So Who Was It Who Was Attacked At the Carnahan Event?

Conservatives are claiming that conservative activist Kenneth Gladney was attacked by “union thugs” at a town hall meeting held by Congressman Russ Carnahan.  What seems odd is that Gladney appears fine in the video of the melee, and yet later claimed he needed treatment for injuries to his knee, back, elbow and shoulder.  Two days after the incident, he showed up in a wheelchair to protest the SEIU, the union he claims is responsible for attacking him.

The raw video of the confrontation shows that an SEIU member was pushed to the ground and then you see him holding his shoulder.  Gladney is seen walking around after the supposed attack on him.

Follow this link for a frame-by-frame breakdown of the video.  And here is what Tim Tagaris, media director of the SEIU says:

Both people on the ground during the altercation are SEIU people. The guy who starts the video on his back — dressed in purple — is the SEIU member, pastor, and blind in one eye. He’s the one that gets up holding his shoulder. That is NOT Gladney.

Gladney is the one in the khaki-ish shirt walking around just fine after the altercation. Yesterday, ironically, he was in a wheelchair, too medicated to talk.

Here is the statement by the SEIU’s excutive director, Brandon Davis:

“Last night, in St. Louis, a Reverend and SEIU member was assaulted at a town hall dedicated to discussing our national healthcare crisis. The incident, along with a town hall in Tampa, Florida, has been all over the radio and cable news shows. GOP operatives are rushing to paint it as SEIU thug violence. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

“In fact, the Reverend, a St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter, and others who attended in hopes of a peaceful dialogue about our nation’s healthcare crisis, endured the latest attempt by right-wing fringe groups to hijack the democratic process through violence if necessary. Last night, the Teabaggers’ violent tactics broke and dislocated the shoulder of the Reverend.

“Let’s be clear: These groups, backed by insurance companies and corporate front groups, want nothing more than to preserve the status quo system of rationing, where HMOs choose doctors, and insurance companies deny us the care we need. Their dearest hope is that by resorting to outrageous charges of Nazism and euthanasia, they can make the American public too afraid to support real reform.

“But SEIU and hardworking women and men all over this country are standing up to their bullying tactics. We deserve a national conversation about how we will fix our failing healthcare system and help make this an economy that works for everyone.”

Oh, yeah, Gladney has no health insurance and is soliciting donations.

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.