Posted on 06/14/2010 10:14:03 AM PDT by jessduntno
Democratic Rep. Bob Ethridge of North Carolina lost his cool on camera in a video that is making the rounds of the conservative blogosphere today.
Ethridge was walking down the street when he was approached by a pair of camera-wielding questioners.
As one asks if Ethridge "fully supports the Obama agenda," a visibly agitated Ethridge asks, "Who are you?" He repeats the question and appears to slam the camera with his hand.
In the edited video, which you can watch above, Ethridge is then shown holding the wrist of one of the questioners and repeatedly asking him to identify himself.
The two people will only identify as students and say they are "just here for a project." In the video, the face of the student in the shot with Ethridge is blurred.
"I have a right to know who you are," the congressman says, holding one man's arm. The pair refuse to tell him where they are from and repeat that "all we are is students."
Ethridge then grabs one of the self-identified students by the neck and pulls him next to him, apparently so that his face will appear on camera.
Ethridge apologized for his actions in a statement Monday.
"I deeply and profoundly regret my reaction and I apologize to all involved," he said. "Throughout my many years of service to the people of North Carolina, I have always tried to treat people from all viewpoints with respect. No matter how intrusive and partisan our politics can become, this does not justify a poor response. I have and I will always work to promote a civil public discourse."
You can see what appear to be the two unedited videos here. In comments on that site and others, commenters are calling on Ethridge to be charged with assault.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
"The mean old teenagers MADE me do it!!!!!"
“The kids should have ID’d themselves, but he had no right to assault them.”
If they were illegals, they wouldn’t have had to though, right?
Would you have grabbed them by the neck and assaulted them?
Funny how CBS “60 min” used to do this all the time.
You are correct.
But my point remains.
As an elected official, such confrontations are part of the job description. If he can't take the heat...
Somebody knows what this Critter was doing just before the assault. Maybe somebody observed him having a three martini lunch..maybe a waiter or a fellow patron. Somebody knows something and if this thing goes viral..maybe we will hear from somebody credible. Was he under the influence?
Etheridge: “It’s a sad state of affairs in this country that things have gotten so out of hand that unfortunate and regrettable responses to Teabaggers and violent people of that ilk could have impacted people in such a way that someone (usually, someone on the fringe of the hateful, gun-hugging right wing) might be offended mildly, but provoked to violent action, by this alleged act that I may or may not have had either some knowledge or involvement with.”
The kid should have said, “Joe the Plumber.” His records have already been picked over.
Drunk as a skunk, methinks!
“The kid should have said, “Joe the Plumber.” His records have already been picked over.”
Good grief...I really did LOL...
No.
“Drunk as a skunk, methinks!”
Tee many martoonis...
“Did he ever answer the question?”
Which question?
What time of day was this filmed?
Liberal survival requirements: they position. they lie. they blame their malfeasances on opponents. a lot of times it works for them.
I wonder if in his drunken state he thought they were pages or interns he had previously molested and he freaked out?
If he had grabbed me like that he would have gone nose and face first hard into the wall next to them and come away with a broken nose.
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