The internet seems filled with stories about Virginia Congressman Gerald Connolly and his staff bullying some tea party woman. Much is being made of the woman being small and not likely to inflict harm.

A little background from the Washington Post:

Protesters targeted Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.), a first-term congressman whose Fairfax County district voted for Republican Robert F. McDonnell in this week’s gubernatorial election. Connolly, up for reelection next year, said that he has not decided whether to vote for health-care reform but that the tea-party activists will not influence his vote.

“You try to hear them out respectfully,” Connolly said. “The problem is they’re not here on a mission of dialogue. They’re here on a mission to persuade and discourage.”

Connolly said he had an unnerving confrontation in his office when a protester grabbed his arm and did not let up. “I told her, ‘You really need to take your arms off me. I’m on my way to vote,’ ” Connolly said. “I was a little shocked, but I ascribed it more to an overabundance of zeal than any malign intent.”

Hours before the rally began, Capitol Police arrested nine pro-reform activists in the Hart Senate Office Building and charged them with unlawful entry. They had staged a sit-in the seventh-floor office of Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.), demanding that he return campaign contributions from health insurers. Lieberman has threatened to join Republicans in a filibuster.

The tea-party rally was the latest display of a populist wave of voter discontent among conservatives, which has divided the Republican Party in recent weeks. Protesters said the health-care bill is the latest move by Democrats toward socialism.

A woman from Smart Girl Nation blog has accused Connolly’s staffer of pushing her arm down when she tried to do video recording. Someone else was threatened with arrest from the above recount. These accounts are beginning to sound like an armed camp.

First off, When one visits the Capitol, there are rules. You do what you are told to do. The attitude I am reading about in each case is that people just seem to think they can do what they want to do because they pay taxes. That just isn’t the case. The Capitol police are some of the most powerful in the nation and they have jurisdiction that covers great distances. They are there to protect members of Congress and to protect the Capitol. I would make sure to go by their rules. Their turf isn’t limited to the Capitol grounds.

Second of all, why would any adult, I don’t care what their size is, think it is alright to put their hands on anyone. You don’t put your hands on people, especially Congressmen.

I wasn’t there so I don’t want to even venture a guess as to what really happened but all accounts seem to point to the same thing: The tea party participants really think they don’t have to play by the long time established rules. If they don’t like being considered thugs, then don’t act like a bully. Make an appointment with your congressman. Follow camera and video rules. Don’t scream at them and don’t put your hands on them. That seems like a much more productive plan than what I am reading about. The entire incident in Rep. Connolly’s office sounds very much like a set up to me.

80 Thoughts to “Was Congressman Connolly Set Up?”

  1. Opinion

    I fear a radical third party is emerging in the United States. They are neither Democrats nor Republicans. They are “something else”. Folks like Governor-Elect McDonnell and Joe Scarborough (author of the book, “The Last Best Hope”) have charted a pragmatic “govern from the middle” strategy that just make the Republican Party viable. On the extreme end of the spectrum, we have folks like Palin, Beck, Limbaugh, the Tea Party crowd, et.al., leveraging the rights that they are afforded under the Constitution to perhaps destroy our form of Government.

    The success of Democracy has long been predicated on the principle of “the loyal opposition.” The party out of power might disagree with the incumbent party; however, they recognized that it represents the opinion of the majority of Americans during a period of history. “The loyal opposition” also recognizes its obligation to continue the business of Government in the interests of the people. John McCain is probably the best example of this concept.

    There is an element in this Country clearly not interested in supporting the business of Government or the success and future of this Country. We have seen this before in history. I fear that unless there is a significant backlash among the majority of Americans, those folks who might disagree while cooperating for the greater good, the Republic may be at risk. Unfortunately, electorate complacency is a cultural reality in our Country thus leaving our future to those who “show up” (and the folks that show up don’t represent the majority these days).

    We will see more tea parties, obstructionist activity in the House and the Senate, media rants, etc. I voted against Bob McDonnell. After reading his speech about “Governing from the middle”, I believe that he might actually be the answer to our problem. These radicals come from the left right [changed at request of author]. While (IMHO) they are not really “Republicans”, they operate under the cover of Republican Party affiliation (the lesser of two evils principle). I hope that Bob McDonnell and others (it’s obvious that I would like to see Joe Scarborough on a ticket in the future) bring sanity to the left right [changed at request of author] and restore the “big tent” that at one time provided cover for those who favor fiscally conservative policy and small Government.

  2. Opinion

    Correction “…sanity to the right…” not the left (although extremists at both ends could use a bit of help). Freudian slip, I suppose.

  3. Opinion, you paint a scary picture. I am just confused by left and right at this point.

    I don’t see the Tea party as having anything to do with the left. The left has their own problems. I see the Tea Party as the right gone real bad.

    The Republican Party has been taken off course before–when the Moral Majority/Religious Right decided it was time to hi jack a party so they would have one of their own. That is when I stopped being a Republican.

  4. Opinion

    M-H… note my correction.

  5. Elena

    I agree with Opinions assessment. Where was their outrage over the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan, which cost almost 800 billion in the end. I guess it’s not socialism when it put the money in the pocket of big business.

  6. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    I cannot fathom how Opinion’s mind could come to be so twisted, bent, and broken. Like his predecessor, ShellyB, one has to envision years of brain-washing, an adverse reaction to psychoactive medication, or a horrible hunting accident could cause the damage that allows a person to exist in the modern world without the capacity to interpret their surroundings. Every sentence is almost purposely crafted to display a lack of understanding. Like Nancy Pelosi herself, the ability to ignore or be oblivious to fundamental truths is astounding. With someone like Pelosi, it makes sense, she’s so sheltered from the experience of the electorate. With someone like Opinion, I can think of no excuse for such a twisted lack of understanding.

  7. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    Actually, I take a piece of that back. After another reading, things become a bit more clear. Nobody wants to admit that their ideology is wrong to it’s very core, and to some extent the majority of the country got caught up in the simple but effective marketing campaign that swept a community organizer with zero executive experience into a political office. Now they are beginning to see their beloved idol trip and falter with every step, and they can’t believe their dream could come to an end so quickly. Under those circumstances, one could envision the level of denial (among the most powerful of psychological forces, like greed) resulting in something as unbelievable as Opinion’s first post.

  8. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    Connolly? One can only laugh.

  9. Opinion

    @Slowpoke Rodriguez
    Actually, Slowpoke… I admit to many of the things of which you accuse me. Twenty-two years serving my Country in foreign wars of dubious origin and exposure to a variety of different political systems certainly color my view of the world. Experience is a harsh teacher; however, there is no substitute for its lessons.

    Fortunately, we have people like you to tell people who can’t think for themselves what they should think and do. Your harsh tone actually confirms my hypothesis (the “those who disagree with me must be crazy” theory). Thanks anyway; however, I have no problem thinking for myself.

    As implied by my handle, this is just my opinion.

  10. I don’t think that Opinion is very different than most Americans.

    As for Connolly, the issue really isn’t about Connolly but about any elected official who is targetted and set up.

    Now I understand the left and right mix up (easy to do) I agree with his assessment.

    Slow, you might want to take a look….

  11. Opinion, want me to go in and type right for left? Let me know.

  12. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    Opinion :
    Thanks anyway; however, I have no problem thinking for myself.

    Mmmmm, yeah, actually you clearly do, but I’m not going to spend another word in attacking you personally on this, because correcting a wrong message can de done, dealing with the delusional is almost always a waste of time.

  13. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    @Moon-howler
    So you think most Americans believe that even though the Democrats have a super-majority, that the Republicans (or the opposition) is still “obstructing” them? I see.

  14. What are you smoking? I never mentioned a super majority. I said most Americans feel like Opinion does. He isn’t an anomoly.

    Most Americans don’t think they can go out and do their own thing, regardless of where they are. I haven’t noticed that much break with reality–yet. I believe Opinion, unless I misread him, talked of a third party emerging.

  15. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    Moon-howler :
    What are you smoking? I never mentioned a super majority. I said most Americans feel like Opinion does. He isn’t an anomoly.

    I can’t read Opinion’s post for you, but perhaps you can explain what “obstructionist activity in the House and Senate” is?

  16. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    I mean other than a Nancy Pelosi talking point.

  17. I am getting the impression that there is this longing to be able to dress as an Indian and go dump some tea. That behavior was unlawful then and it is unlawful now.

    Most Americans would rather make changes through legislation rather than through revolution. It is cheaper and keeps the hands cleaner.

    There is some sort of mis-focus going on that basically ignores rule of law. If it is illegal to put your hands on people without permission, it doesn’t matter if you are a 98 pounder or a lineman for the WV Mountaineers (biggest linemen I have ever seen), it doesn’t matter. Your size is irrelevant. If you aren’t supposed to be flashing cameras in people’s faces, don’t do it. This wild thuggery is just not the way to accomplish political change.

  18. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    Moon-howler :
    I am getting the impression that there is this longing to be able to dress as an Indian and go dump some tea. That behavior was unlawful then and it is unlawful now.

    Is that “God Save the Queen” I hear in the background? I am reminded of KG, who continuously whined about Greg threatening her physically. Imagine the damage caused by a mouse attacking a Wholly Mammoth!

  19. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    The legal concept is “disparity of force”.

  20. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    “Wild thuggery is just not the way to accomplish political change”, huh? Well, as soon as the left figures that out, we’re on the road to recovery!

  21. Greg is a mouse? Katherine is a Wholly Mammoth? Nothing wrong with “God Save the Queen.”

    Actually, all kidding aside, did you see the letter she got? I would make sure that you had before you accuse her of whining. I have seen it. It simply didn’t need to happen. There was no need for him to contact her.

  22. Rick Bentley

    “Most Americans would rather make changes through legislation rather than through revolution. It is cheaper ”

    Not really.

  23. Same message to them. Are we talking code pink? Those jerks at the polls last year in Philadelphia? Name who you are talking about so I can get on the same sheet of music?

  24. Rick, I don’t think most Americans want to fight a civil war. I think some do, most don’t.

  25. A PW County Resident

    I noted the statement in the orginal blog post, “The tea party participants really think they don’t have to play by the long time established rules.”

    Interestingly, it was the PRO-REFORM people, not the people of tea bag persuasion, that got arrested but none of the discussion above has pointed that out very well nor has there been any criticism about their activity.

  26. opinion

    M-H yes please, thanx.

  27. Er…I must have missed something along the way. That’s what I get for having tons of work to do.

    That said, it matters not if you are a mouse or a mammoth if you are carrying a gun.

  28. Mom

    It’s highly unlikely that Connolly and his staff were “set-up”, arrogant and inexperienced in the ways of The Hill yes, set-up no. In truth, Connolly’s “tried and true” methods that marked his tenure on the Fairfax Board will not work on The Hill and Burke is truly a petty piece of baggage. For what its worth, its not atypical of many freshman congressmen and their staffs, it takes time to learn the nuances of Congressional representation and constituent services. Fortunately (at least for me) those are not lessons they are likely to learn before its time to box up their personal belongings after the next election.

  29. Rez, actually I am not sure who you mean by pro-reform people. I only did the post as it related to Tea Party and Connolly.

    I don’t think I have covered pro-reform folks, or if I have, not under that name.

    Ok, I just realized what/who you are talking about. Not sure what those folks did. Not sure why they were arrested.

  30. Mom, I had been following the print about Connolly by Tea Party people and others who don’t care for this official. I am not so sure he wasn”t targetted and at the same time set up.

    I am not defending Connolly’s policies and ways of the world. I know people who like him alot and some who dislike him. He isn’t my rep. He could just as easily be ‘any congressman.’ Perhaps you have just proven my point. He is a freshman congressman. I believe some advantage was taken of him.

    At any rate, those elected officials aren’t out there to be abused. There are ways to make our wishes known. Storming their offices, flashing cameras in their faces and grabbing them is not the way to do it.

    Tea Party ladies, Code Pink ladies, I see little difference.

  31. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    Connolly is in a tough position here. Unless he’s completely stupid, he knows the only reason he’s in office is because he shared a ticket with BO, and that fact will either not be there to help him next year, or more likely, could hurt him. He’s probably under intense pressure to lick Pelosi’s floppy clown shoes, but he also knows the clear majority of Americans (including his pesky constituents) see through this health care power grab and want NO parts of it. So he has to deny what he’s seeing and hearing parrot the same lines to poo he’s told to parrot. He’s hoping beyond hope that he can put the screws to his constituents and they’ll forget come next November.
    Now, nobody has the right to touch him without his permission, do we have any proof that that really happened? And let me make this absolutely clear (channeling Obama), Connolly’s word is NOT proof.

  32. A PW County Resident

    Yes, but the article that was cited only talked of the arrest of the pro-reformers. I thought you alluded to it in your discussion of the Capitol Police.

    The Capitol Police were not apparently involved in the Connolly thing (at least in the article).

    Both groups sound like they had questionable activities but only the people from Tea parties have been criticized.

    I wasn’t there for either instance so I don’t know whether any of this has been blown out of proportion. I tend to believe most emotionally charged situations are blown out of proportion.

    Wolfie, it wasn’t intended to be a criticism of you or anyone, it was an observation that I thought fairness dictated to be said.

  33. A PW County Resident

    By the way, the way a newspaper can slant news is to have the sensational lead about a local Congressman and then slide into the middle about some arrests. They know that people read things quickly so they miss certain details and assume that the same group that put an arm on the Congressman were arrested, when in fact they weren’t the ones.

    The more sensational part of the story was the arrest but it was buried in an article where someone put an arm on another.

  34. kelly3406

    @Slowpoke Rodriguez
    Well-stated, Slowpoke.

  35. Rez, I just didn’t follow them. Glazed right on over that part. I was honing in on Connolly because he is local. I thought the arms on Connolly person was the one of the Tea Party ladies. Now, I followed abouut 5 articles on this story and people changed between the articles. I even listened to that Levin man. arrgghhh. More than one article (from differing sides) acknowledged that some lady laid hands on Connolly. I got the impression from all articles that he didn’t like it.

    I am fairly neutral about Connolly. He isn’t my congressional rep. The story grabbed me because of the context of him being targetted and his office being rushed and because he is the congressman of people in our area.

    In general: I just throw it out there. Believe it. Of course it could have been a set up. How about those license plates? 🙄

  36. A PW County Resident

    License plates?

  37. kelly3406

    In response to the rantings of Opinion, I would like to remind him that loyalty to the main political parties is not a measure of patriotism. If the two parties are involved in unconstitutional power grabs, then I will do all that I can to hinder them. If those measures do pass, then I will work night and day to get those people replaced, regardless of party affiliation. If you think that’s radical, that’s your problem.

    One more thing: I have just as much or more military experience than you, but my conclusions are quite different than yours. So stop playing the military card like your opinion is somehow more informed than everyone’s here. That’s the sort of arrogance that gives vets a bad name.

  38. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    I respect the service of those who served, but it doesn’t automatically translate into being correct about every little thing (John McCain is the apex example here). The damage McCain would have caused with his amnesty and bail-out support would have more than completely countered any good he may have done in the past.

  39. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    Vlad the impaler was and still is looked upon as a great military hero in his native lands.

  40. HA! I just figured out how you do that!! (Sorry. It has been bugging me.)

  41. Yes and no, slowpoke. I would agree that just being military doesn’t elevate anyone to hero status or make them all-knowing. However, as far as McCain goes, I don’t think his military experience is coloring his opinion on immigration as much as being from Arizona is.

    It is hard to give credence to much of anything involving immigration when we are calling any change ‘amnesty.’

  42. Formerly Anonymous

    I think you’d have to be a bit of a conspiracy theorist to think that Connolly was set up, as in the victim of something planned in advance. But Connolly certainly did himself no favors. He’s had a really bad week. He was already considered somewhat vulnerable before Tuesday’s election and the fact that McDonnell carried Fairfax County and Connolly’s district by 5 points is a problem. Add to that, he is one of the 40 or so Democrats that the House leadership needs to get 28 votes out of this weekend or the health reform bill dies. If he votes for the bill, he’ll get blasted with every negative thing that’s in the bill. If he doesn’t and the bill dies, good luck getting SEIU workers come next November.

    Connolly’s best hope for re-election in 2010 is to avoid nationalizing his race. Keep the race focused on bringing home the bacon and he has a shot. Trying to have one of your constituants arrested for having the temerity to touch your arm isn’t good publicity. People can have a number of different reactions to Connolly’s actions but none of them make Connolly look distinguished, calm, cool, collected or reasonable.

    If Finian were to exploit this, he would do everything he could to nationalize this incident. It would pour money into the race. If he could get mobilized quickly enough, he could get some flash money, probably $200-300k by Monday. That’s a healthy amount of cash to get 12 months out of the race. I don’t think Finian is in a situation to exploit Connolly’s gaffe that quickly though. Finian has been a little slow out of the gate so far.

    Connolly needs to keep a lower profile and let his legislative accomplishments speak for him, since he doesn’t seem to do a great job doing it himself.

  43. Formerly, do you really think it is that far-fetched? All it takes is one or 2 people. A conspiracy is way too complicated.

  44. Opinion

    @kelly3406
    Kelly, my opinion is what it is. My experience is what it is. My career in Special Operations gave me interesting insight into political power and the tenuous nature of Government. There was a time in our history when we “specialized” in taking down Governments (and we weren’t that good at it). I’ll draw upon my career as I see fit and encourage you to do the same (with your military and life experiences). The simple fact that perhaps you are uncomfortable with something I say really doesn’t change my right to say it. The fact that you might disagree with me doesn’t offend me; however, the form of your disagreement is offensive. When one lacks an argument to counter a position, it is normal to substitute insults (such as you and others appear quick to do).

    Here’s a logic problem that you might like to fill in (or not):
    All Governments fail.
    The united States is managed by a Government.

    The trick is to make the answer later vice sooner… and to be replaced by something better. The short answer is that I believe within the context of the failure of our Financial systems, growing deficits, wars we can’t afford, a collapsing infrastructure etc, etc, etc. we should all be pulling together. To me it is analogous to being on a ship with a hole in it. Our hope is that all will grab a bucket and throw water out rather than do nothing while we sink (obstructionism) or put water in (the people I refer to in my original post) while we try and fix the hole.

    I really don’t want to join Great Britain and Spain as other “has-been” super powers while the future is ruled by China (our Creditor and heir apparent) and/or the ever evolving EU.

    I freely admit that I could be wrong; however, its just my opinion. Thank you for your service to our Country.

  45. Syllogisms and analogies. My kind of day. Excellent examples. I agree with you, Opinion. We all need to be working together towards things being better.

    I am in the middle of watching the Assasination of Lincoln on American Experience. Odd that the film states that we didn’t preserve the United States during the Civil War, we reinvented it. Just a thought…..

    http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/assassination/

  46. Opinion

    I like your thinking. Re-inventing Government is the answer. The Constitution gives us a roadmap and a process for change (Article V). (IMHO) Thinking “Party” vice “American” just won’t get us there.

  47. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    Moon-howler :
    It is hard to give credence to much of anything involving immigration when we are calling any change ‘amnesty.’

    Unless we call it something it isn’t (like the “competitive option”), we can’t acknowledge it.

  48. kelly3406

    @Opinion
    I also agree that we should work together toward making things better. But labeling people as radicals because they disagree with a government agenda pursued that limits freedom and violates the constitution is not going to get the cooperation that you seek. In fact, I would argue that the constitutional shortcuts of the Obama agenda may well be pushing the government closer to failure. Another trillion+ dollar expenditure will certainly increase our dependency on China.

    So sometimes blocking the ability of the government to carry out ill-advised schemes may be (in my opinion) in the best interest of the country.

    My discussion above was not intended to be offensive. While I honor your service, my point above is that military experience does not necessarily translate into unchallengable civics lessons. What made me uncomfortable was your implication that people who are blocking the agenda of the current left-wing government are unpatriotic and perhaps “attempting to destroy our form of government.” I found that to be offensive.

  49. A PW County Resident

    Opinion :I like your thinking. Re-inventing Government is the answer. The Constitution gives us a roadmap and a process for change (Article V). (IMHO) Thinking “Party” vice “American” just won’t get us there.

    Change, even “Change you can believe in”, needs to be measured, targeted and wise or else it is a disaster. Putting everything into a reform package even when it is unwise or leaving things out (because you don’t want to take on a particular interest like trial lawyers), can be dangerous at worst or ineffective at best.

    To use your boat analogy, if your solution to the hole is to drill one on the other side, so that the water has a place to drain out will probably cause the boat to sink faster.

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