From The Pilot:

A video of Rep. Bob Etheridge physically confronting a college student in Washington brought back unpleasant memories for one former Moore County resident.

Brandon Leslie, who moved away seven years ago and is now an attorney in Oxford, Miss., said he had an encounter with the now seven-term Democratic congressman from Lillington almost 14 years ago.

In the fall of 1996, when Leslie was a senior at Pinecrest High School, he said he met Etheridge at a Pinecrest football game. Etheridge – then the state superintendent of public instruction – was challenging incumbent Republican David Funderburk for his congressional seat. At the time, Moore County was part of the 2nd District, which Etheridge now represents.

Leslie said he introduced himself to Etheridge and asked him about his stance on a particular education program. He said Etheridge didn’t answer his question, so he pressed him two more times.

“And that’s when he grabbed me by the shoulders, he shook me, and I’ll never forget it, he said, ‘Son, you need to learn to respect your elders,’” he said by phone on Wednesday. “I was just so taken aback, I think my jaw just dropped, and he walked off.”

Leslie said he was angrier about Etheridge’s attitude and “patronizing” tone than the physical contact.

“It wasn’t to hurt me, it wasn’t to harm me,” he says. “It was that he was irritated and wanted to get my attention.”

Leslie said the incident caused somewhat of a firestorm at the time, and he was contacted by a few newspapers, but no stories ever appeared.

Continue reading here. In 1996, newspapers could get away with ignoring a story like this. Today, not so much.

Democrat Representative Bob Etheridge was recently asked if he fully supports the Obama agenda, provoking an angry and violent response from the Congressman.

We had no idea that this was such a provocative question – and we wanted to find out why it’s such a dangerous line of inquiry.  So at great risk to our own personal safety, we took our cameras to the underground walkways of Chicago, the epicenter of Obamamania, to see if the question was just as dangerous to ask here as it is in D.C.  What we discovered will shock you.  Viewer discretion is advised.

Rep. Bob Etheridge’s assault of student videographers clearly hit a nerve with the American public. The video of his attack was the most watched video on YouTube yesterday. How to explain that?

For months, the legacy media and national Democrats have struggled to convince the public that the Tea Party movement was a dark harbinger of violence. Yet, all acts of violence and intimidation have come from the left. We’ve seen-and reported-these events, but the Etheridge video encapsulated it better than any other. We have a political class. They don’t like criticism and have a general disdain for the American public. Today, though, we have tools to hold them accountable.

Big Government Editor Mike Flynn joined Sean Hannity last night to discuss the Etheridge video and the fall-out from the assault.

U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge (D-Lillington) released the following statement on the viral video which appeared on the internet today:

“I have seen the video posted on several blogs. I deeply and profoundly regret my reaction and I apologize to all involved. Throughout my many years of service to the people of North Carolina, I have always tried to treat people from all viewpoints with respect. No matter how intrusive and partisan our politics can become, this does not justify a poor response. I have and I will always work to promote a civil public discourse.”

Rep. Bob Etheridge (NC-02)