Illinois Democrat: Hey, you’re totally misreading what I said about the Constitution
posted at 6:46 pm on April 2, 2010 by Allahpundit
Not the first time this week that a Democrat’s tried to convince you that you didn’t hear what you just heard. Remember Hank Johnson’s instant classic about Guam tipping over, replete with illustrative hand gestures and the use of the word “capsize”? Turns out it was a subtly humorous metaphor that only appeared to be serious to, er … everyone who watched it. Same here with Phil Hare: As predicted, his spin is that he said he doesn’t worry about the Constitution on this, i.e. ObamaCare — not that he doesn’t worry about the Constitution generally. Basically, he wants you to believe that he looked into the constitutional issues surrounding the mandate, etc., and is satisfied that O-Care passes legal muster. The only problem? It’s a transparent lie. Follow the last link and watch the original video again. He flatly says (with clear irritation) that he doesn’t know which parts of the Constitution empowered Congress to pass this thing, and the whole thrust of his shpiel during the clip is that he doesn’t care. People need coverage and that’s enough of a moral imperative to him to trump any constitutional concern. Nor is there anything “out of context” about the clip. It picks up with the cameraman injecting a question about the Constitution and rolls until Hare leaves. QED.
Good job in glancing down at his notes repeatedly here, though, just to add that persuasive “I’ll say whatever my cronies tell me to say to make this go away” vibe.
Blowback
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I’m glad liberals are so much smarter than all the “mouth breathing tea baggers”. This guy in particular.
BuzzCrutcher on April 2, 2010 at 6:48 PM
Give it up Shultz.
Guardian on April 2, 2010 at 6:49 PM
Right now I think every Democrat in Congress should be voted out this fall. For the very few don’t go Pelosi’s way with the radical, the mere fact they chose to caucus with her brings their judgment into question.
INC on April 2, 2010 at 6:49 PM
Yeah, I support the constitution.
Oh, and by the way, here’s a picture of my family right here on my desk.
Oh, and by the way, did I mention that I served 6 years in the military?
So don’t believe your lyin eyes.
What a d-bag
GopherCon on April 2, 2010 at 6:50 PM
He must think the House rules to ‘modify and extend remarks’ carry the same weight in the public sector as they do in the Chamber.
Liam on April 2, 2010 at 6:50 PM
No, stupid; you Democrats are totally misreading the Constitution.
jimmy2shoes on April 2, 2010 at 6:51 PM
With the family photo conspicuously placed facing out to remind everyone that he’s, you know, a good guy, a family man.
Bishop on April 2, 2010 at 6:51 PM
Retard, they name is Democrat.
uknowmorethanme on April 2, 2010 at 6:51 PM
Did you see the picture of Hubert H. Humphrey on the wall behind him? That should tell you alot, too. Humphrey was a big socialist here in MN.
This Phil Hare is not a very convincing liar.
Mirimichi on April 2, 2010 at 6:52 PM
YOU LIE!
Guardian on April 2, 2010 at 6:52 PM
The picture of the family facing away from him on the front of his desk was a nice touch…
Seven Percent Solution on April 2, 2010 at 6:52 PM
Why? Why should congressmen not be held responsible for their public statements?
JamesB on April 2, 2010 at 6:52 PM
The only way this guy can spin this with any credibility is to say that he wasn’t responsible for the legal studies which analyzed the constitutionality of the legislation; his duty was to party loyalty and someone else was worrying about the constitutional issues. Call it the Sgt. Schultz defense.
Skandia Recluse on April 2, 2010 at 6:53 PM
How dare we take them at their word. They don’t believe in what they are saying.
rbj on April 2, 2010 at 6:53 PM
When Republicans take back congress I want to see this a$$hat charged and convicted.
farright on April 2, 2010 at 6:53 PM
They are using the General Welfare Clause now we have to explain to them their own mechanizations?
There is already Case law if this is what everyone expects to be applied to “The General Welfare Clause” and it has been found that it has to be applied Narrowly.
No I am not a constitutional scholar but I don’t need to be, I can read. And if someone wanted me to vote on a Bill, even the one with the amount of paper they passed, I would have read it, and applied constitutional law to it…it’s kind of what the people who would have elected me would have expected.
Dr Evil on April 2, 2010 at 6:54 PM
Please tell me this guy has a credible opponent for November.
Kensington on April 2, 2010 at 6:54 PM
He received the call from party headquarters.
Please don’t try to say you believe int he Constitution when you are in the same room as a picture of Hubert Humphrey… that’s just a sick joke.
tetriskid on April 2, 2010 at 6:55 PM
This guy had to study stupid, because no one is born that ignorant.
thomasaur on April 2, 2010 at 6:55 PM
He looks like what you would draw if you were asked to produce a cartoon showing the sterotypical Democrat politician.
jeanie on April 2, 2010 at 6:56 PM
He studied the Constitution between his readings of the Obamacare bill and concluded that he did not have to worry about it.
GaltBlvnAtty on April 2, 2010 at 6:56 PM
HAHAHA!
aquaviva on April 2, 2010 at 6:56 PM
Are you suggesting this man can’t read at 5000+ pages per minute? That sounds pretty racist of you!
tetriskid on April 2, 2010 at 6:58 PM
The Democrat “Who are you going to believe? Me or my own lying mouth?” Defense.
catmman on April 2, 2010 at 6:58 PM
I know nothing!
I see nothing!
I mean, uh, I stoodied evvvverrrrrthink beforehand, Herr Kommandant. Alle ist gut. Auch sehr gut!
novaculus on April 2, 2010 at 6:58 PM
unuseful idiot.
The clue is that he’s not clarifying anything to get himself out of trouble with his stupid constituency.
Speakup on April 2, 2010 at 6:59 PM
“OK, I’m done.Has the pizza arrived yet? “
Hummer53 on April 2, 2010 at 6:59 PM
Aw, gee, he still didn’t let us know how much of his own money he had donated to hospitals and healthcare providers before voting on this bill out of concern for the parents of children having to possibly incur some amount of debt. Why that?
Sailfish on April 2, 2010 at 6:59 PM
george wendt’s brother? huh? da bearz
jbh45 on April 2, 2010 at 7:00 PM
If there was ever an image of what a fat, corrupt, spiritually, morally and physically diseased politician looks like … this guy is it.
Lying sack of horse crap.
darwin on April 2, 2010 at 7:02 PM
“Oh I believe in the Constitution”…”Just don’t pay any attention to the HUGE EFFING picture of Hubert Humphrey behind me!’
tetriskid on April 2, 2010 at 7:03 PM
Hahaha.
I caught the obligatory family picture, too. How many people do you know put a family pic on the desk — that faces away from them? But then, if the picture faced the proud dad (where he could look at it and feel all warm and fuzzy with reminders of his family) it wouldn’t be caught by the camera, would it?
CJ on April 2, 2010 at 7:03 PM
Yeh, right, we get it./../// out of context… OK, noooo prob.
PaCadle on April 2, 2010 at 7:03 PM
Afta matta! The only thing I like about Hubert is the terminal. Easy access to Sun Country, you betcha!
jbh45 on April 2, 2010 at 7:04 PM
Ten to one there’s whisky in his coffee cup.
darwin on April 2, 2010 at 7:04 PM
Baby Huey
John the Libertarian on April 2, 2010 at 7:05 PM
He’s not as think as you stoned he is.
christene on April 2, 2010 at 7:05 PM
Hey.
I understand he used to be president of the Schotzy Toy Company before he became a congressman.
Dr. Carlo Lombardi on April 2, 2010 at 7:06 PM
A body language expert would have a field day with this guy. The photo of family, the eyes shutting while talking (a “lying” tell), and the now infamous Obama Bird Salute during his entire cop-fest.
Maybe he wasn’t giving the finger in earnest, but maybe he was subconsciously.
tru2tx on April 2, 2010 at 7:07 PM
It’s obvious he’s a democrat. An American flag is nowhere to be seen in his office. His handlers are even too stupid to put one in a staged photo.
veni vidi vici on April 2, 2010 at 7:07 PM
If his GOP opponent doesn’t use the video tape in campaign commercials, the GOPer doesn’t deserve to win.
pearson on April 2, 2010 at 7:07 PM
If a PR consultant set up this vid, he should be fired. There would’ve been so much better credibility if the pic was set right on the desk and the angle of the vid shoot taken from the side.
Unless someone with a sense of humor set Hare up to look foolish? Not that he needs help, mind you.
Liam on April 2, 2010 at 7:07 PM
Nice use by his handlers of the family photo, but I feel that isn’t quite pandering enough. How about a box of kittens on the desk as well?
“Would I lie? Would a man with a box of fluffy, adorable kitties lie to you, the people? Of course not. Vote Hare.”
Good Solid B-Plus on April 2, 2010 at 7:08 PM
The cover-up is always worse than the crime.
darwin on April 2, 2010 at 7:10 PM
Not a fan much of John Derbyshire at NRO, but he’s right: we’re doomed.
We. Really. Are.
SteveMG on April 2, 2010 at 7:10 PM
Why stop at the backward family photo?
The US Constitution hanging on the wall would have been a nice touch Schultz.
veni vidi vici on April 2, 2010 at 7:11 PM
These guys have to be defeated. They have to. It is a moral imperative, not to mention a practical one.
All Democrats Must Go. I don’t care if they are in the safest districts. Everyone of them should have an opponent. They should be forced to defend their seats. If nothing else, make them spend the money and resources so they can’t spend it on the competitive races.
Isn’t there some sort of Lord of the Rings parallel here?
azkag on April 2, 2010 at 7:13 PM
At first I thought he looked like John Wayne Gacy, but the Sgt. Schultz comparison is pretty spot on.
Jim-Rose on April 2, 2010 at 7:14 PM
I’ll wager he’s given a lot more thought to donuts than the Constitution.
Cicero43 on April 2, 2010 at 7:14 PM
Who’s the Oriental in the wall pix?
Wade on April 2, 2010 at 7:14 PM
Out of context? BULLSHIP.
Blind_Mule on April 2, 2010 at 7:15 PM
Too bad this a%s clown had to leave the halls of Congress and come home to face his constituents…
… Life is a bit%h at times.
Seven Percent Solution on April 2, 2010 at 7:15 PM
how do these guys get elected? This is a pretty terrible “apology.” Maybe when he gets beat in the election and loses health insurance he will realize what exactly he voted for.
jimsarr on April 2, 2010 at 7:15 PM
Oh, man. I missed that on the first time through and had to go back and watch again. If I laugh any harder at this guy, it won’t be pretty.
CJ on April 2, 2010 at 7:16 PM
… and a picture of ‘Teh One’ himself, shaking hands, with that smug smile (like the fix is in) on everyone’s face.
Seven Percent Solution on April 2, 2010 at 7:18 PM
Who’s the Oriental in the wall pix?
Wade on April 2, 2010 at 7:14 PM
Hubert Humphrey Senator and 38th Vice President
Blind_Mule on April 2, 2010 at 7:18 PM
Watch the vid again, check his left hand. He’s been taking lessons from The Won.
Skandia Recluse on April 2, 2010 at 7:18 PM
It must be nice to wolf down deep fried Snickers and get a sweet Cadillac
health insurance plan.
elderberry on April 2, 2010 at 7:19 PM
Uh…just exactly how in the f*ck did we do that? By watching a video of, as AP puts it: “… the cameraman injecting a question about the Constitution and rolls until Hare leaves”?
Who? For what? You ridiculous clown…
Jaibones on April 2, 2010 at 7:19 PM
Look at the top right corner of the screencap. There’s one star of a folded flag visible on top of his bookcase.
James on April 2, 2010 at 7:19 PM
It’s okay. Hare is going to join the ‘funemployment line’ this fall.
GarandFan on April 2, 2010 at 7:20 PM
Ahh .. fuss and bother…I’m late again….I blame it on dialup.
Skandia Recluse on April 2, 2010 at 7:20 PM
Congress’s best and brightest…
d1carter on April 2, 2010 at 7:20 PM
who?
Wade on April 2, 2010 at 7:22 PM
Tell your tale walkin, pal.
RedNewEnglander on April 2, 2010 at 7:22 PM
This guy’s top duty should be to complain about the shortened 8-minute coffee breaks that his Union’s members get at Consolidated Dildo Repair.
In other words, nothing that an low-range orangutan couldn’t do.
TexasJew on April 2, 2010 at 7:23 PM
Public school?
thomasaur on April 2, 2010 at 7:27 PM
You said it, so you meant it!!!!
yoda on April 2, 2010 at 7:30 PM
We have established their authority, it’s the “good and welfare” clause.
rjoco1 on April 2, 2010 at 7:30 PM
Hare today, gone tomorrow…er…gone in November.
docdave on April 2, 2010 at 7:31 PM
They’ve all broken their oaths to uphold, and defend the Constitution. So why are they still in office?
capejasmine on April 2, 2010 at 7:31 PM
Is he part of the “educated class”?
SlaveDog on April 2, 2010 at 7:32 PM
To paraphrase Dean Wormer: Fat, nasty and stupid is no way to go through life.
Travis Bickle on April 2, 2010 at 7:34 PM
Hubert Humphrey he was the Vice Pres during the Johnson Admin.
Blind_Mule on April 2, 2010 at 7:34 PM
Still laughing out loud!
DrStock on April 2, 2010 at 7:35 PM
They say you don’t have to be smart to get elected, just smarter than those who elect you. This is the only guy in Congress whose district is a rock garden.
volsense on April 2, 2010 at 7:35 PM
In the clip of his original statement, he thought “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” came from the constitution. Maybe Hare pledged to defend the Declaration of Independence, not the Constitution. Maybe that’s the problem.
hepcat on April 2, 2010 at 7:35 PM
LOL — Nanzi “Let me read you my answer again” Pelosi could take pointers from him on how not to appear flustered when reciting a canned response full of lies.
NoLeftTurn on April 2, 2010 at 7:37 PM
http://www.bobby2010.com/
Phil “super genius” Hare’s opponent in IL-17
tetriskid on April 2, 2010 at 7:38 PM
Maybe it’s nothing but did he learn the stealthy middle finger moves from The One? Not as obvious as Obama but I swear he’s doing it.
Shiny_Tiara on April 2, 2010 at 7:39 PM
What no one challenged Hare on was his premise that the medical welfare of “children” outweighs Constitutional mandates. He originally spoke about parents who had racked up over $10,000 in medical costs for emergency care of their child, and wanted to know how they were going to pay for it.
Well, for decades now we’ve had options available for people in dire need such as that couple’s. It exists in the form of charitable institutions, via private grants and non-profit charities, and in community based-aid both in organizations and in private contributions. Not to mention that community hospitals are funded by our tax dollars, and no one gets turned away from them.
But Obama wants to do away with charitable contribution related tax deductions, which will cause much of those available funds to dry up. Why? Because anyone benefiting from charitable contributions will be forced to look to the federal government for help instead, which is the driving force behind the health care so-called reform bill. Ultimately it is to make it possible for the federal government to wield its power and take control of every aspect of our private lives.
If Phil Hare does not see the forest for the trees, it’s because Pelosi and Reid and other Democratic Party leaders have been feeding them so much BS relating to health care while keeping them sequestered from public input that they’ve actually bought into all the spin their own party is fostering.
Welcome to the real world of facts, Congressman Hare. Your rude awakenings are just starting, and you can send a personal thank you note to Nancy and Harry for their enormous help with your tough decision over the health care reform bill. Your constituents have obviously been waiting in frustration to speak with you, and all that Nancy and Harry did was to delay the inevitable. Aren’t they just the best leaders the Democratic Party ever had?
KendraWilder on April 2, 2010 at 7:40 PM
I’m not either, but I did stay at a Motel 6 in Illinois once.
And I found an original copy of the Constitution hidden in the back of the painting that was bolted to the wall, over the bed.
Does that make me a congressman?
Yoop on April 2, 2010 at 7:41 PM
How much do you want to bet the NRCC hasn’t given a nickel to Schilling? (Actually, I know they haven’t….I know someone working in Schillings campaign).
Whether that will change now, or not, I don’t know. But, think about it. Hare is a first time Congressman in downstate IL and the NRCC hasn’t funded his opponents campaign.
aquaviva on April 2, 2010 at 7:44 PM
As an American I am ashamed of myself for not doing more to keep fools like this away from the levers of power.
I looked in the mirror and saw I am part of the problem. I could have done more. I can do more. I will do more.
TheBigOldDog on April 2, 2010 at 7:44 PM
Help….. I tipped over and I can’t get up!
roflmao
donabernathy on April 2, 2010 at 7:47 PM
What an arrogant POS.
It bothers me that he says “this constitution” and “the constitution” but never once says ” the US constitution”
Is he talking about the USSR constitution , or the Venezualan constitution or what ?
Maybe he is not on the same page with the rest of us.
macncheez on April 2, 2010 at 7:51 PM
It was too shameful for him to have his his family photo facing him while he lied through his teeth so he turned it towards the camera. Maybe there’s a glimmer of hope for him… nah…probably did it as a sympathy ploy.
TheBigOldDog on April 2, 2010 at 7:51 PM
Good you won,t have to worry about it after 11-2-10
thmcbb on April 2, 2010 at 7:54 PM
I like how he makes sure to have his family pic front and center too, nothing obvious about that either.
clearbluesky on April 2, 2010 at 7:54 PM
Phil Hare is a major, major hypocrite.
In the longer version of the video at the town hall is asked by a constituent about his policy on abortion. He said he believes “As a Catholic, I believe abortion is a mortal sin”.
Here at 6:16 in second video.
Here’s his wiki entry on his abortion position.
Here’s his
aquaviva on April 2, 2010 at 7:58 PM
Yeesh…some typos in my post above but you get the idea.
aquaviva on April 2, 2010 at 7:59 PM
And keep wagging that finger at us you slob .
It just might make your PR team @ Media Matters very proud.
macncheez on April 2, 2010 at 7:59 PM
Silly wabbit…HAHAHAHAHA
jerrytbg on April 2, 2010 at 8:04 PM
Yeah, looks like Obama taught him how to subtlety flip people off while maintaining plausible deniability.
clearbluesky on April 2, 2010 at 8:04 PM
Yep, I noticed it too.
Shiny_Tiara on April 2, 2010 at 8:05 PM
Is that Chairman Mao in the picture behind the congressman?
RAB on April 2, 2010 at 8:05 PM
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