NRSC Still Distorting Video Of Franken Paying Tribute To Wellstone
Oh, boy, here we go again.
David Weigel has spotted the National Republican Senatorial Committee posting a new Web video to scare viewers about Al Franken -- using video of Franken paying tribute to his late friend, Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-MN), and taking it out of context:
During the 2008 campaign, the NRSC ran an ad that featured a seemingly angry Franken yelling out, "You can take this guy!" The Franken campaign responded by running a minute-long TV ad showing what was really happening: He was reminiscing about Paul Wellstone, by doing a funny impression of how Wellstone would act at his son's track meets -- as an overly eager parent cheering on his son, and running alongside him on the whole cross-country run.
Doing a bit of lip-reading of this new video, you can tell that Franken is saying, "You can take this guy!" or, "You can take him!" in all these video segments. Thus, this is all footage of Franken firing up his supporters by doing a goofy impression of his departed friend and political role model.
Late Update: In a comment to Greg Sargent, NRSC spokesman Brian Walsh offered to use a different image of Franken, instead -- which, as we know, is the infamous doctored photo of Franken wearing a diaper, which was first distributed by the Ohio Republican Party in 2006.
I asked Walsh why he was "offering" to use a doctored photo -- and he appeared to defend its authenticity, or at least shift the question over to someone else. "Eric -you'll note the link is to the Los Angeles Times, one of the largest newspapers in the country - if there's a question about the authenticity of the photo, you should direct your question to the LA Times," said Walsh. "That being said, we continue to be both amused and grateful that the Democrats are devoting so much time to ensuring widespread publicity of our web video today."
Josh
Matt
Eric
Brian
Franken's counter-tactic in the campaign was pitch-perfect. Just like in his books, he exposed GOP tricks and lies for what they were. In this case, it showed Minnesota voters just how mendacious Coleman was, despite his "Let's just work together across the aisle" rhetoric.
So keep it up, GOP. It worked so well for Norm!
July 7, 2009 10:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
What's with that music? I didn't realize that the NRSC were executive producers for the film "The Fountain".
July 7, 2009 10:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
Ha. The music reminded me of the movie Schindler's List.
July 7, 2009 11:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
Cripes! Al can write "Lies and the Lying Liars..." Vol. 2 with just the crap they're slinging about him from here on out.
I guess the GOP has grown so accustomed to just lying about everything that they don't want to startle anyone by accidentally throwing in the truth every once in a while.
July 7, 2009 10:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
The best part of that commercial...
They're acknowledging Senator Al Franken (D-Minnesota), which I'm sure ticks them off royally.
July 7, 2009 11:12 AM | Reply | Permalink
They have NO credibility. They are done. They need an honest broker and there is no one in sight. Colin Powell is they're best and only shot now. But he is being cast out by Rush. Too bad for them. Just wait til Palin takes Micheal Steele's job!
July 7, 2009 11:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
That has been my precise thought: Palin succeeds Steele and the GOP will be out of the frying pan and in the fire.
July 7, 2009 11:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
My impression of the job of national party chair is that it's purpose is to raise funds and allocate them from the national party to everyone else to get them elected. Determining general national party strategy is a part of that, since it determines how the funds are allocated and is limited by the funds that are raised. No one, not even the Republicans, have a clue how Palin would perform organizing the raising of funds or what her priorities would be. Face it - for all her celebrity, she's a flake with no interest in or talent for administration or supervision. And planning party strategy? Palin? Really?
There are enough self-protective people in the Republican party to keep her out of that job. She'll never get it. Steele is safe from her, at least.
Her future is as a celebrity in some fashion, and not a very successful one in the long run. She hasn't the discipline, curiosity or education needed for that. She couldn't even succeed on Hollywood Squares. Not sufficiently entertaining to large masses.
July 7, 2009 12:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Agreed. Steele is just an incompetent buffoon; Palin has a well-known history of using the powers of every position she's ever held to trash her perceived enemies and give jobs to her friends, regardless of qualifications. Considering how thin-skinned she is, she might accomplish the amazing feat of making the GOP implode even faster.
July 7, 2009 1:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why don't they call him Adolf Franken and be done with it.
July 7, 2009 11:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
Funny. The Republicans say that there are "No Checks. No Balances.". However isn't the fact that the Republicans got kicked out on their butts a check on the misuse of their power for the past 8 years.
July 7, 2009 11:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
Any good Photoshoppers out there? Might be a good time to put Brian Walsh's head on a Ku Klux Klanner and post it all over the web. Then when he complains about it the appropriate response would be, "Gee Brian, if you have questions about the authenticity of the photo you should direct them to www.gofuckyerself..."
July 7, 2009 11:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
I guess when you've got no solutions, that's the kind of ads you have to resort to.
July 7, 2009 12:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think that the kinds of people who are true-believers in Republican Conservatism and are currently in leadership roles in the Republican Party like to tell nasty stories on others and find it funny. They'd choose that even if they had a lot of other options.
It's part of how they bond with each other and something that makes them feel superior. They're outsiders and like to put down others who are more successful.
July 7, 2009 12:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
I commented on the source of the video clips on youtube. It was up for a minute and then gone.
July 7, 2009 12:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey, no problem, Brian. Any time we can demonstrate to the rest of the country how incredibly dishonest you guys are, we're more than happy to do it. By all means, keep providing great examples like this to show the GOP as nothing but lying sacks of shit. After all, you've got nothing else to work with.
July 7, 2009 12:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
See, the problem here is a bit more insidious. We are are shocked and amazed that these people are lying, but for them, it really is second nature and not worth mentioning. We think we are showing a video and exposing their lies, and all they think is we are showing their video.
July 7, 2009 12:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Self Absorption and pure grandiosity on the part of Walsh and his compadres.
July 7, 2009 1:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, it's really strange that Democrats would care about their smears, because it's not like Republicans are completely obsessed with anything that's ever said about them, shrieking "bias" if it's less than fawning. Oh, wait...
July 7, 2009 1:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
So the new GOP line is that if the MSM says it, it must be credible? And btw, the LA Times link is to the blog of right wing hack Andrew Malcolm. Not to equate Malcolm the hack with serious liberal pundits, but if Democrats defended using fake information because it was posted on Krugman's blog at NYT or Ezra Klein's at WaPo, would Republicans buy it? Or would it be evidence of liberal bias in the media?
July 7, 2009 12:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Just curious, but WTF is this?
Photo credit: NBC / Saturday Night Live
That's apparently (it's the only photo in the article) how the LA Times credits that photo. Has anyone asked NBC for a comment?
July 7, 2009 4:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Republicans caught in lies. In other news, the sun will rise in the east tomorrow, and water is reported to be wet. Film at eleven.
(And I remember news film in the real world!)
July 7, 2009 4:28 PM | Reply | Permalink