Today in the impossible game of "TMZ or Politico"
Max Baucus's speech under conservative fire
A speech by Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) on health care has been generating buzz on the Internet, as the Drudge Report and others are suggesting that Baucus was slurring his speech and possibly "intoxicated" during his remarks.
"DRUNK WITH POWER? TOP DEM SLURS ON SENATE FLOOR..." reads the Drudge Report headline.
Newsbusters.org writes: "How can one explain this incredibly bizarre performance by Max Baucus on the Senate floor? Was Baucus so intoxicated by the sound of his own voice that he went off the deep end? Or perhaps he was so drunk with power over shaping the Senate health care bill that it explains his strange rant."
On his Facebook page, former congressman Mark Foley commented on the video: "This is the senator that hired his staffer and then took her on trips...and divorced his wife....and they had me run out of town."
An email seeking comment has been sent to Sen. Baucus's office and we will update this post when we hear back.
Source
Further reading: The ‘Drunk’ Smear Politico is asking Baucus for comment whether or not he was drunk during the health care debate, because an anonymous YouTube account claims he was.
The thing is, this sort of “drunk” smear against a Democrat giving a slightly slurred speech is not new. Last year, immediately after Joe Biden became Barack Obama’s running mate, a YouTube member named JonnyRatheon posted a 2:27 clip of Biden on the campaign trail and titled it “Joe Biden drunk on campaign trail - NOT a joke video.”
Of course, Biden was not drunk. The vice president - who survived an aneurysm in 1988 and has an easily parodied, freewheeling speaking style - is a teetotaler. But do a YouTube search for “Biden” and “drunk” and you’ll find numerous videos posted by people who mistake some slurred speech for inebriation. One video of a random, drunk-acting white man who vaguely looks like Biden has more than 436,000 views. If Matt Drudge had linked to them, would they have generated “buzz on the internet” and become news?
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Personally ihni if he was drunk, or he's just not a good speaker, or maybe he was tired or has a medical problem. But this is the stupidest ~scandal~ ever invented. Also that was like the first speech Baucus ever gave that made him sound kind of awesome and ass-kicking, so whatever.
Click to viewA speech by Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) on health care has been generating buzz on the Internet, as the Drudge Report and others are suggesting that Baucus was slurring his speech and possibly "intoxicated" during his remarks.
"DRUNK WITH POWER? TOP DEM SLURS ON SENATE FLOOR..." reads the Drudge Report headline.
Newsbusters.org writes: "How can one explain this incredibly bizarre performance by Max Baucus on the Senate floor? Was Baucus so intoxicated by the sound of his own voice that he went off the deep end? Or perhaps he was so drunk with power over shaping the Senate health care bill that it explains his strange rant."
On his Facebook page, former congressman Mark Foley commented on the video: "This is the senator that hired his staffer and then took her on trips...and divorced his wife....and they had me run out of town."
An email seeking comment has been sent to Sen. Baucus's office and we will update this post when we hear back.
Source
Further reading: The ‘Drunk’ Smear Politico is asking Baucus for comment whether or not he was drunk during the health care debate, because an anonymous YouTube account claims he was.
The thing is, this sort of “drunk” smear against a Democrat giving a slightly slurred speech is not new. Last year, immediately after Joe Biden became Barack Obama’s running mate, a YouTube member named JonnyRatheon posted a 2:27 clip of Biden on the campaign trail and titled it “Joe Biden drunk on campaign trail - NOT a joke video.”
Of course, Biden was not drunk. The vice president - who survived an aneurysm in 1988 and has an easily parodied, freewheeling speaking style - is a teetotaler. But do a YouTube search for “Biden” and “drunk” and you’ll find numerous videos posted by people who mistake some slurred speech for inebriation. One video of a random, drunk-acting white man who vaguely looks like Biden has more than 436,000 views. If Matt Drudge had linked to them, would they have generated “buzz on the internet” and become news?
--
Personally ihni if he was drunk, or he's just not a good speaker, or maybe he was tired or has a medical problem. But this is the stupidest ~scandal~ ever invented. Also that was like the first speech Baucus ever gave that made him sound kind of awesome and ass-kicking, so whatever.