# Republicans: candidate who assaulted reporter is fine with us! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 25, 2017, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-candidate-who-assaulted-reporter-is-fine-with-us/787443 "2017-05-25T21:36:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 28
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2017, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-candidate-who-assaulted-reporter-is-fine-with-us/787443/541 "2017-05-30T19:01:33Z")
Balderdash, sir! Tommyrot! The hyphenated American construction has been around forever and ever, to denote someone born elsewhere but fully American, or someone born here but of a singular ethnic derivation. IIRC, Teddy Roosevelt spoke firmly against it, insisting that such derivation ought to be ignored as irrelevant. In my estimation, the term “African-American” was a well-deserved but clumsy attempt to make a polite noun. I regret that it is awkward and clumsy, especially when spoken rather than read. Yes, its “PC”, but then so is “Ms.”, and that caught on pretty well. Its too bad that our efforts to do good are marred by clumsy efforts, but so it goes with us clever monkeys. Luckily, attempts to do evil are equally clumsy and human. Everybody with the good sense the Goddess gave to pond algae knows that “African-American” does not refer to a white American born in South Africa. That’s just semantic word-play, a pun’s deranged twin that lives in the attic and eats fish heads. Bah! Bumhug! ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2017, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-candidate-who-assaulted-reporter-is-fine-with-us/787443/542 "2017-05-30T19:37:51Z")
I was on your side, **Bricker** , until you made the unforgivable mistake of using “loose” for “lose”, not once, but TWICE in the same post! ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2017, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-candidate-who-assaulted-reporter-is-fine-with-us/787443/543 "2017-05-30T19:42:09Z")
> [@DoggyDunnit](#): > > (Bolding mine.) > > Bless your heart. Here I am, some silly goose thinking that words have actual meaning. Pack it up, folks, looks like we wasted a few tens of thousands of years developing this “language” thing. You’re a goose? Do you type with your wings or webbed feet? I’m so confused. 😕😕😕 ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2017, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-candidate-who-assaulted-reporter-is-fine-with-us/787443/544 "2017-05-30T19:43:21Z")
And that’s why Greg Gianforte should be drummed out of congress. /thread ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2017, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-candidate-who-assaulted-reporter-is-fine-with-us/787443/545 "2017-05-30T19:46:16Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > You’re a goose? Do you type with your wings or webbed feet? I’m so confused. 😕😕😕 Now isn’t that just about the cutest thing you ever did see? ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2017, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-candidate-who-assaulted-reporter-is-fine-with-us/787443/546 "2017-05-30T19:56:12Z")
Letter to the editor in this morning’s Sacramento Bee: “Greg Gianforte, the candidate who shoved a member of the _mean, biased, socialist media_, deserves support. I can think of several members of the media who deserve a good shove. Since I am a grandmother, I would just be able to smack them in their mean mouths.” Apparently the lady doesn’t know, or doesn’t care, that there was no shoving, there was knocking down and punching, involved. ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2017, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-candidate-who-assaulted-reporter-is-fine-with-us/787443/547 "2017-05-30T20:26:06Z")
> [@DoggyDunnit](#): > > (Bolding mine.) > > Bless your heart. Here I am, some silly goose thinking that words have actual meaning. Pack it up, folks, looks like we wasted a few tens of thousands of years developing this “language” thing. That depends on what the definition of “is” is. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2017, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-candidate-who-assaulted-reporter-is-fine-with-us/787443/548 "2017-05-30T21:24:59Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Now isn’t that just about the cutest thing you ever did see? Nobody knew that languaging was so hard! ---
**Author:** ![DoggyDunnit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5fc32e/32.png) [@DoggyDunnit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoggyDunnit)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2017, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-candidate-who-assaulted-reporter-is-fine-with-us/787443/549 "2017-05-30T21:48:27Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > You’re a goose? Do you type with your wings or webbed feet? I’m so confused. 😕😕😕 So, words having meaning = negation of the concept of metaphors in your eyes. The heat death of the universe will certainly arrive before y’all reach the bottom of that slope y’all’ve set and lubed up. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2017, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-candidate-who-assaulted-reporter-is-fine-with-us/787443/550 "2017-05-30T22:36:10Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Letter to the editor in this morning’s Sacramento Bee: > > “Greg Gianforte, the candidate who shoved a member of the _mean, biased, socialist media_, deserves support. I can think of several members of the media who deserve a good shove. Since I am a grandmother, I would just be able to smack them in their mean mouths.” > > Apparently the lady doesn’t know, or doesn’t care, that there was no shoving, there was knocking down and punching, involved. Never let the facts get in the way of a good lie? ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2017, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-candidate-who-assaulted-reporter-is-fine-with-us/787443/551 "2017-05-30T22:56:07Z")
There is ONE thing that has bothered the hell out of me for a long time… The mean librul press gave Donny Dump so many passes during his dumpster fire of a campaign, pretending he was legit, pretending he knew what he was taking about, giving him far more credence and FREE air time than he deserved, not calling him on his lies, helping him spread his lies, pretending he didn’t go down in flames in the debates etc etc etc etc So splain to me… HOW was the press unfair or mean? They didn’t do their job. If they had, he’d have been torn to pieces. They still make excuses for him and let his stooges on their shows, to LIE again and again and again. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-candidate-who-assaulted-reporter-is-fine-with-us/787443/552 "2017-06-01T18:21:50Z")
Did we actually get an answer as to the severity of Gianforte’s action? If I were to body slam Gianforte and break his glasses, would it be a misdemeanor? Will I just have to issue an apology? Or do I have to wait for him to ask me a question first? ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-candidate-who-assaulted-reporter-is-fine-with-us/787443/553 "2017-06-01T21:40:20Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > Did we actually get an answer as to the severity of Gianforte’s action? > > If I were to body slam Gianforte and break his glasses, would it be a misdemeanor? Will I just have to issue an apology? Or do I have to wait for him to ask me a question first? God why doesn’t this happen in real life? What happened to patriotism? The next time he defends twitler, down he goes. An apology the next day. All even. How about for all these career republicans and breitboys? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-candidate-who-assaulted-reporter-is-fine-with-us/787443/554 "2017-06-01T22:42:56Z")
Can it be done without actually touching one of them? Some really advanced form of _aikido_? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-candidate-who-assaulted-reporter-is-fine-with-us/787443/555 "2017-06-01T22:51:21Z")
Gloves. Two pair. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-candidate-who-assaulted-reporter-is-fine-with-us/787443/556 "2017-06-02T05:34:14Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Can it be done without actually touching one of them? Some really advanced form of _aikido_? _Psi_kido ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-candidate-who-assaulted-reporter-is-fine-with-us/787443/557 "2017-06-02T14:52:41Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > Did we actually get an answer as to the severity of Gianforte’s action? > > If I were to body slam Gianforte and break his glasses, would it be a misdemeanor? Will I just have to issue an apology? Or do I have to wait for him to ask me a question first? Well, we’ve bypassed the usual excuses in the Brickerverse; - Is it is an actual crime to assault someone? yes - Is there a reasonable chance of conviction? yes - Were there independent witnesses? yes As none of those excuses will fly, we’ve moved onto the mitigating factors in sentencing. So It looks like the argument is that it would be OK for you to do this as long as: - You’re a Republican - You slam a member of the Godless lying media - You only do it once, so you get a mulligan ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-candidate-who-assaulted-reporter-is-fine-with-us/787443/558 "2017-06-02T14:56:42Z")
So, you believe that public candidates have no actual right to self-defense? Yes? ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-candidate-who-assaulted-reporter-is-fine-with-us/787443/559 "2017-06-02T15:31:45Z")
> [@SteveG1](#): > > There is ONE thing that has bothered the hell out of me for a long time… > The mean librul press gave Donny Dump so many passes during his dumpster fire of a campaign, pretending he was legit, pretending he knew what he was taking about, giving him far more credence and FREE air time than he deserved, not calling him on his lies, helping him spread his lies, pretending he didn’t go down in flames in the debates etc etc etc etc > > So splain to me… HOW was the press unfair or mean? They didn’t do their job. If they had, he’d have been torn to pieces. They still make excuses for him and let his stooges on their shows, to LIE again and again and again. I’m going to actually submit that the press did cover Donald, did report his lies, and did air all of his dirty laundry. In any other time that I can remember, Donny would have been written off as a joke and tossed into the waste bin of history. People forget that he actually did try to run as president once before (Reform Party in 2000? I wanna say) and the idea of him being president was so laughable that he flew under the radar. But in 2016, it was a different story. The media are far more fragmented now, and Internet messages resonate as powerfully or even more so than those on network television. We’re also politically one hell of a lot more tribal. The country is divided and angry, and about 35-45 percent of it long ago concluded that the traditional media have a liberal bias. Trump’s dirty deeds went reported. The real problem as I see it is that a large number of media outlets attacked Hillary and created a right-wing narrative about her. Moreover, the media as a whole, including the CNN’s and traditional networks, were victimized by the long-held journalistic ethic of wanting to investigate all sides to a story. In doing so, they either intentionally or unwittingly created a false equivalency between Trump’s outrageous antics and Hillary Clinton’s shadiness, which while being a somewhat valid critique is nowhere close to the scale of the lies and misdeeds of her opponent. Thus in their attempts to demonstrate fairness, the reality was a lack of fairness in even remotely comparing Hillary’s missteps to those of Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-candidate-who-assaulted-reporter-is-fine-with-us/787443/560 "2017-06-02T18:42:54Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > So, you believe that public candidates have no actual right to self-defense? Yes? Nice try at a Brickerism, but it’s too short, to the point, and therefore easy to refute. You needed to wrap this sentiment around a couple of double negatives, and smother it with some obscure language and legal codifications. Then claim that people clearly did not understand what you were intending, and refuse to engage with them anymore. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-candidate-who-assaulted-reporter-is-fine-with-us/787443.md?page=27) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-candidate-who-assaulted-reporter-is-fine-with-us/787443.md?page=29)