In this video, shot at Harvard during a forum featuring AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka being harangued by Andrew Brietbart of BigGovernment.com, the people that brought us the fraudulent ACORN Videos.
In this clip Breitbart presents a long rambling question to Trumpka in which he cites the recent spitting and N-Word incident at the Capital as being "questionable"...
Breitbart: I've offered $100,000 to anyone who heard or has tape of the incident...
He's put forth this overture despite the fact that the claim wasn't just made by Lewis, there were other Congressmen and even Reporters from CNN there who heard many different epithets thrown at Democrats and supporters of the Health Care Bill.
"I haven't seen heard anything like this in more than 40 years, maybe 45." Lewis said. "Since the march from Selma to Montgomery really."
"Yeah, but it's okay," Lewis added. "I've faced this before. So, it reminded me of the 60's. There's a lot of downright hate and anger and people are just being downright mean."
The incident was confirmed by Rep. Andre Carson, D-Indiana, who was walking with Lewis at the time. Protesters were yelling, "'kill the bill, kill the bill' and the 'N' word several times," Carson said.
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Missouri, released a statement late Saturday saying he too was called the "N" word as he walked to the Capitol for a vote and that he was spat on by one protestor who was arrested by U.S. Capitol Police. Cleaver declined to press charges against the man, the statement said.
Protesters also hurled anti-gay comments at Rep. Barney Frank, D-Massachusetts, who is openly gay, as he left the same health care meeting that Lewis attended in a House office building.
A CNN producer overheard the word "faggot" yelled at Frank several times in the lobby of the Longworth building. Frank said he heard someone yell "homo" at him.
"I'm disappointed," Frank said. "There's an unwillingness to be civil."
Let me again point out that the guy who did the spitting was arrested. He's not a phantasm from the mind of some so-called "Race Hustlers", it happened. Capital Police officers witnessed it and took action.
But Breitbart doesn't believe it. He wants "proof", meanwhile he goes on to argue that the REAL victims of Hatred and Violence aren't Democrats, it's the Tea Partiers themselves.
Here's some video from the Great Egg-tastrophe:
So, I'm not really down with the Great Egging - but if anything is clear from this video - it's that Breitbart is a chronic whiner!
You can't handle a tossed egged? Let me go back to what John Lewis said again...
"Yeah, but it's okay," Lewis added. "I've faced this before.
"It's Okay"... not exactly "I'm just standing here and people want to do violence to me." Hey, at Selma people did do violence to John Lewis, he was nearly beaten to death on the Edmon Pettus Bridge in Selma simply for marching in support of the right to Vote - a mere 90 plus years after the ratification of the 15th Amendment which supposedly guaranteed that right.
But y'know, it's not like it was anything important.
Certainly not as important as a Tea Party Rally. Breitbart goes on, and on, talking about some Tea bag associate of his being called the "N-Word" by "SEIU Thugs" and finally asks his questions: Do you condemn this violence as well as the so-called violence against Democrats?
Well, duh!
Unlike Breitbart, Trumpka does not attempt to re-write reality and claim that the bus didn't get egged, or that the scuffle between SEIU members and Tea Partiers didn't happen last August in St. Louis (documented by this video here).
The fight did happen, exactly who attacked who isn't clear and the cross claims and counter claims are pretty fierce. Be that as it may - no one has said they support this - yet that hasn't stopped repeated Tea Party claims that this incident was somehow part of a Massive Plot by ACORN and OBAMA to intimidate the Tea Partiers.
Yeah, right...
Anywho, the real kicker comes when Trumka finally gets a chance to answer Breitbart and says - He was THERE when John Lewis was called the N-Word - He HEARD IT HIMSELF as did other AFL-CIO members who were their in support of the Health Care Bill.
Trumka: I watched them spit at people - I heard them call John Lewis the N-word!
Breitbart: So you heard that?
Trumka: We did hear that. Violence by any person is wrong.
So does Breibart turnaround and say - "I'm sorry, I was wrong - there rally are some bigots in the Tea Party Ok, Here's your $100,000!"?
FRACK NO!
Breitbart: You have no evidence that these people expressed racism or homophobia.
Trumka: Really? I witnessed it - I Saw it. That IS evidence.
So let's get this straight now, a black guy Tea Partiers gets into a scuffle with a couple other black guys (from SEIU) at a Town Hall and clearly it's no ones fault but the SEUI "Thugs?" I point out the fact that the guys who fought with Gadney are black because it does - rightly or wrongly - change the context if any "N-Words" were thrown around, even though when I listened to the tape I didn't hear any.
Must not have happened then eh, Andrew?
There is no doubt, that it has been Pro-Health Care Democrats who have borne the brunt of threats and epithets thrown their way by Tea Partiers, and generally not the other way around.
Clearly there may have been a couple incidents but it doesn't really compare with this:
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
CALLER: I ain‘t getting the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) health insurance, that (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Don‘t tell me I got to get some (EXPLETIVE DELETED) health insurance. I ain‘t paying no (EXPLETIVE DELETED) a fine. Tell that (EXPLETIVE DELETED) he can come put my (EXPLETIVE DELETED) in jail if he don‘t like it. (EXPLETIVE DELETED) worthless (EXPLETIVE DELETED), all them other (EXPLETIVE DELETED) that voted for that (EXPLETIVE DELETED) Obama and all them white trash honkies that voted for that (EXPLETIVE DELETED) communist socialist stuff. Dumb mother (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
I ain‘t getting the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) mandatory health insurance son of a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) mother (EXPLETIVE DELETED) bunch of (EXPLETIVE DELETED) white trash honkies, son of a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) communists voting for this (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
I ain‘t going to fight no (EXPLETIVE DELETED) war, I‘m not going to be forced to do something I don‘t want to do. So (EXPLETIVE DELETED) all y‘all (EXPLETIVE DELETED). You, John Lewis, you (EXPLETIVE DELETED) worthless, communist (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
(END AUDIO CLIP)
The guy who spoke these words is in jail now for threatening the life of Senator Patty Murray - and I notice that in the midst of his rant he called John Lewis the N-Word!.
Call me silly but I think that's "evidence", just as what Richard Trumka witnessed with his own eyes and ears is "evidence". And what other members of Congress heard is evidence, and what the CNN producer heard is "evidence"
The fact that you can't clearly hear one shout in a 48 sec video of John Lewis walking near the Capital isn't proof either way, that walk took more than 48 seconds. One thing we should all know from the Great O'Keefe ACORN SCAM Videos is that sometimes edited videos don't show you everything. But you don't have to hear the naked bigotry and ignorance coming from Tea Partiers, you can SEE It.
No one is saying you can't justifiably criticize this bill, or that you can't criticize the President. No on is arguing from the Pro-Health Care side that unprovoked violence is EVER justified, but neither are we trying to distort reality by denying that what has occurred - really did occur even when it may make our side look bad.
You can't say that about the Tea Partiers.
Unfortunately Breitbart's call to "Denounce Violence" is sadly one-sided and therefore suspect. His efforts are clearly an attempt to shame and stifle one section of the debate (the winning section actually) while bolstering his efforts to promote the other side and generally attack Democrats.
Democrats don't HAVE to resort to violence, we won at the election booth - and we won on the Health Care Vote, Fair and Square.
The fact is that standing against violence means standing against everyones violence, not just those people you disagree with - it means standing against the violence of people who are on your own side too!
Vyan
Join the Democratic Non-Violence Project Today and help us contact our Lawmakers and have them to Pledge to take a 100% Stand Against All Forms of Political Violence, not just the Violence from the "Other" Guys.