The Dish

Just watch her face at the “bigot’ word.

Gillian Duffy is a life-long Labour voter. She doesn’t like being called a racist because she worries about immigrants; she’s fed up with the welfare state rewarding, as she sees it, the unworthy; she’s working class; she’s not alone. This is Brown’s base. He has essentially attacked his own base in the most condescending two-faced manner possible, on a live microphone, on every broadcast. Imagine if Obama’s gaffe about “clinging to guns and religion” had been uttered by John McCain, about his own base. With a week to go.

Now, with Labour in third place already, what will the millions of voters like Duffy do? Vote Tory? I’d like to think so. Maybe immigration will push her to Cameron. But Duffy’s obvious belief in the classic Labour welfare state makes me suspect she could protest Labour by voting for the Liberal Democrats. Her initial response is that she won’t vote at all – another disaster if replicated for Labour. If millions of Labour voters switch to the Lib-Dems, or stay at home in protest, we are talking about an electoral earthquake of historic proportions. This may be the sound that sets off the avalanche.

Yesterday Gallup found that Republicans are much more enthusiastic about the midterm elections. Patrick Ruffini counts chickens:

I might be setting myself for a healthy serving of crow on November 3rd, but I get a distinct feeling that the GOP may be headed toward to a seat gain in the House of epic proportions — somewhere over 50 seats and well above the historical high point for recent wave elections (the 50-55 seats we experienced in elections like 1946 and 1994). 

All in all, I don't think a 70 seat gain is out of the question. 

Just begging for that Von Hoffmann Award are we, Patrick? So much can happen between now and then. This is a volatile electorate and a core part of the Democratic base – Hispanics – have just been put on notice by the GOP.

Classic:

3.45pm MRS DUFFY'S DOOR HAS OPENED!!! Bringing you more updates as soon as they come.

Yes, poor Gordon had to go back to Mrs Duffy's house and apologize. Jesus. It just doesn't get better for political junkies than this. Seriously, the hacks in Britain have just died and gone to heaven.

(Insta-poster from Tory Bear.)

"Labour must be getting nostalgic for when all they had to worry about was being snubbed by a cartoon pig," – BadJournalism.

American readers may not know "The Thick Of It". You should. It's a kind of British "Office" but set in politics. It features a hapless minister – in this clip getting screwed royally by a reporter – and his political handler (a kind of scatological cross between a truly foul mouthed Karl Rove and a Jack Russell terrier). The series is one of the funniest I've ever seen about politics in its modern formation. But it is also so not safe for work. The expletives that come out of Tucker's mouth are legendary in Britain, but probably closer to reality than we'd like to think. I imagine that some sort of scene like this is happening right now in Britain with Brown. What just happened in Rochdale is art meets reality. Find the Netflix if you can.

Larison defends Ross:

Glenn Greenwald’s response to Ross’ last column badly misunderstands what Ross is arguing and imputes views and motives to him for which there is no evidence. First of all, let’s make clear what Ross is not doing in this or any of his other columns. He is not trying “to pretend that threat-induced censorship is a uniquely Islamic practice.” What he is trying to say is that the response to Islamist “threat-induced censorship” from leading figures in our political and cultural institutions is noticeably different to the response to other kinds of threats and censorship. Perhaps Ross exaggerated some for rhetorical effect, and it is fair to say that Ross overlooks a wide array of political and policy taboos that are enforced all the time, but among most Western politicians, journalists and entertainers there is a greater impulse to self-censorship and a greater willingness to acquiesce in the face of potential or real threats when the subject matter concerns Islam.

Arguably one of the worst gaffes in the history of British politics:

"The Mexican Government has just issued a Travel Advisory recommending Mexicans not to travel to Arizona on business or pleasure," – Arturo Sarukhan, Mexican Ambassador to the US.

(Hat tip: BF)

 Here's the full transcript, revealing the fakeness of Brown and his contempt for the voters:

Duffy: We had it drummed in when I was a child with mine … it was education, health service and looking after the people who are vulnerable. But there's too many people now who are vulnerable but they can claim and people who are vulnerable can't get claim, can't get it.

Brown: But they shouldn't be doing that, there is no life on the dole for people any more. If you are unemployed you've got to go back to work. It's six months.

Duffy: You can't say anything about the immigrants because you're saying that you're … but all these eastern European what are coming in, where are they flocking from?

Later, as he was leaving

Brown: Very good to meet you, and you're wearing the right colour today. Ha, ha, ha: How many grandchildren do you have?

Duffy: Two. They've just got back from Australia where they got stuck for 10 days. They couldn't get back with this ash crisis.

Brown: We've been trying to get people back quickly. Are they going to university. Is that the plan?

Duffy: I hope so. They're only 12 and 10.

Brown: Are they're doing well at school? [pats Duffy on the back] A good family, good to see you. It's very nice to see you.

In the car

Brown: That was a disaster. Well I just … should never have put me in that woman. Whose idea was that?

Aide: I don't know, I didn't see.

Brown: It was Sue [Nye] I think. It was just ridiculous.

Aide: I'm not sure if they [the media] will go with that.

Brown: They will go with that.

Aide: What did she say?

Brown: Oh everything, she was just a sort of bigoted woman. She said she used be Labour. I mean it's just ridiculous.

(Photo: Gillian Duffy meets her prime minister. By Jeff J Mitchell/Getty.)

Labour guru, Peter Mandelson, defends Gordon Brown's meltdown in one of the very few unscripted interactions with a voter not pre-selected to be a Labour supporter:

“He said something he did not believe. He does not believe it publicly or privately."

Oh, man. That's what you want in a prime minister.