Your typical Poli-Hack
hacks… The type of reporters that I can’t stand. You know the ones I’m talking about? The ones who think that with one swoop of the pen (or keyboard), they can shape public opinion to their own little view. The type of reporter usually writes some lame crap about a candidate, then snorts like Steve Urkel, and says to himself, “Boy, I’m so good.”
Case in point, Ole’ Rog at the politico:
In point of fact, the “silly” hat was the one Chief McKenzie wore to fires and I am guessing none of the firefighters in attendance considered it particularly silly, but Thompson was not going to put it on. He just stood there holding it and staring at it.
Well, today’s Hack award goes to Roger Simon of the Politico. Ole’ Rog, he just thought he was so smart, and boy, did he think he got a good one in on Fred. Well, Rog wasn’t bright enough to realize that the event he described in his hit piece was caught on video, and it seems that it doesn’t match Rog’s description.
Flopping Aces has this take:
Now if Fred screws up, I will call it. His video presentation at the debate a few weeks ago, I called him on it. Like the video but not the timing and said so. But this was no screw up. The video shows this and it also shows us that Roger may well consider being a bit more objective, as all professional writers should, and not letting his personal feelings for the candidate color his descriptions of events
Others noticed the apparent seperation from reality that ole’ Rog seems to be suffering from as well:
Jonathan Adler at the Corner on NRO:
Rich is correct that this piece from The Politico hits my guy pretty hard. My only problem with the piece is that Roger Simon’s description of Thompson’s firehouse visit does not square with the video.
However, it is not just the Fred supporters, like Adler, who notice the difference between the actual event and ole’ Rog’s description as well:
Rich Lowry at the Corner:
I agree with Adler. The video makes the whole thing seem absolutely fine.
So while supporters of other candidates have been quick to point out pundits like Matt Drudge’s apparent lack of objectivity, has Simon shown this type of attitiude when covering Fred? Apparently so.
From Stop the ACLU:
If you read this, and the initial reactions, it sounds like Fred hates firemen because he joked about not wearing “silly hats” when offered the fire chief’s hat. However, if you watch the actual video here, it was played just fine with lots of laughs. Maybe the hit piece had something to do with the writer, who has a history of not liking Fred that much.
At the end of the day, Ole’ Rog earns the middle finger of the day for his apparent lack of objectivity. Congratulations Rog!
UPDATE: ReihlWorldView uploaded the youtube video and posted an article entitled “What is Roger Simon’s Problem?”.
Here is Simon’s take:
... I am guessing none of the firefighters in attendance considered it particularly silly, but Thompson was not going to put it on. He just stood there holding it and staring at it.
Now, here is the youtube video of the event:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NswlCqMqDwA[/youtube]
Ole’ Rog, you’ve got some splainin’ to do. I think we can take from this that Rog’s article was not exactly truthful…
December 19th, 2007 at 10:18 pm
The real question I’ve been dying to know is: who is Steve Urkel supporting in the Race 4 2008?
As for the Politico, I’ve ran out of grains of salt for their ‘stories’.
December 19th, 2007 at 10:21 pm
“Did I do thaat?”
December 19th, 2007 at 10:22 pm
Roger is a hack and I’ve read enough of his shtick to know it. Kind of reminds me of ole Deroy. There is one in every family I guess.
On a side note I hadn’t realized just how young his wife was. Talk about a mismatch!
December 19th, 2007 at 10:31 pm
She is cute. I’d take her over Hillary any day.
December 19th, 2007 at 10:31 pm
Steve Urkel… Hmmm, that reminds me. I use to have a Steve Urkel backpack that I would take to school. Jeez, what was I thinking then?
December 19th, 2007 at 10:41 pm
Uh, I read the post about how inacurrate the article was, then saw the link at the corner and watched the video, and I still don’t get what was wrong about the article. I expected the video to show him going into diners and shops instead of roaring out of town in the big brown bus, instead it shows Fred! calling the hat silly, and his 18 year old wife having to bail him out, just like the article said. Seriously, what am I missing. I thought the post at the corner saying, “it seems fine” to be a sarcastic comment.
December 19th, 2007 at 10:44 pm
Yeah, Thompson meant it like “I don’t want to pose for a picture that’s going to make me look silly wearing a hat that shows me as out of my element and makes me look like a foolish campaigner.
The firemen clearly understood where he was coming from. He never thought the hat “per se” was silly, of course. Simons words tried to portray an awkward and clumsy event when, in fact, the video shows no such thing.
December 19th, 2007 at 10:47 pm
Maybe Fred needs to video some of his appearances and put them out there to counter some of this stuff. He sure hasn’t done much to get rid of the “lazy” image that the media is intent on giving him.
His interaction in this video seems rather normal – southern style.
December 19th, 2007 at 10:56 pm
I know exactly what Fred was thinking:
Mike Dukakis in the tank.
John Kerry in the bunny suit.
December 19th, 2007 at 10:57 pm
Just think, if Fred wins in ’08, his wife will still be able to run for President in ’40.
December 19th, 2007 at 11:15 pm
Tommy, as it was illustrated again today on an earlier post about candidate campaigning. Freds problem throughout this is that he doesnt work and campaign as hard as Mitt, Rudy, or McCain do. He thought clever emails and a virtual campaign via the internet would work. It didnt. He should have done the IA bus tour following Ames and worked there for months. But like Rudy, he forgot how primaries are won. After getting 3rd in IA, and 6th in NH, I expect that he will drop out.
December 19th, 2007 at 11:15 pm
The video just seems to confirm to me that Roger’s article was dead on. He could have wrapped this thing up back in June, but thank goodness he didn’t. He is such a horrible candidate.
December 19th, 2007 at 11:18 pm
I mean seriously, the man’s wife has more kahonnes the he does.
December 19th, 2007 at 11:30 pm
MWS,
Fred Thompson in a golf cart.
December 19th, 2007 at 11:31 pm
Husky,
He may not got third in Iowa. Rasmussen has McCain (!) jumping up to third. He could place 4th or 5th in Iowa, getting whipped by BOTH guys who are ALREADY ahead of him in his “firewall.”
He is definitely done after NH.
In fact, he knows how bad his situation is in NH, so waiting for the humiliation there is pointless. If he has a bad night Jan. 3 (below 15%), he’ll drop out after Iowa.
December 19th, 2007 at 11:33 pm
Tommy, I’m with you on this one. When I read the article I thought the criticism leveled at Thompson sounded a little bit biased, but after watching the video it’s really clear the author started out with a personal premise and then tried to fill in details of events twisted to match his premise. Though Thompson may not be the workhorse that Romney is, I think his article was terrible journalism and should be retracted. Glad to stand with you on this one.
December 19th, 2007 at 11:38 pm
I see Husky, I see Joseph, ….don’t the stooges come in 3′s? Where’s the next dope who’s going to come on here looking to smear Fred?
The video proves that Roger “simple” Simon is a hack. If Josephine and Hucksy can’t see that, they must be stuck on stupid.
December 19th, 2007 at 11:44 pm
Last week Senator Thompson embarked on phase 4 of his campaign strategy for victory –”the energy phase.” He proclaimed that he is the conservative horse in this race and said energetically, “SADDLE ME UP!†I think that this could become the rallying cry of his campaign on his non-stop bus tour. I think that for the many die hard Fred Heads out there, win or lose, they will saddle Fred up and ride this big bucking stallion all the way. We shall see how this plays out but the fat lady has not sung and Fred may be playing the role of the “dark horse” but he is a dark horse that is boldly declaring, “SADDLE ME UP!” and ride, ride, ride.
December 19th, 2007 at 11:47 pm
#18
I just don’t know what to say……
December 19th, 2007 at 11:57 pm
One thing that the video shows is Senator Thompson’s bold individuality – he will not dance to anyone’s tune and I think this comes through in his interaction with the fire chief who is trying to convince him to put on the hat.
December 20th, 2007 at 12:22 am
I read the article and thought it was pretty harsh as well, but watching the video only confirms what I had imagined. Jeri seems to be standing close by to save Fred, which to me supports a lot of the past reports that she has been the one doing the pushing in this campaign. Sure the author may have added his slant to the thing but to people like me that video only backs him up.
I have really been warming up to Fred of late but I don’t like to see his wife so prominent in his campaigning, it worries me(and reminds me of my reservations).
December 20th, 2007 at 2:40 am
Jeri sure is cute, I agree with #21 that it is worriesome when a wife oversteps her bounds into the realm of her husbands responsability.
December 20th, 2007 at 5:57 am
Fred is dead but Jeri is my fav wife easily.
She rocks and is the best thing he has going for him!
December 20th, 2007 at 7:36 am
I agree that Fred should not have worn the hat. But the fact is, is that Fred would be a disaster for the GOP. He is lazy and hates to campaign, or at least that is what he has shown. We need someone who will work their rears off in the general to combat the support and the war chest of Obama or Hillary. Thompson is a guaranteed loser in the general. And if he were to win the general, he would have a sub-par presidency. Simlar to Howard Taft’s. I wrote a piece on his laziness here: http://mydryfly.wordpress.com/2007/12/20/the-laziness-of-fred-thompson/