GOP Pollster Appears To Blame Hotel's Broken Elevator On Socialism
A Republican pollster’s bizarre attempt to blame socialism for a broken elevator at a privately-owned five-star hotel in Vienna saw what one person on Twitter joked was him “getting publicly owned.”
Frank Luntz was widely mocked Tuesday following his complaint about the Hotel Imperial, which culminated with his plea: “Please don’t bring European-style socialism to America.”
I’m at the Hotel Imperial in Vienna, Austria. Almost 200 rooms… But the elevator has been broken for 3 days.
Please don’t bring European-style socialism to America. 🚯 pic.twitter.com/axeygJSoBi— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) June 18, 2019
Luntz may have been attempting sarcasm with the post ― as some tweeters speculated:
I honestly can't tell what's real and what's sarcasm anymore. The Trump era has thoroughly broken me. https://t.co/ONhUIcDQsJ
— Emily C. Singer (@CahnEmily) June 18, 2019
But sarcasm often doesn’t translate well on Twitter.
And Luntz, a regular contributor on the widely watched conservative cable network Fox News who last month predicted Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) would win the 2020 Democratic nomination, found himself “ratioed”:
mate you might hate socialism but you're getting publicly owned
— Adam Smith (@adamndsmith) June 18, 2019
Is it socialism when Frank Luntz is publicly owned? https://t.co/z2iu2xMKFv
— Morten Øverbye (@morten) June 18, 2019
imagine being wrong about four separate things in under 100 characters. Really, really impressive. https://t.co/ydQ7PawI7D
— Mike... Byhoff? (@mbyhoff) June 18, 2019
People get irritated with the way the left is bandying about "socialism," but nothing matches the extent to which professional US conservatives have expunged any real meaning from the word https://t.co/qekyd0uKBG
— Ishaan Tharoor (@ishaantharoor) June 18, 2019
you are in a privately owned 5 star hotel my good dude
— Kate Aronoff (@KateAronoff) June 18, 2019
Is the hotel owned by the government? No.
Is every elevator in every hotel in Vienna not working? No.
Since you've been staying there for three days despite no elevator and when there are hundreds of other hotels in the city, the free market is working just fine in Vienna.— Pé Resists (@4everNeverTrump) June 18, 2019
This is just like when my Metro train was delayed this morning and it was 100 percent the fault of free market capitalism. https://t.co/606hP70rZq
— Ian Millhiser (@imillhiser) June 18, 2019
a broken elevator, you say
surely this could never happen in america https://t.co/uT8VWxqFBL— Melanie Schmitz (@MelsLien) June 18, 2019
Ah, I get it. Describe a random annoying thing, then blame socialism for it. Here goes: I was sitting at my desk when the phone rang. Spam call. Please don't bring European-style socialism to America. https://t.co/sTTIITAUuY
— Bob Cesca (@bobcesca_go) June 18, 2019
I feel you, brother. The up escalator at San Jose airport stopped working for half an hour earlier — and next thing you know, the TSA agents were singing the Red Flag and there was a fucking great statue of Lenin in the middle of Starbucks. https://t.co/PQ14KcuZcF
— Michael Marshall Smith (@ememess) June 18, 2019
Broken elevators in privately owned hotels = socialism https://t.co/Ii7gxUjgZM
— Allison Kilkenny (@allisonkilkenny) June 18, 2019
when socialism comes to America, it will be red in the face, drenched in sweat and panting from having to take the stairs https://t.co/ogTXlzwGJT
— Tom Kludt (@TomKludt) June 18, 2019
the Imperial Vienna is privately held but speaking of socialism, congrats on being publicly owned
— Kelsey D. Atherton (@AthertonKD) June 18, 2019
Did the hotel physically prevent you from taking your business elsewhere when you checked in and they told you the elevator wasn't working? No.
Did you make the decision to stay there without government coercion? Yes.
100% not socialism, bud. 100% your decision.— Pé Resists (@4everNeverTrump) June 18, 2019
Because, as we all know, elevators never go down for extended periods of time in the United States.
— Avi Bueno (@Avi_Bueno) June 18, 2019
The closely held Dubai-based Al Habtoor Group reportedly bought the hotel, also known as The Imperial, for $78.8 million from U.S.-based Starwood Hotels and Resorts in 2016. Starwood, a subsidiary of Marriott International, continues to operate the business.
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