below it”
That’s what I see when I go to the page. The only thing I can suggest is to make sure you’re signed into FB, and if that doesn’t work, try deleting twincities.com cookies and try again. Beyond that, I’m in over my head.
thanks, yep. already tried that, too.
weird.
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