Cantor’s Office Responds: Video Depicting AFSCME Members As Goons
Updated below with call on Cantor to apologize.
This isn’t going to make the big unions very happy. GOP House leader Eric Cantor’s office has come up with an intriguing response to the AFSCME ad bllitz targeting GOP leaders: Sending over a video that portrays AFSCME union members as 1970s-era goons.
Cantor spokesperson Brad Dayspring emails me the vid, stressing that it’s meant as a joke:
The GOP leadership didn’t make the vid, but it’s Cantor’s office’s (joke) response. It’s not immediately clear what the vid is, but it appears to be a 1970s AFSCME public service announcement with a newly added voice-over by a tough-talking, cursing goombah.
“On your way to work tomorrow, instead of sittin’ around with your finger up your a**, look around,” the voice-over says. “There’s a union out there called AFSCME and they’re busting’ their balls doing a lot of sh*t work you take for granted. For example, we pick up your f–kin’ garbage.”
“We don’t take sh*t from nobody,” the vid concludes. “You got that, a**hole? AFSCME — the f–king union that works for you.”
As they say, Developing…
Update: Brad Woodhouse, the head of Americans United for Change, which is also funding the initial ad hitting the GOP leadership, sends over a statement demanding that Cantor apologize.
This is a childish and disgusting response to one of the most serious crises facing America in our lifetimes. This spoof of AFSCME has been floating around on YouTube for years — but its use in this context shows how completely and utterly out of touch with the current economic crisis and the lives of Americans Eric Cantor and the GOP leadership really is. Cantor should apologize.
Update II: Now AFSCME chief Gerald McEntee is blasting Cantor, too.
Update III: And now AFL-CIO president John Sweeney is hitting Cantor and demanding an apology.
Update IV: Cantor’s spokesperson apologizes for goon vid.
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stressing that it’s meant as a joke:
ha. ha. ha. [golf clap]
Is this being televised, or is it just a web only response?
Republicans are so ham handed in their humor. They don’t do subtle at all.
looks like the unions are going to try to make an issue of this. stay tuned.
It’s really fun watching the Republicans double down on every single one of their mistakes.
it’s not so fun watching my compadres go off like a bunch of nervous hitmen every time they hear a twig snap. IOW, sometimes I think that instead of exploding that clip, it might be well to know first what that noise really meant. It’s not fair to carve out one court appearance in a case as complicated as the Boeing case is, especially when a new “firm” just took the case over and needs time to look at everything. At least, that’s my take on the rendition situation that everyone is freaking out about.
Don’t mean to go OT or to start an argument about it – just how I see it.
I’d set the National Italian American Foundation on Cantor as well. This is insulting to Italian Americans.
I’m at a total loss as to how Cantor’s PR people think this might help achieve any desired end.
Greg–this has been floating around the web for s few years. I think it’s pretty funny, and so do the other officers of my union local.
Maybe people are confused by a Republican with an actual sense of humor?
There was a Cavuto piece a couple of days ago where he pushed the notion of union goonism. They can’t really think this 50’s worldview will have any resonance or PR effect past the really stupid parts of their base(who actually often do speak in the manner portrayed, as anyone who has worked in the pits of a drag race for example, could verify) can they?
Agreed about Cantor’s weird misjudgment of the ‘desired end’. This is just politically stupid, if nothing else. The bar just keeps pressing down towards the dirt floor for these people.
“It’s meant as a joke” is a common response from Republicans. I hear it from my brother all the time. I think the Republicans have just been scared stupid since Nov. 8th which is why Limbaugh has become the de facto leader of the party.
BTW, the “just a joke” trope is just a facile way of shutting off any response deemed threatening. You see it with ten-year-olds all the time.
Eric Cantor is a first-class jerk and always has been. I am so glad that they did not include my area in his district when they split up the VA-3rd!
I couldn’t care less about profanity in movies or literature or conversation. The Whiplet Cantor’s political advertisement, however, represents a new low, a descent that ought to outrage individuals across the political spectrum from Pat Robertson to Joe Lieberman to Speaker Pelosi.
Mr. Cantor should resign his leadership position.
Wasn’t “Barack the Magic Negro” also thought of as a joke?
I think the Cantor just gave us an opening… think about…
Republicans love beating up on Unions. They act as if the unions are not made up of regular people just trying to take care of the families and earn a decent wage. They try and pride themselves of being “All American”… but unions are made up of AMERICANS!
The unions should respond back with a video of some of the hard working union members wearing their uniforms and saying how disrespected they feel over this video, and how could a member of congress behave this way? And how the GOP is not the party of the people, because who would put down American worker? There are thousands of people who have lost their jobs, why would the GOP mock those who work for little? Why do the GOP love beating up on the little guys?
I say they should respond that way! And hit them where it hurts! The unions have some pretty smart people and I’m sure they can find some people to do this.
Without knowing too much about Cantor (thank goodness} he does seem like a real jerk…now these comments on the video confirm it…. he should go down with all the rest of his fellow “goons”
Eric should resign his position. I am sure he will come out and say someone in his office did that video without his knowledge. Regardless, he should take responsibility for it and publicly apologize.
LOL. The GOP get’s targeted by the AFSCME goon squad ad at the behest of the petty child emperor, er, President, and people are ridiculing the GOP for giving it the ridicule it deserves?
Obama doesn’t even need the GOP’s support to pass Porkulus. Maybe instead of sending goons he should knock Pelosi and Reid off their high horses instead, if he actually wants “bipartisanship.”
I saw this year’s ago. What I was told was that some union guy was doing some kind of sound check and said what he really thinks of rich dudes with clean hands who do no discernible work and haul down big bucks. The vid was quite popular among actual working people. Cantor’s people live with their heads up their asses.
As a parent, i felt it was my job to call cantor’s office and ask them why they felt it was necessary to send a video filled with expletives with no warning that they were sending x-rated language.
My son, who is 5 and impressionable, was in the room with me when i put the video on. My computer is older and a bit slow, so even after the video closed, the audio kept playing. “****** this, ****** that, **** **** **** **** **** fuckity ****.”
Great ******’ move Cantor: now my ******’ kid knows a new ******’ word, thanks to you, you ******’ idiot ****. What the **** am I supposed to tell his ******’ mom when he starts dropping ******’ f-bombs like there’s now ******’ tomorrow? Is someone from your ******’ staff gonna volunteer to come by my ******’ home and ******’ explain to the little ******’ tyke that “****” isn’t a nice word to say? You better ******’ come up with ******’ something, you ******’ **** wits.
The internet folklore about this video, which has been on YouTube for a long time, is that the voiceover actor recorded a joke “alternate” narration, along with the official script. The version of the ad with the joke voiceover was then circulated via VHS tapes for years, until it hit the web and went viral.
Yeah, right. “Barack the Magic Negro,” just a joke, too. Whassa matter you ********, got no ******’ sensayuma?
brendacalling
That’s very funny. Nice job.
brendancalling:
What are you trying to pull here? Claiming that Cantor sent “a video filled with expletives with no warning that they were sending x-rated language?” C’mon now! The Cantor office sent that to a blogger – not to you! The blogger posted it with a warning about the language. You’re not fooling anyone.
I dunno, I thought it was pretty funny. However, if the unions can make an issue out of it and beat Cantor over the head, go for it.
Don’t know what you mean sbj, it came in one of the many list-servs i subscribe to.
Mr. Cantor should resign his leadership position.
I think it’s funny – and it doesn’t even denigrate the good work that unions do! It points out all the good work unions do – pretty sure union members would get a good laugh at this (especially here in NYC). Sure as hell beats the SEIU ads complaining about health care cuts…(guvunuh pattuhsun i might lose my jahb..). yeah, well, my wife got laid off last week – welcome to the f*king club)
Awesome Sauce. This should be the headline on every liberal/progressive blog
‘It’s just a joke’ is like when these clowns claim crackhead Rush is ‘just entertainment.’
No one is fooled by their baloney.
That said, a union friend in NJ sent this to me a few weeks ago & I thought it was hilarious.
As humor, this is good as far as it goes. As a response from a political leader to Americans desire to organize in the workplace, not so much.
Maybe someone should tell Eric Cantor to go f#ck himself.
Although, that vid came off as pretty pro-union to me.
202-225-2815 Congressman Cantor’s office should know just how offended many people are. Both union households as well as Italo Americans characters were impugned. I’m not laughing.
Wow, what will Cantor send out next? Chocolate rain? Sneezing panda? Leave Britney alone?
I called Cantor’s office. The young lady that answered the phone says Cantor isn’t associated with this video. I told her that’s not what’s being heard and that Cantor needs to go on national tv and apologize for being in any way associated with this video. Everyone needs to call. This man is a joke anyway. Turn the “joke” around on him.
Was that ad supposed to make me dislike unions?
Because the takeaways are “AFSCME members do a lot of important stuff” and “Eric Cantor looks down on them for it.”
This was sent out in Cantor’s name. By a spokesperson. His office needs to be called and reminded that he is responsible. He should be asked to resign his leadership position and go on national TV and apologize for this insulting video. And the “just a joke” remarks are not cutting it. What other Americans does he laugh at behind their backs?
I knew Cantor had this in him from his first Hardball appearance. It is almost embarrassing how low the bar is to represent the GOP.
How unsurprising that Cantor would take a pro-union joke take of an old ad and flog it as anti-union. It reminds me of Tom Delay’s team quoting a satirical Stephen Colbert bit as support.
As a longtime Virginia Republican, I have to say that I am terribly disappointed by Eric’s incredibly bad judgement.
I just Cantor’s office and got the same ” it’s not my fault” response from someone there. I told her I am calling my rep. Tammy Baldwin and ask her to bring it up on C-span.
Maybe even show the video.
THE SUBVERSIVE REPUBLICAN PARTY
Republicans are practicing subversive forms of demagoguery and guerrilla obstructionism that are intended to destabilize our economy for purposes of political exploitation. Republicans AREN’T making a sincere effort to stop the bleeding their incompetent leadership and failed policies created. Instead, they’re using conflicting economic theories as a smokescreen to conceal their real agenda, which is to undermine President Obama and cause him and America to fail. Republicans are laughably professing that their disgraceful political whoring had nothing to do with the banking, real estate, stock market and employment catastrophes that resulted. Republicans are trying to hamstring Obama to prevent him from undoing the incompetent negligence of George W. Bush. Republicans are offering up subjective controversial arguments they know no one can agree on in order to disrupt and deny progressive change. They’d rather create political gridlock than endure the political consequences of effective Democratic governance. That’s how they gained power and that’s how they’re trying to retain it. They are not the LOYAL OPPOSITION. They are the ENEMY WITHIN whose political priorities have eroded their moral and ethical standards to the point that treachery and betrayal are their preferred methods of operation. It’s one thing to vigorously advocate their conservative beliefs; it’s another thing entirely for them to willfully sabotage America’s government because a successful Democratic president would not be vulnerable to the fears and hatreds that have produced and sustained the radical Republican corporatism and extremism that have poisoned and divided America.
This came out in 2007. It’s not recent at all. Please correct yourself!
I am a union supporter and I actually thought this was pretty funny. I agree – people need to get a sense of humor. We often stereotype bankers and Wall Streeters on commercials and ads so I guess it goes both ways.
Liberals smoke moosecock. All of ‘em
Well if the shoe fits the unions should wear it and wear it well. Fact is they’re reverting to lies, extortion and the politics of fear to try to get the Debt Act passed. They can’t actually defend anything in the bill as its just one huge piece of rotten pork. So instead they try to say Cantor simply said no to any stimulus bill which is so far from the truth they may as well say the moon will rise on the morning and the sun at night. What use the 200+ billion Cantor and others tried to get cut from the bill that wont even be spent IN 2 YEARS will have as far as stimulus is beyond me and quite a few economists. But they can’t defend that. So instead they need to lie and say asinine things like “This is the worst recession ever”, except that only comes close to truth going by length and not by GDP, inflation, productivity, misery index, etc. Then they say we have to act “right now”, why? i mean they had no problem setting up us for the fall by continuing have the GSE’s give out more and more subprime loans and attacking anyone as racist (Obama’s favorite tactic) who tried to reign in the GSE’s. Whats wrong with talking about such a huge bill another 2 weeks to a group that promised transparency in government? It surely has nothing to do with the more the 1000+ page bill comes to light, the more the people don’t like it does it?
The goon image fits, very Chicago-style. Spendulus is actually:
Smoking Gun: Democrat Insider Says “Obama Has Secret Plan to Fund a Patronage System” The transcript: I was in a meeting after Obama got elected and I was told by the Democratic officials in that meeting that we were gonna give billions of dollars that was gonna come down the pike . . . .
We are gonna build an army of Democratic patronage jobs…. gonna completely freeze up the Republicans forever and ever…
It’s a job-capturing system, the same one they have in Chicago… everyone’s asking ‘why isn’t that money being release until 2011 and 2012?’
Because it needs to be released at a time that’s close to the election, so that they don’t go blow the money and spend it. So they’re gonna hold some back and that’s where… the real bucks will be spend, right up close to the election.
…It’s not a stimulus package, it’s not pork! It’s a job patronage system… there’s gonna be more [people] working for the Democrats in a patronage system than the United States Army…
And the jobs are gonna be camoflaged in a million different ways, whether you’re workin’ for the city, or workin’ for the state, but when the election comes around, you’re gonna be obligated to go out and get that vote… …like ACORN, except the jobs will be larger scale. I just wanted to say that, because I was really depressed when they told me, because I really thought they’d be different. If I’ve done nothing else in my life, I’ve informed what that bill really is… it’s a job patronage system.”
Cantor is a republican hypocrite…….surprised?
CANTOR: The use of obscenity…should not and cannot be tolerated. As a parent, I share the concerns of many regarding the level of offensive television and radio programs that are transmitted into our homes. The recent violations that have occurred disgusted not only me, but damage our society.
Cantor is responsible for damaging our society and should be fined 500,000 dollars……..this is his idea.
Cantor must be a self made man:
.
.
Joe gets up at 6 a.m. and fills his coffeepot with water to prepare his morning coffee. The water is clean and good because some tree-hugging liberal fought for minimum water-quality standards. With his first swallow of water, he takes his daily medication. His medications are safe to take because some stupid commie liberal fought to ensure their safety and that they work as advertised.
All but $10 of his medications are paid for by his employer’s medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance – now Joe gets it too.
He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs. Joe’s bacon is safe to eat because some girly-man liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.
In the morning shower, Joe reaches for his shampoo. His bottle is properly labeled with each ingredient and its amount in the total contents because some crybaby liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained.
Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some environmentalist wacko liberal fought for the laws to stop industries from polluting our air.
He walks on the government-provided sidewalk to subway station for his government-subsidized ride to work. It saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees because some fancy-pants liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.
Joe begins his work day. He has a good job with excellent pay, medical benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some lazy liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe’s employer pays these standards because Joe’s employer doesn’t want his employees to call the union.
If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed, he’ll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some stupid liberal didn’t think he should lose his home because of his temporary misfortune.
It is noontime and Joe needs to make a bank deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe’s deposit is federally insured by the FSLIC because some godless liberal wanted to protect Joe’s money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the Great Depression.
Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae-underwritten mortgage and his below-market federal student loan because some elitist liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his lifetime. Joe also forgets that his in addition to his federally subsidized student loans, he attended a state funded university.
Joe is home from work. He plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive. His car is among the safest in the world because some America-hating liberal fought for car safety standards to go along with the tax-payer funded roads.
He arrives at his boyhood home. His was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers’ Home Administration because bankers didn’t want to make rural loans.
The house didn’t have electricity until some big-government liberal stuck his nose where it didn’t belong and demanded rural electrification.
He is happy to see his father, who is now retired. His father lives on Social Security and a union pension because some wine-drinking, cheese-eating liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn’t have to.
Joe gets back in his car for the ride home, and turns on a radio talk show. The radio host keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. He doesn’t mention that the beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day. Joe agrees: “We don’t need those big-government liberals ruining our lives! After all, I’m a self-made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have.”
Tap Tap Tap…Republicans smoke all ****, particularly in airport men’s rooms.
The Cheney/Bush Depression is smoking the Limba Republicans out.
Pallin will save their ***. Go!
Lol!
Aww, poor union scum. Did raging impotently over this video interrupt your hourly paid nap?
Called Cantor’s office. Spoke with a man that was obviously ready for a public call with a prepared response to the effect of; “I apologize for the video, its not how the Senator feels nor the Republican party as we recognize(then goes into the passage of the stimulus plan and recognizing americans are hurting)…blah, blah, blah. Told him that it was my first time to ever call a member, having been laid off a couple of weeks ago myself. I’ve had it with this ****.
Gangster Tribalism and the Free Market is God. To Cantor and his party the “enemy within” is Liberalism not a Radical Terrorism that would come from other shores. Since 1865 or more exactly February 3, 1870 the forces of “good” as they see it have been fighting those who expect more from the government than they give. To get according to need by taking from those who have more is to them the creed of Godless Communism. Communism = Socialism = Liberalism = Free Handouts = Welfare = Democrats. Unions are an obstruction to the Utopia that God’s Most Favorite Nation would live in if not for the Federal Government interfering in the Free Markets (see Thomas Frank). The GOP is, again as they see it, the party of Real Americans (see Sarah Palin) and the only thing protecting and standing between The American Dream and hell on earth is Republicans like Eric Cantor. Of course another way to view it is through the lens of racism which still thrives. Check out the video again and turn the sound off, here’s a hard working white collar (successful) white man driving to work passing scores of workers who are supported by the tax dollars he pays and are, by my count, mostly African American. Barack the Magic Negro a joke? No accident in either case the underlying meme is Henrietta Hughes is lazy and is looking for a handout, Rush wanting Obama to fail not only would go to his argument that Liberalism is a failed philosophy but that a black man or woman cannot govern for obvious racist reasons. There might be many reasons Cantor let this video go out again and now that it’s stirred up the intended outrage and he’s given the tongue in cheek apology, to continue to stoke the fires of racial resentment is one of them.
Please. Spare me the drama. Cantor didn’t create the video. As they said, it’s been floating out on YouTube for years. He just forwarded it to someone. The simple fact that some libs are crying about this shows how freakin’ scared they are of Cantor.
Bunch of crybabies. Weh!
The AFSCME and other union goons are the brownshirts of the Won’s Thousand Year Reich.
If this disgusting ad came out of Cantors Congressional Office it’s OUR MONEY that’s paid for this disgusting item. Cantor needs to tell us how such a disgusting video was made using taxpayer dollars and why this would not be a criminal action.
If it was campaign materials then that’s bad enough…but it came out of the Congressman’s Governmental Office…on that website using his taxpayer-supporter staff.
How does trying to claim this is an “old video” (what about the voice over and more recent acts- the posting, etc.) justify this production? Did Cantor approve the original production? If not, then how was campaign or taxpayer money approved to make this indecent clip?
And this from a guy that has asserted that indecency on the internet and even on very late night TV might be seen by kids? Even George Carlin’s skit on the seven-dirty words, played when few unsupervised kids could have ever have had access, is far more artistic and less accessible than this. Will Cantor be fined $250,000 dollars?
Americans United for Change president, Brad Woodhouse, is an Obama operative.
http://obamareport.blogspot.com/2009/02/obama-good-cop-obama-bad-cop.html
Good God…. Never have I seen a bigger collection of sanctimonious, self-righteous, navel gazing ninnies in my life. Yeah, all Republicans are evil, hateful people, and every Democrat is a frigging angel. Get a life people. You do realize the whole country watched you wallow in sh*t for the last eight years, promoting every cockamamie rumor, lie, and obfuscation that would cast the hated Bushitler in the worst possible light, right? Now that the hangover from your bout of Bush Derangement Syndrome is on the back burner, you expect everyone to adhere to a code of conduct you have conveniently exempted yourself from. I have a two word answer to that, and it’s not “No Thanks…”
I guess that one hit just a little too close to home, eh, AAFSCME?
Who knew AFSCME and its supporters were such whining pussies?
I’m wondering if Cantor would have sent out the video if the voice-over was a guy using a Yiddish or Israeli accent and slang…a guy who had some stereotypical ( I realize that not all Jews have these…but the video plays on this) Jewish features or attire?
I doubt it. He would have been outraged. So why should Italian-Americans, indeed any Americans, accept Cantor making an attack on Americans of any particular ethnic background.
And why was it sent out to a blogger? What blogger WAS THAT? AtlasShrugged? Michelle Malkin? RedState?
About half the comments here are more insulting than the video. Self-righteousness wears odd clothes. The irony is actually worth a chuckle.
this is hilarious. it’s great, and much too funny for Republicans to come up with.
I too know how to use four letter words. I have one for Mr. Cantor–JERK
Really? Because the Obamessiah is begining to look like the biggest joke since Jimah Cahtah. I only hope we all survive the punch-line….
So far I see nothing in Obama’s agenda that would not still be there if one were dead set on ruining the country in the quickest way possible.
Nationalizing industries – check
Wage and price controls – check
Fearmongering to get the sheeple in line on the economy and global warming – check
Taking money from the productive sectors of the economy and giving it to the nonproductive sectors such as unions and his supporters – check
Threatening to impose restrictions on speech to muzzle his enemies – check
Threatening to create a civilian defense force to deal with those who refuse to go along – check
Shuttering or cutting back all sources of domestic energy production so that we are reliant on our enemies for our existence- check
Oratorically fellating our enemies in the hopes they will only stick the knife part of the way in – check
Populating his cabinet with people of low enough character that no one will call him on anything – check
Unconstitutionally taking over the census in a naked power grab to insure the election of only those who agree with him. – check
Funding voter fraud organizations – check
Proposing a database for the government to track everyone’s health records – check
Threatening to violate treaties with our friends (Canada) and to abandon them (Iraq) on the battlefield – check
Proposing a forced labor system for our children under the rubric of “community service” – check
Orwellian abuse of the language to disguise the true nature of what he is doing – check
All of this is straight out of the Marxist handbook. This guy is a disgrace of a type that this country has never seen. There is nothing in any part of his program that increases the liberty of even a single individual. Every change is in the direction of tyranny.
There is no hope, there is no light, there is only Obama and his cult of personality that obscures all thought, all reason and all hope that this country will ever be what it was intended to be or what it once was. He has absolutely no idea of what it is to be an American and he despises all of the principles on which this country was built.
Other than that, I would say that things are just peachy.
Oh for…
Look, I’m as liberal a democrat as they come, and this is just funny. One of the things that makes me craziest about “us” is how stupidly thin skinned we are.
There are certainly far more egregious things to worry about these days, no?
I am a 30 year retired member of a union and want you to know that the union provided me with wages to pay my taxes, raise my family and maintain our house.
I am not a goon. My family invites Mr. Cantor to our home, for a face to face disscussion.
I have always worked 8 hours labor, for 8 hours pay. Something he must not know about.
He owes all working people an explanation.
So Emperor “I Won”, peeved that Republicans failed to recognize his ultimate authority and get in line behind the exclusively Democrat-written and LARGEST spending bill EVER, sicks the unions on the GOP. Then one Republican senator passes around an old video depicting unions as a bunch of throwback, foul mouth thugs, and the response is for unions and Dimbulb Democrats to wail like babies. Waaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!
Boo F***ing Hoo, you libtard morons. Spiro Agnew
afscme is going to get their due…
when the gop funded orgnizations start in on card checks, brace yourself for the ads that feature mob guys standing behind the voter.
AFSCME will be squealing like the pigs, excuse me, ‘f**king’ pigs they are.
Any time the msm want to do an article on the victims of union intimidation, it is there for the pickings.
toughen up, buttercups.
I thought the voiceover was hilarious. And I am a member of 2 AFL-CIO locals- IATSE 800 and 847.
Both sides need to lighten up about this one.
We really are a society of whiners now, aren’t we? Not a smart move by Cantor’s press guy, but this video has been around for years and it was clearly sent as a joke. Typical for the kind of stuff that’s passed around by both GOP and Dem offices on the Hill. Big deal. Get over it. And if you launch an attack ad at someone, don’t go whining like a baby when someone pushes back in jest.
Funny clip. Not denigrating to unions in the least, unless you really think the union bosses don’t use profanity.
Reliably, the hand-wringers of the left are flocking to this latest opportunity to express “offense.” Yet I’m pleased to read that a few lefties here haven’t lost their senses of humor. I hope someday you guys can take your party back from the perpetually offended who seem to inhabit all echelons of Dem power these days.
So unions are run by corrupt goons. Is anyone surprised? Look at the way the always support the corrupt dems. You can tell a lot about someone by the company they keep.
“There are two kinds of American voters – those who remember how terrible things were under Jimmy Carter, and those who are about to find out”
“I am a 30 year retired member of a union and want you to know that the union provided me with wages to pay my taxes, raise my family and maintain our house.”
So the union provided you with wages? Wow. All this time I thought it was a company that wrote out your paycheck, and that they got their money from their customers.
Union Motto – “You work hard, so we don’t have to.”
LMAO at the forced mediocrity of unions.
1. funny.
2. lighten up.
3. having been in several unions, this would have fit the steelworkers to a T. Give me a break on the feigned outrage.
Oh it reminds me of my first union steward – he startyed me off right asking me ‘whyhaven’t you joined the f(*(__g union?’ while throwing me against a wall. Yep those were the days.
DUMBEST AND MOST OFFENSIVE POLITICAL MOVE OF THE YEAR, so far.
Cantor makes Tom DeLay look good.
Yeah… it’s pretty funny. I don’t agree with ANYTHING Cantor stands for. He’s a first-class pinhead… but this video doesn’t hurt my feelings.
It’s great if Cantor gets clubbed over the head with it, but imagine… bad language on the Internets! I’m shocked… SHOCKED! to discover gambling in this casino.
I am not interested in Mr. Cantor’s insincere apology. The person responsible for putting this video in front of my kids deserves to be fired.
NOT EVEN THE RIGHT SMILING NOW. GO CANTOR LETS JOKE, AMERICA IS A BIG COMEDY OF ORGY. AND YOU ARE GOING TO BE PIMP FOR YOUR STUPIDITY. DUMMY!!!. WE NEED THINKERS ON THE RIGHT, NOT LOOSENESS.
so, this video including the voice over edition was created by someone working for AFSCME (as ledgend has it…regardless, Cantor has no involvement in it’s creation), it has been on the net for years(I’ve seen it before,btw), Cantor forwards it to a blogger and the nutroots want Cantors head? is that it? hehe….wanting Cantors head surely does put forth the “goon” mentality that exists out there; and in the comments here. I hope the DailyKos has a diary where all the commenters will spend as much time as they did trying to prove Trey was Palins daughters kid as they do trying to hunt down who actually made this video….some obviously need to fill their life somehow.
Michael: Just to be clear, did Cantor’s spokesman come over to your house and download the video? If not, who was it that put it in front of your kids?
Because if someone did come over and put this on your computer in front of your kids, I’m with you—that guy ought to be fired. Just tell us who it was.
Cue the Democrat outrage!
So let me get this straight — Democrat politicians can storm out of hearings screaming “NOT EVEN THE NAZIS WANTED TO DO THIS!” about minor policy differences, and no one bats an eye. Yet someone working for a Republican sends a link to an old video that says nothing bad about anyone, just uses rough language, and you call for people’s heads?
Anyone else remember the bizarre unofficial hearing held at Democrat party offices that involved antisemitic conspiracy theories being cited as “evidence” that Bush and Israel were behind 9/11? You ignored that and now get upset over this?
Are you spoiled brats or are you just acting like them because you’ve never paid a political price for it?
Arnie will be doing the same to unions in CA.
I say it’s hilarious. Too bad the Crats can’t take a joke.
The ‘ad’ was funny as hell, and true to boot.
Where do you thin-skinned people think the unions got that reputation from? Jackie Presser, Jimmy Hoffa, Frank Fitzimmons, and a host of other corrupt union bosses who lined their own pockets and priced their own workers out of jobs.
AAAAAA…..forget-about-it….it’s just a joke.
Come-here….I got a ‘magic negro’ joke I want ya to hear.
@osage:
Obama is a radical charlatan whose “stimulus” will take this country to hell in a socialist handbasket.
He accumulated William Ayers, Frank Marshall Davis, Daniel Ortega, Louis Farrakhan, Saul Alinsky, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad among his supporters, admirers, and mentors.
He’d rather ‘negotiate’ with Islamofascist nation-states ‘without preconditions’ than do what it takes to ensure America’s national security.
Rooting for his success is suicidal and plain stupid.
You bet your *** I hope he fails.
@Joe:
Enjoy your outsourced jobs, thanks to your unions and their liberal hacks.
Republicans really define the art of denial and living in there own private Idaho. As they attempt to brush off this story as the same as what Dems do, they cite Democratic behavior over unrelated events about unrelated issues from completely different times, that only they thought were bad.
There are lots and lots of totally offensive, duragatory, meanspirited, partisan tirades on Youtube, maligning all manner of groups. It’s hilarious that the Republicans are holding up a videos mere presence on Youtube as evidence that this is somehow acceptable as civil humor. It is clearly not.
I am a union member. I get paid more than non-union workers in my trade, my company competes head to head with non-union companies. I have to be smarter and faster than them, I have to earn the extra money I make, my union dues/assesments and still be more attractive to my customers.
The person who made the video does not agree workers who choose to collective bargain for higher wages and benefits. But rather than make an argument against unionization, they throw around stereotypes of unionmembers being stupid, foul mouthed and arrogant.
It’s easy to prove that this is no joke. The person who linked it has a 100% anti-labor record. He is hard at work trying to block anti-labor legislation. He plainly does not agree with the stated cause of organized labor. If a “joke” is only funny to people who despise a group and they are making a serious effort to undermine that groups progress before and after the “joke”, it is simply not a “joke”, it is a deliberate smear.
I thought that video was fine. As a working man (well, “laid off man” now) myself, I totally identified with the people in the video who were doing real work and are too often forgotten by Republicans ******** who are “too good” to get their hands dirty doing anything useful
Go, AFSCME, go!
Folks, nobody owes you anything! You do a job, you make money. If you think your excrement smells better than the next person, then see if someone will buy it. Otherwise, get back to work.
This is not remotely funny. And quite frankly it is gettig tiresome to see the ongoing racist rhetoric from the Republican party–with the “it was only meant as a joke” justification. I am a proud and well educated Italian American whose father worked hard in the union to help pay for my education. Mr. Cantor, resign your leadership post–you are a disgrace.
One question: Are Dems pansy arugula eaters or a pack of Jersey thugs?
GOP apparently wants to claim it’s both ways.
Hello Mr. Cantor,
I saw your story on Keith Ollberman and Yes I am a Democrat and Realtor
out here in California and a politcal activist and former Union Member of
UBEW.
I must say that your use of this video which I am not saying you created but
used to what make a joke of your feelings about the unions is a slap in the
face to all those in the labor movement and demonstrates your Right Wing
Conservative views in all of it’s splendor well I tell you it sucks and is a slap in
the face to all those in the labor movement especially as they lose their jobs
today!!
While your Rich Buddies on Wall Street make out like bandits and you the
Right wing conservatives cry and complain about all this spending well.
Mr. Cantor who has spent foolishly Billions on a Faulted War I remind you
your side the Republicans The Right Gone Wrong!!!!
Well let me tell you this and you can share it with all your Republican
buddies up until the time of this mess I was a very complacent Middle
of the road guy but with all this criminal behavior going on in Wall Street
and your side the Right Wing Republicans stone walling every attempt to
bring this country back to normal unless you start recognizing that the
labor movement is essential and that the Middle Class are Essential
as Well as the Working Class We are taking back our country
All you are doing is waking up a sleeping giant and creating a very
dangerous enviroment with those kind of comments which in my
opinion add’s fuel to the fire of a Class War the Rich Versus
The Poor I tell you sir that you and your other like minded Republican
friends need to be more sensible, flexible and sensitive to the needs
of the people less fortunate and struggling through these difficult times
This use of the this video is not at all funny!
What I meant by complacent is that now after getting our president elected
by using the power of the internet and a cell phones with National Coverage
and even though I live in California I promise you and all Republicans that
continue to mock the Labor Movement and The Middle Class and Working
Class that I and other like me will make sure that your own state does not
elect people like you that hold such radical views period!
Just food for thought and perhaps you will apologize to the American People!!
Remember Power Now is Truly in the Hands of The People!!
Fighter 101
Cantor got this all wrong. Most unions were founded by and based on Communism, and he is depicting them along the lines of Italian Fascism. This is so wrong.
We certainly are in dire need of more Communist thought process as in this new administration. They want to take yours and give it to someone else. And they want to get rid of secret ballot with card check.
So, you can keep your change. You better since you wont have much left but change after they steal it all from you.
Why apologize when many union leaders are in fact thugs. My grandfather was threatened by union reps with a knife because he did not want to join
I wish they would make an issue of building better cars, kitchen appliances and response to voters questions!
I find this video hilarious, and I’ve been a dues-paying AFSCME member for four years.
I do not think that Eric Cantor knew any better. Many of the people in his Congressional district talk the same way that he does about unions. It appears like his Congressional district is safe unless there is a lot of voter education on the union issue in his district. Remember that Virginia is a right to work state. It just became a blue state in 2008 in the Presidential election after 40 years as a dependable Republican state.
Unfortunately for the world the free trade agreements were written without labor input. They were written with the intent to keep those without anything down and to reward only those at the top. There are no environmental standards in the WTO. You are to work your whole life and then drink (dirty water) or eat poison (dirty meats, peanut butter, seafood) where the government doesn’t have to take care of you in old age. In other words, live while your useful then die and get out of the way.
The free trade agreements such as NAFTA and the WTO will inevitably lead to a worldwide uprising or war between those that have and those that do not. With our huge industrial war complex it does not take a genius to figure out who the winner of that will be. Unless of course the people learn from the Vietnamese and the Iraqi’s and our own ancestors in the American Revolution on how to fight battles…
There is a reason why this country had a middle class and it wasn’t just because we were “favored by God.” Unions had a big hand in the creation of America’s middle class. When the country does right by the majority of it’s citizens all of its citizens prospers. When it does right by only a few, only the few prosper. The rest of the people suffer for this.
Jesus had a whole lot to say about greed and indifference. He also said to fulfill the law we were to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our mind, and all of our body and we were to love our neighbor as our self. (Summary of Ten Commandments) How are we loving our neighbor if we do not want to see our neighbor succeed? We either all rise together or we all fail together. At this point in our countries history it can go either way.
Mr. Cantor is trying to make a name for himself. He looks like he could play the President of the United States (with shoe lifts) in a B Hollywood action movie. At best, this is the most he could hope to achieve. The Republicans are hysterically demonstrating what little clout they have left (America voted last November), even to the detriment of the country and world’s economies. Also, there will not be enough Republican maneuverings and distractions to prevent a federal investigation of former President Cheny, his administrative assistant (George W. Bush) and others related to suspected war crimes from the country’s prior Administration.
This video is great. I dont think it really says anything that is untrue. I am a fan of AFSCME and will not take what they do for granted again.
I love the video. It let’s people know what AFSCME and the public workers they represent really do. The Right may think that it makes unions look like goons, but in my opinion it makes them look like working class people. It’s a sad day in America when being working class is a bad thing.
Even before this fiasco I, as a very politically active Democrat in VA, was willing to do ANY AND EVERYTHING I can to defeat this jerk. He has NEVER shown to me any imagination, offered any alternative plan for ANYTHING!!! He is petty and doesn’t display much intelligence, but certainly heavy on vindictiveness. Hope the House Republicans are happy to have him as their Whip, in my opinion, he would be even more dangerous if he had a real one, (whip). Get ready Democrats, we have a real target in 2010, GET RID OF THIS JERK, even if we elect another Republican, as least make sure they have the kind of morals and conscious in the best interest of the State of Virgnia!
Look I know this is somewhat distasteful, but during the last eight years, we have seen a bunch of stuff like this about Bush. Nobody said a peep, in fact most you probably laughed. So just get over yourself and laugh. It was mean as a joke, you knew what that meant during the last admin, but now that Obama is in power, any joke against your party (or party ideals in this case) makes you piss your pants. Have fun, it is the USA, where he is free to say what he wants.
That was ******* hilarious.
AFSCME is an awful union, more interested in lining the pockets of the Democratic Party than protecting workers’ jobs. That is why my agency’s members just missed decertifying them by a couple votes and are trying a second time right now.
I find Kentucky and Virginia a backward state, but will stand in line for their rations from the Republican dittoheads, fight for them, vote for them, attack for them, just to have a peaceful lazy life. Much like Eric Cantor, Mitch McConnell and other ‘potty’ mouth’s.
Eric Cantor is a mama’s *** who has never worked a day in his ****** life. Look at his hands, they are as soft as a baby’s butt, that’s okay because da union is far more patriotic than Cantor…..you got that *******?
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