When I think of protesters in general, I remember Gallagher describing living in Los Angeles as similar to ‘living in a bowl of granola. What ain;t fruits and nuts is flakes.’ At any rate I can’t imagine why the Democrats think that flooding the zone with protesters during the convention is going to be a successful strategy.
Most people watching the convention closely have probably already made up their mind. When middle America sees the International ANSWER crowd marching down Broadway, or naked protestors for Aids funding (where were they during the Clinton years?), or anarchists protesting the people that hire most Americans, I can’t see how this is going to be viewed as positive for Kerry and Edwards.
For fun, I think we should count the number of times during the RNC that the television networks and the cable companies run major speeches spli screen with the protestors. Counting the ways the networks attempt to sabotage the convention could be fun. Someone else will have to watch Dan Rather, though. I am trying to watch my blood pressure.
S.W. Anderson
Implicit in your post is that *all* who show up in NYC to protest during the GOP convention are Democrats or at least have Democrats’ support and blessing. And the more bizarre and offensive, the better, right? Longing for the days of longhaired, scruffy, flag-burners with dilated pupils, are we?
Sorry, but what you’re likely to find are some itinerant hell-raisers who go wherever there’s a big, well-publicized gathering they think they can exploit. They’re not Democrats, not even political. Most got their start in high school (before dropping out), turning dances and parties into brawls, and football games into riots.
But hey, what’s wrong with trying for a little guilt by association?
But the, maybe that cuts both ways. . .
Who was that self-proclaimed Louisiana white supremacist who could even find good things to say about Hitler a few years back? Didn’t he run for office as a Republican? Oh, and then there’s that Ryan guy in Illinois
John Cole
SW- I know there will be a lot of the types you describe, but what am I supposed to think when these protestors were not present at the DNC, and when McAuliffe is on record encouraging protesters to create mayhem
S.W. Anderson
If McAuliffe is in fact guilty of inciting a riot, he ought to be arrested. If he really urged people to commit mayhem, he’s opening himself up to, at least, serious civil-law consequences if people get slashed and dismembered, and what you say can be proven in court.
I must admit I haven’t been following the man’s every utterance. But I suspect what he’s actually done is encourage people to turn out and make their dissatisfaction with various aspects of Bush/Republican governance known, even raucously, which seems fair enough.
Ummm, John?
Any violence will be spun badly against Kerry. Period. Kerry don’t want no protests.
The protests will be in New York no matter what.
It’s what happens when you postpone your convention so it can be held closer to the eleventh of September. In New York.
sjvan
David Duke ran in Lousiana *calling* himself a Republican, which he had every right to do since Lousiana has open primaries. But the Republican Party denounced him, did not fund him, and endorsed and funded another candidate. They had no control at all over what Duke decide to put next to his name on the ballot.
The true scandel was how many voted for him. But since Louisiana is historically strongly Democrat, it wouldn’t make as good a story. And while a lot of people voted for him, he didn’t come close to winning. Just finished a stint in Angola for fraud, as a matter of fact. I think things worked out pretty well.
This is something I know about. I lived in Lousiana then, and lived in the district he ran from. His “home of record” was just down the street, a cheap apartment without a stick of furniture (I looked in the window). I lived across the street from from his polling place, and watched him go to vote from my front porch. Cameras running, and folks were refusing to shake his hand. I think one guy spit on him. None of this on the News that night, though. Pretty odd, too, that there had been death threats, and not a single state cop on protective detail.
shark
Who was that self-proclaimed Louisiana white supremacist who could even find good things to say about Hitler a few years back
You mean Sen. Robert “KKK” Byrd?
I mean, you want to talk about guilt by association….
I’m a Republican living in NYC and I’m wearing BC04 shirt this weekend.
Let the games begin!
jeff
SW, as sjvan said, when Duke ran for Governor and tried to run for President, the RNC shunned him and when he tried to run for President, th RNC shamed him out of the race.
Compare that to the fact that the Democrats had a known bigot, slanderer, riot-inciter and anti-Semite running for President and they didn’t shun him, they gave good ol Reverend Al a prime speaking slot at their convention.
Declan
Gotta love it when people bring up Jack Ryan who wanted to boff his wife (his WIFE) at a ‘grand old sex party’ but not a peep about this moron McGreevey who is the Governor in my home state.
Good ole McGreevey
Jumbo
I’m old enough to have watched the 1968 DNC in Chicago live as it happened. There was absolute anarchy. All it did (other than tend to radicalize the Democrats in such a way as to make John Kerry possible), was to convince most of America that if the rioters thought THE DEMS weren’t far enough left, then the Republicans were a far better choice to run the country.
This is going to backfire spectacularly on the Michael Moore crowd.
S.W. Anderson
sjvan and all,
My point is that neither party has an exclusive lock on virtue or virtuous people and both at any given time have their, uh, lesser lights or embarrassing characters.
Right now, there’s a former Republican governor in jail for having killed someone on the highway while speeding and there’s a former U.S. representative in jail for (as best I can recall) fraud and embezzlement. A little humility is in order all around.
Mark
S.W.,
I few other beauties:
There is also a former Democratic governor in jail (Edwin Edwards of Louisiana, ironically, who beat David Duke that year – hence the “I’m voting for the crook over the Klansman” slogans). Former Democratic governor Don Siegelman of Alabama is also facing prosecution for several corruption schemes in Alabama, the biggest I believe involves the state Medicaid system.
Mikey
“Think I’m going down to the rally tonight
And watch all the hippies limp on by
They have bald spots and dentures and grandbabies
And I – R – As
Yeah just watching them try to recapture a little of the glory of
Well the time slips away and leaves you with nothing, comrade
But boring stories of
Protest days, yeah they’ll pass you by,
Days of rage, tear gas in your eye,
Protest days, days of rage”
my apologies to Mr. Springsteen
Rick
And don’t forget Clinton’s successor as governor of Arkansas. One of Ken Starr’s string of succes…er, complete waste of taxpayer money.
Cordially…
Stephen M. St. Onge
Yes, the protesters may well harm the democratic cause. You know what? They won’t care.
For many people, protesting is about how good it makes them feel, not about influencing policy.
John Cole:
There were a lot of protesters at the Dem’s convention, but they were locked away from the convention hall, and the media [sarcasm] for some reason I can’t begin to imagine [/sarcasm] didn’t want to cover them.
Declan:
The Israeli toy boy is currently claiming he was not in charge of security for New Jersey. He was in charge of making appoints for the Governor to discuss security. In other words, a secretary. Feel better now?