Too fun to pass up, especially considering such a big deal was made out of Maria Shriver doing the same.  Have I done it myself?  Yep, and I regret it.  I also haven’t been on the case of law enforcement in recent months.

That’s once-again congressional candidate Francine Busby multi-tasking today.  If anyone wants to claim it’s not her, feel free.  Just not hands free.  It was her.  Her car.  White, an Audi I believe.  Three Busby for Congress bumper stickers.  Oh, and she was in the driver’s seat.

Let’s hope the former school board member was not in a crosswalk at the time.

1. LOL says:

   November 14, 2009 at 6:43 pm

   And I thought Marti Emerald was the only idiot to get caught on tape all the time!
2. regor says:

   November 14, 2009 at 7:09 pm

   So nice. a wantabe politician breaking a law that her party voted in
3. uberVU - social comments says:

   November 15, 2009 at 6:06 am

   Social comments and analytics for this post…

   This post was mentioned on Twitter by sdutLocalPol: Busby caught cellphoning while driving http://tr.im/EYzc...
4. Gwen says:

   November 15, 2009 at 11:01 am

   Dear Mr. Larkin,

   What I’d like to know is if she is stuck in traffic while making a call or answering a call. The photo is only half of the truth. Yeh, I know….no cell phone while driving….

   And, of the bloggers here, who has not made such a call while stuck in traffic??? Come on now….be honest. Are our laws only for politicians we don’t like??? Would you report a Conservative on a cellphone while driving???

   Don’t you have anything more important to report on???
5. Greg Larkin says:

   November 15, 2009 at 2:38 pm

   Like I said…too fun to pass up. Do I really care that she was doing what most of us have done? No. Should it be ignored? No on that one too.
6. Greg Larkin says:

   November 15, 2009 at 2:42 pm

   For the record, the car was in motion.
7. Jim Sills says:

   November 15, 2009 at 5:23 pm

   Gwen:

   I’ve never made a phone call while stuck in traffic, and doubtless many others here can say the same.

   The #1 responsbility of any California motorist is to protect the safety of their passengers, and of other drivers. That means paying attention to driving… not cell phones or text messaging.

   As a popular bumper sticker says, “Hang Up and Drive”.
8. D7 voter says:

   November 15, 2009 at 7:07 pm

   I do make calls while in traffic…the legal way, using my bluetooth. I do believe Audis come with bluetooth capability. Ms. Busby should learn how to use it. No excuse is sufficient for her irresponsible action.
9. I'll give you a buzz-bee from the car says:

   November 15, 2009 at 7:41 pm

   Leave it to Gwen to come on here and defend the indefensible. Come on, if Busby had Bilbray on camera doing this, she’d be demanding the DA get involved.
10. Gwen says:

    November 16, 2009 at 9:35 am

    Not defending breaking a law, my point is that the law is not very enforceable, as you can see…. for politicians and regular folks. And yes, it’s better to have a handsfree cellphone when driving.
    And, do we really know the circumstances behind the photo? Again, photos can be hard to believe at times depending on the source. Most people take a photo and totally believe what they see. If this photo had come from a reliable news agency, I would find it more believable. The one of Maria Shriver came from such a source, and resulted in an apology (rightfully) from the governor’s wife.
11. How Rich says:

    November 16, 2009 at 9:51 am

    In re your comment on ‘reliable news source’ presumably you mean Rostra? I’ve actually found it pretty reliable!
12. Anonymous says:

    November 16, 2009 at 11:08 am

    lol what’s so hard to believe about the photo? She had a phone up to her ear, she wasn’t dialing or hanging up. The photographer said the car was in motion. Are there extenuating circumstances I’m missing? Was someone on fire and in need of an emergency phone call? Busby looks to be calmly just sitting on the phone and talking while driving. This isn’t make or break, she shouldn’t drop out because of this, it is just funny that she is blatantly breaking the law.
13. Rostra Administrator (Thor's Assistant) says:

    November 16, 2009 at 11:57 am

    No concerns about the lack of a reliable news source. The UT tweeted this post the other day. Didn’t ask questions about the veracity of the photo. Just tweeted it. To hundreds of followers on Twitter. Maybe because the photo speaks for itself, with or without all the inane questions about whether she was standing still or in traffic. By the way, when you have an open container in a vehicle, it’s still not okay if you are sitting still in traffic. Doh.
14. Gwen says:

    November 16, 2009 at 9:15 pm

    RA:
    LIke where was it taken? What time of day? The source? You know….the usual journalistic info necessary to verify an incident …or anything for that matter that would be reported in a reputable news source. Rostra is a blog.

    The tweet mentioned could be called into question. Photos do not always speak for themselves. Not in today’s techno age. To believe otherwise is naive.
15. Greg Larkin says:

    November 16, 2009 at 9:47 pm

    Gwen, you are funny. I am the source. It was taken on a major roadway. In San Diego. Time of day? That’s really funny. It was the part of the day when it’s legal to talk on the phone while driving.

    Why are you so worked up about this? This is just a blog. You sure spend a lot of time rebutting a non-reputable news source. Commenters like you are a delight to have around.

    Since I started this whole thing by pointing out how it’s only as big a deal as the media made out the Maria situation, I will extend an offer: If Busby wants to deny it is a photo of her on the cell while driving, she or someone from her office can post a comment letting us know. If they do so, then I will give her the benefit of the doubt.

    After all, it could just be someone that looks like her, in a car like hers, with Busby bumper stickers on the back.
16. Gwen says:

    November 17, 2009 at 7:07 am

    So Greg,
    What are you doing holding a camera while driving??

    No law for that just yet?
17. Greg Larkin says:

    November 17, 2009 at 8:02 am

    I can’t believe it took you that long to ask the obvious, since you are so obvious. Never said I was driving. The answer: I was holding a camera while in a vehicle to take a picture of Francine Busby, once I saw she was on her cell phone. Pretty simple.
18. Gwen says:

    November 17, 2009 at 11:59 am

    Dear Greg,
    So, you were chasing this car to take photos because it had Busby stickers on it? With you in the back seat camera in hand? OMG! You’re way too funny. You need a life, big guy. It’s a weird way to chase women.

    Please get your photo facts correct. The picture, because of the cropping, doesn’t show the environment….whether this was taken in traffic or not, whether the traffic is moving, as you claim. She, whoever she is, could be sitting in a parking lot, getting ready to drive away. She, could also be pulling at her ear, as some people due when thinking. Or, maybe you need a better camera. I would still question the source given what I DO KNOW NOW. Thank you for your confirmation.
19. Greg Larkin says:

    November 17, 2009 at 1:53 pm

    Yawn. Car pulled alongside the vehicle, and I saw it was Busby. On her phone. Couldn’t resist the irony. Took a picture.
20. really, Gwen? says:

    November 17, 2009 at 7:59 pm

    Gwen,

    Are you Busby or just one of her staff members? Again, Mr. Larkin has asked for Busby or her campaign to come out if she doesn’t think this is her. You keep defending her, but have you actually asked her or staff? I presume by your defense of the candidate that you know her or care for her. Let us know if this is false. I have also heard there are other photos that have the license plate with the full road in view. Just saying…
21. Save 'em says:

    November 17, 2009 at 8:30 pm

    Save the other photos in case a denial is forthcoming. Wouldn’t that be a hoot. Even more than Gwen!!
22. Gwen says:

    November 18, 2009 at 8:20 am

    Again, photos can be taken out of context…..just like speech. If you’re going to try and nail someone breaking a law, you need to have context. The image above does not qualify due to lack of context. It is not verifiable….and therefore not believable.
23. Gwen says:

    November 19, 2009 at 10:46 am

    What piqued me about this particular blog was that a photo was being used to give visual proof to an presumed illegal action of a Democrat. It just reminded me of the FOX News/Hannity incident a week ago in which a recent protest held in DC, having few protestors, was “buffed up” with a film clip from a previous protest this past summer. An astute person on MSNBC caught the discrepancy of the background, green leaf trees versus the fall foliage of the more recent film clip. The effect was to make a small protest look bigger. Oops says FOX. Considering the source of the imagery, it was not a surprise to see this happen.
24. Rostra Administrator (Thor's Assistant) says:

    November 19, 2009 at 11:44 am

    Nothing like getting the last word, after one’s previous last word. I believe we fully get your position at this point. Still no denial or rebuttal from Team Busby.
25. yep says:

    November 19, 2009 at 1:57 pm

    the silence from team busby is deafening. The ridiculous posts from Gwen is laughable!
26. Anonymous says:

    November 19, 2009 at 2:10 pm

    lol taken out of context!?!? What context? There is no context! She was driving while talking on her cell phone! THE END! It doesn’t matter when or where, if the traffic was moving or not (what, does she put the phone down the moment she needs to hit the gas). The why MIGHT matter if she was in a dire emergency but she looks pretty calm to me. This isn’t a big deal, this isn’t like conspiring to commit federal voter fraud or assaulting a law enforcement officer or anything, it is just funny…she got caught breaking a minor law, end of story.
27. Gwen says:

    November 19, 2009 at 8:44 pm

    And that’s just why “Team Busby” doesn’t feel the need to respond. Nothing to respond to…..
28. Anonymous says:

    November 20, 2009 at 3:25 am

    Oh, there is PLENTY to respond to, there is just nothing she can possibly defend, and why bother with an “I’m sorry” for the sake of being authentic.
29. Gwen says:

    November 20, 2009 at 7:13 am

    I say if you want someone to be “authentic”, then you need to be authentic when you are trying to nail someone for a minor infraction.
30. yep says:

    November 20, 2009 at 11:07 am

    nobody is trying to “nail” someone with a minor infraction. This was simply something political junkies would get a kick out of – nothing that would kill her campaign. Gwen – you have made this more of a story that anyone else.

    Also, what is not “authentic” about this post?
31. Rostra Administrator (Thor's Assistant) says:

    November 20, 2009 at 11:28 am

    This was in essence funny, as other readers have repeatedly indicated. They get it, anyway. No big deal, not a career ender, not a campaign ender, simply humorous political fodder, and obviously not as big a deal as Maria Shriver, but if that one is worth any time spent, well then so is this.

    But, enough time has now been spent, mostly by “Gwen,” who apparently doesn’t get that this blog is also about irreverance and fodder, not just the serious. She has extended this well past it’s worthy life shelf, which in reality was about two days max. The fact that she can’t get off it, and has extended an otherwise minor story into days, shows simple political obtuseness. It has become tiresome, quite frankly.

    So, comments are now closed on this entry. Done. Fin-ay, so to speak.

    If Busby or her people would still like to make a comment or a denial, however, we won’t block that info, as such information would only be fair to share, maybe worth it’s own entry. Mr. Larkin’s offer will thus remain open, if they would like to send an email to info@sdrostra.com, the info will be posted.