Friday, July 13, 2007

Asshole in a bowtie

From Media Matters via Drinking Liberally in Cleveland:

CARLSON: Richard, you were just in Iowa with Barack Obama. Maybe you can explain the following scene: Barack Obama goes to essentially the Maharishi University town -- Fairfield, Iowa, home of John Hagelin, the Natural Law Party [presidential] candidate -- and gives this speech in which he says this -- they love him, and he says: "Somehow we have lost the capacity to recognize ourselves in each other. You know, people talk a lot about the federal deficit, but one of the things I always talk about is an empathy deficit." Now, I always talk about --

MAY: You're dead inside? You have no empathy for people? What's up?

CARLSON: How high is this guy? It's like, what is he -- he always talks between bong hits? I mean, what is that? What does that mean, an "empathy deficit"?

WOLFFE: You're -- so what, the African-American candidate is the exotic guy, who has a Maharishi --

CARLSON: Well, he sounds like a pothead to me. I mean, look, tell me what you're for. I don't want to hear about the "empathy" -- what the hell is that? Do you know what I mean? If I want a therapist, I'll pay for one --

...

WOLFFE: I must say, by the way, very creative reporting. Hat tip to The Politico there. But I was there in that crowd. You could not tell that was a Maharishi crowd. I mean, Fairfield -- it does exist as a real place beyond people doing yogic leaping and people doing transcendental meditation [TM].

CARLSON: First of all, it's yogic flying.

WOLFFE: I'm sorry.

CARLSON: Second, I grew up in Southern California. My cousin was deeply into TM. I can spot them a mile away. They're very sweet people. They're very, very, very nice people.

WOLFFE: They wear Crocs and things.

CARLSON: Yeah, they wear Crocs and things, but they are -- they're potheads, and you're not going to convince me otherwise.

Not only is this bullshit baseless and petty, but it's slander against a respected member of Congress. Still even if bowtie was right, I'd much rather have a pot smoking president than coked up Bush on a booze bender. Seriously, it's things like this that make me wish I could meet bowtie personally. Just like John Stewart I'd call him a dick right to his face. Who hires these people?

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