College Student Questioning Obama Was Republican Staffer

[kpete]

College Student Questioning Obama Was Republican Staffer
By Jeralyn, Section Colorado News
Posted on Sun Aug 16, 2009 at 03:28:18 PM EST
Tags: Grand Junction, health care reform (all tags)
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Zach Lahn got a lot of attention yesterday for his question to President Obama in Grand Junction about how private insurance companies could possibly compete against a Government non-profit, and his cocky attitude, shouting out and play to the media.

He failed to disclose he was a staffer for one of Colorado's most right-wing Republicans in the State legislature. (He's taken his Linked-In profile down.) As Colorado Pols says:
http://www.state.co.us/gov_dir/leg_dir/Senate/members/Sen01.htm
http://coloradopols.com/diary/10079/sen-brophys-aide-gets-press-for-student-obama-debate-challenge

It also takes some "chutzpah" to fail to disclose to either the President or to reporters interviewing you afterward that you're a staffer for one of the hardest-right Republicans in the Colorado Senate, Sen. Greg "Obama's Gonna Take Yer Guns" Brophy, wouldn't you say? It's not like that should have disqualified him from asking the question--much like the infamous Brooks Brothers riot of Florida 2000 legend, though, it would have helped explain why he was so, um, "passionate."

Here's how he describes himself on his Twitter page (his tweets are private)

Determined Christian Conservative in CO, home state of IA not stopping until everyone agrees w/me Pro-Life, Pro-Guns, Pro-Reagan, Anti-Big Gov

Two days ago, his profile read:

Determined Christian Conservative Legislative Aide in CO, home state of IA not stopping until everyone agrees w/me Pro-Life, Pro-Guns, Pro-Reagan, Anti-Big Gov (my emphasis)

more:
http://www.talkleft.com/story/2009/8/16/162818/568

[crazy_vanilla]

1. wow, what a surprise - and how "grassroots" of them

:banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :sarcasm:

So much for real discussion on the issues.

[indepat]

19. Astro-turd

:P

[EFerrari]

2. So stupid.

[tanyev]

3. He also left "Asshat" out of his profile.

[asdjrocky]

12. No it's there-

he's Pro-Reagan.

[still_one]

4. Christian and conservative or republican are an oxy-moran, and in fact are contradictory

Maybe these so-called "christians' should read their bible. If anything Christ was a socialist

[Vinca]

5. That makes sense. Besides being rude, he asked the POTUS

a question that had already been answered. I guess you can't expect a Republican shill to think on the fly and come up with a new question.

[SpiralHawk]

6. Typical Republicon OCCULTISM

They are inwardly ashamed of themselves (for so many damn good reasons), so they present a false front and lie consistently and repeatedly.

This is what Republiconism has degenerated to. No wonder the citizens of the USA turn their backs on the Republicon Party of Pharisees.

[rusty charly]

10. What do Republicans and

the "Christians" on True Blood have in common?

Everything.

[blondeatlast]

7. That is one ugly mug and a really creative definition of "grassroots." nt

[MrScorpio]

8. This is nothing new, Conservatives LOVE planting ringers. Remember this?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x7161766

They think that people are just too stupid to check up on this shit

[asdjrocky]

15. You're good. You are good.

[MrScorpio]

16. Thank you nt

[rusty charly]

9. How many lies could a teabag bag,

if a teabag could bag lies?

[Igel]

23. No lie.

Just lack of full disclosure.

He's apparently a junior in political science at U. Colorado at Boulder. He's still listed as such in their directory.

(As for the quip somewhere in this thread that he was there on a football scholarship, their football roster doesn't include any Lahn at all.)

[d_r]

11. so...

so his point is that a public option would save us money?

[HCE SuiGeneris]

13. The Party of Deception and Subterfuge. Anyone remember this other lying Repug...

?

[Ohio Democrat]

14. i guess the republians "grassroots" movements...

are just a little different than the democrat ones...that were real.... :P

[gratuitous]

17. Gee Mr. Lahn, one might almost conclude you're ashamed

I guess working for Sen. Brophy isn't something you want to brag about, huh? I gotta say, that if it was me, I wouldn't be talking up any connection I might have with such an asshat, either. I mean, it's not like you're fooling anyone else, so you must be trying to fool yourself.

[Kaleko]

18. Wow, he's not stopping until everyone agrees with him...

Well, that's the definition of tyranny. Nice try, Kim Jong Christian Il, but no cigar for you.
Only a resounding gotcha!

[MadMaddie]

20. What amazes me is that this guy thinks no one would find out

they really are that stupid!!

[annabanana]

25. He doesn't care... He know by the time he's exposed, most of the

audience will have moved on.

This is the way they operate.

[SoCalDem]

32. snipers.. hide..hit and run

and when caught? lie

[livetohike]

21. Why can't these people leave Reagan in the grave already n/t

[HughBeaumont]

26. Same reason they can't leave the RED MENACE in the grave.

Calling someone a "commie", whether you know the meaning of the word or not, is easier than thinking.

Reagan was and still is a popular president among the Boomer non-thinkers and Libertarian/Young Republican suckasses. Why was he popular? "HE wuz the wun whut brought down COMM'NISM" (a WHOPPER of a lie). Those who knew better saw that his policies crippled the middle/working/poor classes, had an administration riddled with scandal, doubled the national debt via building the military and wasteful spending, gutted social programs and generally installed laissez-fail economics as the rule for decades to come.

[livetohike]

28. Exactly.

But then history was never the GOP's strong suit. Don't let the facts get in the way of reality. Idiots.

[troubledamerican]

22. Jeff Gannon will be back... any day now

[annabanana]

24. Oh kick kick kick. . . They can't win honestly, so it's ALWAYS "work the

ref" with this crowd..

[cravermi]

27. Someone should try to get this to David Shuster/Tamryn Hall at MSNBC

[annabanana]

29. Now that this TURD has shown up on MSNBC. . . KICK!!. . .n/t

[quiet.american]

30. Why am I not surprised - his smug arrogance was certainly a giveaway. nt

[Echo In Light]

31. The consistent belligerence and deception of rightward types is amazing

[DU GrovelBot]

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[opihimoimoi]

34. The guy was stymied by the Post Office equation on fox was it?

Gov't has been competing with private firms for years now...fedex, ups etc

I just knew the mfkr was a plant...he was too arrogant and myopic....he could not would not see other perspectives...exposing him as a TURD

[Mythsaje]

35. Not stopping what? Tweeting?

Should we be scared or pitying?

[Libertas1776]

36. Fuck that

smug right wing loafer wearing piece of shit, born with a silver spoon in his mouth. I'm sure his family is quite well off, providing the funds for his tuition so he get his degree in douchebaggery and take his rightful place on Wall Street. Fuck that Prick! Why can't we get a question from a real student who isn't a fucking right wing plant and has to work their ass off for their education and face the reality that, like most students surviving off their family's health care plan (if they're even fortunate enough for that), they LOSE THEIR COVERAGE once they graduate. Unless of course, you know, they put themselves in debt another 100 grand and to Grad school just so they can have an extension on that care. The president shouldn't have to answer any questions from a fuck like that. Oh! and an Oxford style debate, just like the ones we got to participate in when Bushie was President? :sarcasm:

A trustafarian preppy rich prick and a right wing religious nut job all in one. Makes my blood boil! And he was just paraded out on CNN, because you know, we just have to get his side of the story, don't ya know? :grr: :nuke: :grr: :nuke: :grr: :nuke: :grr: :nuke: :grr: :nuke: :grr:

[garthranzz]

37. I knew it smelled from the moment it opened its mouth

The question was too planned, too smooth. I teach college students. Prepped, propped and pooped. That "debate Oxford style" was also a giveaway. I bet Obama smelled a rat as well. That "I already answered the question" was a true professorial put-down. It wasn't missed.

Imho, his stunt backfired. He looked like a snot-nosed preppy, and President Obama looked like, well, a professor and president.

[ms liberty]

38. Color me unsurprised. I knew he had to be a ringer as soon as he started speaking...

He had an arrogant attitude, as when he sat down I thought I saw an exchange between him and a couple of the guys sitting with him that had an air of "ha-gotcha" celebrating.

[GodlyDemocrat]

39. So? Are you less of a citizen now because you work in the State Legislature?

Mr. Lahn asked a question and the President gave an appropriate answer. It seems as if many here want President Obama to morph into a liberal version of Bush, who refused to let people who opposed his policies into his town halls.

Edit: I'm reading here that the question had already been asked? I heard this question (I don't know if it was from Lahn) on TV and the question and answer seemed OK to me. I would like to see a video before I comment further.