The conservative blogosphere – at least the A through D lists – have been really reticent about assigning blame in the » beating of Bobby Jindal aide Allee Butsch and her boyfriend last weekend at the Southern Republican Leadership conference in New Orleans. Conservative bloggers, for example, led the way in showing that the couple weren’t wearing Sarah Palin pins, which was an initial story about the crime:
Allee Butsch suffered a broken leg from the beatdown outside to the SRLC dinner at Brennan’s Restaurant in New Orleans. She had her leg operated on over the weekend and it will take her months to recover. Her boyfriend Joe Brown suffered a broken nose, a broken jaw, and a concussion. They were attacked after leaving the Southern Republican Leadership Conference dinner at Brennan’s Restaurant.
Police have no suspects, and are doing their best not to release uncorroborated information to the public. And conservative bloggers aren’t jumping the gun in any numbers to call this a political hate crime – something that Steny Hoyer, Rep. Lewis, Rep. Cleaver, Nancy Pelosi and the Twin Cities AFSCME should try.
Now, I’m not going to jump to any conclusions, and I’ll say up front that the following execise is purely conjectural.
But do me a favor and turn on your stereotype radar when you read the lone description available among the five attackers:
Police are looking for a Caucasian male who appeared to be dirty, in his 20’s, 6′1″ tall, thin build with a thin face. He had a beard and auburn color hair in a pony tail. He was wearing a light color T shirt and dark color pants. Up to 5 men beat the couple after they left the GOP event on Friday night.
A dirty twentysomething white guy in a ponytail. I mean, if it were a dirty fiftysomething in a ponytail and a beard, you’d think “a bunch of meth addicts jumped the kids”. But most twentysomethings have to spend a lot of time, money and effort to affect that kind of look.
The Twin Cities AFSCME has not yet told us whether they consider this a threat to them from the Tea Party.
Well, Dog Gone said this was mostly coming from tea party people.
A skinny white kid with a pony tail, thugging it up in the big easy?
Oh, yeah; that happens all the time down there……pffft.
For those who don’t know Brennan’s is located on Royal St. in the Historic French Quarter, one short block from Bourbon Street. I’ve been in the place multiple times when I’ve been in N.O. on business. This is a very “touristy” area with tons of foot traffic. Also there is a very high profile police presence in the area. It would be hard to believe this was some random act. Since robbery doesn’t appear to be a motive my bet would be they were targeted.
Police Report.
There were still protestors around when the couple left Brennans. They were followed for some time. Possible that the protest and beating were not connected but there are to many coincidences not to start the investigation with the protest.
http://media.nola.com/politics/other/police%20report.pdf
SH’s comment is right on the money – Royal is on the ‘good’ side of Bourbon. I would not venture one street over to the other side, unless during Mardi Gras. Chance for a random thug encounter on Royal is virtually nil.
Brennan’s is awesome! Outrageously pricey, but food is fantastic.
KR, if you’re going to quote me, quote me properly.
I have written that threats to democrats who voted in favor of the health care reform legislation was coming from the right.
I did not single out the tea party.
I did point out the identical language used by Charles Alan Wilson in the recorded threats he made to the Senators from Washington and the same language on tea party signs, and from other sources on the Right.
I also pointed out the fact check sources which showed those areas of anger were factually inaccurate, a ‘ginning up’ of anger for bogus reasons.
And I pointed out that while Wilson attended a tea party event, apparently while stalking one of the Senators from WA, he was NOT a member of the Tea Party group putting on the event. That Tea Party repudiated Wilson, and his threats, to their credit.
This was in response to you KR, and Terry, claiming that the connection to the Right did not exist in these threats, and in Terry’s case, he posited that these threats were a hoax, and were really being perpetrated by “SEIU thugs” – which has so far not been substantiated by any factual evidence.
Another item worth noting, apparently attendees of the even in New Orleans were observed wearing tee (tea?) shirts with photos of the Minnesota billboard iimage of George W. Bush with the caption “Miss me yet?”.
Just an observation – while violence is reprehensible, period – given the past events in New Orleans, and the feelings about Bush after Katrina, those t-shirts reasonably could be considered provocative to the residents of the big easy.
I’m not suggesting these individuals were or were not wearing that kind of provocative clothing, just that there was some provocation going on at this event.
The person police are looking for sounds like he may very well be a non-partisan sort of criminal that could be found in any major city looking to mug individuals with money. I’d suggest having a lot more information before jumping to the conclusion that this crime – and it is a horrible crime – was political in origin.
Project much, DogNabbit? Still trying to get mileage out of old talking points?
and the feelings about Bush after Katrina,
That Bush could surely command seas and sky! Or was it Cheney?
just that there was some provocation going on at this event.
Provocation? Surely you are kidding? What next – a bush in my front yard a reason for arson?
And last but not least – The person police are looking for sounds like he may very well be a non-partisan sort of criminal
You obviously have never been to New Orleans, have you?
DG, I was paraphrasing you, not quoting you.
And as for the president causing Katrina, please back away from the Victory gin Kool-Aid.
Yes, breen to New orleans, although not post-Katrina.
Bush is unpopular because of his response to Katrina, or more precisely, because of his failed response. People died. A lot of people died, not just from the hurricane but also because of the problems attributed to the army corps of engineers. A lot more people died because of the bad response – remember ‘good job Brownie’ at all?
And no – not all the problems related to the disaster were Bush’s fault; there was plenty of local and state corruption and other difficulties.
On the other hand, Louisiana is the only state that doesn’t adequately benefit from their oil resources which go to the federal government. If they had the same kind of deal as the other oil producing staes, they would be in much better shape financially.
I think it is a fair description to say that wearing a t-shirt with Bush’s face on it, and the words ‘miss me yet’ could offend people who lost friends and family and homes and businesses in that mess Bush called a response – the failed resposne that arrogantly spit in the face of offered international help, when it could have made a big difference to those people.
That is a big difference from a bush in your front yard being provocation.
So doggone, a political tee shirt may have provoked the attack but if so the attack wasn’t political? BTW she had a white top and dark skirt, he had a long sleeve shirt and dark pants.
They were mugged for their money but none was taken? (her purse was taken after the ambulance arrived, she used it to hold her head off the ground.
At least one other group of attendees were pursued by the protestors after leaving the event.
I’m less than 100% sure that the guilty party were protestors. But I wouldn’t bet against it.
Doggone here is the article from NOLA.com
http://media.nola.com/politics/photo/bautsch-brown-post-attackjpg-b53f48dac14feb5f_large.jpg
No tee shirts on the victims. I didn’t remember her attire that well got the colors wrong.
Deegee, President Bush called for the evacuation of Naw’lins. You are foolish if you expected him to personally get people on a bus and personally drive them. This ranks up in the top 100 foolish things you have said; right up there with saying Booosh caused the recent coal mine tragedy.
I really didn’t know that wearing an offensive t-shirt was an excuse to break a woman’s leg.
Bush is unpopular because of his response to Katrina, or more precisely, because of his failed response.
…and more more precisely because the media and left (ptr) managed to transfer all of Nagin and Landrieu’s incompetence to the Administration’s response.
People died. A lot of people died, not just from the hurricane but also because of the problems attributed to the army corps of engineers. A lot more people died because of the bad response – remember ‘good job Brownie’ at all?
Well, yeah – I remember how the left’s spinmeisters took a fairly innocuous comment and turned it into an unstinting endorsement.
That is a big difference from a bush in your front yard being provocation.
I’m not sure if I have this straight; you’re rationalizing the attack?
By the way – if the perps are the kind of people I suspect they are, I don’t think Katrina has anything to do with their motivations.
wearing a t-shirt with Bush’s face on it, and the words ‘miss me yet’ could offend people
So there you have it. DogNabbit condoning violence. One that results in a leg broken in 5 places. What’s next, DogNabbit? Are you going to a rally protesting cartoons?
I seem to recall a time when what a woman was wearing justified anything bad that happened to her because “she was asking for it.” I thought that defense had long been retired.
I think it is a fair description to say that wearing a t-shirt with Bush’s face on it, and the words ‘miss me yet’ could offend people..
Shorter teh deegee: “The bitch deserved it”.
Dang. Deegee’s a mean old broad after she’s had a few, ain’t she?
Haw!