Was it a rookie mistake in a big interview, or something worse?
Is her immediate post-interview clarification enough?
I listened to the interview with Debra Medina this morning. When Glenn Beck asked her about the 9/11 truthers, she said some good questions have been asked, but she’s focused on Texas issues, and that she doesn’t have time to give psychological tests to every volunteer and campaign worker.
I didn’t hear it as her endorsing the 9/11 truthers, but it wasn’t a solid condemnation.
Notably, as Bud Kennedy points out — “Remember that Beck’s radio pals include Pat Gray and Rick Perry backer Sen. Dan Patrick”
Immediately after the show, Medina’s spokesperson issued a statement — “Debra Medina is not a 9/11 truther.”
Is this sufficient?
UPDATE: Full Medina Statement (h/t JJM)
I was asked a question on the Glenn Beck show today regarding my thoughts on the so-called 9/11 truth movement. I have never been involved with the 9/11 truth movement, and there is no doubt in my mind that Muslim terrorists flew planes into those buildings on 9/11. I have not seen any evidence nor have I ever believed that our government was involved or directed those individuals in any way. No one can deny that the events on 9/11 were a tragedy for all Americans and especially those families who lost loved ones.
The question surprised me because it’s not relevant to this race or the issues facing Texans. This campaign has always been about private property rights and state sovereignty. It is focused on the issues facing Texans. It is not a vehicle for the 9-11 truth movement or any other group.
The real underlying question here, though, is whether or not people have the right to question our government. I think the fact that people are even asking questions on this level gets to the incredible distrust career politicians have fostered by so clearly taking their direction from special interests instead of the people, whether it’s Rick Perry and his HPV mandate or Kay Hutchison and voting for the bank bailout. It is absolutely the right and duty of a free people to question their government. Texas does not need another politician who tells you what you want to hear, then violates your liberties and steals your property anyway. I fully expect to be questioned and to be held accountable as Governor, and that’s the underlying issue here: should people be questioning their government. And the answer is yes, they should be.
For one Glenn Beck is not what he seems. He supported the bailout at and is now calling for more taxes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6C6E6ayh4U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYRZgIL-hUk
Secondly, are you aware of how many of the 9/11 commissioners have gone further than anything she said today??
The co-chairs of the 9/11 Commission (Thomas Keane and Lee Hamilton) said that the CIA (and likely the White House) “obstructed our investigationâ€.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/02/opinion/02kean.html?ref=opinion
The co-chairs of the 9/11 Commission also said that the 9/11 Commissioners knew that military officials misrepresented the facts to the Commission, and the Commission considered recommending criminal charges for such false statements, yet didn’t bother to tell the American people.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/01/AR2006080101300.html?sub=new
9/11 Commission co-chair Lee Hamilton says “I don’t believe for a minute we got everything rightâ€, that the Commission was set up to fail, that people should keep asking questions about 9/11, that the 9/11 debate should continue, and that the 9/11 Commission report was only “the first draft†of history.
CBS News: http://www.911podcasts.com/files/video/CBCSunday_20060910.wmv
9/11 Commissioner Bob Kerrey said that “There are ample reasons to suspect that there may be some alternative to what we outlined in our version . . . We didn’t have access . . . .â€
http://salon.com/ent/feature/2006/06/27/911_conspiracies/index4.html
9/11 Commissioner Timothy Roemer said “We were extremely frustrated with the false statements we were gettingâ€
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/08/02/9-11panel.pentagon/index.html
Former 9/11 Commissioner Max Cleland resigned from the Commission, stating: “It is a national scandalâ€; “This investigation is now compromisedâ€; and “One of these days we will have to get the full story because the 9-11 issue is so important to America. But this White House wants to cover it upâ€.
http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2003/11/21/cleland/index.html?pn=1
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2003/11/13/911_panel_to_get_access_to_withheld_data/
9/11 Commissioner John Lehman said that “We purposely put together a staff that had – in a way – conflicts of interest“.
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/911_Commissioner_We_had_to_go_0203.html
The Senior Counsel to the 9/11 Commission (John Farmer) who led the 9/11 staff’s inquiry, said “I was shocked at how different the truth was from the way it was described …. The tapes told a radically different story from what had been told to us and the public for two years…. This is not spin. This is not true.â€
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/01/AR2006080101300.html
________________
So there you have it. Beck is here to co-opt true conservatives and ruin the chances for real change. He’s just trying to make her look nutty.
Beck is a neo-con shill.
Fox News is an Israeli propaganda machine.
If you’re any kind of libertarian, surely you want all US government loans and foreign AID to Israel, direct or indirect, cut off?
Clearly Debra Medina is making some establishment pols uncomfortable, when the 9/11 Truther smear gets trotted out.
GOOD!
I about crapped myself over this. Just when I was prepared to fully jump on the Medina Train, too. Glenn Beck’s politics aren’t the issue, IMO. I don’t like Beck either, but my interest lies in where Medina’s head is at on this issue. I don’t care why Beck asked the question, or what his motives are. The question was asked and I’d like a straight forward answer.
To answer your question, Trey, for me personally a statement from Medina’s spokesperson isn’t sufficient to ease my concerns. She had the opportunity to flat out distance herself from the issue and didn’t. I need to hear her flat out say what she thinks about the issue before I return to her camp. My vote won’t hurt her one way of the other, but I would imagine quite a few people would be concerned about this – assuming it becomes an issue in the media.
As it is, though, I doubt the majority of voters will ever hear about the incident unless it gets picked up in the MSM.
I know Medina, she is not a 9/11 truther.
It appeared to me that Glenn was kind of in attack mode at the very start.
9/11 truthers mess up my entire argument against the war(s). It appears they now may be messing with Medina.
Alfred Lord Tennyson “A lie which is half a truth is ever the blackest of lies. “
Beck asked because he’d received some emails about her being a truther, that simple. He has a history of warning people to vet their politicians, and not get caught up in hype, and wind up supporting someone you don’t agree with.
He handed her some twine, which she proceeded to weave into a rope, tie a noose, hang it from a tree, test for sturdiness, then got a wobbly stool….
Medinas response:
http://www.medinafortexas.com/getPost?p=272
I heard the interview live and I must say Medina came off sounding more than a little loony-toons. When it comes to condoning outlandish conspiracy theories like those espoused by the troofers, a lack of denial is tantamount to an admission. She had the opportunity to refute the rumors about her troofer tendencies but she chose not to.
I was a fan of Medina from the outset, but I cannot support someone who thinks there is *any* possibility that the US government was behind 9-11. Any person who has a molecule of doubt whether two hijacked planes loaded with jet fuel – and nothing else – brought down the towers is nuttier than squirrel turds, period.
Medina is going to have a rough time unscrewing this pooch.
When neo-con shill Beck launched his 9/11 Truther smear, a more polished politician would have reframed the debate into something relevant to Texas state politics.
She needs to work with her people to be better prepared for interviews, because the higher her poll numbers go, the more the neo-con GOP establishment will try to smear and destroy her.
This interview with neo-con shill Beck was a learning experience for Medina, and hopefully she will use it to get better and more prepared for subsequent interviews.
Beck is not a neo-con
Israel is the good guys
Hamas are the bad guys
Iran needs to be taken out
If we cut off all aid to the UN and countries that hate us then we can talk about Israel.
Medina is not a “truther” “Birther” maybe….but only a complete idiot…total full tilt bozo moron thinks seriously that 9/11 was an inside job.
Limited government includes securing the borders and protecting the sovereignty of the US
libertarianism is not monolithic
The world is better off without Saddam Hussein.
The world will be better off when Obama leaves office
The world doesn’t owe anyone anything for managing to be born.
There is no right to things
The Bill of Rights doesn’t bestow rights it merely lists some of them that exist in natural law.
The government sucks and if you have more of it …it sucks more
You can’t spend your way out of debt or into prosperity especially when you are starting from a position of high debt.
Trey, this is a well-known and respected blog in Austin, so you can expect Perry and Hutchison operatives to be on the site pushing anti-Medina smears.
Now, I’m not saying delete every comment critical of Medina, and IP ban the poster, but be aware that astroturf movements on blogs will be a big part of this campaign.
I don’t ban IPs and I’ve deleted maybe three comments on this blog in 18 months.
The answer to speech you don’t like is more speech.
Glenn Beck may be an idiot, but she did this to herself. It’s a shame really. I like her ideas and I had every intention of voting for her – until this. I’ll be damned if I will vote for Gov’ner Goodhair or the RINO Senator. I guess I’ll just sit this one out.
Now, I’m not saying Armed Texan is an operative for another candidate. I’m not saying Armed Texan should be ignored.
I understand that Debra Medina is not as polished as career political hacks like Perry and Hutchison, and I understand that neo-con friends of Perry and Hutchison will try to catch her off guard in interviews and embarrass her.
I will stand with Debra Medina through this neo-con campaign, and I will vote for her in the primary and the general. Go Debra!
@ Vines_N_Cattle
“Beck asked because he’d received some emails”
Are you seriously that gullible?
@Garrison Fan
My gullibility is irrelevant to the point that the woman got her shot on American Idol and blew it. Big time.
No “Vast Right Wing Conspiracy” forced her to step in front of the judges and give a rousing rendition of She Bangs ala William Hung.
But hey, keep making excuses, it’s how we get birthers speaking at the Tea Party convention…
V&C,
Based on her clarification, a voucher from someone I know who knows her, and her being new to the stage, I’m giving her a pass on this one time.
If she starts the birther stuff or revisits the truther stuff, it’s over.
@ Vines_N_Cattle
You know, Americans like you are why the system is broken.
You don’t want the career hack politicians. You want outsiders.
But, along comes an outsider, and because she’s not a career politician she’s not polished and packaged, prepared for everything, she screws up an interview. You’re all over her.
I’m sure Debra will get better. She will learn from this.
Americans like you however, want an outsider who’s slick and polished like a career politician. You can’t have it both ways.
Still, it’s sad. I was lovin it, (as much as an Okie can) with the guns and property rights stuff.
Tis a shame this might derail her. The Media will look for anything to discredit the Tea Party folk.
I Still Support Medina wrote:
‘Now, I’m not saying Armed Texan is an operative for another candidate. I’m not saying Armed Texan should be ignored.”
Then exactly what *are* you saying? The irony in your statement is that it sounds a lot like Medina’s wishy-washy prattle earlier today when she said “I have not taken a position on that†But I think I understand what you meant: Anyone who expresses legitimate concern about what she said *must* be a shill for the opposition, and we’re probably the same ones who planted the explosives at the towers. Am I right?
Look, I really don’t care what you believe. I’m just a guy who watched the debates and was overjoyed when Medina mopped up the floor with Rick and Kay. I *wanted* her to be the real deal. Maybe she is, but she did not do herself any favors today. She’s got some ‘splainin to do, and this issue will undoubtedly dog her throughout the campaign. I wouldn’t be surprised if she drops ten points by next week.
Medina was always a longshot, but at least there was hope. There is none after today’s fiasco. It’s a shame we will be stuck with Rick “39%†Perry for yet another term. Sheesh.
@ Garrison Fan
Bite me. Seriously.
It doesn’t take a career politician to say “Truther? Not no but hell no!” Game over, here comes the next Scott Brown.
If Perry did arrange this ambush, it was fucking brilliant politics, you’ve got Glenn Beck of all people calling her nuts.
The only difference between Perry and Hutchison is genitalia; however if Medina lacks the moral courage to say unequivocally that wild eyed Muslim fanatics murdered 3,000 innocent Americans on 9-11-01 she’s no more fit to govern this state than the two RINOS.
V&C – Exactly. I can’t know for sure why she didn’t rip Beck’s head off (BTW, I wish someone would do that), but one thing for sure is that when confronted with the allegations her reticence was palpable, and this was tantamount to an affirmation in my book. She sounded like someone who was trying to do a verbal tapdance around a road apple but instead she stepped in it. Big time.
Good Lord….So the “Neo-Cons” ( Really Neo-Troskyites) Glenn Beck and Pat Gray say that if your staff members believe “Certain Things” you are not electable
In a Scripps Howard survey taken in 2006 found
Quote;
“Thirty-six percent of respondents overall said it is “very likely” or “somewhat likely” that federal officials either participated in the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon or took no action to stop them “because they wanted the United States to go to war in the Middle East.”…
“The level of suspicion of U.S. official involvement in a 9/11 conspiracy was only slightly behind the 40 percent who suspect “officials in the federal government were directly responsible for the assassination of President Kennedy” and the 38 percent who believe “the federal government is withholding proof of the existence of intelligent life from other planets.”
Today, the percentages are even Higher
Some People believe things that others don’t…..I don’t believe that “A person can wear “Magic Underwear” that will keep you from harm and/or sin”
Some “Magic Underwear Truthers” do
I’m just Saying
Why is Beck to blame for Medina’s answer? Was Beck only supposed to throw softball questions to her?
I don’t recall the Beck hate when he outed Van Jones.
â– Glen2Gs on February 11th, 2010 4:15 pm
“Good Lord….So the “Neo-Cons†( Really Neo-Troskyites) Glenn Beck and Pat Gray say that if your staff members believe “Certain Things†you are not electable ”
This ain’t about her staff, her staff didn’t answer Beck’s question for her.
I’m not sure why you mentioned Pat Gray…he has not been a big fan of Governor Goodhair. I know Senator Patrick endorsed Governor Goodhair, but to my knowledge Pat never did…
I was quoting FWST reporter Bud Kennedy.
Truther talk makes my ball sac shrivel. Even more than Glenn Beck talk.
Greece to outlaw cash transactions above 1500 Euros.
“From 1. Jan. 2011, every transaction above 1,500 euros between natural persons and businesses, or between businesses, will not be considered legal if it is done in cash. Transactions will have to be done through debit or credit cards”
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE61824V20100209
I am beginning to think it doesn’t matter who we vote for as long as they are not the incumbent. Then we vote against the incumbents again next time. That way we make the statement that there are no mandates and there will be no safe seats in any government elective body. I like my Congressman….going to vote against him in the primary… Can’t really bring myself to vote for another Obama supporter but will sit out if the choice is incumbent or Democrat.
She was asked a very simple question: Was the US government involved in 9/11? I’m guessing 95% of everyone reading this believes the attack originated from the Middle East and not the White House.
Either you believe it was Islamic terrorism that was responsible or you believe the Bush administration was responsible for the deaths of 3,000 people.
Robert presents a classic either/or bullshit proposition.
I’m loving all this evidence that there are now so many more radioactive or demonic stimuli, like pedophilia, to manipulate you people with. Truther? Bzzt! Like a bug zapper. Birther? Zzzap!!!
This is the way we herd cattle. They don’t need to actually feel the tip of the whip, just a sharp crack that sounds like it and Moooo!, they’re off in the direction I choose, to do my bidding, to vote my candidates, but most importantly, to work their lives to the bone to buy what my companies want to sell them.
Moooo!!! Yippie-ki-yay, move along, you plump, tender little doggies, but gently now. Stress makes your flesh less sweet.
Did FDR know about the attack on Pearl Harbor?
It is that kind of conspiracy theory, and it is still out there after all these years.
Having said that, she later intimated that she focused on the 9-11 Commission Report, part of which was classified, which makes the Public suspicious. Also the same with the report on the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. Listening to her, she may have not had a clear idea on what 9-11 Truthers really meant. In fact, I didn’t until the talk show people clarified it for me. I had Birthers co-mingled with Truthers, so shoot me. Who cares?
In the end if it hurts her, it hurts her. If there is an equal or greater push back by the citizen who buys her ideas and persona instead of a single miscue, then she gets underdog status and may gain from it.
But that won’t prevent the hard core bingo players from taunting at the tables interminably (ha!).
I suspect Medina will take a dip in the polls immediately, then we will see what happens if there is a pushback. And I think we can all agree there have been multiple populist push backs this political season across this nation.
She has plenty of time before the primaries.
On KLIF yesterday morning on the Bolton show, Beck continually was accused of “attacking†Medina. Beck no more attacked Medina than Joe the Plumber attacked Obama during the campaign,. If the conservative side screams foul everytime one of “ours†gets a hardball question, we’re no better than the Leftists who scream “racism†anytime Obama gets taken to task for his incompetence.
The S.S. America has been run up on the beach by our vaunted statesmen. We aren’t going anywhere, but at least we won’t sink. We are thoroughly sucked up on the sand. Unfortunately, everyone has to get out of the ship and help pull it off the beach. And THAT is not going to happen until the yoke of heavy regulation is cut away, and the use of business to collect taxes from individuals is lifted. This is what the Tea Parties know must happen before it is feasible to extricate the 108,000 ton ship off the beach however Captain Queeg is fixated on stolen strawberries.
Put another way, Congress has inadvertently jettisoned the warp core, we have dropped to sub-light, and the U.S.S. Enterprise is forty-one parsecs (133,742 light years) from Earth. It will now take us 47,000 years to make it back on impulse engines. The crew has a fix, but leadership doesn’t take orders from enlisted personnel. The crew is considering mutiny. They have formed Tea Parties. They are looking for a Mr. Christian.