Barackophile Brzezinski made her bid for the prize during the opening segment of today's Morning Joe, accusing the Clinton campaign of having pounced on Obama like . . . lemmings.
Let's set the stage: the topic was a TV commercial Hillary's running in PA that, in touting her readiness to confront any crisis, briefly flashed an image of Osama Bin Laden. A headline [see screencap after break] in Today's NY Post claims the commercial employs "scare tactics" and the "fear factor." Joe Scarborough suggested that as tough tactics go, the ad was in fact small potatoes compared to truly brass-knuckled methods employed in the past. After playing a clip of Obama responding by touting his own leadership credentials, Scarborough complimented the candidate for not complaining.
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Like Mika with her metaphor?JOE SCARBOROUGH: That was not whining, that was much better than what he's been doing the past couple days where he's been talking about "old, dirty politics." Because old dirty politics is what they did to McCain in 2000.
WILLIE GEIST: Yeah.
SCARBOROUGH: What the NAACP did to Bush in 2000, what Bush did to Kerry in 2004.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Well, but you can't argue that the Clinton campaign didn't do some serious damage in light of the Wright stuff and the bitter comments--
SCARBOROUGH: That wasn't the Clinton campaign.
BRZEZINSKI: They pounced on it like lemmings.
SCARBOROUGH: That wasn't the Clinton campaign--
BRZEZINSKI: Oh, please.
SCARBOROUGH: And I don't know if lemmings actually pounce. I think lemmings go over cliffs.
Note: The Classical Values site offers an amusing take on those pouncing lemmings. Among other things, Mika is not mentioned by name. She's simply referred to as "an Obama staffer."
_
—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.
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Chambliss Campaign
April 22, 2008 - 07:37 ET by allanfThe Saxbe Chambliss campaign also used an image of Osama bin Laden. It (falsely) has become Democratic Party folklore that Chambliss compared Max Cleland to Osama bin Laden.
hangover?
April 22, 2008 - 07:48 ET by Mica the MagnificentPounce like lemmings?
Very unprofessional to mix up metaphors.
Mika must have had a hangover, having trouble thinking.
She probably drank like a fence post last night, then woke up feeling like page A5 of the New York Times.
yeah you know
April 22, 2008 - 07:51 ET by bigpapaLemmings are well known for their predatory skills,,, the stalking, hunting and don't forget the razor sharp talons and killer rodent teeth.. :)
I've heard they can take down and devour a full grown Hippo in 12 minutes..
Don't leave home without it.
April 22, 2008 - 08:01 ET by KarmaI always carry a flask of lemmingade for just such occasions.
Karma
April 22, 2008 - 08:03 ET by Mica the MagnificentThat's what you make when life gives you lemmings . . .
See, this is why we now
April 22, 2008 - 08:27 ET by Hero SquadSee, this is why we now have Lemming Laws in our country.
...keep it going.
*****
"People only insist that a debate stop when they are afraid of what might be learned if it continues." - George Will
Where is he now?
April 22, 2008 - 09:00 ET by Mica the MagnificentWhatever happened to Meadowlark Lemming, that Harlem Globetrotter who used to pounce and bite the opposing team members?
Tragic story...he leapt
April 22, 2008 - 09:19 ET by JerTragic story...he leapt over Sweetwater Cliff-ton.
I know...that was a stretch.
Jer
I guess you could say that
April 22, 2008 - 10:27 ET by Hero SquadI guess you could say that when Obama promises to bring change to Washington, he's making a Lemming Fresh Pledge.
*****
"People only insist that a debate stop when they are afraid of what might be learned if it continues." - George Will
funny
April 22, 2008 - 08:33 ET by docbWrong bird but the pounce is right ... the nuke and scare tactics are what clinton is pushing..Electoral votes are in the General elction not the primary...the dem's always take those big states.. Clinton-Rendell are blowning smoke at the voters.
Mika....last
April 22, 2008 - 07:51 ET by motherbeltMika....last name.....cafeteria.....you know the drill....
Damn Lemmings
April 22, 2008 - 07:52 ET by sentforth5Lemmings pounced on my uncle Larry and killed him dead two years ago!
Blood and fur everywhere...
My condolences on the loss of your uncle. So sad.
April 22, 2008 - 08:06 ET by Ruths husband BenThe danger is that they look docile enough with those cute little lemming eyes staring up at you. Then, once they've drawn you in, they pounce. Aack! I can still feel those sharp little claws tearing at me and those pincer-like teeth tearing my flesh. Luckily for me, there was a cliff nearby. I ran to the edge of it and they all leapt off me to their death. But what if I had been in the middle of a field? Certain death.
My condolences on the loss of your uncle. So sad.
“There’s nobody (white) on my staff who would still be working for me if they made a comment like that about anybody of any (other) ethnic group.” -Obama (talking about Imus)
(parentheticals added for clarity)
Man... once those lemmings
April 22, 2008 - 08:23 ET by Jack BauerMan... once those lemmings get a taste of human flesh, there's no stopping them. Vicious little Gremlins.
Wasn't that Cloverfield
April 22, 2008 - 08:36 ET by DarkseanWasn't that Cloverfield movie about an extra large lemming?
Yup I remember playing the
April 22, 2008 - 08:21 ET by taterYup I remember playing the lemmings video game and one of the options was to tell them pounce and kill. I usually did that after I force them to dig a cliff and made them walk off it.
By justice a king gives stability to a land; but he who imposes heavy taxes ruins it. -Proverbs 29:4
Hey, don't diss Lemmings!!
April 22, 2008 - 09:57 ET by motherbeltHey, don't diss Lemmings!! I love that game...talk about addictive!!!
Until PETA got involved----
April 22, 2008 - 08:21 ET by misterbillUntil PETA got involved----I used to hunt them for lemming meringue pie.
My wife used to make
April 22, 2008 - 08:25 ET by JerMy wife used to make those. Quite tasty... but I got tired of picking the fur out of my teeth.
Jer
Funny misterbill ... have
April 22, 2008 - 08:31 ET by Jack BauerFunny misterbill ... have you ever hunted PETAs?
Reckon they'd be stringy and dry when cooked.
Jack Bauer
April 22, 2008 - 08:54 ET by misterbillI saw a PETA
In a sweater
That really turned me on.
I reached for my rifle
To bag that sweet trifle
But when I turned she was gone.
The moral my friend, Is that in the end,
One cannot waste one single chance.
'Cause if you do, I'm telling you,
You'll miss that PETA in hot pants.
Pouching Lemmings - Chomping Roosters
April 22, 2008 - 08:28 ET by RMRThe "lemming pounce" is the least of Barry's problems. Just wait till she start baring those six-inch rooster-fangs.
Little known fact
April 22, 2008 - 08:33 ET by Mica the MagnificentRoosters have fangs not to attack man, but to keep the pecking order in chickendom.
Unless they are pounced upon by the lemmings, then it's every chicken for themselves.
Mika mis-spoke
April 22, 2008 - 08:25 ET by FranksamI'm guessing that Mika has confused lemmings with the very aggressive rabbit, such as that which attacked Jimmy Carter some years ago, forever damaging his brain.
'member Tim the magician?
April 22, 2008 - 08:40 ET by sentforth5He can tell ya all about those viscious killer rabbits...
Mika, you must be one of them "super geniuses" like Wile E. Coyote.
Them rabbits have nasty,
April 22, 2008 - 08:46 ET by taterThem rabbits have nasty, sharp, pointy teeth.
By justice a king gives stability to a land; but he who imposes heavy taxes ruins it. -Proverbs 29:4
Hey, Tater!
April 22, 2008 - 08:58 ET by sentforth5I love that tag! Remember, everyone...God set this whole thing up and He is still in control...everything looks bad at the moment, but for His plan and will, all these things are necessary...even Mika's lemmings..
These lefty idiots are tools used by the Lord to bring His perfect plan of salvation to fruition..
I'm just sayin' is all--don't let me stop the fun!!
Yeah, well it was apparently necessary
April 22, 2008 - 09:10 ET by c5thenfor Israel to be defeated by Babalon and go into slavery for a few generations too. Doesn't mean that I would have enjoyed being there.
Remember that when the Messiah comes again for his faithfull, and the core "true" believers are sealed on their foreheads and whisked away before the tribulation period, there are only 144,000 of them.
The day that "politician" became a career choice is the day we started losing the Republic. Let's get it back! Alan Keyes '08.
beware
April 22, 2008 - 13:05 ET by sentforth5there is nothing written about any sort of "rapture" anywhere in the Word of God. The 144,000 will be here when satan is here, else, who would teach the unlearned? We wear the whole armour of God for battle, not to "fly away"!
This is not a religious forum so I will stop with that ,but as a teacher I cannot let Christians think these things. Sorry NewsBusters. I'll stop at that.
RUN AWAY!!!!!!!!!! A
April 22, 2008 - 12:21 ET by red_dragon311RUN AWAY!!!!!!!!!!
A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.
-Thomas Jefferson
KILL THE WABBIT...
April 22, 2008 - 09:58 ET by danybhoyKill the Wabbit...Kill the WAbbit...Kill the WABbit...Kill the WABBit...
If you remember that old Bugs Bunny classic, maybe you will find this interesting... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoBRfu1pYOY ...if you have heard the "Animal Rights" update theme song on Quinn & Rose in Pittsburgh or on XM, you will remember this.
"Some of us are wise, some of us are otherwise" Mark Levin
I think there's a more apt
April 22, 2008 - 08:31 ET by Hero SquadI think there's a more apt use of the lemming metaphor on this campaign, but I just can't seem to think clearly what it is at the moment. There's some noisy "Rock for Barack" rally going on outside my building right now.
*****
"People only insist that a debate stop when they are afraid of what might be learned if it continues." - George Will
I don't know...lemmings sounds like a good liberal metaphore
April 22, 2008 - 08:53 ET by c5thenThey are constatnly going over cliffs in groups because no one wants to stop and think things through.
It's all about "feelings" you know, it doesn't really matter what the actual facts are...ahhhhhhhhhhh.....
The day that "politician" became a career choice is the day we started losing the Republic. Let's get it back! Alan Keyes '08.
Actually, lemmings don't
April 22, 2008 - 09:32 ET by suzycreamcheeseActually, lemmings don't pounce or jump over cliffs. This mass suicide lie is what I remember from my childhood from watching the Walt Disney nature show that aired on Sundays. It's just a myth that's been busted.
http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/moments/s1081903.htm
Thanks for spoiling the
April 22, 2008 - 09:40 ET by JerThanks for spoiling the fun, suzy. Actually, I had heard that too just within the past couple of years after believing the myth for decades. But the metaphor has become too useful to discredit now.
Jer
Actually, lemmings don't
April 22, 2008 - 09:42 ET by Jack BauerThey do when forced to watch MSNBC.
Tap dancing
April 22, 2008 - 09:49 ET by nkviking75Mark, when you heard Mika's "lemmings" comment, I bet you were tap dancing like a snake!
When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.
Yup, and yelled like a
April 22, 2008 - 11:25 ET by Mark FinkelsteinYup, and yelled like a giraffe.
And another thing
April 22, 2008 - 10:51 ET by FranksamDoes anyone recall the National Lampoon putting out an album (For those under a certain age, that's a twelve inch vinyl disc, which my kids tell me resembles a CD) regarding the Lemmings? It was full of mass-suicide based tunes. Gross and tasteless, but funny black humor. I'm just curious.
Franksam
April 22, 2008 - 10:59 ET by Mica the MagnificentI do.
I also remember a cover of National Lampoon that was pulled from newstands at the request of the Kennedy family.
There was a popular Volkswagen ad at the time that claimed that the car was so tight and well built, it could float in water.
National Lampoon had a picture of a floating Volkswagen with the caption:
If Ted Kennedy drove a volkswagen, he'd be president by now.
This metaphor criticism is a stretch...
April 22, 2008 - 11:44 ET by geoksterI am a life-long conservative, and love to see the libs get their much-deserved comeuppances, but let's please make it for worthwhile subjects, or we trivialize our own side of the debate. There are so many better reasons to take them to task.
However, the old fairy tale about lemmings is not so much about them "going over the cliff" as it is about "blindly following the leader" no matter the consequences, even if that means "over the cliff". In that regard, there is nothing wrong with her metaphor.
Still no "pouncing" lemmings...
April 22, 2008 - 14:22 ET by RMRgeokster:
Even using your explanation, her metaphor still makes no sense. She wasn’t accusing the Clinton camp of “blindly following” Obama, but “pouncing” on an issue, Rev. Wright, to score political points. Anyhow you slice it, no "pouncing" lemmings.
I saw this early this
April 22, 2008 - 14:23 ET by bigtimerI saw this early this morning and the first person I thought of was Mark Finkelstein....lol!
I loved the response by Joe, but what is even better is the Classical Values site....Rush is Right and the lemmingade is hilarious!
Poor Mika, being the Obama staffer she is, she isn't helping matters much....hehehee...
All of this was delicious.
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Churchill
Mica & Joe
April 22, 2008 - 14:47 ET by okiehawk44I'll wager that Joe gets down on his knees every night and thanks his producers for casting Mica on his show. My goodness, she is like a goldmine and without her I think Joe and Willy wouldn't have nearly as much fun. After the show, they must go to the nearest watering hole and recount one Micaism after another.
A better word is....
April 23, 2008 - 02:07 ET by gfrrmanmymidon. Use it on liberals that you meet and they become glassy-eyed and confused. Now if you have to, please look it up before you go out acting like an a##. Still, good word..better than lemming. (Neal Boortz pats me on the back....)
"Eventually, Socialists run out of other peoples' money...." MARGARET THATCHER