Al Franken Takes On Jason Mattera (VIDEO): 'You Have To Shut Up Right Now'

A conservative media activist named Jason Mattera confronted Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) last weekend and has posted video of the incident on YouTube.

In the video, Mattera introduces himself warmly to Franken and then asks him, "Which portions of the health care bill lower costs? Is it the provision giving $7 billion to fund jungle gyms or the provision mandating that employers provide time off for breastfeeding?"

Franken asks him to show him the portion of the legislation that gives "$7 billion to fund jungle gyms." Mattera points to a section of the bill he was carrying with him, but when Franken begins to respond, Mattera interjects: "Why is that the job of the federal government...to create an army of monkey bars? Go ahead, answer it."

At this point, Franken seems to have had enough. "You have to shut up right now and listen to me." Mattera says, "I'm sorry, go ahead." The two continue their back-and-forth as Franken heads up a flight of stairs.

WATCH:

The watchdog group Media Matters fact-checked Mattera's claims about a $7 billion jungle gym slush-fund in the health care bill.

The provision Mattera himself reads refers to giving grants to "provide physical activity opportunities" in order to reduce chronic disease. After falsely claiming that the bill contains a provision "giving $7 billion to fund jungle gyms," Mattera reads the provision he's referring to, which contains no mentions of "jungle gyms." In the "Creating Healthier Communities" portion of the Senate version of the bill, under the section "Community Transformation Grants," entities receiving grants may use them toward activities such as "creating healthier school environments, including increasing healthy food options, physical activity opportunities, promotion of healthy lifestyle, emotional wellness, and prevention curricula, and activities to prevent chronic diseases."

You can read the relevant section of the bill in its entirety here.

Comments

[Heather Mac]

08:38 AM on 04/10/2010

Wow, Mattera, be more of a dick.

Hey, Jason--tell me what's WRONG about giving kids in unsafe areas a safe place to play? We already have public schools and public parks and public health initiatives and I'm pretty sure they're all in desperate need of that funding.

Or about giving women who work time to nurse or express breast milk. Breastfeeding is the number-one best thing you can do for your child's immune system!

[Newsradiohead]

05:14 AM on 04/02/2010

Ugh, Jason Mattera is like the Jersey Shore meets James O'Keefe.

[ersw]

02:00 AM on 04/03/2010

agreed, this jason mattera is a putz :p

like they always said on married with children,

GO AL!!!

[tommyt40]

03:47 PM on 04/06/2010

He's trying to be the next Stuttering John... surprised he didn't ask Al how he was in bed or something...

[Beercandyman]

05:35 PM on 04/01/2010

Al for pres. I loved that he told his staff to let him answer the one question when he could have it to run away. He is no push over.

[RedHeadMNReader]

12:01 PM on 04/09/2010

The GOP can laugh at Al Franken all they want but he embodies what the constitution called for in an elected official. He cares about REAL people because he is a normal joe. I voted for the guy and he is doing a GREAT job for MN. He'd be a good Governor. WAY better than current Governor Tim "Making money off the Middle Class a'Palenty"

[Jeff1958]

10:19 AM on 04/01/2010

hatrickpenry wrote, "Do you people realize that $10 Billion would feed everybody in the U.S. (all 308 mil) 3 squares per day for 10 years?"

$10,000,000,000 / 308,000,000 people x 3 meals/day x 365 days/yr x 10 years)

equals (are you ready?)

$0.003 dollars per meal.

You fail, if you think people spend less than a penny per meal. Like I said earlier, go back to school, junior.

[senatortruth]

07:37 PM on 03/31/2010

flossophy I'm a Fan of flossophy I'm a fan of this user 460 fans permalink
Obama_zombies... perfect.

Reply Posted 04:48 AM on 3/31/2010
*********************************************

Buhs TRAITTORS.

Like YOU.

EQUALLY perfect...

[applebutter]

02:08 PM on 03/31/2010

$7 billion in federal funds put into communities and schools to encourage physical activity and healthy lunches for our children is a bad thing?

No surprise that complaints come from the party that considers ketchup to be a vegetable and bitches about state taxes on sugar drinks and salt and trans fat loaded snacks.

[tommyt40]

03:49 PM on 04/06/2010

And believes that No Child Left Behind would make our kids invincible...

[Princetrumpet]

10:19 AM on 03/31/2010

Well done, Jason. Franken takes solace in cloaking the wasteful nonsense in the bill with vague language and you have shucked the corn down to cob for him by translating precisely what those provisions are truly about. The left hates that! Keep it up.

[applebutter]

02:21 PM on 03/31/2010

Most on the left - and Al Franken - know a fallacious argument when they see one. Most on the right don't.

"Have you stopped beating your wife, yet?"

[Johnniedog]

11:14 AM on 04/30/2010

Guess you don"t realize Franken is but one Vote in the Senate. Being new to the Body ,he does not yet write the Big complicated Bills and has only written one little Bill of his own. Giving Franken all of the prowess and Power is probably flattering but is just not truthful. Try again!!!!

[David Durham]

09:29 AM on 04/01/2010

The key word here is 'translating'. The Right apparently needs 'translators'. Is it because their reading skills are unreliable? It would certainly appear so. It would probably be a good idea for you folks to invest in Rosetta Stone software and learn English.

[MariJman]

07:14 AM on 03/31/2010

If Barack Obama were shooting hoops in Chicago in the 80s and he said that Al Franken was going to be Senator you'd have said he was high!

[NJProgressiveIndie]

06:26 AM on 03/31/2010

Why isn't Mattera "interviewing" Michael Steele on the GOP's "fiscally responsible" use of campaign donations meant for the RNC war chest, to frequent S&M strip club?

Keep that Liberal bashing, Obama-hating rhetoric going and your wallets wide open, GOPers and Tea Party "Patriots..."

[theshadowsmith]

08:43 AM on 03/31/2010

Probably because your tax dollars aren't going to Michael Steele or the RNC. Whereas they are going to build jungle gyms in playgrounds.

[EF3]

11:52 AM on 03/31/2010

Not!

[NJProgressiveIndie]

05:06 PM on 03/31/2010

And of course, the right cares so much about where my tax and every other person in this country's tax dollars are going.

That would explain Medicare Part "Doughnut Hole." Too bad the GOP decided to balance the cost of it on the backs of seniors and their prescription drugs.

And let's not forget the billions in taxpayer dollars pissed down the toilet in Iraq (not to mention all the lives wasted) looking for WMDs that didn't exist. That little adventure wasn't on the books either, but everyone is paying for it now.

Or all of those "fiscally responsible" and "common sense conservative" Masters-Of-The Universe and Too-Big-To-Fail folks who got a massive interest-free taxpayer "loan" as a reward for their reckless behavior that nearly brought the economy down.

Frankly, I'd rather see my tax dollars go towards recreation projects for school children any day of the week, than wars of ego and convenience or bailing out Too-Big-To-Fail, Inc.

[flossophy]

04:48 AM on 03/31/2010

Obama_zombies... perfect.

[Mij13]

05:17 AM on 03/31/2010

The Right is so mad about losing they can't see straight!

[newworldman777]

10:10 AM on 03/31/2010

Hey flossophy...how much is a bucket o' extra crispy?

[floodberg]

04:39 AM on 03/31/2010

Al Franken would have made a really good trial attorney; he doesn't fall for a trick that would have slipped up many of his more experienced colleagues. I never thought I would like him, but I do.

Mattera comes off like an idiot, in his misleading questions, his pseudo-lawyer interrupting and hammering (this doesn't work in a real court), and his desire for an 'ambush' instead of scheduling in advance a filmed interview. I can't believe he has credibility at all.

However, the Pelosi clip (pass HCR so the people can then see what's in it) is worth noting. This is a democratic republic in the age of the internet and downloading; the people should see the reconciled provisions before it's passed, at least for transparency, which was a major issue in the last election. Her argument may not run counter to actual procedure, but it certainly flies in the face of our principles. Pelosi never gave an explanation to rush the vote before voters and experts outside the government could see and analyze the final bill. It does show that the congress was desperate to pass it before the 'mistakes' in HCR were exposed and analyzed by voters. Our legislators don't appear to be rushing to properly amend HCR before the elections, and attention is being shifted to other issues.

[HeavyHitter]

04:53 AM on 03/31/2010

Balderdash. The bill was debated to death. Government cannot succumb to paralysis.

[sambahat]

04:17 PM on 04/14/2010

"This bill was debated to death."
...bullsh*t

[Mij13]

05:06 AM on 03/31/2010

Everyone knew exactly what Nancy meant and she was right. The right had lied so much about what was in it, and now that it has passed, we can all see that she was right and they were lying.

[Harry Mudd]

04:29 AM on 03/31/2010

That tactic PROVES once again the right has NO TRUTH on their side. They're self-discrediting.

[totalliberal]

04:02 AM on 03/31/2010

Silly little self-important toad. Asks really, really dumb questions and won't let him answer. Typical ill educated wanka.

[wonmean]

02:33 AM on 03/31/2010

Disrespect.

[blueskybigstar]

02:19 AM on 03/31/2010

The Republicans have to be called out on their tactics. If someone does not allow you time to answer, then the question is rhetorical and is not meant to be answered.