Washington Post writes about pistol-gate
Mary Ann Akers over at the Sleuth blog at the Washington Post is writing about pistol-gate now. Ms. Akers claims a Kuhl spokesperson says Randy was kidding:
That comment was taken way out of context,” the spokeswoman, Meghan Tisinger, told the Sleuth.
She said when Congressman Kuhl told the Democrat and Chronicle editorial board that he had “thought about packing” - he was just joking. (Get a sense of humor, people!) “It was one of those sarcastic, offhanded comments,” she said.
Actually, if you read carefully, Ms. Tisinger never says it was a joke in this quote, merely that it was sarcastic and off-hand. In any case, no one else there thought it was a joke; Tom Tobin specifically said it was “not spoken as a joke.”
But never mind, even if it wasn’t a joke, it wasn’t about the protesters
Plus, Tisinger explained, Kuhl was joking about arming himself in the context of increased security on Capitol Hill in light of the approaching anniversary of 9/11.
I wonder if Randy is loading up on duct-tape too.
He’s thinking about increased security on Capitol Hill while he’s being interviewed about protestors in Fairport and Bath.
Makes Randy sense to me!
Ever notice how Rethuglicans and conservative pundits regularly make jokes about shooting people, about macaca, about blowing up the Coit tower in SF, and about committing all sorts of violence and espousing racial or ethnic or religious bigotry? Ever notice how those things really aren’t funny? Ever notice how these comments are intimidating and/or insulting, even when the speaker claims days later it was a joke?
Ever notice how Democrats don’t make those kind of intimidating jokes that threaten violence? Ever notice how Democrats don’t make those kind of bigoted jokes that are insulting?
I wrote John R. Kuhl a letter today. Short, simple, to the point.
Was Kuhl joking one year ago when he talked about how wonderful our US soldiers have it over in the civil war that is Iraq? He raved about the air conditioning and the lobster tails. Was that a joke?
Morning News…
Reader Elmer sends an Iraq story [pdf] from today’s Corning Leader, based on Kuhl’s meeting at the Leader on Wednesday. This is the most in-depth coverage of Kuhl’s views on the war that I’ve seen to date. He sets out……
I’m sure that a few days after Kuhl said it, he would claim it was a joke. Rethuglicans make lots of “insensitive†comments that are later alleged to be “humorâ€ÂÂ.
Well in case no one has told him (them) - they’re NOT funny.
Not the slightest bit.
Come November, we’ll have the last laugh.