Mike Elk gets microphone ripped out of hands

... forget that everything they do is on video. All part of the disconnect. I'm seeing it more and more: these people do not connect act and consequence.

-- Mal

And don't fight back, in order to not get in trouble themselves. It causes something ike a state of shock to be manhandled in what one thought was a valid place to question the employer of this man.

The guy yanking the microphone, may have gotten instructions beforehand to stop any uncomfortable questions. We saw this happen in the Bush era and most of the GOP meetings where people were dragged out if they asked the wrong thing. And if they were on private property like some of the Teabaggers like to do meetings, the 'guest' has no privileges.

The guys was like Romney, likely had a successful career of bullying others and not being punished for it. I doubt he will be taken to account for this, either.

But darn you, now you've gone and messed up one of my pet theories.

My fault for confusing "ought" with "is."

-- Mal

Even though it took place on 'The Hill,' and I don't like this practice, this is becoming more and more common, to treat these meeting rooms and offices as the private property of representatives.

I really hate these public/private type of meetings, but the American public, or a sufficient portion of it, don't think what this really means. It's corporatism, the first step of fascism.

Corporations are run in hierarchical, non-democratic fashion as they treat their employees as members of different classes to be handled as they please. In their view, this guy was not performing his part in their machinery. I'm glad he wasn't violently assaulted or arrested.

Looking at the video for a few times, I'm withdrawing my accusation of the 'yanker' as being a bully. There was a bit of eye contact going on and he was following orders. The boss had told the reporter to stop, and he didn't. They said that the meeting was about job creation and not general questions.

In that context, our beleaguered but progressive reporter, was out of line. He did not come into the meeting to act with the group for their common goals. I would expect this group like most corporations, have made up their minds about labor unions. They consider the cost of labor and the upkeep of their employees a troublesome expense, as people tend to be demanding unlike robots.

He was in the wrong place in the wrong time and there was something working with him to film this and publicize his troubles getting answers. I'm not sure what the solution is. So many important issues of lives, and we are being shut out of the conversation.

Overall, I don't see this as an effective tool to change that situation. I noted in the Huffpo comments they seemed to blame Obama for all of this. I don't, he has to work with what we gave him. This is what years of letting the country slide has done to us, while capitalism and the funneling of wealth upward never, ever sleeps.

I get your point. But if we don't let reporters ask tough questions at inconvenient times, we'll never get the tough questions asked. From the corporate standpoint, the boy wasn't playing ball. But that isn't his job, either.

These veils of secrecy, of non-disclosure, of non-transparency are strangling public conversation. The blurring of lines between the public and private sectors, aye, and Citizen's United, are like some shell game to keep the facts from the people. And I agree, I'm damned if I know how to change it. All of the people in position to actually do something about it seem to like it the way it is.

-- Mal

it, when will the questions be raised?

It's strange being that It was a "Republican sponsored forum."

"The event was a Republican sponsored forum that was billed by it's sponsor Congressman Tim Scott (R-SC) as an "an event for job creators and entrepreneurs from his district."

".......names of lobbyists from PhRMA (the pharmaceutical industry’s massive trade association), Koch Industries, and many, many DC-area law firms. We even spotted some of the most prominent influence peddlers on Capitol Hill, including Sean O’Hollaren, Honeywell’s chief lobbyist, who was walking around the room, greeting congressmen as they entered. Lynn Liddle, a “vice president of legislative affairs” for Domino’s Pizza corporation, was seen in the front of the room. “Legislative affairs” is corporate-speak for lobbyist."


"VIDEO: Congressman Tim Scott Holds Jobs Forum, But Room Was Packed With Lawyers And Lobbyists"
http://www.republicreport.org/2012/tim-scott-lobbyist-forum/

"I guess lobbyists and lawyers are now considered "job creators".

No scrutiny...Just move along!

"The event was a Republican sponsored forum that was billed by it's sponsor Congressman Tim Scott (R)"
found at link
Don't you this this story Needs a Closer look!

~"Cote has (close ties) to the Obama administration,"
Close ties? What?!

~Mike Elk,("the guest of a Republican congressman."), "asked a major CEO about his company's business practices." And somehow, President Obama gets blamed... (republican event)

~"David Cote, the CEO of Honeywell, was taking questions."

~"President Obama is appearing at a Honeywell plant on Friday."
Was this CEO with "close ties to the Obama administration" even at the plant on Friday?

The pictures show Obama with workers and their families..
"President Obama At Honeywell Factory":
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/01/mike-elk-microphone-honeywell_n_1562452.html#s=1047862


Here's a couple Comments from the link:

"why does something seem odd about this? hummm close ties to Obama? wasn't this a Republican sponsored forum?"

"Close ties to Obama, indeed... Sounds like a reporter's wet dream..."