Alexander Drops The Hammer On TNGOP Romper Room
At the request of Big Bad Bob Mueller, Senator Lamar Alexander’s spokesman, Lee Pitts, has released a statement on the Hobbsian Husseining of Obama affair:
“Senator Alexander has talked with Robin Smith, and she is removing the release and the photo from the website. She and the senator agreed it could be easily misinterpreted, taken out of context and considered inappropriate.”
UPDATE: It seems the photo of Obama in Somali garb has been removed along with the reference to his middle name. However, the release, as of this update, remains up with this clarification:
This release originally referenced a photo of Sen. Obama and incorrectly termed it to be “”Muslim” garb. It is, in fact, Somali tribal garb, hence, we have deleted the photo. Also, in order to diffuse attempts by Democrats and the Left to divert attention from the main point of this release - that Sen. Obama has surrounded himself with advisers and recieved endorsements from people who are anti-Semitic and anti-Israel - we have deleted the use of Barack Obama’s middle name.
PREVIOUSLY:
John McCain Explicitly Renounces Tennessee Republican Party Tactics
What Do The Baker Boys Think Of All This?
Blame The Drama On Obama’s Momma
The Spark
on February 27th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Miss me some Bob. The anchors here have no idea how to rock the mustache.
on February 27th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
I’m damn near ready to sign onto that list of TN Dems supporting LAMAR!
on February 27th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
Seems rather lame of Lamar! if you ask me. He tells them to take down the release because it could be “misinterpreted.” No, I think the intended intrepretation is what has right-thinking people upset. Also, Lamar! doesn’t denounce the tactics. To the contrary, he just asks the TNGOP to keep its bigotry quiet.
on February 27th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
“misinterpreted”?
Priceless.
on February 27th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
My thoughts on the Hussein drama…
Look folks, like Kat, I get e-mails on an almost daily basis telling me what a horrifying presidential candidate Barack Obama is because he isn’t named John Smith born to white, Christian parents.
Now, we’ve got a firestorm here in Tennesse…
on February 27th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
I especially love how they’re trying to spin this in their release. See, there really was no problem, except that liberals were trying to drive a wedge between the TNGOP and McCain.
http://www.tngop.org/wordpress/?p=116
This whole thing has just tickled me so much.
on February 27th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
I think someone in that office is just having a big ol chuckle today.
on February 27th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Reality,
Yeah, William Howard Hobbs’ intern.
on February 27th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
LAMAR! decides to use his strong pimp hand against WHH and his boss; nicely done…
on February 27th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
I don’t have an intern.
on February 27th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
Looks like “Good cop-bad cop” to me. The hatchet is applied by the state party and then the elder statesman of TNGOP appears to step up with a moderate air, thus enhancing his and McCain’s election chances.
It looks brutally brilliant, especially if it has Dems shouting LAMAR! now. The damage is already done, so what exactly did Alexander do that couldn’t have already been scripted into election year strategy before the picture was ever published?
on February 27th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
The worse thing about this isnt what Hobbs and Chairman Smith did. Its what McCain did yesterday. To throw a guy under the bus simply because he said your likely opponents full name is idiotic. As far as Hobbs and Smith goes, they sure have got under the skin of all you libs. They should have called him what Ted Kennedy called him a few years ago. Osama Obama! Hey Braisted I just realized something, that rhymes..I guess that public school “edumication” I got from the democrats is paying off after all.
on February 27th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
S-townMike, you’re close, but neither Alexander or McCain need help winning Tennessee in November. My comments, numbers 12 & 15, to the post linked below pretty much sum up the intent. And it worked beautifully.
http://www.news2wkrn.com/vv/2008/02/27/republicans-against-hussein/#comments
on February 27th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
You’re all giving these people WAY too much credit.
Zack’s wishful thinking, that this was all some grand design, doesn’t hold up. If they really wanted to make theater of this Lamar and McCain would have issued much stronger statements. The timidity of their words suggests that they have bigger things to worry about ATM, not that they are unconcerned about the impact. If the story develops legs over Lamar’s weak admonitions, then you’ll see something stronger.
If you see something in the Gray Lady or the Post tomorrow, then worry.
Zach is right that Lamar didn’t need this for his own campaign, and he probably feels suficiently distanced.
on February 27th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Alexander or McCain need help winning Tennessee in November
Yes, I agree, but this TNGOP thing went national, and it would have been some drag on both, in my opinion. What doesn’t help hurts, even if TN is a lock for the Republicans. And this thing didn’t help.
on February 27th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
I phrased “election chances” in #11 w/respect to Alexander to communicate a meaning that I did not intend. Apologies.
on February 27th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Beat up on him while you can people, because I think Hobbs’ short career as GOP Flack will end the same way his last job did…by the hand of his own bigotry.
on February 27th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
Two things:
1. Lamar! issued a lame response, basically telling TNGOP to keep their bigoted tactics out of the public eye.
2. TNGOP responded, “F**k you, Lamar!” The senior senator from Tennessee told B-Ho and Robin to remove that release from the party website. They responded by pulling down a picture and a word. If that ain’t a “F**k you, Lamar!” I don’t know what is.
on February 27th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
“Lamar” is my brother’s middle name!!! Just thought I’d throw that in. It’s as relevant as some of the wailing.
on February 27th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
Leave it to Donna Locke to show us all that Republicans are drooling morons.
on February 27th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Pass the popcorn, folks. I love watching the TNGOP split right in half. We’ve got a miniature version of that here in Blount County with the Country Club wing behind State Senate challenger Doug Overbey and the neanderthal wingnut wing (which carried Huckabee for the county) behind Raymond Finney.
on February 28th, 2008 at 1:16 am
FreddieHack writes, “The senior senator from Tennessee told B-Ho and Robin to remove that release from the party website.” Were you on the call Freddie? No. Which is why you don’t actually know what Lamar and Robin discussed.
I do.
And that wasn’t it.
on February 28th, 2008 at 1:49 am
Regarding comment #22, Tom Humphrey’s KNS story has the details of that part of the story exactly correct.
Link:
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/feb/28/tn-gop-chair-defends-release-about-obama/
on February 28th, 2008 at 3:13 am
William Howie Hobbs is the best comedian to ever come out of Tennessee.
Great stuff, William!
on February 28th, 2008 at 7:43 am
Hobbs, seriously, do yourself a favor and stop defending yourself. You realize that you’ve just linked to a story that makes you look like a complete jackass at every turn, right?
on February 28th, 2008 at 8:30 am
I take Alexander’s spokesperson at his word when he says, “Senator Alexander has talked with Robin Smith, and she is removing the release and the photo from the website.”
The statement is right there above these comments, B-Ho. Alexander’s spokesperson says you agreed to remove the release and photo. You haven’t done that. Looks like a “Screw you, Lamar!” to me.
And why don’t you give us the details of that phone call? Was it pleasant?
on March 3rd, 2008 at 11:22 am
Why don’t we just short-circuit this process?
Hobbs, why don’t you just resign (so as to keep from repeating the termination proceedings that occurred last time you flashed your anti-Muslim bigotry) and then paint yourself as a martyr like Jesus. Then Sarcastro can photoshop another picture of you on the cross, crown of thorns and all (thus actually painting you as Jesus), and then you can skip to the bit about how you wouldn’t dare compare yourself to Jesus.
This is much more effective and will save a lot of time.