Jack Layton pushes a woman in order to get on camera!

[Mr.Canada]

I found this video hilarious yesterday. I watched it live and had to look at it again as I couldn't believe what I was seeing. During Sid the kids game winning goal in OT the crows at Wayne Gretzky's went nuts but a womans arm was blocking Jack Laytons face from the camera so he pushes her arm down while still smiling and looking directly at the camera.

Jack has reached a new low. We all knew he loved the camera but I never thought I'd see the day when he would assault a woman in order to get on his mug on TV.

[M.Dancer]

This is no different than councilman Layton when he used to turn up at the Bamboo and position himself not so much that he could see the band but that everyone in the Bamboo could see him.

From the Globe last week.

VANCOUVER – While a recent poll found Jack Layton is considered by Canadians the best political leader to drink a beer with, it is likely that most Canadians would rather be hanging out with Stephen Harper today.

And this is why: Duelling press releases reveal that both the Prime Minister and the NDP Leader will be watching the Canadian women’s hockey team play in the gold-medal final today. And both have a Gretzky connection – with one big difference, however.

The Prime Minister will be at the game and sitting with Wayne and Janet Gretzky. Mr. Layton, meanwhile, will be at Wayne Gretzky’s Restaurant in Toronto, watching the game with his wife, Olivia Chow. “It seems like an excellent place to cheer the team to victory,” says Mr. Layton in his press release.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/bureau-blog/ndp-and-tories-face-off-over-sports-funding/article1481342/

The reality is with the bulk of the celebrities at the arena, Jack (fighting bravely) Layton's face time would have been low....being at the bar ensured that he would be seen at least every goal...

[Shwa]

Hyperbole of the Week:

...but I never thought I'd see the day when he would assault a woman in order to get on his mug on TV.

Hyperbole of the Week: The guy pushes some woman's arm out of his face and you call it assault. That says far more about you than it does Jack Layton.

[Moonbox]

No surprise there. He's at best a used car saleman in my books.

Whatever bad things I can say about Harper, Iggy, Dion, May, Duceppe, I've always held Jack in the lowest esteem. He's nothing but pomp and bombast but when you get down to it he's just an idiot in love with his face.

[Mr.Canada]

Hyperbole of the Week:

Hyperbole of the Week: The guy pushes some woman's arm out of his face and you call it assault. That says far more about you than it does Jack Layton.

From the C.C.C.

265. (1) A person commits an assault when

(a) without the consent of another person, he applies force intentionally to that other person, directly or indirectly;

[Wilber]

From the C.C.C.

265. (1) A person commits an assault when

(a) without the consent of another person, he applies force intentionally to that other person, directly or indirectly;

In that case it looks like almost everyone in that room was guilty at one time or another

[Moonbox]

I think in this case 'assault' is an exaggeration. Either way, it makes him look like a tool.

[Topaz]

No big deal, the woman was smiling, it didn't seem to bother her as much as it bothers you and some others on here. He didn't take us into a deficit, didn't prorogue Parliament, he didn't break promises, be more worried about the person who does that!!How about the 150-300 million Toronto is going to have to pay out for the G20 and G8 meetings.

[GostHacked]

From the C.C.C.

265. (1) A person commits an assault when

(a) without the consent of another person, he applies force intentionally to that other person, directly or indirectly;

I am not a fan of Layton, But it seems like he almost was hit in the face by her arm flailing. And that definition of assault is so vague it could be used for almost anything.

I was expecting a full on push. Like knocking her off her feet or loosing her balance, But getting an arm out of the way of his oh so photogenic face so it can be seen by the camera is a low thing to do. But really no assault took place here.

Edited March 1, 2010 by GostHacked

[Argus]

No surprise there. He's at best a used car saleman in my books.

Whatever bad things I can say about Harper, Iggy, Dion, May, Duceppe, I've always held Jack in the lowest esteem. He's nothing but pomp and bombast but when you get down to it he's just an idiot in love with his face.

I have to say that one of the more appealing things about Harper is he's not into the public limelight, but tends to be more of an introvert. He doesn't LIKE the bright lights and cameras, but tolerates them.

I find it pathetic and distasteful how frantically people like Layton work to get their face on TV or in the paper.

[M.Dancer]

I have to say that one of the more appealing things about Harper is he's not into the public limelight, but tends to be more of an introvert. He doesn't LIKE the bright lights and cameras, but tolerates them.

I was thinking that yesterday...how uncomfortable he looks whenhe knows the cameras are on him. He should really work at it.

[DrGreenthumb]

What is pathetic is you Conservatives grasping at straws like this to paint the opposition parties in a bad light. You have nothing of substance to critisize so this is where your desperation leaves you.

[M.Dancer]

What is pathetic is you Conservatives grasping at straws like this to paint the opposition parties in a bad light. You have nothing of substance to critisize so this is where your desperation leaves you.

segue to helen guergis...three two one...

[Wild Bill]

What is pathetic is you Conservatives grasping at straws like this to paint the opposition parties in a bad light. You have nothing of substance to critisize so this is where your desperation leaves you.

Hey, get real! It's true that "assault" is a bit of a stretch. Not that Layton doesn't stretch such things all the time but two wrongs don't make a right.

Still, even if Jack had simply asked the woman nicely to move her arm so that he could get more of his face in the camera shot it would have been pretty cheesy!

Can you only see "cheesiness" when Harper does it?

You should get out more!

News Flash! They ALL can be cheesy! Layton is no saint!

[Smallc]

I hate to defend Jack, but could he not simply have been trying to see the screen?

[Moonbox]

I hate to defend Jack, but could he not simply have been trying to see the screen?

No. He turned away from the actual game and faced directly towards the news camera. It's quite unlikely that the TV screen was behind the camera. It was painfully obvious what he was doing.

[Guest American Woman]

Actually, no one knows for sure what he was doing; we just have our opinions based on what we can see, which is very little, and we can hear nothing. He may have been trying to watch the screen, as has been suggested, he may have felt as if she were going to hit him in her exuberance, as has been suggested. It appears to me as if there's another person waving their arm in front of him too, and he doesn't do anything about that. The woman turns to him and smiles after he lowers her arm; she doesn't look at all surprised/shocked by what he did, so perhaps he said something to her that we're unaware of before he briefly lowered her arm.

[punked]

Give me a break

[Moonbox]

If it smells like a fish and looks like a fish it probably is a fish.

He was at Wayne Gretzky's (where a news camera happened to be), sitting directly in front of the news camera (conveniently) and when someone blocked his face from the camera he shoved her arms away.

I think the above make it fairly reasonable to assume he was dying for some media coverage.

[Guest American Woman]

If it smells like a fish and looks like a fish it probably is a fish.

He was at Wayne Gretzky's (where a news camera happened to be), sitting directly in front of the news camera (conveniently) and when someone blocked his face from the camera he shoved her arms away.

I think the above make it fairly reasonable to assume he was dying for some media coverage.

It's not exactly surprising that he would be at Gretzky's, as a lot of other people were, and it's not exactly suprising that there would be a news camera there. Seems like the most logical place for the coverage to be in Toronto.

You have the right to think he was dying for some media coverage, but that doesn't make it so. Also, no one knows if he said anything to the woman beforehand or not, so the claims of assault are rather ludicrious. As I said, she turned to him and smiled, no surprise evident, which one would think would be the case if he just grabbed her arm and lowered it.

At best, it's much ado about nothing.

[fellowtraveller]

It is sheerest coincidence that Layton was front and center in every shot that came from Gretzkys, which was several times in the game.

Purest coincidence I say.

The bigger question is where is Jacks other hand, is he quietly groping that young woman?

[Smallc]

On the other hand...perhaps the camera found Layton, and not the other way around.

[M.Dancer]

On the other hand...perhaps the camera found Layton, and not the other way around.

That's like saying poop finds flies.

[Alta4ever]

On the other hand...perhaps the camera found Layton, and not the other way around.

Watching CTV it did not appear that way he looked like he sought the center of the shot.

[Guest American Woman]

On the other hand...perhaps the camera found Layton, and not the other way around.

Seems to me Layton could have been front and center (ie: with no one in front of him) if that were his goal, but he wasn't. He was behind other people waving their arms. Part of the crowd.

And it is very likely that the camera did find him. Would make sense.