“It’s all rigged. The whole conversation is rigged,” Colorado Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet said into a mic he didn’t realize was hot and going out onto C-Span, as the Daily Caller notes, complete with video:
[youtube _aDZy6zWeio]
Mike, we’ve all felt that way about the last two years, watching our tax dollars go towards bailing out banks that have failed (largely thanks to Democratic legislation, to complete the circle), car companies (thanks to onerous union demands), and of course, nationalizing the world’s finest health care system.
Here’s the full quote, as transcribed by the Daily Caller’s Chris Moody:
It’s all rigged. The whole conversation is rigged,” said Colorado Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet. “The fact that we don’t get to a discussion before the break about what we’re going to do in the lame duck. It’s just rigged.”
The remark was picked up live on C-SPAN 2, although microphones are usually turned down during voting times. An aide quickly realized the mistake, jumped up and had the sound cut off.
Bennet Chief of Staff Guy Cecil stood by the senator’s comments.
“It’s something he’s been talking about from day one,” Cecil told The Daily Caller in an interview outside the Senate chamber. “The whole process being rigged against having a real conversation about tax cuts, the estate tax and the defense authorization. We’re not having a lot of those conversations. It’s just a symptom of Washington being broken.”
Ed Morrissey adds:
Well, that’s not Washington being broken. That’s a symptom of Democratic leadership. Harry Reid runs the majority caucus, and if he’s “rigging” the agenda, then the blame should fall on Reid and everyone who put him in the leadership position, not the geographical location of the capital.
But there is more irony to be mined in a complaint from Bennet on rigging conversations. Just five weeks ago, Bennet’s campaign tried to get radio station KOA to rig an interview leading up to the midterm election. At that time, the only conversation Bennet wanted to have was about how great he was, and how much of a sacrifice it was to actually campaign for office. He wasn’t having a lot of those other conversations then, either — at least not by choice.
I would hope to see “It’s All Rigged” to start showing up on lots of Tea Party banners in the coming months.
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