Politics

People Pleased With Themselves For Throwing Stuff at Politicians, Ranked

As Hillary Clinton learned today, there is a long tradition of political figures getting stuff thrown at them. And the stuff-throwers are almost always very proud of themselves and the statement they have made with footwear, food and party decorations.

By Sara Morrison
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As Hillary Clinton learned today, there is a long tradition of political figures getting stuff thrown at them. And the stuff-throwers are almost always very proud of themselves and the statement they have made with footwear, food and party decorations. Sometimes, however, they very much regret it.

Here they are, ranked in order of how pleased they are with themselves, from worst (it wasn't worth it) to first (my greatest shining moment):

6. John Prescott, Deputy Prime Minister of England

Welsh farmer Craig Evans thought it would be pretty funny and harmless to throw an egg at a 62-year-old out-of-shape man in 2001, but he apparently didn't realize that Prescott was once an amateur boxer. Prescott had to be physically pulled off of Evans, who later whined to the Daily Mail that he suffered a bloody nose and bruises from the United Kingdom's second-in-command. Evans also said he wished he hadn't thrown the egg in the first place. Prescott would later title his autobiography Pulling No Punches.

5. Sarah Palin, former vice presidential candidate

Sarah Palin stopped by the Mall of America in 2009 to sign copies of her autobiography. Jeremy Paul Olson threw two tomatoes at her, but missed her by such a wide margin that she never even knew it happened. Olson did manage to hit a police officer in the eye. He was found guilty of disorderly conduct and banned from the Mall of America for a year. If he'd managed to hit his target, he might have had something to smile about, but this was just a waste of good produce.

4. Various Republicans

Remember 2011-2012, when glitter-bombing was big? Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney and more were victims of the pro-gay rights protest. Santorum got hit so often that in some cases, it was a pretty casual exchange, with Santorum and protestor going their own separate ways afterwards. The glitter-tossers never seemed like they particularly enjoyed what they were doing, nor did their targets seem to mind the attack. And then it turned out that you could be charged with "firing a missile" and six months in jail for it. The contrite protestor who faced that charge said it was "my epic downfall and I'll never do it again."

3. George W. Bush, President

You all knew this was coming. In 2008, then-president George W. Bush visited Iraq and Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi threw not one, but two shoes at him while yelling "This is a farewell kiss from the Iraqi people, you dog!" Al-Zaidi was seen as a hero for his actions and has never apologized for them, saying he was standing up for his country against a "criminal." His family said they were proud of him. His political statement made worldwide headlines, even though Bush ably avoided both shoes and shrugged off the attack. Al-Zaidi would be higher on this list if he hadn't been beaten and tortured by security officials and sent to jail for nine months.

2. Hillary Clinton, former First Lady, Senator and Secretary of State

She may not have connected with her target, but the unidentified woman who launched a shoe at the possible 2016 presidential candidate is still pretty damn proud of herself. After the shoe toss, she walked right up to the authorities and turned herself in, then marched out of the auditorium, hands thrust in the air, even though it doesn't appear that security officers ordered her to do so.

1. Roxana Baldetti, vice president of Guatemala

No one has ever been so thrilled with herself as Dayra Cotton was after tossing flour in the face of her country's second in command. After hitting Roxana Baldetti in the face with the grain, sending her to the hospital with difficulty breathing, Cotton smirked her way to the auditorium lobby, where she had an impromptu press conference.

"I have the right to express myself freely," she shrugged.

Her partner in crime, Geraldine del Cid, looked pretty content with herself as well as she was led away in handcuffs.

Seriously, have you ever seen someone as self-satisfied as Cotton in this freeze frame just moments before she unleashed her grain weapon?

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.