:)
Posted on 01/25/2008 11:07:20 PM PST by pissant
Forget Dennis Kucinich’s claims about seeing UFOs. The new unsolved mystery of the campaign trail is the “whisper.”
The blogosphere was abuzz Friday morning over an audible whisper that cut through the mix during the GOP presidential debate in Boca Raton, Fla., the night before.
It’s unclear who it was, but the voice could be heard after moderator Tim Russert asked Mitt Romney whether, as a fan of Ronald Reagan, he would “do for Social Security what Ronald Reagan did in 1983.”
Right before Romney answered, somebody seemed to whisper: “He raised taxes.”
And then Romney responded, as if taking the cue, “I’m not going to raise taxes.”
So where did the whisper come from?
A fellow candidate? A techie? An earpiece? Brian Williams? (Williams was also moderating.)
The former Massachusetts governor didn’t appear to be wearing any kind of wire or earpiece - but bloggers and those who comment on their Web sites are scratching their heads over where the voice came from.
Web site The Raw Story wrote in a brief article about the incident Friday that some are accusing Romney of “shenanigans” - like waiting for a prompt before answering the question.
The Romney campaign has not yet responded to a request for comment from FOX News.
Jeremy Gaines, a spokesman for debate sponsor MSNBC, said in an e-mail to FOXNews.com, “We heard the same thing you heard. There was obviously an open mike which picked up the whisper, but we have no way of knowing who did the whispering.”
(Excerpt) Read more at youdecide08.foxnews.com ...
:)
Would he? Who knows.
But I would think the simplest explanation is that somebody in audience near the either the audience mike or near the moderator’s mike understood the point of the question and said it in a loud whisper. Then Romney also understood the point of the question and answered it.
I thought this had all been hashed out in previous threads.
One of the Debate Moderators was thought to have said it.
Reason: Russert was supposed to say “like Reagen did....when he raised taxes”.
Russert left it off, and someone else said it under their breath.
If you listen to the video of it, the voice has the same quality and ‘reverb’ to it as Russert. The owner of the ‘voice’ had to have been hooked up to a mic, just like Russert.... ergo, it was one of the other mods, or candidates.
Hmmmmmm
Too bad it was not done for Kerry. It would have been the Horse Whisperer
You are a crack up arent you ????
Do you do the comedy circuit too ?????
LOL
Mitt cheat or tell a lie? You must not be drinking your Kool-Aid if you would even imply such a thing.
I just asked the question. A lot sicker would be Mitt’s liberalism with ultra-retarded statements like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPKFncDxyCQ
Yea just like W having a ‘hump’ on his back during one of the debates in 2004... or it must have been ‘voices’.
MSNBC says they have no idea, but they heard it too. If it were one of their moderators I think they would know that. It seems easy enough, why wouldn’t the Romney camp care to comment at this time? Maybe it was one of Mitts lawyers behind the curtain, lol.
W was wearing a bullet proof vest. OF course, Mitt could hide a pair of Bose speakers in his hair.
Hi p
Someone commented on the Debate thread at the time when it it happened and there was a discussion at the time...
The debate was two hours long...
I tried to find it again on the thread......
I cant remember just when it happened
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1959178/posts?q=1&;page=1
It was the ghost of Reagan!
get over it =P
“But he’s so honorable, so decent, why he’s the Second Coming !” (Impersonation of Mittwitt sycophant)
This is what happens when you allow liberal trash in the party. Time to kick Joe Isuzu Romney to the curb.
Google his Beliefs.faith
I quit watching the debates when they first excluded Hunter. I can do without listening to a bunch of flip flopping hacks.
There, now you’ve gone and ruined the latest tinfoil hat theory.
You are looking at the new face of the GOP: Rudy McRombee.
This does not look good whatever the truth is since either one of the moderators is undisciplined / overzealous or Romney is getting a little help from his friends which is only going to fuel public cynicism towards politicians.
I already know he is a Mormon, but thanks.
Just so I know, am I going to have to battle you over Romney?
Defending a 3rd-pick candidate is hard, just curious how the battle lines draw out.
FR is gonna resemble Survivor pretty soon.
Why would you consider it cheating ..??
Let’s see - what could I say that would piss-ant off? I know - Duncan Hunter sucks! A big ‘ole 1% kinda guy! And a big ‘ole sellout!
There. That should do it.
I put the link to the debate thread because all day the MittWitts have screamed it never happened and that ti was an invention AFTER the debate...
It wasnt really of that much interest to me...but now Fox has pasted it and now Romneys campaign wont comment...
If it was williams or Russett they would have said so by now...
Nobodty has come forward so..
Why not ??? And why the silence from the Romney camp ???
Was there an impropriety ???
Nah. I just thought this was funny. I could not possibly care less who wins at this point.
I can't believe people are still talking about this. When I watched the debate, there were several times that you could hear whispers. One time, clearly, right as they went to a commercial break, you could hear whispers...and it was the moderators. MSNBC is fueling speculation when it was their own moderators who whispered. I watched on the West Coast and specifically was watching for this because there were blogs mentioning this from the East Coast.
IF he was miked? I guess I don’t know the debate rules.
“FR is gonna resemble Survivor pretty soon.”
Where have you been ???
This is the 2nd week ...
Dont ask me where we are...
I saw a sign when i got here...
THe GOP Presidential Primary...Next Stop...The Twilight Zone
Hey, I remember you. You were the he-man that was shedding crocodile tears about some has been rock star’s overdose. Have you spent this last week in mourning too over Keith Legend or whatever the heck his name was kicking the bucket?
LOL. No, wait ... it does seem possible ...
“Nah. I just thought this was funny. I could not possibly care less who wins at this point.”
Why aren’t you supporting Huckabee? Your hero Hunter endorsed him.
I have no idea. But Mitt is pure as the driven snow.
When he asked McCain about the President's Working Group on Financial Markets, it was obvious McCain didn't know what the heck he was talking about. Ron Paul, in spite of his often "kooky" self projection, completely dominates on economic issues way beyond the understanding and grasp of all others in the race.
So it wouldn't suprise me if it was Paul, who may have some respect for Romney because of Romney's his economic background. That just my guess though.
And for those who may be wondering: The President's Working Group on Financial Markets (Working Group Pal referred to) Was established by Executive Order 12631, after the 1987 market crash, in order to prevent sudden catostrophic events in the future. Thats when we got the trading halt on the markets at a certain point. the Working Group consists of:
The Secretary of the Treasury, or his designee (as Chairman of the Working Group); The Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, or his designee;The Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or his designee; andThe Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or her designee.
Same reason I did not support McCain just because Fred was a stalking horse this time and ran his 2000 campaign.
No Mitt wouldn’t cheat:
Mitt Romney was faced with a crisis in July 1996. The 14-year-old daughter of Robert Gay, a partner in Romney’s new venture capital firm, Bain Capital, had disappeared. As it turned out, she had attended a rave party in New York City and had become high on ecstasy. Three days later, her distraught father had no idea where she was.
Romney took immediate action. He closed down the entire firm and asked all 30 partners and employees to fly to New York to try to find Gay’s daughter.
Romney set up a command center in a conference room at the LaGuardia Marriott just outside Manhattan. He hired a private detective firm to assist with the search and established a toll-free number for tips, coordinating the effort with the New York City Police Department, but he still wasn’t satisfied. He raced through his Rolodex and called everyone Bain did business with in New York. He asked them to help his company find their friend’s missing daughter.
The company’s accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and its law firm, put up posters on street poles with a photo of the missing teenager. Cashiers at Duane Reade Pharmacies, which was owned by Bain Capital, put fliers in the bag of each shopper.
Romney and others from the Bain Capital posse trudged through every part of New York, even scouring Central Park, and talked with everyone they could - prostitutes, drug addicts - anyone who may have seen her. They also made rounds at the local nightclubs at 3 a.m., hoping someone somewhere could identify her.
The Life and Times of Willard Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney’s life has taken a number of twists and turns on the road to his presidential candidacy.
1947: Willard Mitt Romney born in Detroit on March 12. His middle name is the nickname of an NFL player.
1965: Meets 15-year-old Ann Davies at a party. They would wed four years later.
1968: Nearly killed in an auto accident while serving as a Mormon missionary in France.
1971: Graduates from Brigham Young University at the top of his class.
1975: Graduates from a joint program at Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School.
1978: Named vice president of management consulting firm Bain & Co.
1984: Founds Bain Capital, a venture capital firm.
1990: Returns to Bain & Co. as interim CEO.
1994: Runs unsuccessfully for the Senate against Ted Kennedy in Massachusetts; makes statements in support of abortion and gay rights that will later come back to haunt him.
1998: Wife Ann diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
1999: Takes over the debt-ridden 2002 Winter Olympics; goes on to spearhead turnaround of the Salt Lake Olympics Organizing Committee.
2002: Elected governor of Massachusetts with 50 percent of the vote.
2003: Pushes for a constitutional amendment in Massachusetts that would outlaw gay marriage.
2004: Publishes the book Turnaround: Crisis, Leadership, and the Olympic Games.
2005: Elected chairman of the Republican Governors Association on Dec. 2.
2005: On Dec. 14, announces that he will not seek re-election as governor.
2007: On Jan. 8, raises $6.5 million in a single day for his presidential exploratory committee.
2007: Formally announces his candidacy for the White House at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich. on Feb. 13.
The same day the Romney team came to New York, the hunt made the evening news. Television cameras showed photos of the girl and video of investment banker types prowling through Central Park.
The next day, a teenage boy she was with phoned in. He asked if there was a reward. But the boy got nervous and quickly hung up. Luckily, the police traced the call to a home in Montville Township, N.J.
Gay’s daughter, when they found her in the basement of that home, was shivering through detox after a massive dose of ecstasy. Doctors later told Gay that he was indeed fortunate - his daughter probably would not have lasted another day.
“It was the most amazing thing, and I’ll never forget this to the day I die,” Gay says, adding of Romney’s intervention, “I’m not sure we would have gotten her back without him.”
It is often during a crisis that we gain insight into a person’s real character. Romney’s action demonstrated leadership, loyalty, and selflessness - attributes that Americans just might like to see in a president of the United States.
Then the party will die. It cannot exist as a 2nd liberal party.
Only problem is, a box of rocks would know more than McCain on most subjects.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
YYYYYYYYYY’OK
He never lies either, that boy scout choir boy of a clean shaven guy.
Our guys didn’t pan out. Hunter was actually my first guy, but the traction thing, bl bl etc.
Thompson acted like he was rudely drafted out of some well-deserved retirement. Perhaps we will learn that’s what happened.
Of all the RINOs left, I think Romney is a good face for the world to infer as America, via its President. Yeah, he’s skinny, plus he has a weak speaking voice, and he seems to pose no threat (I want a CRAZY MOFO threatening our enemies) but he is gracious, and will uphold the office and preserve the actual WH in a provident manner.
I’d like him to pick a warmonger as VP. I think Rudy has signalled he’s ready to pick up Cheney’s hardass foreign policy agenda.
That’s nice. I go by record over rhetoric. So I’m plum out of choices. Though I’m sure I’ll still vote for my GOP congresscritter wannabee who will get about 14% against Norm Dicks in my district.
Well, I don’t know if liberal is the right word, but probably as close to correct as conservative.
Night all
“Mitt wouldn’t cheat, would he?”
Cults do not cheat, they prevail.
“He never lies either, that boy scout choir boy of a clean shaven guy.”
Correct!
People say that Mitt Romney lights up a room. But there are all kinds of ways to light up a room - fluorescent, neon, sunlight, strobe. Romney alternates between sparkle and a warm, steady glow. He is not in your face. He is low-key, self-assured, and self-contained.
That could be a metaphor for Romney’s candidacy. When the subject of the 2008 presidential election comes up, Republicans talk about the prospects of the obvious front-runners, Arizona Sen. John McCain and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. But they often end the conversation by saying, “You know, I really like Mitt Romney.”
The fact that Massachusetts, where only 13 percent of registered voters are Republicans, could elect Romney governor by a five-point margin (50 percent versus 45 percent for his Democratic opponent) underscores his popularity among Republicans and Democrats alike.
In the coming months, Americans will be focusing on the candidates - and most of their initial impressions will be based on how the candidates come across on TV. In this media-driven age, Romney begins with a decisive advantage.
First, he has sensational good looks. People magazine named him one of the 50 most beautiful people in America. Standing 6 feet, 2 inches tall, Romney has jet-black hair, graying naturally at the temples. Women - who will play a critical role in this coming election - have a word for him: hot.
But it’s more than good looks. In an hour-long Newsmax interview at Romney’s Boston headquarters, the candidate is Reaganesque: a man with a sunny, positive disposition. On his desk he has a desk plate that states “America Is Never Stuck.”
Sounding like a television character from the 1950s, he is not self-conscious about saying “gosh” or “my goodness.”
Romney speaks with the effortless delivery of the best news anchors, making the 60-year-old “the un-Bush,” according to Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform.
Similar to Bush, Romney has had a successful business career that made him a multimillionaire.
While running for the Senate in 1994, Romney filed a disclosure statement showing assets of $16 million to $25 million. In 1992 and 1993, he collected income of $6.8 million, including fees as a director of Staples and Marriott.
If elected president, he will have to disclose his tax returns but not his assets. He will not say how much he is worth today, but his net worth is likely well into the tens of millions.
“I’ll have to ask my wife how much she’s worth,” Romney jokes.
With looks, charisma, money, and family all working for him, can anything hold Romney back?
Perhaps the lurking problem for him is the Mormon thing - “Mitt the Mormon,” as Romney sardonically refers to the issue.
Despite the media fixation on his religion, it’s difficult to find national evangelical leaders who openly oppose Romney on religious grounds. Not so liberal pundits.
Jacob Weisberg, editor of Slate, the online magazine owned by the Washington Post Co., had no compunctions about writing, “Romney’s religion will become an issue with moderate and secular voters - and rightly so.”
He added, “Objecting to someone because of his religious beliefs is not the same thing as prejudice based on religious heritage, race, or gender.” If so, Weisberg’s view would open the door to anti-Semitism, anti-Catholicism, or any other bias based on religion.
Nam Vet
He didn’t.
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