Mitch considered attacking Judd

[Aoidoi]

Nonsense! He was in the potted plant!

OMG, Obama's a ninja!

That explains so much...

 

[Puppycow]

Are you claiming that Obama ordered this secret recording to be made?

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/thanks-obama

 

[eeyore1954]

Apparently their not aware of smart phone technology. He's making himself look like a fossil.

Steve S

Maybe the fossil was correct.

 

[Brainster]

More info on the taping, which was not done by anybody connected with McConnell's staff:

“They were in the hallway after the, I guess after the celebration and hoopla ended, apparently these people broke for lunch and had a strategy meeting, which is, in every campaign I've been affiliated with, makes perfect sense,” says Conway. “One of them held the elevator, the other one did the recording and they left. That was what they told to me from them directly.”

The meeting room door is next to the elevators on that floor. McConnell campaign manager Jesse Benton has told multiple media outlets the door was shut and locked on Feb. 2. But the door has a vent at the bottom and a large gap underneath.

“Apparently the gentlemen overheard the conversation and decided to record it with a phone or recording device they had in their pocket. Could've been an iPhone, could've been a Flip camera or something like that,” Conway say.

 

[Spindrift]

More info on the taping, which was not done by anybody connected with McConnell's staff:

updated:

"WFPL's reports that left-wing activists illegally recorded a private meeting inside our campaign headquarters are very disturbing," says McConnell campaign manager Jesse Benton. "At this point, we understand that the FBI is immersed in an intensive criminal investigation and must defer any further comment to them."

He calls it 'illegal' but

Kentucky law says it is a felony “to overhear, record amplify or transmit any part of a wire or oral communication of others without the consent of at least one party thereto by means of any electric, mechanical or other device."

But if the conversation was audible from a hallway, it's disputable whether recording qualifies as eavesdropping.

 

[thaiboxerken]

No, Spindrift, it HAS to be an illegal left-wing conspiracy to spy.

 

[G6000]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/04/11/mcconnell-secret-tape-ashley-judd/2074693/

A Kentucky Democratic official said Thursday two men tied to an anti-Mitch McConnell super PAC took credit for secretly recording a meeting in which the GOP senator's aides discussed political attacks on Ashley Judd.

Jacob Conway, a member of the Jefferson County Democratic Party's executive committee, told Fox News that two men affiliated with Progress Kentucky boasted to him that they recorded a Feb. 2 meeting through a door at the Senate minority leader's campaign headquarters in Louisville.

 

[Puppycow]

Progress Kentucky official resigns

“At this time based on advice of both friends and counsel, I will be not be making a public statement available until everything has been reviewed by an attorney at this time,” Douglas L. Davis told NBC News.

 

[Puppycow]

Remember this?

"Progressive" group uses race-baiting?

WINCHESTER, Ky. (AP) — Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has lambasted a liberal group for criticizing the ethnicity of his wife, former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao.

McConnell told home-state supporters at a Republican dinner in Winchester that Progress Kentucky engaged in "the ultimate outrage" when it used Twitter to distribute a message making an issue of Chao's Asian heritage. The tweet said McConnell's marriage to Chao "may explain why your job moved to (hash)China!"

The same group that tried to make hay out of attacks that McConnell's campaign was considering, actually tried to make an issue out of McConnell's wife's ethnicity.

TPM has more.

http://editors.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2013/04/this_will_get_fun.php?ref=fpblg

http://editors.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2013/04/brilliant.php?ref=fpblg

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.c...-co-founder-denies-taping-mcconnell?ref=fpblg

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/second-activist-in-mcconnell-tape-case-i-have

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2013/04/moment_after_he_began_speaking.php?ref=fpa

 

[Spindrift]

The same group that tried to make hay out of attacks that McConnell's campaign was considering, actually tried to make an issue out of McConnell's wife's ethnicity.

What's wrong with making hay out of something an opponent is considering, if it is a fact that it was being considered?

 

[bynmdsue]

Now they're turning on each other.

Progress Kentucky's founder, Shawn Reilly, has denied responsibility for incident — which is now under investigation by the FBI — and has instead saddled the blame with Curtis Morrison, whom Reilly's attorney calls a "former volunteer" for the PAC.

"Shawn is completely innocent of any criminal wrongdoing," said Annie O'Connell, Reilly's lawyer. "He is a witness not a suspect."

http://www.buzzfeed.com/evanmcsan/the-disastrous-collapse-of-kentuckys-least-effective-liberal

 

[Puppycow]

What's wrong with making hay out of something an opponent is considering, if it is a fact that it was being considered?

In this case, two things. First, there's the hypocrisy. Second, I never did hear anything particularly bad about what they were talking about. Of course campaigns discuss ways to attack potential rivals. Whether they actually do it or not is another question. I'm sure that Obama's campaign considered making Romney's Mormonism an issue. To their credit, I think they decided to avoid that. But in a brainstorming session you basically bring up any idea you can think of.

BTW, I think that Romney's 47% tape was a much bigger deal. This one doesn't seem like it's even worth releasing. There's nothing particularly shocking in it. Negative ads are part of the business, so there's nothing in there that I wouldn't expect to hear if I could eavesdrop on any campaign's secret strategy discussions.

 

[Spindrift]

In this case, two things. First, there's the hypocrisy.

You'll have to explain the hypocrisy to me, I don't see it.

Second, I never did hear anything particularly bad about what they were talking about.

Whether or not they said anything particularly bad is irrelevant isn't it? I'll go back to my John Kerry windsurfing example. There was absolutely NOTHING wrong with that, but it was transformed into a devastating attack ad.

Of course campaigns discuss ways to attack potential rivals. Whether they actually do it or not is another question. I'm sure that Obama's campaign considered making Romney's Mormonism an issue. To their credit, I think they decided to avoid that. But in a brainstorming session you basically bring up any idea you can think of.

Presumably if Obama's campaign considering making Romney's Mormonism an issue at some point some said, "No, let's not do that."

In the tape from McConnell's meeting, no one every said that anything was off the table.

BTW, I think that Romney's 47% tape was a much bigger deal. This one doesn't seem like it's even worth releasing. There's nothing particularly shocking in it. Negative ads are part of the business, so there's nothing in there that I wouldn't expect to hear if I could eavesdrop on any campaign's secret strategy discussions.

Doesn't seem bad to you, that doesn't mean it wouldn't be useful to a creative campaign manager.

 

[Puppycow]

You'll have to explain the hypocrisy to me, I don't see it.

Here you have a group of people who said to themselves, "Hey, I know! Let's make a campaign issue out of the fact that McConnell's wife is a Chinese-American. Let's insinuate that that has something to do with American jobs being outsourced to China! Brilliant!" and now they're saying "Oh, look at all these dirty, negative things that Mitch was planning to say about Ashley Judd. Isn't that just terrible!"

Whether or not they said anything particularly bad is irrelevant isn't it? I'll go back to my John Kerry windsurfing example. There was absolutely NOTHING wrong with that, but it was transformed into a devastating attack ad.

Ah, OK. In principle, sure. I just don't think that anything devastating against McConnell has been achieved here. In fact I think it backfired.

Presumably if Obama's campaign considering making Romney's Mormonism an issue at some point some said, "No, let's not do that."

In the tape from McConnell's meeting, no one every said that anything was off the table.


Doesn't seem bad to you, that doesn't mean it wouldn't be useful to a creative campaign manager.

Maybe. I guess I just don't see it. Again, whatever possible utility it might have is probably outweighed by the fact that these people are now being investigated by the FBI and may face charges. What will the average person remember about this, that Democrats were doing something potentially illegal or that McConnell's staffers said some things that were nasty about Ashley Judd (and will they care)?

 

[Spindrift]

Here you have a group of people who said to themselves, "Hey, I know! Let's make a campaign issue out of the fact that McConnell's wife is a Chinese-American. Let's insinuate that that has something to do with American jobs being outsourced to China! Brilliant!" and now they're saying "Oh, look at all these dirty, negative things that Mitch was planning to say about Ashley Judd. Isn't that just terrible!"

Okay, I thought you meant something besides the typical political hypocrisy. It's always been if they do it, it's bad, if I do it, not so much.

Ah, OK. In principle, sure. I just don't think that anything devastating against McConnell has been achieved here. In fact I think it backfired.



Maybe. I guess I just don't see it. Again, whatever possible utility it might have is probably outweighed by the fact that these people are now being investigated by the FBI and may face charges. What will the average person remember about this, that Democrats were doing something potentially illegal or that McConnell's staffers said some things that were nasty about Ashley Judd (and will they care)?

I agree this has backfired somewhat, but then from what little I know about Progress KY, it doesn't surprise me. They don't seem like the sharpest knives in the drawer.

People will remember whatever is drilled into their heads. How about O'Keefe and the ACORN videos? Those videos were frauds and O'Keefe lost a lawsuit over them, but I'll bet most people think the videos are real.

You saying "that Democrats were doing something illegal" may be what they remember, but it isn't true. The Democratic Party had nothing to do with this.

 

[Ziggurat]

Time for a little walk down memory lane:

Could it be, instead, that maybe one of your staffers found it totally disgusting and was the leak?

Mitch is clearly a little bitch. And he's clearly still not Housetrained.

More likely, someone in the room had a humble cell phone recording the proceedings.

That would be the most telling thing. Even the people you trusted to discuss this with were not impressed.

What makes this "news" is Mitch's insistence that there was illegal activity going on. He's using that as a distraction method to take the heat off of him for what was discussed in the meeting. Why is the media and public falling for it?!

The story hasn't quite turned out the way you all expected, has it?

 

[Cain]

What's McConnell doing in the Senate? He should be made Director of the CIA.

 

[thaiboxerken]

Time for a little walk down memory lane:

The story hasn't quite turned out the way you all expected, has it?

Not quite, but close. Mitch is still making an issue about how the conversation was recorded. He's doing this to distract from the actual conversation that was recorded. It's a diversionary tactic that is definitely working. Also, there is no evidence of wire-tapping.

 

[Ziggurat]

Not quite, but close. Mitch is still making an issue about how the conversation was recorded. He's doing this to distract from the actual conversation that was recorded.

And you're trying to make an issue of what was recorded (which was pretty damned innocuous) in order to distract from how it was recorded (which you were completely wrong about).

It's a diversionary tactic that is definitely working.

You're just upset that your diversionary tactic isn't working.

Also, there is no evidence of wire-tapping.

You had no evidence that the recording came from one of his staffers. That didn't stop you.

 

[thaiboxerken]

And you're trying to make an issue of what was recorded (which was pretty damned innocuous) in order to distract from how it was recorded (which you were completely wrong about).

What? The original story was about the conversation. The distraction is Mitch's tactic to take the heat off of the actual conversation.

You had no evidence that the recording came from one of his staffers. That didn't stop you.

Stop me from what? I never claimed that it was from one of his staffers, I merely claimed it as a possibility.
It's still a mere claim, by Mitch, that there was some huge conspiracy to spy involved here.