Did you notice how a concerned citizen became a "heckler" in the media?

[CleanGreenFuture]

The elderly gentleman who stood to ask Mitt Romney what he would do to strengthen social security and medicare/medicaid while not cutting benefits immediately became a heckler from the very first report I saw about the exchange on MSNBC. And, now, in her show's intro, Contessa Brewer joined the idiocy, calling that same citizen a "heckler".

So, now if you get up to ask a candidate a legitimate question during a Q & A, you're a "heckler".

I'm beside myself...

Romney heckled at fair
http://www.omaha.com/article/20110812/AP/708129879

Video of concerned citizen asking a question of a presidential candidate:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/44107478#44107478

[The Blue Flower]

1. They also said "Democratic heckler"

Didn't back the label up in any way.

[kysrsoze]

6. Yeah, that was B.S. It was pretty obvious these were pissed off seniors.

[Cool Logic]

7. "It was pretty obvious these were pissed off seniors."

Well, they certainly have a right to be pissed-off; however, as far as I know, Romney has never held elected office in the fedgov.

[CTyankee]

2. IMO, he "should" be heckled! It rattles him and makes him lose his temper!

SOMEBODY has to do it!

[blm]

3. And Teaparty disruptors at healthcare townhalls were called concerned patriots when they should've

been called the Fascist Front Line.... blocking any Dem fixes to Bush's pro-fascist policies.

[gratuitous]

4. Just so

I wonder if any of the popular media will be able to explain the difference between "hecklers" and "concerned patriotic self-reliant citizens who were brought in on chartered buses by billionaires looking to game the system even more in their favor"? Oops, ignore the last 19 words of the latter description.

[kysrsoze]

5. I watched the video and I think he was heckled... to great benefit. He looked like an @ss.

Too bad the crowd didn't have tomatoes. It's one gigantic, circular firing squad and it's just wonderful to watch. Whoever ends up with the Republican nomination is going to be so badly bloodied and battered, and will have had to contradict and make a fool of him/herself multiple times to get it.

Pass the popcorn.

[DCKit]

10. The laughter was way better than tomatoes.

He lost it, was humiliated, then they laughed at him.

[sinkingfeeling]

8. That's because it wasn't a Teabagger.

[RaleighNCDUer]

9. You just have to learn the definitions -

A Democrat asking reasonable questions is a heckler.

A teabagger screaming at a congresscritter is a concerned citizen.

Got it?

[Emit]

14. Damned librul media!

Oh, wait, er, wha'? :crazy:

[benld74]

11. ONLY on CERTAIN Stations,,,,

[Thav]

12. The best part was when mittens didn't answer the question.

"What are you going to do to strengthen medicare and social security?"

"I'm not gonna raise taxes! Obama is the devil!"

The question could have been:

"What did you have for breakfast?"

"I'M NOT GONNA RAISE TAXES! OBAMA IS THE DEVIL!"

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. Yep, and that is how you control the message

[Marr]

15. Did you notice Romney said he came there 'to speak, not to listen'?

To hear the corporate media tell it, the role of a citizen is to sit passively and isten to their leaders. You don't have a dialogue with your representatives, you listen to your leaders. Unless it's a populist at the podium, of course-- but that's very unusual.

[JustAnotherGen]

16. I did

I've emailed the following to MSNBC in response:

Contessa Brewer made an error today. She referred to the elderly gentleman that asked Mitt Romney a legitimate question as a 'heckler'.

He was not. He was a concerned citizen. Just as all the Republican TEA Party Caucus Supporters are.

Just because he challenged a Republican/TEAPER does not mean he is subversive, a neer do well, or a childish heckler.

On a go forward basis, perhaps MSNBC could begin to give the same respect to elderly Democratic Party Members that they give to Republican 5 year olds? Just a suggestion for whatever it's worth from this viewer who ONLY watches MSNBC.