McDonnell drops F-bomb in live interview
WASHINGTON (CNN) - Bob McDonnell, the normally-disciplined Republican candidate for governor in Virginia, mistakenly blurted out the F-bomb during a live radio interview on Friday.
Appearing on Washington-area radio station WTOP, McDonnell was sparring with host Mark Plotkin on the topic of transportation funding.
Plotkin asked if McDonnell would consider an increase in the state gasoline tax to help fund the transportation budget. McDonnell said no, and uttered the expletive during his response.
"So no tax will be raised during your four-year term?," Plotkin asked.
McDonnell answered: "I'm going to find other ways to be able to fund transportation. I've outlined twleve f-ing funding mechanisms that are creative, that are entrepreneurial."
The remark was first flagged by the Virginia Democratic blog NotLarrySabato.
McDonnell is running against Democrat Creigh Deeds in the governor's race, one of two marquee political battles in 2009 along with the New Jersey governor's race.
UPDATE: McDonnell communications director Tucker Martin said McDonnell's remark was nothing more than a verbal flub.
"At one point Bob was speaking quickly, and in trying to say 'funding mechanism,' he stumbled and accidentally said another word," Martin said. "It was unintentional, and anyone who spends any time around Bob knows he does not use such language. It was an accident. It is that simple."
Martin called it "disappointing" that the Deeds campaign is spending "so much time and energy aggressively pushing this absolutely trivial matter to every blog and media outlet they can think of."
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How is your retirement fund looking?
Who did that to you?
It wasn't the Democrats.
Do you in Virginia want this man as Governor.?..... with his vulgar language that goes over the airwaves to children and all of us?..Im don't... He is seeking a mysterius funding for items of need in Virginia... that could be called ... blank.... funding... Some future governor.. WE need a better Chrisatian than that man...Mr. Deeds is in control of himself at least ....This man McConnel is not in control of anything....
And the hits for the Repubs just keep on coming......
His church family, as well as his wife and children must be so proud.
Oh I forgot, this is only offensive when a Democrat says it.
ADDENDUM:
Although I remain unconvinced that Mr. McDonnell intended to say that word, it is, to me, a wonderful word for which there is often no substitute, especially in intimate situations.
I don't know if the funding mechanisms will be entrepreneurial, but I'm sure if they are f-–g mechanisms, they will be creative.
Dems never use that word.
I think it is very foolish for us to make any judgment about Bob McDonnell based on whether or not he used the 'f bomb' in an interview. It is more important to discuss his views on the issues that affect our country.
Another GOPer who speaks before he thinks.
You consider this news and yet you have not covered ACORN issues????????
Now we know why you are lacking.
CNN is in the left pocket and cannot be considered a "news " source. They are a Dem mouth piece.
So many of you talk about how bad this man is and yet you give Sen Webb a pass. Military women stood up and said it did not affect them when he said women were not leaders and could never be a leader in a combat situation. I was also a military member at the time and what he said was a serious set-back for all women serving in the military. It set the tone from the top and some very senior military men repeated what he said more than once to me. Yet some of you give him a pass but want to hang McDonnell. How can you look at yourself in the mirror while you excused one and then condemn the second?
I wouldn't make that much of this sort of thing, since absolutely everyone speaks like this in private. Only really should be an issue if the guy is a crusader for "family values" and for strict broadcast indecency issues. Then, it would be fair to attack him for hypocrisy. Don't know enough about him though (though he seems to have had a lot of recent embarrassments).
Tell me something I dont know about Republicans CNN. We all know they are in a meltdown and going bonkers especially since the past 2 electon cycles. A movie can be made of their crazyness. So please stop wasting me time reading about their predictable behavior. For God sakes, this is the party that call their President a LIAR, and tweets when he speaks.
He must have learned that word from Dick Cheney.
So he made a slip in his speech. Even the great one has his moments. Lets get serious and worry about real problems such as bring home our boys for one. To some I would say get a life.
The Christian GOP has gotten so mean, and that type of behavior is expected.
Like Democrats running for office don't make mis-statements or use foul language? Puhleeze! This guy is no different from any other politician from either party.
I guess folks can't see the fact he was saying "Funding" and not "F__ing", but I would not expect the uneducated in the blogosphere to understand, nor point that out.
it's just more of the those good old-fashioned Republican family values!
Who cares if he used the F WORD, it is all in the spirit of being a very good Christian, and being so much better then most people it is OK for him to use it.
there is increasingly no such thing as a disciplined Republican.
this man slipped, let it go, but he obviously is sloppy and very likely this will enter into the coming race
my wish is that he be voted out
What is the matter with Republicans? Are they imploding?
McDonnell can go "F" himself
I got an F bomb and it for every single one of our politicians. All of you are a bunch of jokes. It is not your money. It is the tax payers money. What are you going to do if we decide to revolt as a country and quit paying taxes? Time to boycott the IRS and send a real message to this F-ing joke of a government.
No more f-ing taxes!!