Fire chief: The hat incident didn’t happen the way Politico said
posted at 11:55 am on December 22, 2007 by Allahpundit
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The bone of contention is whether in fact he had a “sour” expression on his face when weighing whether to don the hat. You can judge for yourself by watching the video, but for the record the chief says the visit was perfectly friendly and no offense was taken:
Unlike Simon’s characterization of a “sour” Thompson, McKenzie recalled that the firefighters were joking with the Thompsons during the visit, which corroborates the CBS News video that captured part of the event. He stated further than any attempt to portray the event as Simon described was the work of “someone who had their own agenda.”
Unprompted, McKenzie stated that he was well aware of the dangers of politicians wearing hats, and he and his fellow firefighters understood why Thompson declined to wear the helmet. He also stated that he understood that someone might want to make an issue of Thompson wearing his helmet, and that it seemed that when Thompson declined, “someone decided to make an issue out of it anyway.”
Chief McKenzie concluded that the Waverly firemen was very appreciative of Thompson’s visit, as they would be of any presidential candidate that took the time to stop by.
Bob also hints that Politico might have misquoted the newspaper editor interviewed for the same piece, although there seems to be no evidence for that beyond her declining to comment when asked about it.
Update: Here’s a transcript of Fred’s private interview with the newspaper editor and a brief account of the visit to the firehouse. The fire chief appears to be something of a Fredhead: “He seems very personable. I think the message he’s trying to get out is consistent with some of my views.”
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Leave Bryan and Allahpundit alone…They’re human beings…-some idiot on youtube…
doriangrey on December 22, 2007 at 2:01 PM
That’s okay. I was going to take Tony anyway. He’s got a better smile, more money, and he can get me tickets.
What can Jessica do for you?
Oh. Yeah. Well, what are you going to do for the other 23 hours and
4557 minutes of the day?Professor Blather on December 22, 2007 at 2:02 PM
In summary, Fred’s could have intended to say:
1) Silly hat-rule
2) Silly-hat rule (The hat looks silly, firefighters are idiots!)
3) Silly-hat rule (No the “hat” isn’t silly, but Fred, like most politicians except Dukakis, would look silly in it and wearing it could be the end of his campaign.)
Of the three interpretations, only one has negative connotations. Nobody who was actually present at the time chose number 2 except the Politico reporter. A few bloggers made the initial mistake of trusting the judgment of the biased Politico reporter and even after the video was released demonstrating the his blatant mischaracterization, they have continued to chose to interpret Fred’s intentions in the worst possible light.
Anyway, I’m only mentioning it because it seems to be the topic of conversation here. I think the entire episode was rather dumb, and people who based their opinion on the Politico hit-piece should just learn from the experience and move on.
FloatingRock on December 22, 2007 at 2:02 PM
In other words you have decided not to vote eh…
doriangrey on December 22, 2007 at 2:02 PM
Living in the Fort Worth area I can tell you that the Jessica/Romo/Eagles controversy reads just like this thread.
BTW….Cowboys tonight by 8
Limerick on December 22, 2007 at 2:03 PM
Do you mean “cuter” or “cuter?” I totally resent the implications of the prior “cuter.” I am literally standing knee deep in a pool of my own outrage right now.
;)
wccawa on December 22, 2007 at 2:04 PM
Wander around in a daze thinking about those 3 minutes and looking forward to the next 3 minutes… ;)
doriangrey on December 22, 2007 at 2:04 PM
Is that what you took away from it? Interesting.
I thought this was the stated “bone”:
That, and the truncated quote.
Of course, what the writer intends and what the reader takes away isn’t always the same thing.
Again, a possible separation between what was said, and what AP read into it. I merely stated the facts here: the editor did not want to get involved, and would not confirm that what Simon attributed to her was accurate.
She was very defensive, but I was careful not to speculate in the PJM article what her motivations could be. It could be that she thought her words, while 100% accurate made her out to be partisan. It could be that she’s miffed that Simon quoted her email without forewarning her. It could be Simon took her words out of context (though I’d doubt he would completely fabricate them). We simply don’t know. I tired to present things exactly as I got them in the PJM post without editorializing.
Dan McKenzie, the fire chief, had not heard of Simon’s article until I read the relevant paragraphs regarding the fire station visit to him. We spoke about five minutes, but because I didn’t record the call, I had only the two direct quotes in the article.
I did not get the impression that McKenzie was particularly a Thompson supporter in our call, just a guy who was miffed that Simon mis-characterized an event that happened on his turf, with his guys. I read his quote in the Democrat as being ambiguous with Thompson’s platform being consistent “with some of my views.”
Not exactly Fred!mania , in my reading.
Janelle Penny, the Waverly Democrat reporter that covered the event. went to the station on foot from the newspaper and missed the exchange Simon wrote about regarding the hat, but did get there in time to take some photos and talked with some of the firefighters afterward. She used the wrod “personable” to describe how the firefighters viewed Thompson. When I told her of the Simon characterization she seemed uncertain. She wasn’t there for it, but you could tell from her tone of voice that it did not square with what she gathered of the impression Thompson made among the firefighters. As I was trying to write my PJM piece as a news bit without the blog editorializing I’d present here as a commenter or on my home blog, I left that out.
I really wish folks would quit trying to tee off an Allah, Bryan and Michelle over this story, though. I don’t detect any sort of overt bias against Thompson as some would seem to allege, and instead just seen an honest difference in interpretation of what transpired.
Bob Owens on December 22, 2007 at 2:06 PM
And BTW, if I hadn’t shown up late to the “controversy” and had read the Politico piece before watching the video, my statement above might have been applicable to me now as well.
FloatingRock on December 22, 2007 at 2:07 PM
Apparently so.
It’s going to be fun to come here and read opinions after the primaries, though. After some of the horseshit tossed around about most of the candidates … its going to be pretty uncomfortable.
Like that time your best friend’s girlfriend dumped him, and you went on for hours about what a dumpster slut she was …
And then they got back together the next day.
It’s going to be funny. Imagine if its Huckabee.
Professor Blather on December 22, 2007 at 2:08 PM
Oh, snap. I totally forgot they were playing tonight.
Now that my father-in-law has knocked my fantasy team out of the playoffs, the Cowboys are all have I left.
Hey, did you know I once saw my father march through a grocery store in Richardson, Texas with Roger Staubach?
Seriously. I’ll tell you all about sometime.
Professor Blather on December 22, 2007 at 2:10 PM
I think - if I understand rules here - that you parsing my words means I’m a fascist. Or maybe you’re a liberal hippie.
I dunno. It’s one of those. I think it depends on the verb modifier.
Professor Blather on December 22, 2007 at 2:11 PM
Or you could take the admins argument over to Curt at Flopping Aces:
Just having a little fun
broker1 on December 22, 2007 at 2:11 PM
Geeze. . .
this would be a lot more interesting if people didn’t take rebuttal as personal insult; sounds too much like the reaction you get when pointing out facts to a liberal.
rockhauler on December 22, 2007 at 2:14 PM
Isn’t that the truth, oh he11, imagine if it turns out to be Ron Paul…
doriangrey on December 22, 2007 at 2:16 PM
I’m not trying to. I’m just saying they ran with it too hard and too quick, leaving us Fredheads with no recourse but to defend our guy, especially as the total disconnect of the story from reality became more apparent. Your article confirmed our defense of him was justifiable.
Unless I am really reading this situation wrong, I sense that at least a few folks here are simply looking for an acknowledgement of that and nothing more.
But, as you say, it could simply be a matter of interpretation.
wccawa on December 22, 2007 at 2:16 PM
Ya mean that isn’t universally recognized as a total waste of effort, and it still happens?
News2Use on December 22, 2007 at 2:17 PM
Snap. That certainly presents a conundrum. As a Fredhead, I have to punch myself out?
wccawa on December 22, 2007 at 2:20 PM
Ahhh…But first you have to answer the question…Were you for punching yourself out before you were against punching yourself out?
doriangrey on December 22, 2007 at 2:25 PM
Fred’s gonna show up and punch you all out.
MadisonConservative on December 22, 2007 at 2:29 PM
Isn’t this the third tread on this “nothing” subject? Don’t you people know when to move on to something important? I can’t remember ever seeing so little blown into so much.
duff65 on December 22, 2007 at 2:29 PM
Define “were” and diagram the sentence.
And use “liberal hippie” in the proper context, you fascist!!!!!!!!!!11!!!
Have a
Merry Christmasjoyousundeterminedholidaywinterperiod of timeequal toroughly equivalent to thewinter solsticeshortest day of the year.wccawa on December 22, 2007 at 2:43 PM
You’re right Allah, there was no spin on Fred’s early campaigning and speeches, they were objectively speaking pretty rough, and I say that as a Fred supporter. Its not a good thing when during your early appearances on Dunce & Eyebrow, you have Hannity throwing you softballs and having to lead you to the answer. Thankfully, he’s doing better, I just hope its enough.
Bad Candy on December 22, 2007 at 2:55 PM
I took it to mean “silly hat” too.
Silly in the context of a political candidate putting it on, not in the context of a real fireman putting it on to fight a fire.
If you don’t see what I mean, get a fireman’s hat and wear it to the shopping mall today or to church tomorrow.
MB4 on December 22, 2007 at 2:59 PM
Ha ha ha I wish Fred would show up and punch me out, then I could go on national television and sell a few of my CD’s…
doriangrey on December 22, 2007 at 2:59 PM
BTW, the next time anyone here goes to the dentist, what will you think if your dentists puts on a fireman’s hat?
MB4 on December 22, 2007 at 3:01 PM
Good luck on the front lines today Bryan.
omnipotent on December 22, 2007 at 3:05 PM
BREAKING NEWS! BREAKING NEWS! BREAKING NEWS!
Fred Thompson just visited a synagogue and refused to let the Rabbi circumcise him!
Rabbi and congregation highly insulted!!
Politico now reports that Fred is an anti-Semite!!!
MB4 on December 22, 2007 at 3:11 PM
Hmmm, that he has been sniffing to much of his own laughing gas…
doriangrey on December 22, 2007 at 3:13 PM
duff65:
Get used to it. It’s apparently the theme for this election cycle.
Merovign on December 22, 2007 at 3:14 PM
Ya think? I’m a little less impressed with him myself. I hate it when people can’t admit they screwed up because of a personal agenda and instead need to resort to the ‘Fredheads-made-me-do-it’ defense. By God, you can criticize Fred all you want for a REAL OFFENSE! But twisting the truth and making controversy where there is none is gonna get you called out!
Ex-tex on December 22, 2007 at 3:19 PM
As I stated the day this broke…Fred is too smart to fall for this trap, and the whining news people were pissed off for not pulling this trap off. They were waiting for the worst camera op, you can bank on it.
It doesn’t take much to be smarter than a journalist…but it seems all of the other candidates aren’t.
right2bright on December 22, 2007 at 3:28 PM
Oh please…Being unwilling to admit that one made a mistake is soooo human nature. Nobody likes having to admit that they made a mistake, nor is it unusual for people to get huffy or even hostile when confronted about a mistake they made, especially when they don’t think that they made a mistake.
At this point in time it’s pretty obvious that neither Bryan nor Allah believe that they did jump the shark. Should they come around I am pretty sure it wont be because they were bullied by their readers. Thats one of the things I think the majority of us who come here love about them.
Until they see that they were mistaken they are not going to back down or give a single inch, and I say good for them for that. That doesn’t mean I am going to give them a free pass, but I do respect the integrity that it takes to stand by what you have written when being assailed by nearly everyone else.
Perhaps they will see the error of their ways and make a public statement, but if not no big deal. This is a great site, they do an outstanding job of running it and this is such a silly little incident that I just cant see letting my panties get tied in a knot over it.
doriangrey on December 22, 2007 at 3:36 PM
Dude, you’re wearing panties??? Waaaay too much information. ;)
P. James Moriarty on December 22, 2007 at 4:05 PM
Heh heh what can I say…Perhaps I should stick to shamelessly plugging my CD…I might actually get in less trouble that way…Maybe I can even get Allah to buy one if I promise to give out less personal information???
doriangrey on December 22, 2007 at 4:20 PM
Excellent post. And it explains perfectly why the Mitt apologists are spinning and dancing to avoid admitting what is blisteringly obvious to everyone else.
Defensiveness is an ingrained human trait. Backing your horse in the race - even when you know better - is part of that.
Recognizing plain truth when it runs contrary to your beliefs or opinions, and willfully admitting that truth, are signs of impressive maturity. More maturity than I can claim to have.
This is why I now find myself defend Terrell Owens. Oh, the humanity. Maybe someday I’ll grow up
and admit that he’s an over-rated punk.The facts are unmistakable in both of these GREAT SCANDALS OF THE CENTURY.
Mitt lied. On purpose. For decades. Duh.
The stories about Fred and his Magical Multi-Colored Dream Hat are bogus. And some anti-Fred folks fell for it. Duh.
If people want to stick to stories everyone can see through, that’s their problem.
But we could all at least try to use our brains. Couldn’t we?
Professor Blather on December 22, 2007 at 4:20 PM
On the interwebz? surely you jest…
doriangrey on December 22, 2007 at 4:23 PM
I’ve noticed how eager some people are to paint candidates they dissagree with as a messianic figure. Thompson, Huckabee, Paul, Obama, etc.
Nobody else thinks it’s a bit old?
Nonfactor on December 22, 2007 at 4:25 PM
Fred is inevitable, no matter how much you hate his hat.
VolMagic on December 22, 2007 at 5:01 PM
Nonfactor, I disagree with Hillary on most everything and don’t believe her to be messianic at all.
Entelechy on December 22, 2007 at 5:12 PM
You know what’s really silly?
That anyone would think that Fred Thompson would go to a firehouse on an obvious campaign photo-op and then insult the Fire Chief by calling his hat silly. I would think that any objectively thinking person would be able to evaluate what they had heard and determine the word silly was attached to the word rule, regardless of grammar and sentence structure.
That to me is the funniest thing about this whole non-story. It reminds me of 6-year olds hearing the word jack “a$$” for the first time and repeating it so they can get away with saying “a$$”.
Texas Gal on December 22, 2007 at 5:25 PM
Sorry. Didn’t think saying “Wow, this guy seems to be more conservative on issues than any other candidate” is painting one as a messiah.
*sigh* Really do live up your name.
MadisonConservative on December 22, 2007 at 5:42 PM
No, I think he meant how people are painting Fredheads with the same brush they do Obama and the Ronulans. While ardent and sometime fanatical support can in and of itself be creepy its in poor taste to sh!t in peoples cheerios just for the sake of doing so.
Yeah Fred may campaign like Steven Hawking in a break-dancing fight, but that isn’t a good reason to kick his supporters in the nuts.
liquidflorian on December 22, 2007 at 7:11 PM
Ok, Allah thinks he should have worn the hat…
http://images.scripting.com/archiveScriptingCom/2004/07/29/Dukakis_tank.jpg
Well, it worked for Dukakis. And by worked, I mean “made him look like a silly a@@”.
Fire Chief’s Hat + Suit would make him look like a damned fool.
Want to disagree? Fine. A picture of Bryan wearing a nice suit and a Fire Chief’s hat and not looking like a goober would solve this once and for all. You think you’ve got the moxy to pull that off Bryan? (We’d ask Allah, but iirc he’s camera shy).
Otherwise I’m still not persuaded that the “proper” choice would have been to follow the lead of Dukakis.
gekkobear on December 22, 2007 at 7:55 PM
Would it fit over the bag?
MadisonConservative on December 22, 2007 at 8:34 PM
Heh heh heh AP and Bryan are Mittens, so of course they were hoping Fred would have a Dukakis moment, and they are pretty dang annoyed that Fred refused to raise his hand for them…
doriangrey on December 22, 2007 at 8:59 PM
BINGO!!
Gatordoug on December 22, 2007 at 9:35 PM
You fell for a overly sensationalized story, got called on it, and the evidence shows we were right to call you on it.
You know I like your humor and style, but you really need to buck up and take it like a man. You were hoodwinked by Politico and trying to deflect by calling us paulbots for calling you on it is pretty pathetic.
Sammy316 on December 22, 2007 at 11:22 PM
YUP
Gatordoug on December 22, 2007 at 11:56 PM
Just don’t put on a tanker’s helmet or a NASA clean suit and everything will be fine.
Mojave Mark on December 22, 2007 at 11:57 PM
Ye-up, we’ve flogged this dead horse way too long. Can we get back to the issues? Border fence, lower taxes, stronger military, etc.?
Texas Nick 77 on December 23, 2007 at 4:25 AM
Yup.
Ex-tex on December 23, 2007 at 9:55 AM
Fred is running a lackluster campaign but this is a silly story.
Buy Danish on December 24, 2007 at 8:26 AM
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