1. Mediaite
  2. Gossip Cop
  3. Geekosystem
  4. Styleite
  5. SportsGrid
  6. The Mary Sue
  7. The Jane Dough
  8. The Braiser
Advertisement

CNN Loses Feed With Ron Paul-Supporting Soldier, Ron Paul Fans Cry Foul

video
» 67 comments

Conspiracy theories abounded during last night’s CNN Iowa caucus election coverage when a Dana Bash interview with a Ron Paul-supporting caucus goer, Jesse Thorsen, was interrupted by technical difficulties.

Or was it?

RELATED: Did CNN Unfairly Edit The Ron Paul Walk Off Interview? Watch The Uncut Interview

Bash met with Corporal Jesse Thorsen at a caucus site, and asked what he had liked about the Republican Congressman:

BASH: We have here Corporal Jesse Thorsen, who is 28 years old, and you are active duty US Army. Why did you vote for Ron Paul?

THORSEN: I’m really excited about a lot of his ideas, especially when it comes to bringing the soldiers home. I’ve been serving for ten years now, and all ten years of those have been during wartime. I would like to see a little peace time army, and I think he has the right idea.

BASH: You’ve done two tours and you’re going to go back for a third tour. You can see — your neck right there, a tattoo, 9/11, remember, and a picture of the twin towers. Some Republicans have been saying that Ron Paul would be very dangerous for this country, because he wants to bring troops like you back from your post from all over the world.

THORSEN: Well, I think it would be even more dangerous to start nitpicking wars with other countries. Someone like Iran, Israel is more than capable of –

All of a sudden, CNN’s feed was lost, and Wolf Blitzer tried to explain what happened.

“All right. We just lost our connection, unfortunately, with Dana. Dana, stand by, if we can hear you, we’ll get back.”

Innocuous technical issues or something more dark and sinister?

“It’s absolutely clear what happened here,” said one Paul fan on his YouTube channel. “The powers that be at CNN cut this guy off because he stood for everything that he shouldn’t. He was one soldier who was too smart for his own good.”

Reddit lit up with conspiratorial Ron Paul supporters crying foul.

Later in the evening, Paul singled out Thorsen for his support.

Huffington Post’s Jason Linkins notes that the soldier violated protocol by wearing his uniform while participating in political activities, citing Defense Department Directive 1344.10:

4.1.1. A member of the Armed Forces on active duty may:
[...]
4.1.1.9. Attend partisan and nonpartisan political fundraising activities, meetings, rallies, debates, conventions, or activities as a spectator when not in uniform and when no inference or appearance of official sponsorship, approval, or endorsement can reasonably be drawn.
[...]
4.1.2. A member of the Armed Forces on active duty shall not:
4.1.2.1. Participate in partisan political fundraising activities (except as permitted in subparagraph 4.1.1.7.), rallies, conventions (including making speeches in the course thereof), management of campaigns, or debates, either on one’s own behalf or on that of another, without respect to uniform or inference or appearance of official sponsorship, approval, or endorsement. Participation includes more than mere attendance as a spectator.
[...]
4.1.2.5. Speak before a partisan political gathering, including any gathering that promotes a partisan political party, candidate, or cause.
4.1.2.6. Participate in any radio, television, or other program or group discussion as an advocate for or against a partisan political party, candidate, or cause.

Watch Thorsen’s interrupted CNN interview below:

Watch Paul introduce the soldier during his Iowa concession speech:

Follow us on Twitter.

Sign up for Mediaite's daily newsletter.

Email Twitter Facebook Digg Reddit Stumble Upon Yahoo Buzz LinkedIn Tumblr Delicious
  • The Real Royal Emperor

    Yes, we have had our Conservative Victimization Syndrome sufferers here at Mediaite bleating about this as well.

  • Anonymous

    CNN, the bastion of integrity and freedom of speech, won’t have it, Israel is a line in the sand

  • Anonymous

    I guess CVS goes with OVS (Obama Victimization Syndrome). Blaming all his problems on bad luck and not bad leadership or bad legislation. Arab spring, North Korea, European markets, etc. The buck stops… Somewhere else. Didn’t you fault Bush for not taking ownership of everything that happen during his ime in office?

  • Anonymous

    Whew, that was close. Some dangerous ideas were almost brioadcast to the general public. Then they might actually consider them or worse yet, agree with them.

  • Anonymous

    Fact: Bilderbergs along with the Trilateral Commission don’t like Ron Paul.
    Fact: Bilderbergs and the Trilateral Commission launched a satellite with the Illuminati using Reptilian technology to interfere with the communications of Ron Paul.
    Fact: They used said satellite to disrupt the communications here.

  • The Real Royal Emperor

    Whilst I believe W to have been a dreadful, dreadful president, I did not blame him for everything that went wrong. Just for domestic and international policies.

  • Anonymous

    What! Where’s he going with this? No war against Iran on behalf of Israel? Oh, shit! Pull the plug!  Quick!

    /the inside of Wolf Blitzer’s head

  • Anonymous

    CNN can’t handle the truth, just like there other brethren in the media. 

  • Anonymous

    Fact: No one except Paul in the history of the earth has ever publicly suggested that Israel can defend itself, not even in op-eds that are published in mainstream newspapers. No need to look that up. It’s a FACT. 
    Fact: This soldier tried to make the same statement but the banker Reptilians who run CNN cut him off because they knew just simply an obvious truth could spark armed revolution. 
    Fact: CNN = Stalin, Paul = Baby Jesus
    Fact: CNN always bows to its corporatist, statist masters, even if Anderson Cooper reminded viewers of the dropped feed himself. 
    Fact: The CNN reporter was caught totally by surprise when the Ron Paul supporter she was interviewing began criticizing the Afghanistan War. How could she have known he was going to do that? She is now in a secret U.S. gulag getting water-boarded under Patriot Act Sec. 312. 
    Fact: Paul won by a landslide last night but every media outlet except RonPaul2012.org is covering that up to protect their Reptilian, AIDS-spreading masters. 

  • Anonymous

    He mentioned Israel. That is why the plug got pulled. You mention Israel in your comment on a quarter of the web sites in the US and your comment will get flagged for review and in all likihood censored.

  • Anonymous

    Ron Paul-sewing up the lunatic fringe vote in 2012!

  • Anonymous

    I was wondering when someone was going to call out that violation. He’s been in ten years? He has to know you can’t do that.

  • Douglas Ford

    I was like WTF? when I saw Jesse speaking get interrupted, if it was Romney (especially Romney) or any other candidate they would have gone back later and let him speak at some point to try and get the traction moving for that candidate, but not for that old crazy Ron Paul. Ron Paul has ideas the media don’t like, so they purposefully silence him in any way they can (as crazy as that sounds, after last night I am starting to believe all the rumors about media censorship). The funny thing is it was a close race and Ron Paul was close in number of voters. I hope this means other states are not afraid to vote on Ron Paul on electability alone as a result. If that happens he has a real shot here, and Iowa proves he isn’t just that guy that doesn’t have a prayer anymore, he is a real competitor this time. :D

  • Anonymous

    CNN has silenced a Ron Paul 9/11 Troofer. CNN hates freedom.

    The Fed and the CIA have implanted mind control devices in Wolf “The Jew” Blitzer’s testicles.

    If Paul doesn’t win, 9 out of every 8 black men will be in state prison for federal drug offenses.

    Wake up and smell the raw milk people! 

  • Pablo

    Reddit lit up with conspiratorial Ron Paul supporters crying foul.

    Of course it did. I blame the Lizard People. And George Bush, naturally.

  • Pablo

    He most certainly does. But it’s Ron Paul, so it’s for FREEDOM!!!!!!

    Stupid Zionist Army Regs.

  • Pablo

    Flagged.

  • Charles Ulysses Feney

    Israel is totally dependent on U.S. military aid, and the myth of Israeli ground superiority was destroyed in South Lebanon by the much smaller Hezbollah’s superior anti-tank technology and tactics.

    Israel is a basket case that will probably descend into civil war soon.
    With no fixed borders or constitution, they are an occupation, not a nation.

  • Anonymous

    How does the Kool Aid taste? 

  • Anonymous

    To be clear, I’m critical of Israel, especially the right-wing side of its government. And I believe the Palestinians have been hugely wronged and need their own nation–something that would go a long way toward repairing divides in the Middle East. 

    But your characterization of the Israeli military and your assertion that the country is about to descend into civil war is simply not based on reality.

  • Pablo

    and the myth of Israeli ground superiority was destroyed in South
    Lebanon by the much smaller Hezbollah’s superior anti-tank technology
    and tactics.

    Right, that’s why Israel was begging the UN to get Hezbollah out of northern Israel. Idiot.

  • Anonymous

    This is a media site. You will find criticism here of how the media reports certain issues. In re israel, the mainstream media reports one side of the story to the American people. How this has become the case when everyone else in the world gets both sides, I’m not sure. I do, however, know that anyone who does raise questions, he can expect the arbiters of truth and goodness to mock him as crazy or denounce him as anti-semitic.

  • Anonymous

    You’re stupidity is showing.
    Israel wasn’t killing everyone and everything they could like Hezbollah.  They were aiming to minimize civilian casualties, unlike Hezbollah which would strap children to themselves as human shields if they could.

    Israel is much a much better nation than the surrounding ones.  Let’s take a look:
    Israel over the past 60 years or so:
    Eshkol-Wachman Movement Notation - a notation system for recording movement on paper that has been used in many fields, including dance, physical therapy, animal behavior and early diagnosis of autism.
    Development of the Copaxone immunomodulator drug for treating multiple sclerosis. It was developed in the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel by Michael Sela, Ruth Arnon and Deborah Teitelbaum. 
    Development of the Interferon proteins by Michel Revel from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. 
    Super iron battery - A new class of a rechargeable electric battery based on a special kind of iron. More environment friendly because the super-iron eventually rusts. 
    You can find much more here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Israeli_inventions_and_discoveries

    And the list of improvements by the surrounding muslims who are all victims of zionism:

    Wow, that was a really long list there…
    Anyways, good luck with the baseless antisemitism there.

  • Anonymous

    What is that, some sort of reference to Jonestown? A slam at San Francisco liberals? Or just a desperate retort? Sad.

  • Anonymous

    I understand your point–rhetoric coming from big money political groups is definitely slanted to be pro-Israel–but it’s still my experience that a lot of people in this country are fairly balanced about this topic. I’ve had conversations as recently as in the last few months with American Jews who criticize Israel (I’ve had the same conversation with Israelis), and you’ll find that most Americans under (guessing on the number here) 35 are overwhelmingly more pro-Palestinians. So I don’t think things are as black and white as you suggest. 

  • Anonymous

    No, it’s a serious question.

    As well all know, the Bilderbergs are poisoning the milk supply.  Information provided via Jesse Ventura and, I think, Alex Jones.  So, all ya got is kool aid left.

    Well, that or you’re chugging the Paul Aid and it looks like that.

  • Anonymous

    It was a reference to Jonestown, and as it’s usually used it suggests that a person has a blind cult-like belief in something that isn’t real. 

    You think CNN really pulled the plug? The reporter knew she was talking to a Ron Paul supporter and was clearly trying to get him to comment on the fact that he is engaged in a war he is against. What could she possibly have expected him to say? Besides, she very likely spoke with him about the same stuff before the cameras were recording, as is the usual practice for TV journalists. 

    Do you honestly think criticizing Israel is so taboo in this country that you get flagged? Have you ever opened any of the dozens of foreign policy journals that drive political debate in this country? Criticism of Israel and American support is by no means anything new or shocking. In fact, it’s commonplace. Read some Op-Ed pages of major newspapers. I spent 3 minutes looking and found this one from September but you could easily find dozens and dozens more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/22/opinion/support-the-palestinian-bid-for-statehood.html?scp=35&sq=israel%20american%20support&st=cse

    You’ve been drinking the Ron Paul/Alex Jones Kool Aid. Sad. 

  • Anonymous

    By chance, are you in the gun club with Dale Gribble?

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_TL575IOVWJAMPFIRXUVHSNW66U JDK

    I’m sure it was just an ‘accident’. Yeah right.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_TL575IOVWJAMPFIRXUVHSNW66U JDK

    Your such an ignorant buffoon.

    In the next few years I have a feeling you will get what you deserve.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_TL575IOVWJAMPFIRXUVHSNW66U JDK

    Thats true, you cant question AIPAC. Especially on Zionist CNN.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_TL575IOVWJAMPFIRXUVHSNW66U JDK

    You are insanely disconnected to reality, and the truth. And it shows with that drawn out propaganda.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_TL575IOVWJAMPFIRXUVHSNW66U JDK

    Ron Paul – Their supporters seem to be the only people that can think, and reason anymore.

  • Anonymous

    What part of “the right to free speech shall not be infringed” do these people not understand?  Putting a rule on our soldiers that they can’t speak in uniform infringes on their right to free speech.  It also is another example of the nanny state thinking that ordinary citizens aren’t smart enough to distinguish between someone speaking on their own accord and someone speaking in an official capacity.

    Regarding the lost feed — Someone last night on another site questioned how CNN still had the feed from the Romney event, while losing the feed to Ron Paul’s event.  Were they on the same satellite?  If so, how did they only lose one feed?

  • Pablo

    That’s a lovely opinion you’ve got there. Do you have any facts to support it?

  • Anonymous

    You’re right.  Both the Paul and Romney events were held on the satellite, so there couldn’t have been a problem with the transmission from the Paul location to the satellite. Never in the history of television has a satellite feed failed from one location while other transmissions using the same satellite went through.  It’s unpossible!

    WTC7 was an inside job! 

  • Anonymous

    Not only that, John Redcorn is banging his wife.

  • Anonymous

    Your write. Inn thee lung runn, wii awl git whut wee deeserv.

  • Anonymous

    and then what will happen with their 200-300 nuclear weapons?  I mean they aren’t a signer on the non-proliferation treaty, so what can the UN do about it?

  • Anonymous

    Ron Paul — there’s a reason that his supporters are mostly in their early to mid-twenties. They’re smart enough to be upset with the system and fired up enough to be zealots but inexperienced enough to not understand how things actually work. 

  • http://www.facebook.com/Reticuli Benjamin Goulart

    Most of us crying foul are not even Ron Paul supporters.  Get your facts strait.

  • Anonymous

    First of all, I’m not a truther.  Second of all, it was/is a legitimate question that was asked by someone else on another site last night and is worthy of an answer.  If there was indeed a problem from the equipment at the Paul site so be it.  After the way the media has consistently mistreated Paul and misrepresented his positions, it is understandable that his supporters would want further explanation.  Not everything is a conspiracy theory.

    No need to be a jerk

  • Anonymous

    “With no fixed borders or constitution, they are an occupation, not a nation.” That’s a shrewd observation, one that would apply to a lot of countries. It would have applied to Hawaii at the time of Pearl Harbor. America too easily ignores that Israel is now being run be the Jewish equivalent of the Taliban; extremists who only a generation ago wouldn’t have been granted admission to a dog show in polite society. The idea that civil war could break out in Israel is a bit far fetch though. In-fighting amongst the ruling minority would be a recipe for almost immediate invasion from every direction, as well as from within. Instead, the rich will flee and leave behind their poorer kindred to be slaughtered (repeating history) in a new holocaust, one that can be leveraged for political gain in consolidating control over North America (now that Europe and Asia appear to be hopelessly lost).

  • Anonymous

    Censorship in the name of democracy! Gotta love it :(

  • Charles Ulysses Feney

    Stop with the old antisemitism canard.

    There is nothing remotely “Semitic” about an occupation of Ashkanazi / Khazar Jews into the Semitic land of Palestine.

    Everytime you cry antisemitic, you’re just crying out your wish that the Ashkanaz had a Semitic bloodline.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_H5CHJM53HILEQN7KPLILBNKP2I david

    now we blame jessey haha what a cop out. we all know the truth. i have questioned isreal on you tube and on bloggs and have been banned several times.

  • Anonymous

    Moron, when you join the military, some of your constitutionally protected rights are limited.  Freedom to speak freely, and freedom to assemble are just two of your rights that are limited or constrained.

    You, as a civilian can call the president or the Secretary of Defense a stupid dick.  A uniformed member of the Armed Forces cannot.

  • Anonymous

    No need to name-call. Where in the Constitution does it say that the government has the right to limit your free speech or freedom to assemble simply because you are in the military?  Your rights come from God or by virtue of your humanity (natural rights), not from the government.  Therefore, the government cannot take them away from you.  The only powers the federal government has are those limited ones granted in the Constitution.

    The First Amendment is very clear: “Congress SHALL MAKE NO LAW … abridging the freedom of speech … or the right of the people peaceably to assemble.”

    I don’t see any exceptions.

  • Charles Ulysses Feney

    Untested and unverified rumor.

  • Anonymous

    Ron Paul- denying racism written in his name since 2011!

  • Anonymous

    Blitzer did give an explanation: “All right. We just lost our connection, unfortunately, with Dana.”  You want Wolf to stop the program and run a full diagnostic?

    That’s not the explanation the Paulines want. They want to hear that CNN CAN’T HANDLE THE TROOF!!!!  If CNN didn’t want to its viewers to hear a Pauline, it wouldn’t have interviewed him in the first place.

  • Anonymous

    No, but they could have gone back to the interview once the feed was re-established or had the guy on today to finish the interview to avoid the appearance of bias that the Ron Paul supporters felt they had.  That would have ended the controversy and satisfied all.

  • Anonymous

    God why do Paul nuts have to be so conspiratorial about everything? (rhetorical question). CNN carried Pauls speech in FULL afterwards and played the part where he introduced the soldier and the soldier comments. If I had a dollar for every time a raving lunatic said “WTF, we can’t even say anything critical of Israel” (while theyre publicly doing so) I’d be a millionaire. It’s actually the contrary the media in this country is FAR MORE CRITICAL than the general public,, which is in general overwhelmingly pro israel. Get a grip Ronulans!

  • Anonymous

    And yes, The soldier is “the man” for serving his country but violated rules of partisan activity in uniform and should be disciplined, nas should a soldier in  uniform at any other politician partisan campaign event. Our armed forces SERVE THE COUNTRY not a specifc candidate. A slap on the wrist (this time) should be sufficient to teach him his lesson.

  • Anonymous

    The fuinny thing is you probably got your comment “liked” by some crazy paul nuts who thought you were being serious lol

  • Anonymous

    Please pull down that picture of my favourite Pitcher and Cy Young Winner Roy Halliday, He’s a pro israel guy himself and wouldn’t want to be tarnished by yoour lunatic bigotry.

  • Anonymous

    God why do Paul nuts have to be so conspiratorial about everything? (rhetorical question). CNN carried Pauls speech in FULL afterwards and played the part where he introduced the soldier. Relax mouth breathers.

  • Anonymous

    Let’s test it. 

    EVERYONE IN ISRAEL (AKA THE JEWS) SHOULD BE GASSED BY IRAN LIKE HITLER DID.

    Hmm, still posted…

  • Anonymous

    There are two sides to the story in the middle east and one side presently has a monopoly on the discussion that takes place in our print and electronic media. Not even in Israel is the debate so slanted. And high profile people who question our relationship with Israel–e.g. Ron Paul–are routinely denounced in the loudest voices in the media as anti-semitic. And if the media is “far more critical” than the general public in regard to Israel, it’s because the general public gets its understand of the conflict from the media and is therefore completely ignorant of the Palestinian side of the story and has bought the caricature of the Palestinians as nothing but a race of motiveless maniacs who for some odd reason live only to kill Jews – ya know, just like Hitler. By the way, do you think Ron Paul is antisemitic? If so, why exactly?

  • Anonymous

    Why do so few Jews serve in the US military?

  • Anonymous

    “I don’t see any exceptions. And, the Constitution is the SUPREME Law of the Land! “

    Good thing you (allegedly) chose medical school over law school.  What the Supreme Court says the Constitution says is the “supreme law of the land”.  That is, of course, why a woman has the “right” to murder an unborn child, even though that “right” isn’t spelled out anywhere in the Constitution.

    Going back to the founding of the Republic, the Supreme Court has recognized that in order to maintain good order and discipline, some rights of citizenship would have to be limited by service personnel.  As a civilian, you’re free to roam the country whenever or wherever you like.  As a uniformed service member, you’re not.  Imagine the breakdown in discipline and order if soldiers could come and go as they please, without so much as a by your leave.

    Regulations that had been held as tradition for the first 150-years of our Republic, were formally codified after the conclusion of WWII.  These codified “military laws” were, and are, known as the UCMJ.  There have been a number of legal challenges to the UCMJ on a number of Constitutional grounds, like First Amendment violations.  Those challenges fail more times than they prevail.  Most recently, a Supreme Court case called Parker v. Levy held that prohibitions on the First Amendment rights on Service Members are not overly broad or unconstitutional.

    This young man violated his oath of service when he broke DoD directive 1344.10, which he should have known about as an NCO.  Such a directive is fully constitutional, or so held the Supreme Court.

  • Anonymous

    Regardless of whatt Ron paul truly believes in his heart,he attracts people like you.You sir are an ignoramus and an transparent bigot. Your blight should be removed from respectable society soon. For your information

    More than 550,000 Jews served in the U.S. military during World War II; about 11,000 were killed and more than 40,000 were wounded. There were three recipients of the Medal of Honor, 157 recipients of the Army Distinguished Service Medal, Navy Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished Service Cross, or Navy Cross, and about 1600 recipients of the Silver Star.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Jews#Government_and_military
    During this period, Jews were approximately 3.3 percent of the total U.S. population but constituted about 4.23 percent of the U.S. armed forces

    Also Of American Nobel Prize winners, 37 percent have been Jewish Americans (19 times the percentage of Jews in the population), as have been 71 percent of the John Bates Clark Medal winners (thirty-five times the Jewish percentage).

    Suck on it Stormfronter ;)

  • http://www.facebook.com/glenn.otto Glenn T. Otto

    I would definitely argue your first statement with the fact that Netanyahu himself said that Israel can defend itself.   
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91VgMK7nUqE

  • Anonymous

    SSSDeez’s “test” does not prove anything because it is obviously a fake post. Comments that are critical of Israel or that question the need for a new war, even when expressed very politely, are routinely censored. Huffington Post is the worst. It’s easy to prove this for yourself. Just go to a few sites and give it a try. You will find, as I did, that pro-Israel comments or critical comments that are particularly inane post immediately. Comments that pose more cogent criticisms disappear or pend until the thread is stale. The media is doing everything in its power to control the narrative and to demonize Ron Paul and his supporters.

  • http://www.facebook.com/pcro93 Juan Viche
  • Anonymous

    Ahh, how exhilarating it is to be shot at and missed (kudos to Churchill). Actually, in your case it wasn’t all that exhilarating. I’m not a Paul supporter; I’m a Romney supporter. I just really tend to dislike the people who dislike Paul. That’s all. And I know jews at smart; and not just at swindling. But my question about service pertained more to the modern American volunteer Army. Got anything for me there, Portnoy?

  • http://www.celebs4truth.com/ celebs4truth.com

    Do you truly support the troops? Ron Paul overwhelmingly leads in support from the troops! Support the troops by helping this pro-Ron Paul article go completely viral! Spread it all over the internet and social networks! Denver Conspiracy Examiner’s, “Support the Troops by Supporting Ron Paul”
    http://www.examiner.com/conspiracy-in-denver/support-the-troops-by-supporting-ron-paul

© 2012 Mediaite, LLC | About Us | Advertise | Newsletter | Jobs | Privacy | User Agreement | Disclaimer | Power Grid FAQ | Contact | Archives | RSS RSS
Dan Abrams, Founder | Power Grid by Sound Strategies | Hosting by Datagram