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Monday, July 23, 2012

McKenna Dodges Questions from KIRO's Essex Porter

Posted by on Mon, Jul 23, 2012 at 11:22 AM

KIROs Essex Porter, chasing Rob McKenna down the back stairs.
  • KIRO's Essex Porter, chasing Rob McKenna down the back stairs.

On Friday, in response to the shooting in Colorado, KIRO TV's Essex Porter tried to ask Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob McKenna about gun control at a McKenna campaign event—only to have McKenna duck down some back stairs to avoid Porter's questions. (Click the link for full video.)

Porter responded by running after McKenna: down the back stairs, to McKenna's waiting car, campaign aides trying to block him all the while.

"I'm not prepared for this," McKenna told Porter.

Which is odd, considering that McKenna's running as the guy with deeper knowledge of important issues. KIRO called McKenna's response "interesting" and Porter pointed out that the gun show loophole, which Porter wanted to ask McKenna about, is "not a new issue" for McKenna.

 

Comments (31) RSS

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1
Looks like Goldy's going to have some new friends in the "forcibly barred from McKenna press conferences" club.
Posted by Ruke on July 23, 2012 at 11:26 AM
Cienna Madrid 2
HAHAHAHA, that was at the women's luncheon I was barred from attending last Friday. Fuckers.

Way to be tenacious, Essex.
Posted by Cienna Madrid on July 23, 2012 at 11:33 AM
Matt from Denver 3
"I'm not prepared for this" ought to be McKenna's campaign slogan. "I'm not prepared for dealing with reporters I don't like at press conferences." "I'm not prepared for twitter or monitoring my staff's tweets." "I'm not prepared to answer questions about polarizing issues when they flare up."
Posted by Matt from Denver on July 23, 2012 at 11:36 AM
meanie 4
Why do people not get this? The "gun-show loophole" as described doesn't exist in this state, WA state gun shows are run by a specific organization ( Washington arms collectors ) that require membership and a background check, to buy at shows.

Asking about why municipalities can't having the right to enact gun control at a local level has been answered by the courts multiple times. The state Constitution is more explicit than the bill of rights on the rights to own and carry arms. The challenges of amending the state Constitution are well known.

I personally think McKenna is a world class DB, but I can see how avoiding even interaction with reporters asking lame breaking news questions would be a standard operating procedure.
Posted by meanie http://www.spicealley.net on July 23, 2012 at 11:38 AM
5
If McKenna becomes Governor, he won't simply be able to dodge any question he doesn't like.
Posted by MLM on July 23, 2012 at 11:41 AM
Joe Szilagyi 6
Seriously, is McKenna just really this stupid? Does he not know that you need the press to win?

Someone should him how well it's worked out for the Seattle police when they tried to block out and take a stand against not just the Stranger but KOMO, KIRO, KING, and KONG. It led to an avalanche of lawsuits and the Department of Justice getting ready to pile drive O'neill & SPOG and Diaz into the dirt.

If any of Jay Inslee's staffers are reading this, here's your new campaign ad, over the footage of McKenna running in terror from Essex Porter and the smirking as they're walking away from the hotel. Freeze frame on McKenna's leering grin.

"Is Rob McKenna not prepared to protect Washington state?" Freeze frame on McKenna's leering face. "Why is Rob McKenna not willing to stand up to special interests and protect your safety?"

Use this campaign ad as your baseline: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMo5pykT4…
Posted by Joe Szilagyi http://twitter.com/joeszi on July 23, 2012 at 11:43 AM
Ziggity 7
Run, Rob, run!
Posted by Ziggity on July 23, 2012 at 11:44 AM
Matt from Denver 8
@ 4, your notion kinda falls apart at "I'm not prepared for this." Whether what you say is true or not, McKenna wasn't prepared to answer it. He doesn't know if the loophole exists or not. If he knew, he would have said so. Maybe make Porter look foolish in the process. He certainly wouldn't be the one looking like a fool now.
Posted by Matt from Denver on July 23, 2012 at 11:44 AM
Joe Szilagyi 9
And hell, I'd say the same going the other way about Inslee. This is 2012: not one single candidate except in the deepest of red or blue districts can win without the media on their devoted side, at all. If a reporter stops and asks you a question, you stop and answer. If you're not prepared to answer, why are you running for office? This is politics 2012, class 101.
Posted by Joe Szilagyi http://twitter.com/joeszi on July 23, 2012 at 11:44 AM
Will in Seattle 10
You act like he is a public official ....
Posted by Will in Seattle http://www.facebook.com/WillSeattle on July 23, 2012 at 11:46 AM
11
@4
"The 'gun-show loophole' as described doesn't exist in this state, ..."

I think it does.
In Washington state, if I own a gun, I think I can legally sell it to you as a private citizen to a private citizen without a background check.
Posted by fairly.unbalanced on July 23, 2012 at 11:52 AM
12
Well, Essex Porter does have a reputation for being abrasive, doesn't he?

Also, this confirms #2's suspicion last week that there were other media allowed in.
Posted by seatackled on July 23, 2012 at 11:57 AM
gloomy gus 13
He's tenEssex!
Posted by gloomy gus on July 23, 2012 at 11:58 AM
biffp 14
@11, the loophole does exist. The trolls pretend one group runs all the shows (not true) and always does background checks on weekends and nights (also, not true).
Posted by biffp on July 23, 2012 at 11:58 AM
ScrawnyKayaker 15
@11 Unless you consider your house or the trunk of your car a "gun show," that's not the same as the gun show loophole. Private sales can be seen as different from vendors at booths in an organized venue swiping credit cards.

Admittedly, there's a lot of private sales! Look up "Armslist" or see http://pnwguns.com/forums.php

Also, you might want to be careful who you sell to, since you are liable for serious penalties if you sell to someone who's not legal to buy a gun. Or so I'm told.
Posted by ScrawnyKayaker on July 23, 2012 at 12:00 PM
16
Maybe he just needed to get to a bathroom. It happens to the best of us. We've all been there.
Posted by Lesbian for McKenna on July 23, 2012 at 12:02 PM
biffp 17
According to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Washington state is the No. 4 source in the country for illegal guns in Mexico.
Posted by biffp on July 23, 2012 at 12:04 PM
biffp 18
The ATF agents made it clear that their beef is not with licensed firearm dealers, who are required to do background checks on buyers no matter where business is conducted, whether it's a storefront, a home or a gun show.

Instead, they complained of the so-called "gun show loophole" that allows unlicensed dealers to get around the government's background-check requirement by masquerading as "private collectors."

Summers, who is in charge of the ATF's Yakima field office, said a majority of dealers, legitimate or not, won't sell guns to sketchy characters, or someone who appears to be a gang member.

But a small percentage of unlicensed dealers have no such scruples, he said.
Posted by biffp on July 23, 2012 at 12:06 PM
Matt the Engineer 19
@12 Not only that, but he's a man. And wasn't wearing a Pretty Woman dress.
Posted by Matt the Engineer on July 23, 2012 at 12:09 PM
Matt the Engineer 20
@18 I wonder what qualifies someone as "sketchy" or looking like a gang member. Is skin color involved?
Posted by Matt the Engineer on July 23, 2012 at 12:12 PM
biffp 21
A Brady petition asking Congress address this problem:

"I believe that these people should not be able to buy, own, or carry a gun anywhere in our nation:

• Convicted felons
• Convicted domestic abusers
• Terrorists
• People found to be dangerously mentally ill"

http://www.bradycampaign.org/action/peti…
Posted by biffp on July 23, 2012 at 12:15 PM
biffp 22
Colorado Gun Laws


Colorado residents voted overwhelmingly to close the gun show loophole in November of 2000, but Colorado elected officials have done nothing more to protect its residents from gun violence. Amendment 22, to close the gun show loophole by requiring Brady background checks on all gun show sales, passed by a margin of 70%-30%.

Colorado scores only 15 points out of 100 for strong gun laws on the 2011 Brady State Scorecard published annually.

The following is the sad state of gun laws in Colorado:
•No ban on assault weapons
•No ban on high capacity ammunition clips
•No registration
•No gun owner licensing
•No background checks for on line gun sales and other person to person gun transactions
•No police discretion to determine who carries concealed handguns in public
•No 'good cause' required for concealed carry permit applicants
•No limit on the amount of handguns you can buy in one purchase

Posted by biffp on July 23, 2012 at 12:17 PM
23
@15
"Unless you consider your house or the trunk of your car a 'gun show,' that's not the same as the gun show loophole."

Yeah it is.
People who are not licensed dealers selling/trading guns to other people who are not licensed dealers and doing so without background checks.
Posted by fairly.unbalanced on July 23, 2012 at 12:20 PM
24
Jesus, if this is how McKenna acts as a candidate, what if he wins? Will he have a Hate list like Nixon? Favored reporters? This is nonsense.
Posted by westello on July 23, 2012 at 12:44 PM
icouldliveinhope 25
Even if he were genuinely not prepared for that, wouldn't just saying "I am not prepared for this" be way smarter a campaign move than bolting BEFORE saying that?
Posted by icouldliveinhope on July 23, 2012 at 2:04 PM
More, I Say! 26
@12 I know for sure he has a reputation for having the best name a fucking reporter could possibly have! Reporter Essex Porter! It's epic!
Posted by More, I Say! on July 23, 2012 at 2:44 PM
Reverse Polarity 27
Ahahahaha!

What an ass.
Posted by Reverse Polarity on July 23, 2012 at 3:48 PM
28
Essex Porter is super cool, no question about it...
Posted by lotus eater on July 23, 2012 at 4:41 PM
29
Cannot outrun a Black man, McKenna.
Posted by Patricia Kayden on July 24, 2012 at 4:36 AM
30
You'd think that a competent state Attorney General would, upon hearing about a mass shooting, put together some simple, noncommittal words about gun laws that could be used as a non-response response to any question relating to the issue, since it'll be on everyone's minds, and anyone could guess there might be questions. And you'd be right.

And if that Attorney General were a competent candidate for Governor, you'd think he'd have put together a soundbite that supported his positions while being a non-response response. And you'd be right.

Rob McKenna. "I'm not prepared." For anything.
Posted by biggerbox on July 24, 2012 at 8:15 AM
31
Ladies and gentleman, an actual journalist. On television, no less. Huzzah to you, Mr. Porter.
Posted by K on July 26, 2012 at 5:15 PM

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