Was that a whisper in Romney's Ear?
By John Amato Thursday Jan 24, 2008 9:01am
What's a debate without a little blogging fun? During the GOP Presidential Debate on MSNBC, a very curious thing happened during a Tim Russert question to Mitt Romney. You can hear what seemed like an on air-whispered answer directed at Romney in some fashion that I can't determine--to a Reagan question about Social Security. It's not clear one way or the other. It might not have been anything at all...
Download | play Download | play (h/t Heather audio amplified)
Russert: Governor Romney, you are a big fan of Ronald Reagan.
Romney: Uh-um
Russert: Will you do for Social Security what Ronald Reagan did in 1983?
<whisper> raise taxes
Romney: I'm not going to raise taxes. What I'm going to do...
Russert: Ronald Reagan raised payroll tax and he also raised the retirement age and he saved Social Security...
Very curious indeed.
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I thought it was too loud to be called a "whisper"...
hahahahaha
"WWRRD" is the GOP mantra. I think their Holy trinity is Fear, Ronny and the Free Market.
I posted this on C&Ls immediately when it happened last night (well, not immediately, but after I rewound the incident five or six times and made my wife come down to listen to ensure I wasn't imagining things). Was it:
A. his ear piece getting picked up
B. a nearby candidate helping him out
C. an NBC (read: GE) helping hand?
D. Joseph Smith
That was bizarre. Was it one of the other candidates beside him who said it? Was it someone near Tim's microphone? Or was it the ghost of Ronnie?
"Reagan saved Social Security"
Rewriting history again. I guess this means we can look forward to news hacks thirty years from now saying "George W. saved Iraq."
I heard that too. I assumed it was a rival muttering that he'd "raise taxes," which is why Romney began by saying he *wouldn't* raise taxes.
Interesting.
Could the whisper be intended for Tim Russert? Maybe he had forgotten to talk about the taxe raise in his question and someone from the desk reminded him
Pierre @ 9:
Seems like the more reasonable explanation
Who needs an earpiece (like Warpig) when you can have someone backstage coaching you?
And just what, exactly, is wrong with raising the cap on Social Security above $95,000? We pay income tax on our gross incomes (well, most of us do).
Pierre @ 9:
seems a little too coincidental that if the whipser was to Russert far away from Mittens that Mittens would, within two seconds, say "would not raise taxes" and goes into his little taking points schpiel about lower taxes, less government and what have you.
A rather loud earpiece, perhaps?
galmud @ 10:
Really? If you've watched Russert over the years, he loves setting traps with questions and letting politicians walk into them..when he posed the question he knew the subtle underpinning was that Ronny raised taxes, but he was waiting for Mittens to answer, walk into the trap, and then give him the GOTCHA - by saying 'but governor, Ronald Reagan raised taxes to do that...would you?' Not sure your purported "more reasonable" explanation isn't really just the easiest, least controversial one.
tlb22 @ 4:
I pick Joseph Smith. Heck, maybe Romney is the reincarnation of the natorious swindler himself though, in which case I'll go with answer B.
Well, now I've heard everything.
Hahahaha......it was Romney's VP pick Dick Cheney!!!!!!!!
This proves it. Mitt Romney actually IS a puppet. To his credit, he wants to be a real boy.
The Whisperer is Jimmeny Cricket.
Excellent but for me nothing will top the 'wire down the back' the chimp wore during his so called "debates". You know you're an inadequate, moronic, inarticulate dumbass when you don't have the mental capacity to respond to a question without someone whispering the answers to you.
But then these are reslugs and shrub lowered the bar so low you'd have to dig to find it.
fishboots @ 19:
The Rev Gepeto is very displeased you brought that up.
I'm more interested in how much they all support the war. That's great for appealing to the hardcore 25% of Americans, almost all of whom are Republicans, who still support the war. I'll be interested to see how the final nominee is able to wiggle out of his support for this failed project when he has to appeal to the entire electorate. Do I smell waffles?
I think that it was a ghost. The Ghost of Republicans Past. It almost sounds like "raise taxes" was added after the fact.
MargeAggedon @ 20:
That's how he must have gotten through college, so having someone slip him the answers was just business as usual. Ah, the life of the super rich!
This is what that uppity Everyman is telling his people:
Massa' is giving you the oki-doke. He is trying to mislead you. He is a liar.
Listen to the sound of my voice.
I know the way.
Follow me.
Joan Walsh, Salon
I thought I had auditory hallucinations when I heard it during the "debate".
Sounds like one of the other candidates up there, all of whom have live mics, whispered it to themselves. In debate class, I remember whispering little reminders to myself during my opponent's statements. I just was never mic'd on a live national feed! It's a reflexive thing, helping to psychologically earmark that item or point for alter. Although it is kind of eerie! Mary Reilly...
Kathy in St. louis @ 24:
You'd think he would have spent enough to buy an 'A' or two but he is a miserable cheap bastard who's only generous with other people's money. So that probably explains the low marks.
I'm so glad others heard that, and you have it on C&L!! Now CNN, put that piece of trivia on your website and tv broadcast and ask the question... Who whispered "raise taxes"? I'll get the popcorn ready ... the explanations should be entertaining.
I heard this, but just assumed it was McCain or Guiliani calling out the answer to prove how "smart" they were at reading the subtext of the question.
If Romney ever becomes president, you'll see a much slicker form of incompetence than the mean old days of war-monger Bush.
You can almost see Romney's nose grow as his pie-hole opens to talk.
Russert: Ronald Reagan raised payroll tax and he also raised the retirement age and he saved Social Security…
So St. Ronny saved SS, I thought the Republican mantra was SS is bankrupt, isn't that the bill of goods Jr. was selling a while back.
GOP now stands for Ghost of (Republicans) Past.
If not a whisper to Russert, maybe a whisper from one audience member (or member of the press) to another?
You're whispering in my ear
Tell me all the things that I wanna to hear, 'cause that's true
That's what I like about you
That's what I like about you
That's what I like about you
ghostly!
tlb22 @ 4:
D. He's come back from the grave (!)
The last thing this nation needs. Another lying, phony, manipulative, silver spooned jackass who thinks everyone is so fucking stupid.
tlb22 @ 4:
Reagan's ghost?
betagreg @ 29:
but the question wasn't to them, it was explicity posed to Mittens...why would they be thinking aloud in a way to help a rival answer a trap-question? Makes no sense.
tlb22 @ 38:
...and besides, if it was Guiliani, it would've came out as: raise 9/11 taxes... 9/11.
I heard it, too. I was on instant message with a friend who was also watching the debate and I asked him what the whisper was as soon as I heard it.
My thought at the time was that it was someone giving a cue to Russert. Now, I'm not so sure. I guess I'll wait to see if an explanation is forthcoming.
It's not an earpiece. I mean, come on! It's clearly audible at the same level and of the same quality as the people speaking in microphones. If it were coming from an earpiece, it wouldn't need to be a whisper anyway. Why would someone speaking into an earpiece even bother to whisper? It's going into somebody's ear canal. It's not like the volume is gonna be cranked up to 80 DB anyway.
It was probably Karl Rove whispering. The Repubicans have stopped using the old strap on box under the suit coat like the one Bush used during the Kerry/Bush debates and are now just whispering the answers to their favorite candidate.
38: no, it doesn't make sense, but it seems like this was the friendly republican debate, they were all overly kind to one another -- most likely wanting to appear grown up compared to the Democratic in-fighting...
could mittens possibly be more of an airhead?
just asking....
It was Brian Williams reminding Russert to mention the word taxes. Russert immediately elaborated his question to include the "keyword" so that the Republican(s) can narrow his answer in response to President Reagon's decision to raise taxes.
What were Brian and Tim talking about as they went to commercial? Presumably they thought they were off mic when they said something like, "Did you see this?" "Unbeliveable." Anyone catch that?
steve davis @ 41:
It's a young man's voice. It must be an aide wispering off from the side of the stage in desperation. The sound is coming from the left side where Romney is. My understanding is all the other candidates hate Romney anyways - doubt they would have wanted to save his ass there.
NOBODY ... I repeat, NOBODY answered any of the questions last night in the GOP debate Except Ron Paul.
Rudy sidestepped every question by talking about someone else (Hillary)
Romney sidestepped every question by talking about someone else (Hillary again)
McCain Called goulinani a Hero (gasp)
Ron Paul was the only one who got applause. I'm not talking about five shills in the audience, I mean applause from the whole room.
And yet the MSM refuses to believe the polls that THEY themselves asked us to participate in, which shows ....... Paul by a huge margin. Even this morning, on MSNBC they refused to take serious the TEXT-Messaging poll that they themselves set up, which showed Paul ahead again, trying to make it sound like one crazy called in a hundred thousand times or something. It seems they just don't want the publics opinion on anything, they want to make the news themselves, and screw us ... after all, who are WE?
Maybe I'm crazy, but I swear it sounded an awful lot like Donny Osmond.
Realitysucks @ 45:
Immediately, eh...you of course mean after Mittens' long winded answer that took up about 45 seconds, right? Immediately...[rolls eyes] the only 'immediate' utterance was Mittens' saying 'not raise taxes' IMMEDIATELY after the ghost whispered "raise taxes". You make a good point on what it COULD have been, but you don't need to bend the timeline to pretend it all happened instantly to support your opinion.
Russert: Ronald Reagan raised payroll tax and he also raised the retirement age and he saved Social Security…
------------------
He saved the government having to borrow even money from outside the government.
He borrowed it from Social Security instead.
GG @ 31:
I think the media machine is trying to educate these morons on their way to fixing the election.
btw, what reagan did was not save social security. he raised a straw man, shot it, then claimed victory.
What ronnie actually did was force some people to work past 65 to get the biggest benefit; allow companies to institute mandatory retirement at 60; thus causing the income/time precipice of 5 or more years for retirees, wherein they have to figure out some way to maintain for that period. A draconian byproduct of that was that the way your benefits are calculated, your LAST 5 years of employment are used to determine your retirement payout. If your worked at a lower salary because you were forced out, you wind up with a significantly smaller SS retirement payout.
russert was FOS as usual.
I don't know who whispered into Mittens ear and I don't know if this is photo-shopped or not. I understand it was shown today on the Today show.
Oops, forgot the Donny link-- http://youtube.com/watch?v=NhsrfYcXUTM
tlb22 @ 4:
Or maybe Adam Smith's invisible stagehand.
So Sheeple, still think your elections are "fair and balanced" (sorry). What's it gonna take to get our government back?
♥♂ @ 48:
msm has only one function: to support the process of pre-selecting the president and supporting the diebold vote count.
pissed off patricia @ 53:
I'm betting that is not photo shopped...take it from this Chicago southsider, Rezko would have easily been able to get that photo taken back in those days, guy has much clout, sorry to say.
the prophet spoketh.
there was a link to an article here at the blog round-up about advertising billboards in New York using very concentrated "beams" of sound to reach customers who liken the effect to hearing voices in their head.
now combine this new technology with US presidents who think that God speaks to them. did i mention we're doomed ?
Realitysucks @ 45:
This sounds plausible to me.
pissed off patricia @ 53:
Definitely not photoshoped. Zooming in shows the pixels blend in correctly. The shadow patterns are also correct.
tlb22 @ 50:
Please, take off the tin foil hat bullshit. Your making a fool of yourself
Hey everyone loves a tax break however, It's just bewildering to see these knobs try and explain where the money is going to come from when they are clearly out of money.
Well you see there are 4 ways to fix Social Security.
1. We can pull it out of ass.
2. We can catch the lucky charms leprechaun and steal his magically delicious pot-o-gold.
3. We can find give Walmart a government contract to use its child slave labor in impoverished countries to spin gold on their sewing machines and retain their first born so they can spin gold for us when they get old enough.
4. We can raise taxes, which is just a terrible idea.
tlb22 @ 58:
It doesn't look photoshopped to me.
I don't see what difference it makes. All politicians do business with questionable people. They put it down to the "cost of doing business" or whatever. Unless she had more contact than a photo op with the guy I don't doubt she doesn't remember him.
Obama will have his own pictures with people he'd rather forget soon enough. Probably already does.
I always get a kick when a politician tries to present themselves as 'above it all' because it takes about 30 seconds in power for them to be neck deep in the mud.
None of them are squeaky clean and yes, they need to be a hell of a lot more selective about who they do business with but will that make them stop?
Not when there's money to be had.
As long as this thread is about the GOP....(psst...they'll raise taxes too, its a con...Reagan made the single biggest tax raise in history when he doubled the social security tax and put it on the shoulders of those making less than $50,000/yr while practically exempting those making 3.2mil/yr from paying into it...yes they should pay...civic duty to do so, make sure their workers who make them their $$ can live life after they retire)
This belongs in its own thread....
ITS A BAD DAY TO BE A CLIMATE DENIER or CLIMATE SKEPTIC....
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/1/24/111256/345
The American Geophysical Union, a scientific organization with over 50,000 members, mostly earth scientists, just released a position statement on climate change. http://www.agu.org/sci_soc/policy/positions/climate_change2008.shtml
It is a strong endorsement of the mainstream view of climate science, as articulated by the IPCC reports: the Earth is warming, humans are to blame for most of the recent warming, and future warming may be disastrous.
While this is a strong statement by itself, its true strength comes when you consider that this statement is just one of a spate of similar statements by other expert organizations: the American Meteorological Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (PDF), as well as several others. Even the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, while not exactly embracing the connection between carbon dioxide and climate, cannot bring themselves to contradict it.
Then, of course, we have the "Inhofe 400." Whom should we believe? Jim Inhofe or virtually all of the world's experts? That's a tough one ...
Check out the story and the links....
You can add 50,000 to the 2300+.......oh and check out these links for the guide to the infamous 'Inhofe 400' (that would be James "ExxonMobil is my sugardaddy" Inhofe R-OK)
http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/inhofe-global-war...
http://climateprogress.org/2007/12/21/debunking-inhofe-report-over-400-p...
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/12/21/112933/48
someone has this on youtube - when they run it over again, it sounds like the mystery voice says "erase taxes"...
♥♂ @ 48:
Text messaging and online polls are not scientific polls and are virtually meaningless
Realitysucks @ 62:
and you're lying to make a good point seem stronger, just make a good point and stop lying...liar.
MargeAggedon @ 64:
Right, agreed. But surely then Hillary can't be in the right saying Obama, as a young associate of a Chicago law firm with little or no control over who the firm's clients are and what he was to do in representing THEIR (not his) interests. I think its shameful that a lawyer would say to another lawyer "your client is X, therefore you are X" -- it is one of the patently stoopidest things a lawyer can say to another attorney and is woefully false.
pissed off patricia @ 53:
NBC News and news services
updated 23 minutes ago
NEW YORK - Democrat Hillary Clinton denied knowing Tony Rezko, an indicted Chicago businessman, on Friday after being told of a photograph that shows a smiling Clinton and her husband standing next to the man she called a "slum landlord" earlier this week.
MargeAggedon @ 20:
I'm of the opinion that the 'wire down the back' for W. wasn't a transmitter, which would easily could have been clipped to his belt and be unobtrusive.
It was because he put his bulletproof vest on backwards. The hard, square edge that seems to be poking out of his back is the edge of the trauma plate (a hard metal or ceramic composite plate that fits over the chest to lend further protection).
Mitt borrowed George W's debate earpiece and codpiece.
Geoff G @ 67:
So? So are the OPINIONS of the likes of Tweety, Wolfe etc.
My point was to bring forward the fact that they ignore the answers they ask for.
And as for your point on unscientific .... well, all you have to do is look at the results of the last polls when they were completely wrong.
Oh, for fu**'s sake - it was one of the other candidates who were muttering scoffingly under their breath and their microphone picked it up.
Next tin foil hat conspiracy, please.
Medical Diagnosis by Video @ 37:
E. Jesus
It was Brian Williams telling Timmeh to clarify his question. Apparently he must have thought that a debate is not the proper forum for some "Gotcha Journalism".
dave rywall @ 74:
How is it a "conspiracy" when we clearly hear the voice?
♥♂ @ 73:
I don't disagree with your point about the answers of the candidates. I just question your citation of a text messaging poll as evidence of Paul's popularity. A better (but not perfect) indication would be scientific polls. An even better indication is the election results that have already occurred, where he has, in some instances, doubled Rudy's numbers, which should be evidence enough for the networks to give Paul more time (and not as much time to Rudy)
Raise the cap and stop spending the Trust fund. There is no crisis.
I hope this clip get's picked up for teevee commercials - It proves that Romney talks to god, and god talks back.
Russert: Ronald Reagan raised payroll tax and he also raised the retirement age and he saved Social Security…
WTF is this, the debate moderator helping the candidates with their Neocon talking points? Since when has that been part of the rules of debate? Where's my copy of Robert's?
[deleted - get a grip]
Well Ron Paul IS a non-contender.
And all the shit about Rudy is just plain FUNNY!
Hey listen it was to curt Russel so give romney a break its ovious that they where queing kurt becuse they thought that romney would say I would do what ronald regan would do that is raise taxes its just romeny would not do that in fact this is on NBC's web page
Once more, in english Jeff?
mick e @ 85:
:lol:
It was the VOICE... OF GOD!
dave rywall @ 74:
No doubt it was one of the other contestants on stage. I'm thinking Huckabee, like Mitt, is a little slow on the uptake and wouldn't have spotted Timmeh's trap, at least not that quickly. Rudy, Ron Paul, and maybe McCain are sharp enough to spot the tax angle, but who was so stupid, or so pleased with themselves that they couldn't control their mouth that they reflexively blurted it out and saved Mitt's ass? The pleased with themself part indicates Rudy, but that is clearly not his Daffy Duckish lisp (Raittthhh Taxettthhh!). That leaves Ron Paul and McCain. I'm not sure Paul is stupid enough to blurt it out, or McCain is smart enough to figure it out and at the same time stupid enough to blurt it out. Applying the even a blind squirrel finds the occassional acorn theory, Huckabee might have put 2 and 2 together, and he strikes me as the most likely to blurt it out. So IMO it was definitely not Rudy, most likely Paul because of the other 3 he most likely made the tax connection, or Huckabee because is the most likely of the other 3 to blurt it out if he did make the connection. McCain seems the least likely of the other 3. Someone in attendance knows who whispered "Raise Taxes", probably everyone on the stage. Why doesn't some reporter ask every one of them and let the fun begin?
[refers to deleted post]
I agree that it was someone on-stage. Think about the debate as a whole. The candidates were refusing to attack each other and were pretty much gaming MSNBC. Russert is known for setting up little gotchas and hit-jobs. So, when at least one person on stage saw where Russert was going, he warned Romney with that whisper.
MargeAggedon @ 64:
Well, when Clinton goes out of her way to deride Obama for knowing Rezko then it is very relevant. Also, who's not going to remember a name like Rezko? It's not like it' s an obscure Chinese name and politicians have to be excellent at remembering contributor names.
Uh-oh. His special Mormon underwear is whispering to him again.
It sounded like McCain whispering to himself. McCain was right next to him and probably pulled a Homer Simpson.
'Was I talking or thinking"?
It was the magic underwear, folks.
I am guessing it was probably Brian Williams wanting Tim to clarify the question.
The debate got to a bad start when Tim didn't challenge McCain's claim that Russert made up the quote about McCain not knowing much about the economy. The average Republican moron probably thought Russert lied. The rest was just a bunch of usual Republican talking points. They kept talking about over-spending, bridges to nowhere. At no point did the moderators point out that we are spending one trillion in Iraq. It's not that we overspend, it's that we spend money on the wrong things. But no, Russert was more concerned about asking about Bill Clinton. And again, there was a chance to force Romney to explain what he meant by saying that Bill Clinton with "nothing to do" was a bad thing. Of course, we know what he meant. The follow up would be: Is having girlfriends on the side worse than attacking a country for no reason? Which would be a great transition to asking Rudy the same question, knowing what we know about his hobby of cheating. But I expect way too much.
These guys are perfectly aware that half the country is made up of complete idiots, and that they will vote for them no matter what. So it's all about making sure the same old tired talking points are heard to energize the idiots to go out and vote.
It was the Holy Ghost.
I can always come to C&L and confirm I am not crazy.....well at least as far as hearing "voices" while watching a debate.
I wish that we had mainstream media journalist that would ask questions like this instead of asking everyone how much they hate Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Also, did anyone catch Rudy's mention of the "secret withdrawel of troops"?
"It might not have been anything at all…"
No, it was definitely something!
My thoughts exactly
It was the seeing-stone in Mitt's pocket. Yo, Mitt, raise taxes.
With a simple video editing system, i could have made exactly what you hear. This not worth the dignity of a discussion.
Anyone have another copy of the same moment to confirm the words are on the original and not just on the web version we see? At best, this was an open mic that got recorded.
HiSee @ 94:
Pfffft...It was Elvis!
tlb22 @ 69:
I agree. You're right of course.
I heard that too, quite loudly!
Of course they were feeding him his lines! Romney's nothing more than a script-reading bobblehead!
unfrozencaveman @ 90:
Most of my relatives have names I can barely pronounce. That doesn't make them memorable.
I just think that most of those photo ops are probably pretty forgettable.
As for the argument between Hillary and Obama, as I said before they are both politicians and yes that does color them with the same brush in my book. I see no benefit to supporting either one. I just hope whomever ends up as president isn't just another corporately owned war profiteering butt puppet.
pfffft, ELVIS left the building !!!!!
If Romney had thought the whisper was audible to others, he would have acknowledged it. That he was unsurprised at the prompt is a strong indicator that he was getting a feed whispered to him. These debates are presented to us as fair, open, and honest. This is cheating. I suppose it's possible they all have earpieces. It doesn't matter. That would only mean that they are all cheating.
flibbertygibbet @ 105:
I'd be happy if he just left the bathroom. The king so enjoys sitting on his throne.
bob @ 81:
Don't praise this Bob!
liberalNmoderation @ 101:
Nah, it was Don Shula.
I also think it was too loud to be anything but a misspeak by someone else on stage. Not that I wouldn't love to see mittens humiliated publicly but I think it will probably turn out to be nothing.
Funny though.
Sure sounds like somebody in the audience, who knew what Reagan did for SS, whispered that. I don't know. You could even hear the auditorium ambiance behind the whisper, so it sure didn't seem like an ear piece. That would have sounded far different and far more tinnier. But it also sounded like somebody close to a microphone. Could be somebody backstage with a wireless mic who got picked up by their RF signal through the mains as they were telling Romney what to say in his, ahem, ear piece.
How sad that politicians can't answer their own questions.
It was one of Russert's thoughts, escaping the orbit of his huge Jupiter-like head.
I heard that, and thought it was weird. Thanks for reminding me, it's going to be like a bad song I can't get out of my head.
Swashbuckler @ 1:
Me too. Is it one of the other candidates? It is certainly someone with a mic.
Cameraman? Boom? Probably not a feed, although that wouldn't be terribly surprising either.
I would like to think that by now, the candidates don't need an audio queue for their "I refuse to raise taxes" mantra.
Facing off in last night's debate just days before Florida's make-or-break primary, the assembled Republican White House hopefuls were, so to speak, untrue to form. While Mitt Romney performed new backflips to extricate himself from the flip-flops that define so him, John McCain tried to evade his past confessions of his ignorance of economics. And once again, Mike Huckabee pretended to disavow the theocratic agenda obviously central to his campaign.
For the run down on last night's GOP debate lies, see:
"Fibbing in Florida: GOP Candidates Stay Untrue to Form."
MargeAggedon @ 104:
I guess my beef is that Clinton is supposed to be this brilliant, detail-oriented person, but claims naivete when it suits her. It's the same thing with the whole Monica episode. You really think she did not know the real story until her husband supposedly 'fessed up in private (as she claims in her book)? Was the general public really that much smarter than her?
Was that a whisper in Romney’s Ear?
Laura Logan saying, "You've been a bad bad boy, Mitt?"
What pissed me off about this phucker was how he was scared of the thought of Bill Clinton in the WH with nothing to do. WTF dude? Just what was it about Clinton that scares you so much? Was it his balanced budgets? Maybe it was the federal surplus? How about the robust economy? Or, maybe it was a barrel of oil at $16.00?
By the way, you POS, Clinton lowered the effective tax rate for the top 1% wage earners more than has Monkey Boy.
The phucker. Scary!
galmud @ 10:
I would agree, but why would MSNBC say that it was a microphone malfunction for Romney...doesn't make sense to me.
I must agree that the whole thing was just plain weird.
No one remembers Bush Wired Up?.
The Social Security wage limit should be raised, no matter how much you make!
It would be great fun watching the Neal Boortz's of the world go ballistic, by having to pay a few more dollars of their income into Social Security!
Bud @ 109:
HA!!! I bet it was Howie!!
Perhaps it was Nancy Reagan prompting Mittens they way she did the Gipper.
Yeah - Russert gave the question poorly and was corrected by an assistant. You'll notice he repeats it in a different way after the whisper.
Mitt was wandering through an Iowa cornfield the last time he heard the voice whisper "raise taxes",
along with:
"Go the distance"
"If you build it he will come"
and
"Tie the dog to the roof"
joshdavis @ 126:
Nahhh. An "assistant"? Please. Romney responded to the whisper perfectly.
Whisper..."Raise taxes" Romney... "I won't raise taxes"
joshdavis @ 126:
That's what I though too ... to me, it sounds like that whisper could have been directed at Russert just as easily as at Romney.
Further, where is the whisperer in relation to Romney's podium mic?
Sounds like it was someone in closer proximity to Russert, and his mic picked it up.
Whether it was Williams, Matthews or an unknown voice (including an ear piece), Romney responded to the whisper. It is obvious because he did not talk over the voice, but he blurted out his response like Pavlov's dog.
Why did nobody help McCain while he made an executive a$$ out of himself, not knowing about the Plunge Protection Team? He waved his hands around trying to conjour up a former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and some dead Washington Post owner. Geez Louise!
herbert @ 130:
How could Romney hear that whisper from 25 or 30 feet away?
Geez, people, obviously it was Moroni!
Can't fucking believe it! Even my German kid with his bad English is able to listen the so called "Whisper". Can't stop laughing!
TB @ 131:
How do you know how far an unknown voice is??
You don't....
What is the worst accusation you can make about a GOP presidential candidate? That he'll "raise taxes"
It was probably one of the other candidates making a snide remark about Romney under his breath.
AV @ 132:
liberalNmoderation @ 124:
It was Don Pardo.
It's obvious to me someone whispered to Russert to let him know he should elaborate on just what Reagan did do in 1983. Russert then clarifies the question with the particulars on Reagan raising payroll taxes.
herbert @ 134:
Because if the voice is being picked up by Romney's mic, where would the person be standing?
Conversely, if it was picked up by Rssert's or another lectern mic, there are plenty of production types in that area.
This really isn't that big of a deal and is quite easily explained:
It was a whispered correction aimed at Russert by one of his producers or a production person, and picked up by Russert's mic.
Jack @ 138:
Now that I can believe - except Williams, Russert and Matthews should know about talking with a mic on. Matthews has made at least one on-air blooper in the past though. Whoever it was, helped Romney immensely, and knew it!
herbert @ 140:
How does something whispered tht Romney couldn't even hear help him?
chuck @ 99:
So your answer is that its even more crazy than what has been discussed so far? I heard it last night and there is no way in this kind of close race the other candidates are going to "help each other out" by feeding answers to each other. This was something you werent supposed to hear people.
Don't be dolts. Obviously, one of the other candidates said that as a "joke" to another candidate.... or something along those lines. And, there's no reason to think it was audio coming from Romney's mic - there's plenty of ambient noise (such as Russert's own voice being echoed by the auditorium sound system) which suggests it could have come from any number of places.
This is not "very interesting indeed". Tag this one with "Mountains out of molehills".
Right after the voice said "raise taxes", Romney says "I wont raise taxes". We are supposed to believe that was just some random voice not directed at Romney? In the recent history of the Republican machine can you come up with any other strange things that just happen by chance? And there are people on this board saying this is some "tin hat conspiracy theory"?
Luke @ 143:
No wonder democrats get beat by the Republican machine so much. No one wants to believe that they are that crafty and cunning. Do I have to go down the list? Get your head together.
Just listened to the tape. It was a prompt, not a fellow candidate or someone in the audience. Whether Romney was being prompted by a handler, or Russert by someone clarifying, it will be interesting to know.
Realitysucks @ 45:
The whisper begins before Russert finishes the question.
Also it's apparently only on one channel of audio.
It can't be an earpiece - unless it's a signal being picket up by a mic.
I don't know...
here's MSNBC clarifying their blooper...
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/MSNBC_blames_Romney_whisper_on_microphone_...
Why didn't he wear a device strapped to his back just like Bush did in 2004 debates? Then nobdoy would have heard the prompt! Jeez, you'd think they could learn something from the President Sparky!
this reminds me of bush's pilot
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