Man with Press Credentials Heckles Obama (Creepy!)

reply to post by euclid


Obama refuses to pledge his allegience to the U.S. so he wont evven say that he is on our side. You are exactly right

Nice detective work BH

That squashes the idea that he was an Obama plant.

I actually feel sorry for him, it sounds like it cost him his gig with the AP.

At this point I think Obama could wear a full-on american flag themed Uncle Sam suit complete with top-hat 24 hours a day, and recite the pledge of allegiance and sing the national anthem before every sentence he speaks, and people wouldn't really be able to blame him. I think he should go for it.

reply to post by slicely


No disrespect! But that has got to be the most boreing news I have ever heard, lol!

reply to post by slicely


Not creepy...Funny as hell though I bet Obama had some serious "swamp butt" with this weirdo yelling at him. Election time is a weird time in America. I am suprised that there is not more of this on each side.

Video here



Obama handled it very well in my opinion...

Nothing creepy that I can see

Semper

Why is it that when this happens to Obama, they are "Hecklers", but when it's McCain or Bush, they are 'Protesters'?

Originally posted by AndrewTB
Well, Supposedly Obama also scripted what happened with the prayer wall in Jerusalem.

I don't think this is a "supposedly"...
His campaign provided the script beforehand, and said that it was okay to be released to the press..... This is evidence of forethought, and that our precious nObama is pandering to the press and attempting to make him sound extemporaneous.

All of his speeches that I have seen, have been him reading from a script. I find him particularly lacking when he is just talking. All Fluff no Substance

reply to post by ThreeDeuce


Politicians rarely speak off the cuff. Washington is full of speech writers whose job it is to make their politico sound eloquent and memorable. A politician without a speech writer is more prone to foot-in-mouth gaffes and appearances of foolishness.

In short, all of the candidates make speeches that are professionally written to present their viewpoint. No big deal, really.

reply to post by semperfortis


I agree...

Obama is SOOOO President.

Originally posted by maria_stardust
reply to post by ThreeDeuce

 

Politicians rarely speak off the cuff. Washington is full of speech writers whose job it is to make their politico sound eloquent and memorable. A politician without a speech writer is more prone to foot-in-mouth gaffes and appearances of foolishness.

In short, all of the candidates make speeches that are professionally written to present their viewpoint. No big deal, really.

I do think its a big deal Maria. I want a politician who can speak candidly when not rehearsing a written speech. I need someone who can converse and debate (which is something I have not seen Obama do). Yes he has given charismatic speeches.

But, when is the last time that he has actually debated? The debates that I have seen have been rehearsed speeches also. I'm sure the candidates were primed with what questions were going to be asked, and they had their cookie cutter responses ready. I want actual debates!

I want to see Obama's nerves taxed. I want to see him anxious. I want to see him stressed. We all know he can perform at the pulpit. But, how will he perform in office? Remember, he has NO track record at all.

Should we just "believe" that he will be able to perform these duties? With the lack of a substantial debate, we have no way to judge this for ourselves.

Blind faith is for the blind.

I would support him if I was able to see that he could handle himself in real life situations. As it is, he is a front-man, whom leaves me wondering who is pulling the strings. Yes, I think he could easily be a puppet. Why? Because it seems as if he says the same thing over and over and over and over and over. His speeches say alot, without actually saying anything. Obama seems to speak in one-liners fit for youtube and snipets for the media.

Until he can prove that he can lead, I will not follow.

reply to post by ThreeDeuce


The reality is this is not strictly an Obama or liberal thing.

All politicians in all major parties use speech writers as a standard practice.

It is obvious that you don't support Obama, and I can respect that. But it is silly to criticize him for something that is commonly done in the political arena.

That said, let's get back on topic. The way this photographer acted was out of line. However, it is clear that this clearly unscripted moment did not throw Obama off his game. He handled the incident well.

reply to post by maria_stardust


I agree...

Credit where credit is due...

I doubt anyone is unaware of my stance on Obama, yet in this instance, he handled himself with professionalism.

It does not look good when one side can not admit praise to the other no matter what the circumstance. It begins to come off as hollow and "tit for tat" which we have plenty of anyway.

Semper

Just a couple things...

Originally posted by ThreeDeuce
I need someone who can converse and debate (which is something I have not seen Obama do). Yes he has given charismatic speeches.

I have seen Obama talk off the cuff and speak without notes. I've seen him converse and debate... I don't know why you haven't, but he does very well. Yes, there are a few snippets out there of him stuttering and trying to get his thoughts out, but for the most part, he's a fine conversationalist.

Until he can prove that he can lead, I will not follow.

Eee... I'm not going to "follow" anyone. The president is our employee. He's not there as a person whose lead we're supposed to blindly (or otherwise) follow. We hire him to support and defend the Constitution and be Commander in Chief of armed forces.

Maybe that's where people are getting the idea of a cult... Thinking the president is a "leader" that we're supposed to follow. It's gotten wuite twisted around in recent years, in my opinion.

If you look at his interviews, where there are no teleprompters, he does just fine.





Sorry, Maria, I just read your post. I'll get back on topic.

[edit on 8-8-2008 by Benevolent Heretic]

The guy is probably a nut.

The 'creepy' thing about this is that a nut could get that close to the (probable) democratic nominee for POTUS.

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
Lots of "ifs" and assumptions there...

The guy was John Quinn, a freelance photographer on assignment for Bloomberg News. Not a plant by the Obama campaign.

And how did you come to that sweeping conclusion? Why all the supposed mystery regarding his identity when he had his press credentials prominently displayed? Were the other reporters really that unobservant?

Mr. Quinn subsequently refused to give his name to other journalists in the press pen. A video of the incident shows Mr. Quinn shoving his hand into camera lenses, shouting at other reporters, and responding to requests for his name and press affiliation by saying, “I was speaking as John Q. Public.”

“Nobody wants to honor the flag,” Mr. Quinn says in the video. “I had to speak up.”

Malcolm Wiley, a spokesman for the U.S. Secret Service, said today that the agency took no action because “this guy was a credentialed member of the press. He has every right to his freedom of speech.” If Mr. Quinn had threatened or advanced toward Mr. Obama, the situation would have been handled differently, Mr. Wiley said.

apparently the Security people already knew who this man was, so why did they remain quiet so long about his identity? And do you really believe Obama couldn't remember if the Pledge of Allegiance had been said or not? Was it such a trivial event to himthat he forgot all about it?

Lloyd, you're going to have to ask the Obama campaign your questions, because I don't have the answers you seek. But I don't think the press credentials are personalized, so I doubt his name was displayed. The fact that he was a freelance photographer on assignment for Bloomberg News is information that is available for the Googling.

As regards Obama being unaware if the Pledge had been recited, I believe it's normally done before the main speaker is introduced.

You know, you could do some of your own research instead of expecting everyone else to have your answers. Just a thought.

I'm not sure why people think asking for the Pledge to be recited is creepy or makes a person out to be a "nut". I guess it's all in one's perception. It may have been a little rude to interrupt, and I think he was probably trying to prove a point (that Obama's not patriotic, perhaps?) but I don't get the big deal.

Oh, well, I guess if you have to hate the man for something, sometimes you have to dig and manufacture things and make them "sound" creepy and weird... I think it's perfectly within normal human behavior to speak to the speaker and ask for something you want... But I'm not looking for a reason to make Obama sound bad.

[edit on 8-8-2008 by Benevolent Heretic]

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
Lloyd, you're going to have to ask the Obama campaign your questions, because I don't have the answers you seek. But I don't think the press credentials are personalized, so I doubt his name was displayed. The fact that he was a freelance photographer on assignment for Bloomberg News is information that is available for the Googling.

I'm sure they would be real forthcoming with answers.. Even for local events they have badges with their picture and name clearly displayed. Do you honestly expect they would let a mystery man near a presidential candidate? Now we know the security detail was part and parcel to the plan. They knew who he was, but remained silent until people started asking questions.

As regards Obama being unaware if the Pledge had been recited, I believe it's normally done before the main speaker is introduced.

Apparently he did not take part in the pledge initially, if he couldn't remember if it had been recited or not..

You know, you could do some of your own research instead of expecting everyone else to have your answers. Just a thought.

Your standard reply when anyone who poses a question.. Nobody is asking you to do any research for them, so chill. LOL

[edit on 8-8-2008 by LLoyd45]

Originally posted by LLoyd45
Even for local events they have badges with their picture and name clearly displayed.

Okay. I'll do your research one more time, but this is it. You're going to have to start looking for yourself.

Here is a close-up video of the man. No badge, just an Obama-specific press pass. I can only assume he showed credentials to the security people to get into the event. But golly, I guess he night have killed them on his way in... I don't know.

Do you honestly expect they would let a mystery man near a presidential candidate?

Absolutely not. He's not a "mystery man", he's John Quinn, independent photographer, hired by Bloomburg. And fairly benign, if you ask me.

Now we know the security detail was part and parcel to the plan. They knew who he was, but remained silent until people started asking questions.

Excuse me? The "plan"? I think you're watching too much TV.

Apparently he did not take part in the pledge initially, if he couldn't remember if it had been recited or not..

Right. As I said, I believe it's normally done before the main speaker is introduced. Is there an echo in here?

As an aside, it looks like the guy said, "One Nation, Individual"...

As far as I've been able to find, a typical Town Hall Meeting begins with a prayer and the Pledge LONG before the guest speaker is introduced. There are sometimes other speakers and waiting periods.

Here is a blurg (a blurb from a blog) of a guy who attended a McCain TH meeting:

The program started with the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a convocation prayer which included requesting blessings for the county, military and our leaders, including the candidates. Then local political figures running for Congress and the Senate were briefly introduced and spoke a few quick words. Jim Saxton, who is retiring after his current 12th term in Congress expires, was recognized for his 25 years of service and given a standing ovation. There was a lull for about 10 or 15 minutes, then the McCain entourage appeared just off to the back left side of the stage and the Town Meeting was on...

Source

The pledge could easily have taken place 1/2 hour before McCain (or in this case, Obama) even arrived at the location.