Time's Mark Halperin: Ryan Protesters In Iowa Were Democrats 'On Duty'

NewsBusters.org ^ | August 13, 2012 | Noel Sheppard

[Kaslin]

Presumptive Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan was heckled Monday by protesters at a campaign event in Iowa.

Time senior political analyst Mark Halperin told MSNBC's Chris Matthews these were Democrats "on duty" (video follows with transcript and commentary, photo courtesy Des Moines Register):

Mark Halperin: Ryan Protesters In Iowa Were Democrats 'On Duty'

CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: Anyway, Paul Ryan was met by a loud group of protesters today who joined his supporters at the same state fair event in Iowa. They booed and yelled throughout his ten minutes, but he handled it pretty well. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL RYAN: My guess is - [Interrupted by protesters] - my guess is the reason President Obama isn't making it here from Council Bluffs because he only knows left turns.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEWS: Well, there you have it, Howard. Let's talk in human terms. How is he handling his first couple of days out there as the new kid on the block?

HOWARD FINEMAN, HUFFINGTON POST: Well, Mark and I have both seen him in action. At least I've seen him here. I haven't seen him in his district. I mean, he's a born pol. He's excellent at it. He's well liked. He's solid on his feet. He's good on the campaign trail.

A scene like that in Iowa doesn't help the Democrats at all. People in Iowa like their politics, you know, polite, and they like it decorous, and they don't like to see something like that. The Democrats are going to have to at the grassroots be careful not to overplay their hand. If they're going to view the Romney/Ryan ticket as somehow extreme, they've got to restrain themselves in their critique of it.

MATTHEWS: I wonder if they were in charge of those people at the state fair today.

FINEMAN: Yes. Good question. Good question.

MATTHEWS: You never know, Mark. Mark, you think they had them, were they on, were they on, were those people on duty or were they just regular ticked off people that hang out at the state fair that happen to be liberals?

MARK HALPERIN, TIME/MSNBC SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: I think they were as on duty as someone who shows up in a giant chicken costume outside an event.

[Laughter]

You think Fineman, Halperin, and Matthews would be laughing if "on duty" Republicans showed up to protest President Obama?

Yes, that was a rhetorical question.

[reefdiver]

Donks on duty, but never on a job

[txrefugee]

Let them be the freaks they are. It’s a giant turn-off to decent people and hurts Obama’s brand.

[jocon307]

This strikes me as a rather amazing exchange. Matthews and co. basically admitting that the protesters were “astroturfed” and not sincere Americans sincerely po-ed about the Romney/Ryan campaign? Do you think they are trying to discourage us from coming out to heckle/protest Obama at his appearances?

I hope these dummy dems know if they keep this up we’ll be out in droves to picket their guys. We won’t be rushing the stage or punching them....well, at least not rushing the stage.

That sh*t better not happen again, not to any of the candidates, big O and dumb Joe included.

[tractorman]

It’s time for the left to occupy Ryan.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

SEIU punks will be at every RR event. This tactic will backfire much like the Paul Wellstone Memorial-Rally. Exposing the ugly underside of the parasitic left.

[Rodm]

These donks are freaked out because they see their election chances fleeting away.

[ReaganÜberAlles]

Fight fire with fire when OBUMMER/LIE-DEN come to your area

[Venturer]

You think Fineman, Halperin, and Matthews would be laughing if “on duty” Republicans showed up to protest President Obama?
..........................................................
Obma’s appearances are staged so that no one is allowed to be there to protest. He doesn’t go to open forums.

If he does anywhere near Md. let me know I would like to go there, and tell him a few things.

This only shows the fear of the Democrats, they cannot allow Ryan and Romney to speak,because they make sense.

[madprof98]

They should be sure to bring in their pals who are busy vandalizing faciities, blocking entrances and cursing at priests outside of Chick-fil-A.

[Gator113]

In the political war between the Patriots and the parasites, those bugs will lose.

[a fool in paradise]

A scene like that in Iowa doesn't help the Democrats at all. People in Iowa like their politics, you know, polite, and they like it decorous, and they don't like to see something like that. The Democrats are going to have to at the grassroots be careful not to overplay their hand. If they're going to view the Romney/Ryan ticket as somehow extreme, they've got to restrain themselves in their critique of it.

A Code Pink protester was afforded a pass to the GOP convention in 2008 and the woman heckled John McCain DURING his acceptance speech at the convention and the media didn't think it was much of a matter.

What blowback on Democrapweasels? I never hear of it. Even when "taxer" trufers persist in lying about taxes unpaid for 10 years or "insurer" trufers lie about a candidate killing a woman by taking away her insurance...

[a fool in paradise]

"REPORTING FOR DOODIE."

[ScottinVA]

I have no doubt they`re just astroturfers. There was an organized group of 30-35 of those fools with their union-printed anti-Ryan signs. They were about as “spontaneous” as that kiss between Al and Tipper Gore in 2000. They were chanting some rehearsed lines at us as we filed out from the rally in Norfolk on Saturday, so we responded with chants of “8.3! 8.3! 8.3!”

[luvbach1]

It’s a giant turn-off to decent people and hurts Obama’s brand.

It won't turn off people inclined to vote for Obama; like, for instance, Chrissie Matthews.

[2ndDivisionVet]

[ScottinVA]

ROFL!!! Now THAT is damn funny!!!

“Reporting for Doodie”

LOLOL!!

[arasina]

This only shows the fear of the Democrats, they cannot allow Ryan and Romney to speak,because they make sense.

They have to handicap R&R at the debates as well. Apparently only flaming liberals will be serving as "moderators".

I watched the video and thought Ryan handled it quite well. He said, "We're used to this in Wisconsin." I hope he has good security.

Here's a link to the video on YouTube for anyone who missed it:
[Click the pic to go to the video.]

[montag813]

Amazing exchange, as Matthews and Fineman both praised Ryan, and Chrissy said he "handled it pretty well". Contrast this to the BuzzFeed Obama drone Zeke Miller, who said Ryan was "rattled" in a ridiculous report earlier.

[whinecountry]

The two pathetic hags could barely clamber onto the stage. Far from being “rattled,” Ryan was instead laughing at them.