Flip-cammed

Flip-cams are little cameras that often have high-definition quality, don’t
require lights and pick up every utterance on tape.

Both Republicans and Democrats and their campaign committees use college-age
kids to harass vulnerable politicians into saying something stupid or doing
something stupid on a flip-camera, then have those clips uploaded virally on
YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

The first politician to be YouTubed was George Allen, the former Virginia GOP
senator who was expected to run for president. Legend has it Allen lost his
reelection campaign in 2006 because, in small part, he was caught calling a
college kid a “macaca,” which apparently is some sort of racial slur, on
camera. That video was uploaded on YouTube, it made its way onto CNN and the
rest is history.

Michael Moore, who invented the genre for his various conspiracy movies,
perfected ambushing politicians on camera. He first targeted company CEOs, more
specifically Roger Smith, the CEO of General Motors, who famously closed down a
manufacturing plant in Flint, Mich. Moore often comes to Washington to try to
get politicians to say something stupid after he asks them a bunch of stupid
questions.

The master of the ambush interview was, of course, Mike Wallace. Wallace made
his career sticking a microphone in front of somebody who didn’t want to talk
to the media, quite often mob figures or other law-breakers.

Etheridge, of course, isn’t a mob figure. He is a politician. And as a
politician, he should be very good at taking questions from the media. Most
politicians I have ever met actually like seeing cameras, especially if they
are conducting a press conference.

He should also understand the first rule when a camera of any kind is shoved in
your face: Smile and, if you can muster the courage, laugh.

Imagine if Mr. Etheridge smiled and laughed at those college kids.

College kids: Do you support the Obama agenda?

Etheridge: Ha ha ha ha …

College kids: Thank you, Congressman.

Etheridge: Ha ha ha ha.

That would have helped him back home in North Carolina. He could have laughed
all the way to reelection.

Instead, he tried to beat up the college students. That tells me a few things.

First, he doesn’t like college students dressed in ties. They make him nervous,
irritable, unhappy, uncomfortable.

Second, he doesn’t like to answer questions about the Obama agenda. Obviously,
that makes him irritable, unhappy, uncomfortable.

Third, he doesn’t like Mondays. Then again, who does?

Fourth, he doesn’t like flip-cams. They make him flip out.

Etheridge said in his statement of apology that he is sorry, but he is
especially sorry that he has been spat on, pushed and threatened. I am sorry
about that, too.

It ain’t easy being a congressman these days, especially one who supports the
Obama agenda and gets flip-cammed by tie-wearing college students. It is hell
out there.

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