Right-Wing Media Misfire With Bloomberg Ambush Interview

[alp227]

Hmm. While it was overblown for the police to question Mattera and follow him around like that, Mattera's question was BS in the first place. According to Media Matters:

Right-wing media are attacking New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an advocate of stronger gun laws, for traveling with armed security. These attacks are illogical given that Bloomberg supports the right of citizens to own guns.

The attacks are based on a video of senior Talk Radio Network investigative reporter Jason Mattera asking Bloomberg during a Washington, D.C. ambush interview, "in the spirit of gun control, will you disarm your entire security team?"

...contrary to the premise of the Mattera's question, Bloomberg does not oppose the rights of citizens to own firearms. In a joint letter with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino explaining the goals of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition, he wrote:

We support the Second Amendment and the rights of citizens to own guns. We recognize that the vast majority of gun dealers and gun owners carefully follow the law. And we know that a policy that is appropriate for a small town in one region of the country is not necessarily appropriate for a big city in another region of the country.

Mattera, a fundie Christian who got his start with Young America's Foundation while attending college, has written two books: Obama Zombies: How the Liberal Machine Brainwashed My Generation (2010) and Hollywood Hypocrites: The Devastating Truth About Obama's Biggest Backers (2012). Here's his history of wingnuttery from Wikipedia:

In Obama Zombies, Mattera writes that "For an entire year, otherwise clear-thinking members of the most affluent, over-educated, information-drenched generation in American history fell prey to the most expensive, hi-tech, laser-focused marketing assault in presidential campaign history." "The result," he continued, was "an unthinking mass of young voters marched forward to elect the most radical and untested president in U.S. history."

At Roger Williams University, Mattera was chairman of the Campus Conservatives organization and editor in chief of campus conservative newsletter The Hawk's Right Eye...In response to a 2003 appearance by Judy Shepard, whose son Matthew Shepard was murdered for being gay, The Hawk's Right Eye published articles accusing "militant homosexuals" who supported hate-crime legislation of opposing free speech and a gay-rights group of indoctrinating students. University president Roy Nirschel responded: "While we affirm the right of campus organizations to hold different points of view and to disagree, the university will not condone publications that create a hostile environment for our students." Administration also temporarily halted funding for printing The Hawk's Right Eye. Mattera defended his newsletter and claimed that campus conservatives were victims of censorship.[26][27]

In 2004, Mattera attracted national attention for creating the Whites Only Scholarship worth $50. Having received a $5,000 scholarship from the Hispanic College Fund, Mattera felt that his scholarship gave him "an inherent advantage over my white peers."[5] He told The New York Times that the scholarship was a parody of others specifically available only for minorities: "If you are a white student on campus, you don't have anyone helping you, there is no one compiling a list of scholarships just for you, Why is it that only students of color have this?"[25] Sixteen people applied for the Whites Only Scholarship by February 2004, and the Rhode Island Republican Party criticized the scholarship for allegedly being racist.[5]

In 2010 Mattera spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). In his speech, he stated: "Students are subjected to a bombardment of liberal talking points throughout their collegiate careers."[32] He also compared CPAC to the Woodstock Festival and added: "Except that our women are beautiful, we speak in complete sentences, and our notion of freedom doesn't consist of snorting cocaine, which is certainly one thing that separates us from Barack Obama."[33] Mattera also impersonated comedian Chris Rock, according to a Kate Zernicke report in the NY Times, in attacking "diversity" and proclaiming “Get your government off my freedom!”[34] The validity of Zernick's Rock-impersonation characterization was challenged by conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart, who said &quot Mattera) happens to be from Brooklyn! He's using his voice!"[35] Further on diversity, Mattera imagined college courses on "what it means to be a feminist new black man (as) ... a crossover between RuPaul and Barney Frank".[34]

Thom Hartmann debated Mattera on the 3/29/10 show:

David Pakman's interview with Mattera (around the same time) was more focused about Mattera's Zombies book than Hartmann's interview was:

part 1:

part 2:

Mattera caught a lot of flak when Obamacare was being debated in Congress over his YouTube video (with ~300 likes and ~1,200 dislikes) where he confronted Sen. Al Franken in the senate hallway and asked Franken (I'm serious) " Which portions of the health care bill lower costs? Is it the provision giving $7 billion to fund jungle gyms or the provision mandating that employers provide time off for breastfeeding?" Mattera then got so persistent and annoying that Franken was out of room for reason and point-blank told Mattera: "You need to shut up right now." Video:

Mattera posted another ambush video around the same time, "Why would Alan Grayson want to give your money over to Native American child molesters?" (Media Matters corrected that video)

[underpants]

1. He should have spent less on the SPY-cool-guy graphic and more on a haircut

Your are moving into Flock of Seagulls territory there sparky....oh and you are video taping your self making an ass of yourself in public