Senator's Supporters Push, Tackle Protester

wftv ^ | 10/31/06

[steve-b]

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- A protester who shouted questions at Virginia Sen. George Allen was pushed to the floor during Allen's campaign appearance Tuesday at a Charlottesville hotel.

Allen held a campaign event there Tuesday morning with North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole.

CNN showed video of the confrontation. The video showed the protester trying to get Allen's attention and asking the Republican incumbent about his first wife.

"Why did you spit at your first wife, George?" the man asked.

Allen declined to answer the question.

On the video, three men, all wearing blue Allen lapel stickers, immediately grabbed the man, dragged him backward and slung him to the carpet outside a hotel meeting room. The video showed one man tackle him. The men are presumed to be staffers, according to Charlottesville TV station WVIR....

[Dante3]

If I were a Webb supporter, I would not bring up wives even though one of his ex wives supports him.

[mrsmith]

"The fact that the hotel is privately owned has no bearing on the discussion. "

Paging Karl Marx!

Whatever, just use your head out there.

[SUSSA]

So you think people can assault anyone they want if they are on private property?

Someone can walk into a restaurant grab you by the neck and throw you to the ground because they don't like something you said?

That's an interesting theory.

It wasn't employees of the corporation that owns the hotel or of the company that manages the hotel. It was people who were also attending the public event being held there.

[Flora McDonald]

The man rushed towards the Senator and he was yelling.
I think what happened to him was reasonable.

[SUSSA]

That wasn't the way it looked on the film FOX News showed. If he "rushed" the Senator I would think his security detail would take care of it not other attendees.

[Henchster]

WHOOPS! I need to read the article more carefully. I thought it said HE pushed Allen, and after his nutball comments on the web, I would have thought attacking a Senator like that would have gotten him whacked.

Sorry about that. I just saw the video clip and he was not a real danger, but he deserved exactly what he got - most party crashers get a rude exit.

[Henchster]

...George Allen was pushed to the floor...

Looking back at it, I can see how I got excited.

[SUSSA]

Sorry about that. I just saw the video clip and he was not a real danger, but he deserved exactly what he got - most party crashers get a rude exit.

***

As I understand it it was an open to the public event. Which would mean he wasn't a party crasher, just a constituent who asked a question the thugs didn't like. This is just like the scum that attacked Ann Coulter because they didn't like what she said. Republicans aren't supposed to act like that.

[Henchster]

I saw that it was at a private hotel reception room, as opposed to a school aud or other public venue, so normally somebody is paying for it, and I assume there is a guest list.

Was it actually an open question town hall type forum, or an open speech (where shouting him down would have gotten him removed) or a private fundraiser-rally for contributors where he would have been a party crasher?

His actions warranted removal from even an open town hall meeting. But he only deserved the rude exit (as opposed to a simple escort out) if he was a party crasher. Having said that, the clip I saw was obviously cropped, and he could have been shouting and refusing to leave for quite some time before he was physically removed with prejudice.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Good! That is exactly how we should be treating those bastards.

I agree. Hasn't this peon ever heard of email? How rude.

[SUSSA]

I pretty much agree with your take. I've heard the event called a rally and a "press the flesh" event which made me think it was open (no ticket required).

It's one thing to drag someone out of a private party for saying something the host doesn't like and a totally different matter to physically assault someone who says something one doesn't like at a public event.

We don't know for sure which this was. You may be right that it was a closed event. In which case I agree what happened was justified. If it was a public event, I think it was an assault.

I just think all too often we tend to justify actions of Republicans that we would condemn if done by Democrats. I think we should be better than that. I also think we should treat other political activists the way we want to be treated in similar circumstances.

[Henchster]

John Francois Kerry has stolen all the headlines, so it is hard to tell, but my guess is if this was a town hall meeting, this guy's "ejection" would be big news.

The fact that the drive-by-media isn't all over it means it could be the guy was a party crasher, and there's no there, there.

Or it could be that Kerry has so botched "New Drapes '06" that the drive-by-media doesn't have time to take down Allen.

[SUSSA]

All very true.

[Houmatt]

I'll bet you'd be outraged and demanding criminal charges be brought against Democrats who did this to FReepers who asked a Democrat an embarrassing question.

Apparently you did not read the article you posted. Stark went there to cause trouble. Period. And I am sick and tired of people who show up at GOP functions to provoke unrest.

This is the way Stark should have been treated, and I am happy he was. If it happened more often, these unhinged liberal gits would think twice.

[Houmatt]

We were outraged when FReepers were assaulted in Philly at a Democrat rally. This is no different.

Are you trolling or just stupid?

I strenuously object to your implying it is okay for these vile moonbat A-holes to physically attack Republicans, Christians and members of our military and we are just supposed to lie back and let them have their way.

You don't win against bullies by giving them your lunch money. You do it by fighting back. You do it by letting them know you will not put up with their BS any longer, and any further attempt to cause problems will be dealt with through force. You do it by pulling them off the ground by their hair and putting the fear of whatever god they worship into them.

Then they will leave you alone.

[SUSSA]

You're advocating violence against people who say things you don't like? How is that different from people you don't like doing violence to people you do like?

This guy didn't physically assault anyone. In fact, he asked the question in the public hallway outside the event. He was in a public place asking a politician a question. He didn't assault anyone or get physical.

Would it have been OK with you if we were assaulted by Democrats when we were asking Democrats embarrassing questions at various FReeps? If you advocate violence as a response to speech you are advocating the same acts as used by the thugs who assaulted the FReepers in Philly, or the scum that assaulted Ann Coulter in Arizona.

Had this guy asked the question inside the event, ask him to leave. If he physically assaulted anyone stomp his ass. I have no problem with returning physical violence as a response to physical violence. I have a real problem with responding to political speech with violence.