Even Karl Rove, wrong as he is, has a right to be heard
I am not exactly a fan of Karl Rove, but I’m even less a fan of this kind of confrontational “street theater.” This incident illustrates exactly why. Rove was in effect denied the right to speak by those who decided on their own to silence him, and that is unacceptable behavior.
Local CBS reporter Dave Bryan, who filed the above video report, also described what happened in a post to his station’s website.
About 100 fans came out to hear Karl Rove at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills Monday night to discuss his book “Courage and Consequences: My Life As a Conservative In The Fight,” — but the fight wasn’t contained to his book.
Anti-war protesters came out, some rushing the stage, to call Rove a “war criminal” and worse….
One woman, the co-founder of the anti-war group Code Pink, approached him with handcuffs and said she was there to make a citizen’s arrest. Jodie Evans charged him with “outing a CIA agent…you lied to take us to war…” and “totally ruining the country.”
…. Another woman screamed at Rove, “The only comfort I take is that…you’re going to rot in hell.”
Rove, meanwhile, charged that the people shouting him down were an example of the “totalitarianism of the left…they don’t believe in dialog…they don’t believe in courtesy. They don’t believe in first Amendment rights for anyone but themselves.”
Rove was forced to end the book signing and leave. The idiots at Code Pink achieved nothing with this stunt except to elevate Rove’s status as a victim of their own self-righteousness. Their behavior was foolish, it was wrong, and it has no place in American civil discourse.
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538 comments Add your comment
Red
March 30th, 2010
12:01 pm
It doesn’t say whether or not the loonies on the left spat at him or called him the ‘H’ word.
Jess
March 30th, 2010
12:04 pm
I doubt we will hear about this in the mainstreet media. However, let a handful of idiots at a tea party rally say something off color, and it’s headline news.
Who dat?
March 30th, 2010
12:04 pm
“I am not exactly a fan of Karl Rove”
Ya don’t say?
Doggone/GA
March 30th, 2010
12:05 pm
“The idiots at Code Pink achieved nothing ”
I wouldn’t say what they did was laudable, but it’s not true they “achieved ntohing” – they did stop him from speaking, which was probably their goal So from that POV – it was a success.
jewcowboy
March 30th, 2010
12:07 pm
“they don’t believe in dialog…they don’t believe in courtesy.”
Coming from Rove…that is indeed rich.
Who dat?
March 30th, 2010
12:07 pm
Hey Jay, how about reporting about how Ann Coulter was threatened in Canada at a major university. This happens all the time to anyone who isn’t a left wing loon.
Doggone/GA
March 30th, 2010
12:08 pm
“how about reporting about ”
In case you’ve failed to notice, this is not a “reporting” page…it’s an OPINION page.
JDW
March 30th, 2010
12:09 pm
“The idiots at Code Pink achieved nothing ”
Jay, agreed! This sort of thing be it from Code Pink or the Tea Partiers is unacceptable and counterproductive.
Who dat?
March 30th, 2010
12:09 pm
“…. Another woman screamed at Rove, “The only comfort I take is that…you’re going to rot in hell.””
So, where is the outrage from the media over that comment? It’s on the record that someone said that yet……..people are still talking about the alleged “N” word that NO one has a recorded copy of that was supposedly thrown out at John Lewis. Hell, John Lewis won’t even go on to talk about it.
Dusty
March 30th, 2010
12:10 pm
Awww, glad I’m leaving. Another EVIL Republican!!! Isn’t it great that ALL Democrats are angels and those OTHERS are alll wrong wrong wrong!!!???? Get the latest repeat smear from Bookman.on that Rotten Rube Rove!!!!
Who dat?
March 30th, 2010
12:10 pm
“In case you’ve failed to notice, this is not a “reporting” page…it’s an OPINION page.”
Oh,
Hey Jay, how about opinionating up a piece about Ann Coulter being threatened at a major Canadian university.
Southern Comfort
March 30th, 2010
12:10 pm
Jess
CNN showed video of the incident early this morning. You won’t hear about it in mainstream media if you don’t watch it.
GoingBroke
March 30th, 2010
12:11 pm
“rot in hell” I didn’t think liberals were religious in nature?
Left wing management
March 30th, 2010
12:11 pm
In general I’m in complete agreement with you here, Jay. However, Rove’s behavior in his exchange on This Week with David Plouffe a week ago was simply unacceptable and I think for that reason he bears some of the blame for incidents such as these.
Who dat?
March 30th, 2010
12:12 pm
Dusty
It’s great ain’t it! What happened to Rove is a cake walk to what happens to Ann Coulter and other conservatives who dare speak on liberal campuses etc…
RB from Gwinnett
March 30th, 2010
12:12 pm
Hey Jay, can you also post a video of the D’s going into congress being spat upon and called the N word? I haven’t seen those videos yet and I’m sure with all the cameras and mikes there somebody has a copy you can link to.
Unless it didn’t actually happen.
Southern Comfort
March 30th, 2010
12:12 pm
Who dat?
I’m not familiar with Canadian laws, but in the US, we can protest things. If someone actually threatened her, then I’m sure the RCMP will handle things. Otherwise, what goes around comes around.
Paul
March 30th, 2010
12:14 pm
Jay
It would be interesting to hear from such demonstrators why they don’t believe in free and open political speech. Their excuse is likely because the person is so disagreeable to them. Frankly, that’s all the more reason to expose the views to the light of day.
______________________________________________’
[[“The only comfort I take is that…you’re going to rot in hell.””]]
Well, whadda ya’ know. Proof positive “Christian” fanatic whackos exist on the Left, too!
Bosch
March 30th, 2010
12:14 pm
Who dat?
“Hey Jay, how about opinionating up a piece about Ann Coulter being threatened at a major Canadian university.”
Why don’t you start your own blog?
Doggone/GA
March 30th, 2010
12:14 pm
“CNN showed video of the incident early this morning.”
And it’s been on the CNN webpage since at least 6:30 this AM
Who dat?
March 30th, 2010
12:14 pm
“I’m not familiar with Canadian laws, but in the US, we can protest things.”
Yeah, protesting is one thing, shouting death threats is another.
“If someone actually threatened her, then I’m sure the RCMP will handle things. ”
Yeah, I’m sure the Canadian Mounties are on their way now. They should arrive sometime next month to deal with it.
“Otherwise, what goes around comes around.”
Yeah, spoken like a true fascist.
jefferson
March 30th, 2010
12:15 pm
How did he stay out of jail. Pictures? Maybe he’s in them?
Who dat?
March 30th, 2010
12:15 pm
“Why don’t you start your own blog?”
I will, I’ll call it “Squash that Bosch.”
RB from Gwinnett
March 30th, 2010
12:18 pm
jewcowboy, all that stuff up there in quotations is not Jay’s opinion, it’s news Jay is giving his opinion about. He copies and pastes news stories into this blog daily and comments on them. Some of the news stories are even from reputable sources and are factually accurate. Some aren’t. You do understand the difference, don’t you?
stands for decibels
March 30th, 2010
12:18 pm
The idiots at Code Pink
What some people need to realize is that plenty of folks who consider themselves fairly left-of-center find themselves using that phrase from time to time.
Bruno
March 30th, 2010
12:19 pm
“The idiots at Code Pink achieved nothing with this stunt except…..”
….to get national attention they wouldn’t have received otherwise.
Southern Comfort
March 30th, 2010
12:21 pm
Yeah, spoken like a true fascist.
You can’t advocate fo protesting in one breath, and then be against it later on. If the Right wants to protest what they see as eroding freedoms due to the Obama administration, they can’t complain about the same thing being done to them. I think the shouting from both sides is rather infantile. Where was that disdain for impeding free speech during the town halls? If memory serves me correct, the Right were advocating people shout to be heard during the town halls being held by Democratic members of Congress. All of a sudden, it’s supposed to be taboo for the Left to yell during a speech from someone on the Right? Gimme a break!!!! Don’t do to others what you don’t want done to you. Plain and simple…
stands for decibels
March 30th, 2010
12:21 pm
Per Blogger.com:
the name squashthatbosch is available to register!
so there ya go. Have fun!
Southern Comfort
March 30th, 2010
12:23 pm
dB
Thanks for causing me to coat my monitor in water…
GoingBroke
March 30th, 2010
12:25 pm
SoCo.. difference was.. at the TH meetings there were only a few people that liked the idea.. as to the hundred opposed..
stands for decibels
March 30th, 2010
12:26 pm
Don’t do to others what you don’t want done to you.
Yep. “The rest is commentary.”
http://www.forward.com/articles/14250/
Southern Comfort
March 30th, 2010
12:27 pm
GoingBroke
I don’t see a difference in either. That would be the same as me cheering for an opponent to strike out during a baseball game and then getting mad when that person cheers for me to strike out. If I can’t take it, I won’t dish it out.
Bruno
March 30th, 2010
12:30 pm
“You can’t advocate fo protesting in one breath, and then be against it later on. If the Right wants to protest what they see as eroding freedoms due to the Obama administration, they can’t complain about the same thing being done to them.”
SC–The Rove/Coulter incidences occurred on private property at events in which they were specifically invited to speak. The townhall protests, and even the incident with the man holding the “I have Parkinson’s” sign a few weeks ago, occurred at events which were structured as protest gatherings. Not an excuse for rude behavior either way, but there is a difference IMO.
Peadawg
March 30th, 2010
12:30 pm
“If I can’t take it, I won’t dish it out.”
Wow, you just explained Democrats perfectly. They treated Bush like crap the last 8 years. But if you dare disagree w/ Obama, you’re un-American and racist.
Who dat?
March 30th, 2010
12:30 pm
“the name squashthatbosch is available to register! ”
Done and done.
jefferson
March 30th, 2010
12:30 pm
Can’t hollar “Miss it” on the green at Augusta either. Big difference in games and sports.
GoingBroke
March 30th, 2010
12:30 pm
SoCo..
Point taken.
Who dat?
March 30th, 2010
12:31 pm
“But if you dare disagree w/ Obama, you’re un-American and racist.”
Yeah, that’s exactly what team Obama said.
Paul
March 30th, 2010
12:32 pm
As far as giving the opposition an uninterrupted hearing, care to guess which station has the Code Pink founder and other members as regular visitors to get their point of view out?
Fox News.
Ah, stereotypes -
jt
March 30th, 2010
12:32 pm
Dang coffee partiers.
I can’t think of a sexual term to call them.
Help me out.
Who dat?
March 30th, 2010
12:32 pm
“The Rove/Coulter incidences occurred on private property at events in which they were specifically invited to speak.”
Oh cool, so from now on Conservatives should go to private events where Democrats are speaking, hurl insults and threaten them with violence. That way it’ll be ok in the eyes of liberals.
Who dat?
March 30th, 2010
12:33 pm
“Help me out.”
Bean sacks. Coffee Enemas.
Mae West
March 30th, 2010
12:34 pm
Why can’t disagreeing with someone be done with civility? Why does one have to feel like a “shout down” is a victory for their cause. All “shout downs” accomplish is to make the person doing the shouting look at best, very foolish, and at worst, very insane. neither promotes a cause.
Justice 4 Juan
March 30th, 2010
12:36 pm
Rove told Leno last night that he would never have gone to that mock S&M lesbian club. Not surprising from a man that had a gay escort admitted to the White House every day as a “media” representitive even though there was no media event scheduled.
Who dat?
March 30th, 2010
12:36 pm
“Why can’t disagreeing with someone be done with civility? ”
Because the news media won’t report it.
Bruno
March 30th, 2010
12:36 pm
“Wow, you just explained Democrats perfectly. They treated Bush like crap the last 8 years. But if you dare disagree w/ Obama, you’re un-American and racist.”
What I’m still trying to figure, Peadawg, is how the Patriot Act and the Afghanistan War are now all of a sudden non-issues now that their party is responsible for both. Seemed to be a daily topic when Bush was in power. Meanwhile Biden claims Iraq as one of the crowning achievements of the Obama Administration.
Southern Comfort
March 30th, 2010
12:37 pm
Bruno
I’ll give you Rove’s event on private property, but Coulter’s was scheduled at Univ of Ottawa, which bills itself as Canada’s University. I don’t think that’s a private institution. However, I do understand your opinion.
I see it in general terms as a case of “If you can’t take it, then don’t dish it”. I didn’t consider whether the incidents were on public or private property. If you ask me, it’s a great branding opportunity for Duct Tape Inc. They could do commercials taping all their mouths shut to stop all the friggin’ screaming.
GoingBroke
March 30th, 2010
12:38 pm
Peadawg
March 30th, 2010
12:30 pm
” But if you dare disagree w/ Obama, you’re un-American and racist.”
America is a racist country.. sad.. but true..
Southern Comfort
March 30th, 2010
12:39 pm
Sheesh, it’s almost 1pm and I haven’t done anything productive all day.
Gotta get a move on so I don’t waste precious oxygen today. See y’all later on…
jt
March 30th, 2010
12:40 pm
Bean sacks it is.
From the last thread, “Me, Myself, and Irene” was a good example of a mixed family.
And hilarious.
Dang bean sacks.