Was the Halperin "gaffe" a "Lonesome Rhodes" moment?

[Empowerer]

Remember in the film, "Face in the Crowd" when Marcia Jeffries exposes the hypocritical blowhard leading character, Lonesome Rhodes by flipping the switch on the camera and allowing his nasty smears of his loyal audience to go out live over the air?

Whether intentional or not, that's exactly what the new Morning Joe producer did today by NOT flipping the switch, thereby allowing Mark Halperin to be exposed for what he is.

Whoops...

[ellenfl]

1. worst person, tonight? eom

[EffieBlack]

2. Dead on analogy! nt

[ClarkUSA]

3. Intern Killer's anger at this producer was revealing, too. He was more upset about that...

... than Halperin calling the POTUS a "dick", from he and Mika's sniggering throughout the incident. He was always fuming about liberal "hate" during the Bush years...

Their collective karma got them. I love it.

[Drunken Irishman]

4. Wait, wasn't that a Simpsons episode?!?

;-)

[Armstead]

5. I think he was just trying to be one of the guys by saying something naughty

The subject aside, sAying someone is being a dick is a very common phrase among guys. joh

Stewart says it and no one notices.

Halprin made such a big deal out if what he was about to say that it was unnatural.

Most guys would just say it a

[Empowerer]

6. I think you're right

He reminded me of the unpopular, awkward kid who, in his eagerness to be accepted by the cool kids, doesn't realize that he's being played by them. And so they goad him into doing something very embarrassing, insisting that they'll do it with him and will have his back if he gets into trouble - and, of course, when the stuff hits the fan, they laugh in his face and say, "We didn't really MEAN for you to do it!"

That's exactly what happened yesterday and from the look on Halperin's face as it dawned on him that he wasn't IN on the joke - he WAS the joke - he knew it. I almost felt sorry for him when, upon realizing his comment had gone out live, he muttered "This could be the end of my career."

Almost, but not quite...

[flpoljunkie]

7. It wasn't only Mark Halperin who was exposed in this sorry episode

Both Joe and Mika egged him on. The video does not lie.

http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/06/30/fire_halperin

[NYCGirl]

8. No, he knew that everyone was listening and he meant to say it.

Rhodes was exposed against his will.

[EffieBlack]

9. He meant to say it but he DIDN'T expect everyone to hear him

He only said it after he was assured that the 7-second delay would ensure that his comment would be heard only by the people in the studio while the viewers would only hear a bleep - and see the rest of the roundtable collapsed in laughter, thereby proving how witty and cool he was.

Of course, that's not how it went down. The failure to use the delay meant the viewers also heard what he had to say - and he didn't come across as witty and cool at all.

[NYCGirl]

10. And thereby everyone would think he said something even worse.

And he'd probably get suspended for it. I don't think the delay had anything to do with it.

Did you ever see A FACE IN THE CROWD? This instance was not like that at all. It wasn't even a Ronald Reagan live mic gaffe.

[EffieBlack]

11. Yes, I've seen A Face in the Crowd many times - and this analogy is dead on

Lonesome Rhodes was talking to a small group of people in the studio - but he was viciously criticizing his viewers, bragging about how he was conning and controlling them, etc., - all the while believing that the television audience could see him but couldn't hear what he was saying. Marcia flipped the switch in the control room and turned on his microphone so the audience could hear him.

That's pretty much what happened here. Like Lonesome Rhodes, Halperin was showing off for the small group of people in the studio. Like Lonesome Rhodes, he knew just what he was saying and he meant to say just what he said. And just like Lonesome Rhodes, he didn't intend for the viewers to actually hear what he said. He thought the producer would cut off his mike retroactively and keep the audience from hearing what he said.

And like Marcia, the Morning Joe producer, in essence, "flipped the switch" by NOT cutting off his mike.

I see the similarity very clearly. Apparently, you don't agree. So be it . . .

[NYCGirl]

12. And I think that Halperin FULLY EXPECTED everyone to hear

what he said. Don't fall for that switch business. That show has a 7 second delay. That's a LONG time.

[masmdu]

14. Not like L.R. I think you miss the point...

L.R's downfall was a result of the exposure of his contempt for those who he supposedly represented.

That is not what happened here. He, Halperin, was just caught out being a foul mouthed jerk/dick.

[Empowerer]

16. I wasn't drilling down that deep . . .

I'm not saying that this is point-by-point identical to A Face in the Crowd. I'm simply pointing out that, like Lonesome Rhodes, Mark Halperin was exposed saying something he didn't want the audience to hear - and this occurred as a result of someone allowing his mic to be live and thus, have his words (as Alan Swann would say) go into the camera and spill out into people's living rooms.

[Peacetrain]

13. I did not even think about that.. you think someone left the mike on on purpose

Oh you are good!!!

[Empowerer]

15. I'm not saying the producer purposely failed to use the delay - just that the result is the same. nt