Video: Fred hits the applause button
posted at 3:58 pm on October 4, 2007 by Allahpundit
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Amazing how quickly these gaffes turn up on YouTube, isn’t it? The Times’s account of the incident was, as I said, “excruciating” but the incident itself isn’t nearly that bad. It sounded from the article like there were a few long, awkward moments of silence that prompted him to ask for some appreciation. In fact, he segues pretty quickly into it, almost as if he thought the crowd didn’t realize he was finished speaking and wanted to clue them in.
Still, though. Who the hell asks for applause?
Meanwhile, the Journal is hot on his trail in Iowa. “Thompson took the stage to wild applause. Within minutes, however, the crowd had quieted considerably and only broke into applause a few times during the 20-minute speech. Afterwards, Kevin Patterson, a 36-year-old stock broker from Waterloo, said he’d made up his mind about who he’d likely vote for: ‘Mitt Romney.’”
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Did he ask if anyone had an answer? LOL… I think he meant “question”.
Nineball on October 4, 2007 at 4:02 PM
You really need to get away from the computer more often AP. Everyone in the entertainment industry does it all the time. What exactly do you think it means when Jay Leno holds his hands out to his sides palms up and raises his arms up and down?
doriangrey on October 4, 2007 at 4:03 PM
I liked when he asked for answers at the end.
Campaigning is exhausting. Being president even more so.
Valiant on October 4, 2007 at 4:05 PM
Much ado about nothing, I think.
DaveS on October 4, 2007 at 4:07 PM
I think it was pretty evident that the audience didn’t applause when he was expecting it because it didn’t seem like he was done talking.
First time the New York Times ever seriously misstated how something occurred!
MadisonConservative on October 4, 2007 at 4:07 PM
It’s like a Southern preacher who’s “lookin’ for an Amen”.
jdpaz on October 4, 2007 at 4:08 PM
Is any other Candidate out there getting this kind of scrutiny? Every word…every step.
ChrisM on October 4, 2007 at 4:09 PM
???
WTF?
I swear I’m not sure who’s more gun-shy of Fred. The NYT or Allahpundit. Stop looking for the next F*cking JFK people. JFK wasn’t really even JFK. If he existed today he’d been railroaded already for all the sleazing around he did.
thareb on October 4, 2007 at 4:11 PM
LOL…he was being a smartass. Granted, I think the joke falls flat on video, so it will hurt him.
Come October 9 we all will get to see the good and the bad.
Limerick on October 4, 2007 at 4:12 PM
Agree with DaveS. Much ado about nothing. I really don’t see this as a big deal. NY Times blew it out of context, as they are so good at doing.
Jay on October 4, 2007 at 4:13 PM
I think yer reading far too much into it. The applause Fred got was more enthusiastic then you made it out to be previously…It’s not like Fred was on a stage in front of an auditorium full of people…It’s a small room.
JetBoy on October 4, 2007 at 4:15 PM
While we’re here, could I also get a round of applause? Thank you!
CP on October 4, 2007 at 4:17 PM
I just flew in from Chicago … boy, are my arms tired.
Laughs? Anybody?
OhEssYouCowboys on October 4, 2007 at 4:17 PM
I’ll be here all week. Anyone here from Peoria?
CP on October 4, 2007 at 4:17 PM
Guess Fred should rely in “canned applause” like much of hollyweird does with their current crop of
comediescrap and drivel.SPIFF1669 on October 4, 2007 at 4:18 PM
Yes…the list includes, well, just about everyone these days…
All political candidates, all candidates’ spouses, all politicians in office, all politicians in office spouses, all conservatives (especially talk radio hosts, TV commentators and pundits), President Bush, anyone in the Bush Administration, Whoopi Goldberg, Rosie O’D, Britney Spears, Brad Pitt, The Oprah, Katie Couric, Dan Rather, etc.
Thanks “New Media!!!”
Brat on October 4, 2007 at 4:18 PM
Once again, we’ve blown a couple of perfectly good days taking about what was written in the NYT as though it were news.
ChrisM on October 4, 2007 at 4:18 PM
Hey, you’re welcome. Sorry about that guy holding a gun to your head making you read this crap. You want a refund?
Allahpundit on October 4, 2007 at 4:22 PM
An iPhone will suffice… :p
doriangrey on October 4, 2007 at 4:25 PM
Yeah, gimme my registration fee back!
Seriously, not knocking you AP. Just pointing out the phenomenon of the instantaneous know-all-tell-all-hear all-see-all world we now live in. I couldn’t survive the day without HA and MM.
Brat on October 4, 2007 at 4:27 PM
You nailed it, Thompson is in the entertainment industry. :)
SouthernDem on October 4, 2007 at 4:27 PM
Now you’ve gone and done it, the Muslim terrorists are going to come after AP and Michelle for sure now that you pointed out what their true adgenda is……HA MM…HAMM…..
doriangrey on October 4, 2007 at 4:31 PM
Obviously a joke. I don’t think it was that bad.
jeremyp on October 4, 2007 at 4:32 PM
Hmmm, now that I think about it a little, I wonder if that makes Allahpundit the HAMM Burgomeister???
doriangrey on October 4, 2007 at 4:37 PM
Quaint and harmless.
captivated_dem on October 4, 2007 at 4:37 PM
The MSM is really struggling to get a meme going, aren’t they?
First his belly fire wasn’t hot enough, then his wife was too hot, he was too lazy, too late, not church going enough?, not Reagan, and now this! He holds out his arms! Gesturing inappropriately all over the place, like John Bolton, only not so much. I don’t see how the man can keep up this farce.
NellE on October 4, 2007 at 4:38 PM
No no no no no! I was talking about Huffington, Arianna and Media Matters. And not Mary Katharine either!
Brat on October 4, 2007 at 4:40 PM
Hey how about a little applause here, I’ll be here all week…. :p
doriangrey on October 4, 2007 at 4:42 PM
If he were lazy, he wouldn’t even have bothered to ask for applause.
frankj on October 4, 2007 at 4:43 PM
If that’s true Brat, then I guess Fred really does suck, because he’s the only one out there making any mistakes.
Meanwhile, Obama rejects fag lapel because they are patriotic,
nothing there I guess.
ChrisM on October 4, 2007 at 4:43 PM
….rejects fag lapel pins because….
There is a reason why I lurk more than comment.
ChrisM on October 4, 2007 at 4:46 PM
dorian – maybe we should remind them to “please, tip the waitresses.”?
OhEssYouCowboys on October 4, 2007 at 4:47 PM
Not enough context. I would like to see the pre-roll. He could have been fumbling around for a while in front of a dead audience before he begged for applause. Can’t tell from this clip.
tommylotto on October 4, 2007 at 4:48 PM
God help us, if Fred doesn’t get his sh*t together, we’re screwed, pro-lifers, immigration enforcement people(maybe) and gunowners(maybe) will walk if Rudy is the nom, and people aren’t going to vote for a Mormon(yeah, sick reason not to vote for him, but you know it will happen), and a transparently pandering flip flopping one that either, coming off the last election where the guy lost because he was such a flip flopper…
Bad Candy on October 4, 2007 at 4:52 PM
I doubt very much anyone is hiding the vid. where Fred hits a homerun. He better start doing better than just OK real soon.
JiangxiDad on October 4, 2007 at 4:52 PM
He could have been talking about his Halo3 avatar too.
Limerick on October 4, 2007 at 4:53 PM
Bad Candy-
I’ll vote for the REp. nominee, clothespin on nose, or not.
JiangxiDad on October 4, 2007 at 4:53 PM
You know why Lawyer always poor blood in the water when they go swimming in the ocean? So that when the sharks show up they’ll have something to eat….
doriangrey on October 4, 2007 at 4:56 PM
Fred, if he reads all these articles, or if his handlers do, should get an applause-machine and hit the button himself, now and then.
Entelechy on October 4, 2007 at 5:25 PM
Yeah, some context to the video would be nice and it’s refreshing to see doriangrey finally admit that Fred is basically acting a role. He’s a fake and a liar.
csdeven on October 4, 2007 at 5:53 PM
Are you and tommylotto brothers?
doriangrey on October 4, 2007 at 6:02 PM
Kind of sad really. Reminds me of some of the telemarketing outcall operations which have the floor supervisor acting like a cheerleader when someone makes a sale. High fives and shouts of “give em some love”.
Fred is fading……
Bradky on October 4, 2007 at 6:04 PM
uhhh…it was a setup line for “had to drag that out of you.” Prolly not one he’ll use again, but not altogether awful for a small setting like that.
If this is the dark downside of Fred!, he’s going to go places.
TexasDan on October 4, 2007 at 6:14 PM
Fred is too tired to move any place, darkside or not.
Bradky on October 4, 2007 at 6:18 PM
As Bugs Bunny would say, “What’s all the hubbub… Bub?”
MikeZero on October 4, 2007 at 6:20 PM
Whewwww! All’s well with the world. I was sincerely worried about not seeing you on all these ‘positive’ Rudy and Fred-threads, csdeven. Now I’m much more relaxed. All’s well, again :)
Entelechy on October 4, 2007 at 6:28 PM
I missed you!
Welcome back.
omnipotent on October 4, 2007 at 7:13 PM
What do Fred and black holes have in common?
They suck the life out of you!
Darnell Clayton on October 4, 2007 at 8:14 PM
I’m a Fred Head. I think he needs to be elected. And the first thing on the comments here was yes, he said “Does anyone have an answer?”
That’s because he asked for people to ask him questions. Come on, it was a play on words.
Rick Donaldson on October 4, 2007 at 8:42 PM
I called this in the last thread when we just had the article.
http://hotair.com/archives/2007/10/04/nyt-fred-a-big-fat-flop-on-the-campaign-trail/#comment-718840
The way the NYT spun this made it seem like there was long drawn out silence with crickets chirping, and then nothing but very forced applause when he prompted them. These people clearly didn’t think he was through, and were pretty enthusiastic when they did applaud. Typical NYT.
As Ace says, it’s the way they surround the story.
Dudley Smith on October 4, 2007 at 8:57 PM
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