Posted on 01/18/2008 9:56:36 AM PST by restornu
Watch the video at CBS of an AP journalist getting angry about something Mitt Romney said, and Romney getting angry in response.
That Press Secretary was quite right: journalist (and I use this word loosely) Glen Johnson behaved incredibly unprofessionally, he even carried on his little fight after the press conference. Obviously Romney should’ve expressed himself a bit more clearly, but this journalist… what a dupe.
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6 Comments »
1 supernovia
January 18, 2008 @ 1:04 am CET Seriously. Once the guy brought up his concern… in a very unprofessional way "That’s not true!" vs, "Isn’t this person tied to your campaign" … Mitt answered clearly. He didn’t even work around the question like every other politician out there. But the guy continued to rail on him. And of course there are all sorts of blogs out there now saying Mitt was testy with the guy. Show me a candidate who would have reacted better. :-p
Enjoying your fresh perspective..
2 C Stanley
January 18, 2008 @ 1:14 am CET I didn’t think his reaction was out of line either, though I did come away from the exchange wondering whether he was accurately answering the criticism. If he’s going to make statements about how you’re not letting lobbyists run your campaign, then I think that’s a more genuine positive attribute if it’s true not just by parsing words about what you mean by "running your campaign".
So on the substance, I didn’t think his response was very convincing, but on the manner in which he answered I thought he did just fine and maintained a relatively cool demeanor in spite of the reporter’s confrontational tone.
3 Trevor
January 18, 2008 @ 2:39 am CET "he even carried on his little fight after the press conference." Nice try, watch the full video of the second encounter. Mitt approaches the reporter, not the other way around. "Lose their Temper", God forbid a reporter calls someone out on his BS. Notice Mitt is about to say "I don’t have lobbyists tied to my" and then the reporter interrupts. Then Romney gets all "that depends on what your definition of is is." Romney’s Press Secretary tells Glen Johnson repeatedly to keep his opinions to himself. Opinions? This must be a joke.
4 Mr.Smith
January 18, 2008 @ 2:59 am CET It’s about time our press started to bust some balls out there for once. Mitt Romney seems like a decent candidate but being called out on his little blunder of not having any lobbyist in his campaign was priceless.
Glenn Johnson, I salute you. Wish there was more reporters like you out there keeping this schmucks in check.
5 Tap
January 18, 2008 @ 5:06 am CET I was impressed with Romney’s response. He wasn’t parsing words..the reporter was. Romney’s point remains valid..he isn’t beholden to Washington lobbyists, certainly not in the way that a McCain or a Clinton is.
6 daveinboca
January 18, 2008 @ 7:57 am CET The journalist is hardly a "dupe." Over the years and overseas as well as in the USA, AP & Reuters and AFP have joined the Guardian & Independent & US periodicals in becoming infested with self-righteous self-important boobies who believe they have a mission other than to merely report—like paparazzi they are becoming part of the process itself rather than reporting on it.
There has to be collusion and implicit encouragement of this partisan hack Johnson’s garbage & lies, especially as Capt. Ed points out, he has written disparagingly of Romney on numerous occasions, even bringing up his great-grandfather’s polygamy. Also, Johnson has written soft praise and glowing admiration of Hillary’s courageous response to a campaign HQ of hers taken under siege by a demented Democrat.
The mainstream media has become part of the DNC claque and should no longer be accredited if bogus hacks like Johnson are part of the baggage. AP & Reuters & Newsweak are packed with snarks who think what’s fair on the left is foul on the right. [Ditto the NYT, with Linda Greenhouse & other ethically challenged Enron consultant-types coming to mind.] With few exceptions, the mainstream media is now promoting Democrat candidates and disrespecting Republican candidates pretty much across the board—McCain & Huckabee are exceptions for the moment. The press actually likes McCain’s soft centrism & believes Huckabee will be a pushover if nominated.
Like the Kossacks being urged to vote for Romney to disrupt the GOP nominating process in Michigan, the press [including much-maligned Fox which is beginning to reflect liberal biases as it becomes more mainstream] is abandoning all pretense at objective facts such as who, what, when, where, and why. Instead the MSM is promoting process itself—therebye abandoning principle of any kind, and turning the election into a sporting event in which it is not only onlooker and reporter, but also referee.
Leave that to the editorial pages and report facts, not ignorant bigoted reportorial bias.
See what the Netherlands is saying....
You say “running,” I say “advising.”
Let’s call the whole thing off!
Romney slapped him around pretty good.
The guy was emulating the lauded brand of journalism practiced by Mike Wallace and Morely Saefer back in the 70’s, on 60 minutes. Nothing out of the established norms.
I was stunned at what a dick that AP guy was. Comparing to the Clinton meltdown is nutso.
no sound card here at work, what is the text of their conversation?
As many may know. I am a Huck supporter. But Romney is quickly moving to my 2nd choice. I think he is strong and can handle the press. I like that in a candidate (especially after 8 years of President Bush’s inability to handle the press).
Fred handles the press better than anyone. Why on earth do you support Huck? Are you out of your mind?
“it’s about time some of our press started to bust some balls for once...”
ever see someone from the press “bust some balls” at a hillary! conference or a bill conference? never.
‘Dupe’ implies gullibility, somebody who is being fooled. This guy is a partisan impersonating a journalist.
The mainstream media has become part of the DNC claqueThat's right.
Let’s look even another level down. What’s wrong with lobbyists being in a campaign?
Don’t all campaigns (all professional ones) produce white papers from profoundly knowledgeable people on various issues? Aren’t those people often “lobbyists”, with lobbyist being a label for an expert person who advises politicians who are not and cannot be experts on all issues?
Don’t all campaigns take contributions from special interest groups, who are clearly lobbying that politician to be sympathetic to their positions?
In that context, isn’t every single person working on a campaign a lobbyist for his own particular array of desires?
The comments from Romney seemed to be focused on a broad and overarching concept of him being from outside Washington and much more subtly, but certainly real, a very rich man who cannot be bought. If the entire campaign staff is essentially lobbying for their own desires, this is not incompatible with the overarching theme. They would not be on his staff if they didn’t think they shared his perspectives.
I just watched the video. The journalist was a liar and a spinner. Mitt was talking about who is “running his campaign” and the “journalist” tried to make an unpaid adviser have the status of “running his campaign”.
Romney wasn’t being truthful.
Romney is a professional, who is cool under tremendous pressure. He handled the situation well and did not fall into the trap of being too meek or losing his temper.
They have a strong sense of entitlement even more than their electoral counterparts.
When said sense of entitlement is not met, they get mad.
Sort of like dogs peeing on a fire hydrant.
McCain and Huckabee get good press because they meet their sense of entitlement.
Fred, Rudy and Mitt get bad press because they don't.
In this instance? How so?
Romney made the point that his campaign isn't run by lobbyists. Entirely true, and easily verified. He would be foolish if he intended to lie about this.
A veteran reporter from Boston got under Mitt Romney’s skin during a South Carolina stop yesterday after he aggressively challenged the former Bay State governor’s claim that he does not have lobbyists “running” his campaign.
“I’m appreciative that you think that’s funny,” a clearly annoyed Romney told Associated Press political reporter Glen Johnson, who sat feet away on the floor with his laptop.
Johnson had interrupted a press conference in which Romney said flatly that lobbyists are not directing his White House bid.
“That’s not true,” Johnson said, pointing out that Romney’s top adviser is Ron Kaufman, a Washington lobbyist who worked on President Bush’s campaign. “How can you say you don’t have lobbyists running your campaign?”
With TV and video cameras rolling, Romney and the reporter argued over Kaufman’s role, with Johnson pointing out that Kaufman is a member of Romney’s inner circle. Kaufman, who works for the politically wired lobbying firm Dutko Worldwide, regularly sits next to Romney on planes between campaign stops. In Michigan on Tuesday night, he held an impromptu press conference during which he described himself as a top adviser.
“Ron is a wonderful friend, an adviser,” Romney said. “He’s not paid. He’s an adviser like many others, but I do not have lobbyists running my campaign.”
Johnson noted in a story he penned after the flare-up that another top Romney adviser is former U.S. Rep. Vin Weber (R-Minn.), who is also a lobbyist.
After the heated exchange, Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom scolded Johnson, telling him “save your opinions.”
“Keep your arguments for later,” Fehrnstrom said. “Act more professionally instead of being argumentative with the candidate. It’s out of line. You’re out of line.”
Johnson declined comment last night, saying The Associated Press would let the story and video “speak for itself.”
Romney and AP reporter’s heated exchange:
+ Video: Heated exchange
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