-Protege Tim Griffin Dismisses Caging: ‘I Didn’t Cage Animals, I’m Not A Zookeeper’

[babylonsister]

What's this, a lame attempt at humor? I think this guy had best wise up and take this seriously.

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/06/15/griffin-caging-zoo/


-Protege Tim Griffin Dismisses Caging: ‘I Didn’t Cage Animals, I’m Not A Zookeeper’
Karl Rove-protege Tim Griffin recently stepped down as U.S. attorney in Arkansas, realizing that his nomination would almost certainly be rejected by the Senate.

Griffin’s tenure was especially controversial because as former Research Director for the Republican National Committee in 2004, he allegedly engaged in the voter suppression of African-American servicemembers through a tactic known as “caging,” which is both illegal under the federal Voting Rights Act and unconstitutional.

At a speech at the University of Arkansas this week, a teary-eyed Tim Griffin defended his record. Like former Justice official Monica Goodling — who called caging just “a direct-mail term — Griffin attempted to dismiss the allegations. He laid the blame on the “Internet stuff” and made jokes comparing caging to tending zoo animals:

Obviously, I’ve seen the Internet stuff about caging. First of all, the allegations that are on the Internet and have spread through the tabloids are completely and absolutely false, number one. And ridiculous. Caging, as you may know, I had it looked up, is a direct-mail term for basically organizing returned mail. … And I’ll just say that it’s so untrue. … This is all made up and faux pas. I didn’t cage votes, I didn’t cage mail, I didn’t cage animals, I’m not a zookeeper.

CLICK AT LINK TO LISTEN~

Griffin dismissed the accusations but provided no evidence to support his claims, downplaying the severity of caging. But the allegations against Griffin are serious enough that Goodling briefed Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty on them before he testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Griffin will now be joining Fred Thompson’s presidential campaign.

Transcript at link~

[Hubert Flottz]

1. I'll bet the people who had their votes tampered with don't think it's

very funny.

[BrotherBuzz]

6. I bet the overseas servicemen who don't know their vote was challanged

will be very pissed when he or she learns their absentee ballot was challenged and tossed. Very pissed. The message is only now starting to grow legs.

[sabra]

2. "I'm not a crook"

:mad:

[PATRICK]

3. In principle

he was prepared to cheat soldiers out of their vote in order that an illegal government and fraudulent president could send the disenfranchised to their deaths in the continuation of an illegal war.

If someone can spell this out to Griffin perhaps he could drop his worry that people believe this is a zoo analogy. Truly he deserves to suffer a clearer, more justly angered outcry from decent patriots everywhere. He shouldn't bemoan his heinous crimes getting understated.

[L. Coyote]

4. The caged minority servicemen in Iraq in 2004 are not going to like this reference!

What can you say? Take you pick!

These characters should just be given a hammer, because they sure can hit their own thumbs.

Give them a gun and they will have holes in their feet.

Take away their shoes, so they can taste their toes.

[Bluebear]

5. "a teary-eyed Tim Griffin"

These Republican men sure are weepy these days!

[rzemanfl]

9. When I read that I wanted to hurl. First into my wastebasket at

work, then my monitor into the wall. Did this teary-eyed piece of shit think about how the fellow who was moved out of the way, and his family felt? It is about time that these people were, as Dubyah would put it "not a problem anymore." Mods, I am quoting the shrub, that's all....

[King Coal]

7. This pasty face would scare all the animals anyway.

[murielm99]

26. He looks like a Rove protege, all right.

He could BE Rove, twenty years ago.

ICK!

[librechik]

8. Hoodlum after mugging an old lady: I'm not a mug, do I look like a teacup?

what a putz

[supernova]

10. The horrifically sad part

is I don't think Tim Griffin really thinks he did anything wrong.

He's incapable of thinking that he could possibly be wrong, let alone illegal. Try his ass right now!

[mod mom]

11. Here's the video of the same: (Caging...had to look it up)

Video of Griffin stating he didn't know what caging was-had to look it up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06VT3BX4LPo

[babylonsister]

13. Thanks, mod mom! nt

[bleever]

19. Look it up? He used the term in his own emails.

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4594 has one example of such an email on display.

[mod mom]

20. Yeah, just like Monica Goodling didn't know a lot about it (from transcript):

Testimony from House Judiciary Hearing via NYT:

MS. GOODLING: And the last thing was the voter -- the caging issue, which was a reference to Tim Griffin.

REP. SANCHEZ: Can you explain what caging is? I'm not familiar with that term.

MS. GOODLING: You know, my understanding -- and I don't actually know a lot about it -- is that it's a direct mail term that people who do direct mail -- when they separate addresses that may be good versus addresses that may be bad -- that's the best information that I have, that it just -- that it's a direct mail term that's used by vendors in that circumstance.

But in any case, I knew that that was an issue that might arise, because there had been stories about it.

REP. SANCHEZ: That Tim Griffin was involved in that to some degree --

MS. GOODLING: That there was -- right.

REP. SANCHEZ: -- or may have been involved.

MS. GOODLING: Right. No, and I don't -- I believe that Mr. Griffin doesn't believe that he did anything wrong there, and there actually is a very good reason for it, for -- or a very good explanation.

-snip
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/24/us/24mfulltext.html?pagewanted=9&ei=5070&en=c109eeaf983c7a04&ex=1182052800

[blogslut]

28. Just watched it

What a lying little weasel. Did you notice all the desperate pauses and grasping for ways to say nothing? He also managed to dig @ Greg Palast, without mentioning him by name. Liar Liar. No wonder he needed a drink of water. I bet his pants were smoking.

[Supersedeas]

12. Gawd, he thinks that it is funny for f*ck with the right to vote

[jmondine]

14. Oh, okay.

Since you "cage" people instead of animals, you're right. You're not a zookeeper. You're a kidnapper.

[KittyWampus]

15. Griffin is Rove's protege and he's joing Thompson's campaign. HELLO DU!

[mod mom]

29. Somebody with video experience need to make a video to pass around on the internet(s)

exposing Giffin as a cager and associate him w Thompson's campaign.

The campaign needs to be hounded with why they would allow such a despicable creature (OF COURSE BRINGING UP HOW HE DISENFRANCHIISED AF AM SOLDIERS FIGHTING OVERSEAS FOR THIS COUNTRY) to be hired for the campaign. At every stop Fred should be reminded of this staff person working for him and ask why.

[senseandsensibility]

16. This is all made up and faux pas?

Wow, his speaking style is as elegant as chimp's.:eyes:

[Terri S]

17. uh huh...

and he resigned because he wanted to spend more quality time with his family?.... Yeah... ok Timmy....

[BuyingThyme]

18. If he really does join Thomson, the Dems had better use it.

I'm so tired of our guys ignoring the most effective tools.

Can you imagine, perhaps in a debate setting, one of the Dems referring to, if not pointing to the bastard and explaining how he went out of his way to snap up one of the evil bastards who corrupted our justice system?

"Do you really want a guy who seeks the help of known criminals? Is that the kind of guy you want in the White House? Known enemies of the Constitution?"

[liberalla]

21. If Thompson were smart, he would say - No Thank You, Tim.

[liberalla]

22. Cspan has the rerun of the Univ of Ark speech on right now,

and I happened upon it. He's so whiney. I had to mute it after a few minutes. Then saw this thread and turned it up again. But, I'm going to change the channel now. He's portraying himself as a victim. blah blah blah

[Gabi Hayes]

23. and as a former Democrat.

a democrat whose hero was Margaret Thatcher

I saw some of the earlier shot, and could only take a few moments. he was disgusting, whiny, immature, defensive, and unimaginable as a person who apparently wielded raw, unalloyed power in the junta.

just what one would expect from people who hired twenty four year olds to run, what was it....health systems in Iraq....despite having zero experience?

no wonder this regime has run on the rocks. these people are SO clearly incapable of acting responsibly, competently, in terms of accomplishing the actual goals of the job descriptions which they were hired to fill

but everybody knows they're all hired to destroy the institutions they fill, unless they're able to politicize them to meet the needs of their political masters

[Oilwellian]

24. I just watched it

Boy, he sure did have that upper lip sweating and dontcha know, the internets is all crap. :D

[liberalla]

25. I guess that's what happens when you lie... (sweating, etc.)

and he was lying real good.

[blogslut]

27. It's like they're all extensions of

Bush's stunted personality. Does he teach them how to behave like guilty children? Does he hold some sort of seminar?

[L. Coyote]

30. K&R