News of the creepy. Man with fake press credentials gets in Obama meeting, heckles him

[ck4829]

A man who wore press credentials and took photographs from a platform interrupted Barack Obama's town-hall meeting Tuesday by shouting complaints that the Democratic presidential candidate had not called for the audience to say the Pledge of Allegiance.

The man, who carried a large, professional-style telephoto lens, was among photographers and videographers on the main press platform at one end of the gym. He wore what appeared to be the regular daily news media credential the campaign issues local news media members who cover the Illinois senator at a single events.

Campaign officials said they did not know who the man was, and no effort was made to remove him. He continued taking photographs throughout Obama's appearance.

Speaking with reporters afterward, he identified himself only as "John Q. Public" and declined to say which news organization, if any, he represented.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D92CBG885&show_article=1

[Canuckistanian]

1. I hope it was worth it

Now he'll be on a security list and will never get NEAR another campaign event.

[avaistheone1]

26. Was his name Jeff Gannon?

LOL. Remember that republican prostitute?

[Canuckistanian]

35. He's too recognizable

Even the Chimperor gets excited at the sight of a bald head.

[SmileyRose]

2. What an absolutely refreshing difference !!

We are going to go from a President who required loyalty oaths in order to get in to the townhalls to a President who welcomes even the hecklers and disrupters. Heck, for all his shortcomings, even McCain lets in the hecklers and disrupters and expects his audience to give them their say.

I smell the light at the end of the tunnel.

[Gman]

7. That smell is napalm in the morning

it over

[malaise]

8. Nothing refreshing about that

He could have been a killer with a weapon

[zbdent]

10. and disarms the situation ...

they guy was looking for a "Don't taze me Bro!" moment - to slap onto Obama as a fascist ...

[SmileyRose]

21. Way to many people underestimate Obama's intelligence

he's strong and intelligent in more than one different kind of way. It's going to very hard for a heckler to get the best of him. It can be done, I'm sure, but won't be easy.

edit because I dropped a "T" in "it".

[crimsonblue]

33. McCain lets in people?

I guess you're right, unless you're an elderly librarian with a sign that reads "McCain = Bush".

OR

If you're an African American state news reporter in Florida who is in the "national press only" section, although everyone in the section is State or Local,

OR

If you're a fellow reporter questioning why the black reporter is being removed.

[eshfemme]

49. Uh... not anymore. Now, McCain's town halls are Bush-style invitation only.

His security's also thrown people out for random stuff like the Baptist preacher that just wanted to confirm if McCain had really called his wife a cunt in public.

[NYC Liberal]

51. You might want to hold off on McCain

Considering he can't do the loyalty oath crap yet, as he hasn't been elected so he needs as many people as he can get. Bush didn't start doing it until he was preznit (as far as I know).

[KharmaTrain]

3. Obama Shut Him Down Big...

If you haven't seen the video, looks like Barack has gotten some pointers on how to deal with hecklers. Completely turned the situation around on the dude.

The problem is that the GOOP knows they need Obama to gaffe and bad. Look at how they parse every little thing he says...and none of it is sticking. They need to find a way to trip him up...get under his skin...make him either mad or look aloof. It appears the Senator is aware of that as well.

Now we we "select" audiences at these rallies...just like Gramps...but I think Senator Obama works very well when he senses a challenge and doesn't back down from them.

Meanwhile, Gramps campaign reaches new level of absurdity every day...so bad now that the corporate media can't hide it.

[liberal N proud]

13. I was present - the way Obama handled him was outstanding

I was suspicious that the guy was even a true member of the press. He wore jeans as others at the event wore slacks. His camera wasn't quite as impressive as other in the media. He had a large lens but the camera body did not look like a professional type that you would see media camera crews have.

Here is a picture of the creep: ?x=283&y=345&sig=s1WDSC3Zg.94KpsGjRhWkw--

[KharmaTrain]

19. He Does Look Like He's Got Credentials

So someone in the Obama campaign had to have cleared him. No blame here...you can't have such a large, open event and not expect this type of stuff to happen. In fact, I'm surprised it didn't happen more during the primaries.

It's hard to say what a "professional" is these days...as the press now includes bloggers and free-lancers...using everything from massive Nikons to handheld cellphones. Just like how a sports team always has a scout at a game, you gotta believe there are a bunch of GOOP operatives running around Obama events now...plus most of these events are carried live...a "glory seeker" can get their 15 minutes of fame quick by disrupting. CNN or Faux won't hesitate to break in the second they get word that something is happening.

Hope you had a great time at the rally...and good to see such enthusiastic crowds in the key I-4 corridor.

[avaistheone1]

28. The only good part to this is

1.) Obama handled himself well.
2.) Now this "freeper glory seeker" is a known, and can be managed by the Obama campaign.

[a kennedy]

20. Yikes......he kinda looks like Tim Pawlenty!!!

:wow: :scared:

[druidity33]

36. It's a Canon "L" Series lens...

they run at least $2,000 for a good zoom. Probably a 5D or a 40D camera body, chalk up another $1,500 to $3,000. If he's not a pro, he's got cash for decent gear.


:shrug:

[Philosoraptor]

4. Yet mccain still REFUSES to sing the national anthem!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3735343&mesg_id=3735343

[no_hypocrisy]

5. Jesus, Jeff Gannon resurfaces . . . . .

[avaistheone1]

29. THAT who I am thinking it is!!!!

roflmao

[avaistheone1]

30. Maybe we should cut Gannon some slack...

He has never been the same since he broke up with Rove.

[HughBeaumont]

6. And of course, the PD doesn't get it, as usual . . .

http://www.cleveland.com/news/photos/gallery.ssf?cgi-bin/view_gallery.cgi/cleve/view_gallery.ata?g_id=9659

It's the third pic in this gallery.

They identified him as John Quinn of Parma and even took his picture. At first glance this morning, I THOUGHT this guy looked like a plant and a whackjob. Looks like I was right.

[zbdent]

11. PD shows its editorial and journalistic integrity that it fostered

under Alex Macheskee ... who, when he found out that the editorial staff was going to endorse John Kerry, he shut it down and forced the PD to not announce any endorsement at all ...

after having held a massive fundraiser for George W. Bush ...

[HughBeaumont]

14. He just couldn't get his boy Bucky O'Brien to convince the rest of them.

Total chickenshit move by the PD. I forget, was the PD the only major paper not to endorse a candidate for the 2004 election? The paper became a full-blown laughingstock after that (from just a minor one as they were before).

[zbdent]

18. I have a co-worker who borrows my Akron Beacon Journal business section

every day ...

he can't stand how bad the PD's business section is ...

funny thing is, he's a guy who turned purple trying to convince me that Bill Clinton admitted having sex with someone ... long before Clinton used Newt's "sex" definition ... and also, when someone said that Bush was screwing up the war (in 2003), he freaked out saying "Show me someone who has a better plan!" (to a colleague) ...

I should charge him rent for the paper ...

[Loudmxr]

9. He kinda looks like a not so self abused Bill Murray.

[Supersedeas]

12. heckuva secret service ya have there

[Vinca]

15. Exactly. Once his ID was proved fake, the SS should have been all over him. nt

[liberal N proud]

16. They sat on him the rest of the event

The SS and Campaign staff sat right there with him the rest of the event. One staffer kept a video camera on him from that point forward.
They didn't ask him to leave as the McGoo campaign might have of a heckler. It was handled very discreetly and very effectively. They took care not to give the jerk a voice more than he was allowed with the pledge request.

[arcadian]

31. Anybody can issue press credentials.

I mean, any sort of media. For instances Democraticunderground could conceivably issue press passes. There isn't a licensing bureau or anything, it's the event staff who determines whether or not they wish to honor a particular press credential or not.

[nc4bo]

17. Nutcase video...

The press was all over him like flies on...sh.....err, McCain.

He doesn't strike me as a pressman or as a very competent cameraman:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=031VHnUD0aw

He's a fruitcake or a fruitcake rethug plant.

[ColbertWatcher]

22. Picture of the creepy. n/t

[Quantess]

23. Creepy is right.

He looks a little scary.

[ColbertWatcher]

24. Yes he does.

He reminds me of the guy who always goes to city council meetings with a messy stack of papers and a conspiracy theory.

[tuckessee]

38. Shows you how looks are deceiving.

Conpsiracy "theorists" generally are anti-government, wildly individualistic and don't have pledge, flag or uniform fetishes.

Odds are, this man is a kool-aid drinking Fox News watcher with "Support the Troops" slogans festooned on his ride.

[ColbertWatcher]

40. Not all conspiracies are anti-government...

...like you said he could be a FOX-bot, who believes the "liberal media" conspiracy.

[lonestarnot]

25. That fuckknob looks familiar.

[jberryhill]

39. Is he one of the "protest warrior" brownshirts?

[annabanana]

32. He looks unstable. . I hope Obama's Secret Service are

alert. .

[bleever]

37. Wow:

Having seen your pic of Catherine O'Hara in your posts, it's shocking to see that pic where he looks like her, doing her hysterical face.

:thumbsup:

[blogslut]

43. That's Faye Dunaway

as Joan Crawford

[bleever]

44. Ah.

Thanks.

[Ichingcarpenter]

46. He looks like Joseph Goebbels

[paparush]

48. At least the Creep knows how to pledge allegiance..unlike this creep -

(edited for more stomach saluting goodness)

[arcadian]

27. What the heck is a professional style telephoto lens?

Read: any camera that isn't a point and shoot. I've had people ask me who I shoot pictures for just because I had a telephoto lens out. More dumbing down of America. Cameras are only acceptable if you are taking "fun party pics" or "tourist shots".

[galledgoblin]

34. damn, I hope this puts the Secret Service on higher alert. (n/t)

[Alexander]

41. "John Q. Public" isn't far off - the heckler's name is John Quinn.

Let's get his name out there, in case Mr. Quinn chooses to pop up at any point later on.

[mainer]

47. Who IS John Quinn? Does anyone have any info?

And how did he get the press pass?

[SoCalDem]

42. Just one of the Republican pod-people who swear

slavish devotion to the republican party..

they got burned with the macaca thing, and now have co-opted the maneuver, stalking Obama wherever he goes..

[MiniMe]

45. Just read another post on this, he was a free-lance photographer with Bloomberg

However, the guy definitely has an agenda.

[mainer]

52. Bloomberg news is probably red-faced over this

My son has worked as a freelance photographer for Bloomberg. When events happen in out-of-the-way places ( like Berea), they'll hire local photogs to cover the story. They probably had no idea they'd hired some nutjob. It reflects badly on them, and you can bet that no one else will be hiring this Quinn guy.

[eshfemme]

50. Why doesn't the article focus more on the fact that Obama pwned that creepy dude

by perfectly reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. He had the microphone in front of him too so no mumbling through the words for him. (although perhaps that's more common with the national anthem)