Thread: No Pledge of Allegiance at debate? Crowd says otherwise

No Pledge of Allegiance at debate? Crowd says otherwise

Audience drowns out moderator's objections that recital is 'disrespectful'

Posted: October 23, 2010
9:00 pm Eastern
By Drew Zahn
© 2010 WorldNetDaily

At a U.S. congressional candidate debate this past week, the crowd of approximately 300 in attendance drowned out the moderator's objections, not to protest over government policies or to argue some candidate's comments, but to insist upon reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

Illinois' 8th Congressional District candidates had gathered at Grayslake Central High School in Grayslake, Ill., to participate in a debate moderated by Kathy Tate-Bradish of the League of Women Voters, Evanston branch.

During Tate-Bradish's opening comments, an audience member stood to ask if the Pledge of Allegiance would be recited.

"No, we are not," the moderator responded, "That is not part of the proposal tonight."

Several in the crowd then began to shout, "Why not?"

When it became clear Tate-Bradish was not going to allow the Pledge to be recited, the audience stood and said it anyway.

This is still America, so wave your flag! Choose from 40 different patriotic banners in the WND flag store.

The moderator further irked the crowd afterward, saying she felt "disrespected" by being "forced" to include the pledge "in presumably a planned way."

Video of the exchange, taken by an audience member and posted on YouTube, can be seen below:

Joe Walsh Melissa Bean Debate, No Pledge ALLOWED

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSMk2dvj ... r_embedded

The debate was scheduled with three participants, Democratic U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean, Republican Joe Walsh and the Green Party's Bill Scheurer.

When the issue of the pledge was first raised, Tate-Brandish explained, "I have absolutely nothing for or against saying the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of something like this."

After the audience stood and recited, it however, the moderator scolded the crowd for interrupting her.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I hope that will be the last time I am disrespected," she said. "There is no disrespect to the flag when something in a forum which does not typically begin withthe Pledge of Allegiance doesn't begin with it. There is no disrespect intended. The League of Women Voters does forums like this constantly. … It's never been requested. And I have to say that being forced by having audience members stand up and in presumably a planned way – to have something like that happen – seems a bit disrespectful."

Republican candidate Joe Walsh had a different take on the audience's outburst.

"My favorite part of the entire evening was when the audience stood up and compelled the entire auditorium to say the Pledge of Allegiance," Walsh said in a separate video of the event. "The League of Women Voters should have demanded that we do, and the fact that the audience drove us all to say it is wonderful." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-M61pDT05A8

Walsh and Rep. Bean joined the audience in reciting the Pledge.

Scheurer, whom Dan McCaleb of the Crystal Lake, Ill., Northwest Herald reported is the son and father of war veterans, however, decided against it.

"It's not that I oppose reciting the Pledge," Scheurer told the Herald. "I opposed having my actions that evening being dictated by a mob."

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=219097

Related.... W put this event on the homepage:
http://www.alipac.us/article-5771--0-0.html

Here is a local blog about the event. Note the comments when you go to the link as well. There is a comment made reportedly by the gentleman who asked why the pledge wasn't being said.



LWV Candidate’s Forum – Grayslake
October 20th, 2010 | Author: kimsch

Updated with video – see below:

Tonight we went to the League of Women Voters Candidate’s Forum at Grayslake Central High School. The auditorium was packed and people had to have tickets to get in. Tickets were limited to 400. We arrived about 20 minutes before tickets were due to be handed out and when we got there the line went around the side of the building.

A bit later someone came by with tickets and handed them out to people in line. Shortly after that the line started moving and we were able to go inside. It took a while for all the people to get into the auditorium and be seated. Once that happened candidates for Illinois’ 8th Congressional District Melissa Bean (incumbent D) and Bill Scheurer (Green) came onstage. There was a smattering of applause. Then Joe Walsh (R) walked out and the crowd went wild.

Students from Grayslake Central High School’s AP Government class planned and sponsored the debate. They served as timers and questioners, ushers and ticket takers. I commend the students and their teachers for a well run program.

The woman from the League of Women Voters moderated and before the debate got underway she told us the rules. No cameras, no talking, questions will be written down on index cards and a student will take the card to the teachers who will vet the cards for relevance, tone, and appropriateness. Then the question might be read out by one of the questioner’s on stage. Just before the start, someone in the audience asked if the Pledge of Allegiance would be said (there was a flag on stage). The woman from the LWV said no. It wasn’t something that was done. Some members of the audience then stood and started saying the Pledge. Pretty much the rest of the audience then rose and said the Pledge as well.

Update video: You can actually hear my voice saying the Pledge near the end of the video. I was right next to the camera this was filmed from.

Back to the regular post:

The woman from the LWV was upset. She said that the audience had disrespected her. She said she was “forcedâ€

Michelle Malkin just posted an update to this story and a link to more information. It gets better and better. This hypocrisy needs to come out, especially in Illinois...

http://michellemalkin.com/2010/10/23/wh ... ce-attack/

October 24, 2010
Scrunt Who Scolded People For Saying the Pledge of Allegiance...A Former ACORN Hacktivist

Figures.

If you're just catching up to this story (like me)...on Wednesday at a candidate debate hosted by the Illinois League of Women Voters, the audience spontaneously decided at the beginning of the debate to stand and say the Pledge of Allegiance. The debate moderator, Kathy Tate-Bradish, tried to stop them and then scolded them when they went ahead and did it anyway.

She then took the opportunity to complain vocally in the media that it was all the fault of throwback Republicans. According to Tate-Bradish, spontaneously saying the Pledge was just "phony patriotism."

YID with LID notes that Tate-Bradish (the hyphenated name should be a dead give-away) is a longtime Democratic activist who has been particularly active in the past few years.

Ms Tate-Bradish, the moderator was very involved in the Illinois effort to make Barak Obama president, she even hosted campaign events for Obama in her own home.

[...]

[S]he used to work for progressive mainstays such as ACORN's Project Vote, and the Progressive People for the American Way.

There's more over at YID with LID, but I can't in good conscience steal it. Click on over.

Supposedly "neutral" debate moderator? Democrat.
Person doesn't like the Pledge? Democrat.
Person makes accusations of "phony patriotism"? Democrat.

These are not good people.

http://ace.mu.nu/archives/307269.php