#gianforte

[posttexasstressdisorder]

In Montana, It’s Youth vs. the State in a Landmark Climate Case

Sixteen young Montanans have sued their state, arguing that its support of fossil fuels violates the state Constitution.

The kids are alright.

[porterdavis]

Yep, it's a GOP thing. When in doubt, chicken out.

[nbcnightlynews]

BREAKING:  Guardian reporter: Montana GOP US House candidate Greg Gianforte "just body slammed me.”

The reporter has released audio of the altercation ->  nbcnews.to/2rjiO3t

[resistdrumpf]

Texas governor jokes about shooting reporters

Joke comes on heels of a Montana congressional candidate, Greg Gianforte, assaulting a reporter instead of answering a question on health care.

Protect the free press.

[azspot]

White rage is being restored to pre-civil-rights-era norms. We forget that this kind of physical violence was completely normal in our nation’s past as long as it was administered according to the terms of the social and racial hierarchy. For the most part, a gentleman did not hit a gentleman. That would be scandalous. But a rich white guy could hit a poor white guy. And white people could hit black people. That’s what we’re returning to. In Commerce, Texas, a local police chief arrested the 2016 Miss Black Texas and called her a bitch for going around his car that his 14 year old daughter was driving illegally. When Trump said that he could go out on Fifth Avenue and murder somebody in broad daylight, he didn’t realize that he was prophesying about the way that white men in positions of authority are regaining their right to do anything they want.

Greg Gianforte is what toxic Christianity looks like

[whatareyoureallyafraidof]

[sarcasticcynic]

In Montana — ladies and gentlemen, I must do something. I must join the chorus of people condemning what happened out there. This manly, obviously studly Republican candidate in Montana took the occasion to beat up a pajama-clad journalist, a Pajama Boy journalist out there. The story is he grabbed his neck and threw the guy to the ground because the journalist was being insolent and disrespectful and whiny and moany and accusatory. And the manly, studly Republican simply didn’t realize that on the big stage you can’t do this kind of stuff and kicked the guy’s ass to the ground. This cannot be accepted. This must be condemned. I wonder how many people in Montana are now gonna vote for the guy, though?

Rush Limbaugh

[jack-fact]

Election-Day Eve Wrestlemania

For those of you who are unaware, there is a special election in Montana tomorrow to fill a vacant House of Representatives seat which used to belong to Rep. Ryan Zinke (R). Zinke left office to become the Secretary of the Interior for Donald Trump, so a new election has to be held to fill the seat. The two candidates are Greg Gianforte (a Republican from New Jersey who lost the Montana governor’s race in November to a liberal Democrat), and Rob Quist (a “heartland”-type, bluegrass-playing Democrat). 

Earlier this evening, reporter Ben C. Jacobs of The Guardian (a newspaper from the UK) tweeted “Greg Gianforte just body slammed me and broke my glasses.” A BuzzFeed reporter who was at the scene, Alexis Levinson, immediately tweeted that “Ben walked into a room where a local tv crew was set up for an interview with Gianforte... all of a sudden I heard a giant crash and saw Ben's feet fly in the air as he hit the floor... heard very angry yelling (as did all the volunteers in the room) - sounded like Gianforte.” Fifteen minutes later she tweeted “Gianforte is now in a car with aides driving away.”

Gianforte’s team responded a bit later, saying that Jacobs “entered the [campaign] office without permission, aggressively shoved a recorder in Greg's face, and began asking badgering questions... after asking Jacobs to lower the recorder, Jacobs declined. Greg then attempted to grab the phone that was pushed in his face. Jacobs grabbed Greg's wrist, and spun away from Greg, pushing them both to the ground. It's unfortunate that this aggressive behavior from a liberal journalist created this scene at our campaign volunteer BBQ.” Obviously, this account of the story is quite different from the one that had been alleged so far by Jacobs and Levinson. If only there was some way to find out who was really telling the truth...

Oh wait, there is. As Levinson stated, there was a local news team setting up in the room for an interview with Gianforte. While their cameras did not pick up the incident on video, there was an audio recording. Here’s the link to it. The most telling part of the recording is that Jacobs is actually asking a very pertinent and important question in a low and respectful tone about the recent CBO score of the Republican replacement for Obamacare, when he is given two dismissive non-answers and is not clearly asked to leave or to put down the recorder. Then in the middle of a question from Jacobs you can hear an immediate scuffle, after which Gianforte begins to verbally assault Jacobs. Jacobs claims Gianforte broke his glasses and says he is calling the police. 

If this audio account is not enough to convince you of what happened, the Fox News team who was interviewing him published a quick article with their account of the story. For those of you not inclined to click on links, here’s what they claim: “[Jacobs] walked into the room with a voice recorder, put it up to Gianforte's face and began asking if him if he had a response to the newly released Congressional Budget Office report on the American Health Care Act. Gianforte told him he would get to him later. Jacobs persisted with his question. Gianforte told him to talk to his press guy, Shane Scanlon. At that point, Gianforte grabbed Jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him into the ground behind him. Faith, Keith and I watched in disbelief as Gianforte then began punching the man, as he moved on top the reporter and began yelling something to the effect of ‘I'm sick and tired of this!’” 

Again, as indicated by the recording, it does not appear that Gianforte and his team were at all truthful in their account of the matter. Jacobs was likely badgering the candidate with questions, as politicians often find happening to them, about an issue which the reporter thought needed to be addressed in a timely manner. According to Levinson, police promptly arrived at the scene and began taking witness statements.