Keep it up douchebag but beware some of us will make that camera of your very uncomfortable for you.

Point 1
Tim Russo is NOT functioning as part of the Obama campaign.
While I am sure that Tim will be somewhat relieved, as will almost all other thinking Americans, when Obama is sworn into the Oval Office, it is obvious that being an Obama cheerleader is not his purpose. It is true that a portion of Obama’s campaign is about bringing people together and healing divisions in our society, and this blog, at least partially, works at cross purposes to that mission. Nevertheless, having respect for Obama does not require that Mr. Russo adopt the philosophy, strategies and tactics of the Obama campaign also.

Point 2
Russo’s actions are no different than pulling the hood off a Klansman.
America has a subculture that values willful ignorance and mean-spirited stupidity. These cretins can only cultivate their ignorance, however, in relative anonymity or in closed groups of mutually supporting idiot peers, as intelligent people won’t put up with that garbage. While they do have a ‘right’ to cultivate their ignorance in America, the rest of us have not only a right, but a responsibility to criticize and ridicule them. Willful ignorance is what allowed the Iraq War to occur. Willful ignorance, while perfectly legal, has no place in a healthy society and certainly should be vigorously scorned in the political arena. Stupidity should not pay. In fact, stupidity should hurt.

Point 3
Obama’s “Let’s all be friends” efforts are fundamentally flawed, and Russo’s work addresses that flaw.
There is a sickeningly putrid tumor festering in the heartland of America. None of Obama’s words of hope, and none of his future actions as President will alter the malignancy of that tumor and put that cancer into remission. You can not reason with these people, or show them the logical inconsistencies of their ideas, or appeal to their compassion. Shining the light of broad public attention on the pathetic attitudes of these diseased individuals, on the other hand, can slow the spread of the cancer and even stop it from metastasizing. Exposing the individuals who make up that tumor individually and personally to public shame and humiliation will make it tough for them to recruit. Again, there is nothing wrong with making willfully ignorant people ashamed of themselves. Since you can’t touch them with reason, logic or compassion, crush them with ridicule.

Any of you who have tried to reason with these primitive mouth-breathers knows that it is impossible. You can play rhetorical Whack-a-Mole with these idiots for hours on end and never even scratch their impenetrable armor of ignorance. For how many of you is the following familiar:

Ignorant Asshat: “I ain’t gonna vote for no Muslim.”
Reasonable Dude: “Obama isn’t a Muslim. Let me explain to you why that is just not so ~~~”
Ignorant Asshat: “OK. maybe he ain’t a Muslim, but I ain’t gonna vote for no terrorist.”
Reasonable Dude: “Obama isn’t a terrorist. Let me explain to you why that is just not so ~~~”
Ignorant Asshat: “OK. maybe he ain’t a terrorist, but I ain’t gonna vote for no Muslim.”
[Reasonable Dude walks away, defeated by willful ignorance]

Contrast the above with this:

Ignorant Asshat: “I ain’t gonna vote for no Muslim.”
[crowd turns and points, laughing, at the Ignorant Asshat]
Ignorant Asshat: “OK. maybe he ain’t a Muslim, but I ain’t gonna vote for no terrorist.”
[crowd falls to the ground, laughing and pointing at Ignorant Asshat]
[Ignorant Asshat realizes that there is something wrong with his thinking and crawls back under his rock to ponder it]

Point 4
Mainstream liberal media is flawed, and journalists like Russo fill a desperate need.
First, look at this clip from CNN:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=L8__aXxXPVc

Sure, Caffferty lets Palin have it with both barrels in that clip, but Jack Cafferty’s attitude here is the exception in modern media, and Wolf Blitzer’s is the rule. At the core of modern liberal journalism is the false precept that all opinions are equally valid, and that all individuals in the news, particularly in the political and business realms, are to be treated with equal deference. The astrophysicist must be ‘balanced’ against the flat-earther; the biologist’s opinion is treated as no more valid than the young Earth creationist’s; Sarah Palin’s gaffs must be downplayed to keep her apparent status up in the vice presidential range.

The problem with this is that some f`wit who thinks the world is only 6000 years old does NOT have an opinion that is as valid as one from a paleontologist who is respected by her peers. A moron opinion is not as worthwhile as an expert opinion. This practice of artificially elevating the status of the weak out of a sense of ‘fairness’ has serious repercussions. The biggest is that now stupid people believe that they are all experts on a wide range of issues about which they haven’t a clue. Being stupid, they lack the meta-cognitive capacity to identify this problem by themselves and with no feedback from those around them to suggest otherwise, the stupid people’s faith in their own expert-ness gets reinforced.

Tim Russo provides a service to these stupid people by holding up a mirror to them, so to speak. He allows them to see themselves as they truly are. With that feedback, morons can modify their behavior to be more appropriate to their capacity.

Anyway, I think Russo is doing the right thing. Furthermore, if some douchnozzle at one of these Bund meetings DOESN’T want to be filmed or photographed, that’s all the more reason to get their pic out front and center. If they are ashamed to be there and ashamed of what they stand for, then they should be somewhere else and stand for something else. Denying them the anonymity of the mob is the right thing to do.

I absolutely take your point about the moral high ground. I guess my way of putting it would be I wouldn’t of shown that unless I was *sure* that he really was an asshole ;>

If you look at the mondo bizarro rationalizations the McCain/Palin camp are putting out for the Bahamian of their supporters, I think showing one extra idiot is the least of anyone’s worries. That said, I think it’s important to highlight that lots of M/P supporters seems to be unhappy with the asshats too – look at the folded arms you see in the pics of Palin rallies, and the flack they’re getting from moderate republican.

There’s lots of gray areas in the law in these matters as you rightly point out. I guess I was just saying that as a guerrilla film-maker you can be pretty relaxed about the stupid threats you get from people… But the main thing is to set out to be fair in your portrayals; not to distort; and to make an effort to show balance. (I think the questioning of people in the film here is excellent).

Apologies again for going off on one. I blame the moral collapse of society!

Px

I feel you could still argue that since the guy didn’t express his opinion or even want to be filmed, by editing a video that makes him seem like he’s another ardent McCain supporter is at least manipulative to a degree that it shouldn’t be included. He could be an Obama supporter who just wanted to check out the chaos, like Tim Russo. Probably wasn’t. But could be. Whatever…

As far as the whole ads on a site being the same as making money off the video itself debate, it’s my understanding is that it’s an area where there’s bunches of head scratching right now. Is a blog like a TV channel, which also makes money via ads and not the video itself? Or is it a diary? Or is it something else? I think that it depends on how you argue it, and how good a lawyer you are… Which I unfortunately am not. So I’ll bow out now.

Mostly, my response has been because of thinking about the counter argument of those racist asshats. The video is effective without the people who don’t want to be filmed. Putting them in it gives you a lightning rod to attract the lame “you liberals put words in our mouth!” type dismissals.

And I only called you Pet cuz that’s what it says on your comment- no offense intended.