January 05, 2010 05:46 PM UTC

Norton's Candid Camera Keeps Rolling

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• by: Colorado Pols

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is eagerly circulating the growing number of video clips of Senate candidate Jane Norton, “loving the passion” of the “Tea Party” and their wacky ravings–from “Obama is a Muslim” to “letting babies die on the side of the road,” making her own call to ‘abolish’ the Department of Education look tame. But Norton is at least trying to keep up with the “Tea Party’s” rhetoric, here’s her latest appearance:

Transcribed:

QUESTIONER: There’s no question in my mind that most criminal matters should be handled locally. There seems to be this ever increasing growth on the part of the federal government in this area. What’s your position in that regard?

NORTON: I have similar concerns, this is another area where the federal government is encroaching. Primary example – the  Christmas bomber. Right? I mean, he should have been, he should have been identified as an enemy combatant and gone through a military tribunal. Now, he is, goes through with all the constitutional protections and is, through our criminal process. We are letting people go from Gitmo without a good plan of what to do when we close down Gitmo. We’re returning guys to Yemen who then plot against us. And what I believe is happening Steve is the fact that the rights of terrorists are more important in this Administration than the lives of American citizens. [Pols emphasis] And we’re seeing it in the criminal field, we’re seeing it in the health care field, we’re seeing it in almost every, every area that we’re looking at.

First of all, “Steve” was asking a pretty straightforward question about local control of criminal proceedings–he probably didn’t expect to hear in response about the “Christmas bomber” and how Obama cares more about ‘the rights of terrorists’ than he does about you. It’s like Norton was answering a completely different question, not this kind of libertarian-sounding one that didn’t call for any of this stuff about “military tribunals” and “enemy combatants.” For poor “Steve,” we imagine the experience was a lot like getting the wrong can of pop from a vending machine. Obviously, Norton was simply looking for any opportunity to get her rehearsed lines in about the “Christmas bomber” and Obama’s undying love for terrorists–the actual question was irrelevant.

Also, Obama cares more about ‘the terrorists’ than you? Really? It’s just not very clever, very Dick Cheney 2002-vintage boilerplate, and Norton’s delivery is as flaccid as ever. Much like her dated calls to ‘abolish’ the Department of Education, she could at least throw in something about the birth certificate to keep it contemporary–stay tuned, though, the next video can’t be far behind.