Kansas Republican and conservative presidential hopeful Sam Brownback made a cringy, racy and potentially problematic crack at today's congressional hearing on black male unemployment.
It started off innocently enough as he made small-talk with Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, mentioning, in passing, that senators often take off their ties when negotiating bills behind closed doors. Klobuchar needled him about it.
Klobuchar: "Ties off?... But I don’t wear a tie."
Brownback: "I could say ‘dresses off’ but I won’t."
Klobuchar (laughing, blushing): "Not while you’re running for president."
Glenn Thrush
Comments (14)
Glenn - You're kidding, right? This is racy? More to the point - this is news?
Glennster - These are idle thoughts of a prude mind. Get a little more wild my good man.
I don't know this Borwnback guy, but I like him!
NOT a good comment to make in a public forum while you are running for president. Not smart at all. Excellent comeback by Klobuchar.
Let's not make a mountain out of a molehill. If President Clinton had asked a staffer to take her dress off the Republicans wouldn't make such a big deal out of it. Wait.... Clinton did... and wait... the Conservatives did make a big deal out of it. Moral outrage would be the right characterization of the conservative response to the Lewinski affair.
Of course, it's OK for Newt and Rudi to have extramarital affairs. And I guess it's OK for Republicans to make sexual comments. But not Democrats.....
If John Edwards said the same thing to Michelle Bachmann, it would consume three entire news cycles and be brought up by the wingnuts repeatedly until January 10th of 2009. And Bachmann would manage to weep while recounting the event on Tucker!
Get a life, dude. This embarassing.
How is this OK? What planet do you live on? Let's-Joke-About-Stripping-Female Senators-World? Senator Klobuchar is MY senator, and I find this offensive. Any reasonable person would.
If someone said this to my wife, I'd punch the asshole's lights out.
Even if he was running for president.
Idiots.
Heh heh heh..... just kiddin' Amy.
"What's the matter with Kansas?" Oh yea, people like Brownback and Pat Roberts. Please ... just form the Hypocrite part already, and let's get on with it. At least we'll know who is who
All right - all you self loathing liberals who think this is the same thing as Bill Clinton spraying all over some girl's blue dress while she's on her knees in front of him, get a clue. Brownback didn't ask Klobuchar to take off her dress, he made what is admittedly a weak joke - whose punchline was that he wouldn't ask her that question.
And enoon - you think it makes you a reasonable person to threaten to take a swing at someone if they made a joke like this in front of your wife? You are obviously not in a position to define what's reasonable.
And, you take a swing at me buddy and I'll be happy to share a second degree black belt's worth of martial arts knowledge with you. I'm sure your wife will be more than happy to take care of her "hero" while he recovers.
Spare us the histrionics pal. You are definitely not the tough guy you seem to think you are. Especially when you have to resort to calling people schoolyard names.
"If John Edwards said the same thing to Michelle Bachmann"
John has much better taste.
Ah, TKN - yet another Repuke would-be bad-ass.
Why do you rat wingers all think that life is one big Chuck Norris movie?
As someone who attended the hearing and was there to see the entire context of the conversation leading up to the comment. Brownback was refering to leaving behind partisan hostility and formality and dealing with the issue, relaxing, getting comfortable, and seeing what could be done about the matter at hand.
For that matter, the hearing was on the issue of African-American Unemployment levels being historically higher than their counterparts in the workforce. He was reaching out to the Democrats and the hearing, and the Democrats were reaching right back in a mutual fashion. Also he was the only Republican to attend.
Now that that information has been spread. I'd have honestly said what he was trying to say differently (instead of trying to continue the example by using a piece of feminine formal attire). I don't necessarilly agree with his politics, but, I can't jump on the guy in this situation because he was just trying to crack a joke, as Klobuchar had several times when she was asked to take the position of chairing the hearing when Schumer had to leave and she expressed her willingness to do so specifically because it allowed her to use the gavel.
Terry C - please try to follow along with the rest of the class. It's enoon who's running around threatening to punch people's lights out, not me. I only promised to defend myself if he ever chose to pick me as a target.
Nice tray at liberal spin though.
There was a congressional hearing on black male unemployment? Like it's taken them this long to figure out there's an issue there?