Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean has a lot of fans in the Netroots, and for good reason. It was Gov. Dean who first embraced the Internet as an effective fundraising and organizing tool (at least, in a major way by a major candidate). It was Gov. Dean who embraced the 50-State Strategy, and put the full power of the DNC behind it. And it was Gov. Dean who invited us bloggers to a barbecue this afternoon, where he chowed down on pulled pork, corn on the cob and yes, watermelon, as he talked freely with the local bloggers.
Thank you Gov. Dean, for the free food, and the incredible opportunity to cover the convention. But the next time you invite a bunch of bloggers into a highly secured area, you might want to make some plans for letting us out.
The Pepsi Center is only three blocks away from the “Big Tent” where the bloggers congregate, but with all the street closures, perimeter check points and security stations, it’s about a half hour trek under the blazing Denver sun. And once we arrived at the arena, it was another 10 minute walk through the parking lot, to a cordoned off area near the railroad tracks, and under the watchful eye of several snipers atop a closed down Circle K. I joked to a colleague as we hiked in that I hoped Gov. Dean really wanted to buy us food and booze… as opposed to rounding us bloggers up and packing us onto internment camp bound railroad cars.
It was just a joke.
Until several bloggers attempted to leave, and were turned back by security.
It turns out that the blogger barbecue was just on the other side of the security perimeter, but still walled off from the outside world. Security personnel told us we weren’t allowed to enter, when really all we wanted to do was exit. It was a little surreal.
It took about a half hour before staff sorted things out, and we were ushered through a media security tent through a back parking lot, but the whole incident was just indicative of the incredibly tight security surrounding the entire convention. I talked with Rep. Jim McDermott (we’ll post the video later) and he says he’s never seen security like this at any previous convention… and I guess that’s a good thing. But it certainly is a bit inconvenient… and at times a touch scary.
I’ve been wondering whether the massive police presence there is simply overcompensating for the fear that another WTO could happen (which makes them look silly), or that the massive police presence is meant to reinforce the Republican frame that left-wing anti-war types are a greater threat than they really are (which makes them look dangerous).
Speaking of reaching-out to “just folks”, here’s Barack Obama “The Elitist” and Joe Biden demonstrating their kind of “elitism”:
http://www.walkadayinmyshoes2008.com/
Uh… no, John McCain didn’t participate in “Walk a day in my shoes”, though he certainly was asked:
http://www.walkadayinmyshoes20.....r-working/
I’m guessing… POW?
I wonder why we haven’t heard the dems make a big deal out of military service this election… oh that is right they have a draft dodger Biden and never served Obama on the ticket. Nevermind.
I’m guessing… POW?
They glued those $500 shoes to his feet, which prevents him from walking in anyone else’s shoes.
Obama, the common man….
Just ask his Bro in Africa.
http://www.vvdailypress.com/ne.....arack.html
Q.
Why won’t Barry walk in his own brothers shoes?
A.
He could care less about him
Why won’t Barry walk in his own [half] brothers shoes?
Why won’t Cindy McCain walk in her own half-sister’s shoes?
Dean might have been the first to embrace the 50 state plan, but B.O. was the first to embrace the 58 state plan…
And you nutroots try to make an issue of McCain not knowing how many investment properties he has. At least he knows how many states there are.
Why won’t Barry walk in his own [half] brothers shoes?
Why won’t Cindy McCain walk in her own half-sister’s shoes?
Whoa, Cindy McCain’s half sister is living off $1.00 a month. This is big news. Please cite/explain????
@5&6 Right Stuff: Styffy, Stuffy, Stuffy, why do you always want the government to get involved in people’s lives? I see your socialist “Republican” anti-American Politburo-styled Judge-and-Jury tactics are alive and well… comrade!
But, if you insist…
Since you don’t read, I won’t bother you with George’s complaint of how he was misrepresented in the Vanity Fair [Italy] “expose”.
Instead, let’s look at John McCain–Uncommonly Ingracious Man:
How war hero John McCain betrayed the Vietnamese peasant who saved his life
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....-life.html
The wife U.S. Republican John McCain callously left behind
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/fem.....ehind.html
…This must be seen coming from a mile away: POW? POW?
Howard Dean says, “Yeeeeeeeeaaaaaggggghhhhh this watermelon be good”. Watching the crowd
at the DNC and I thank God I’m not a democrat.
If the power were to go off, that retarded
crowd would starve to death because they
wouldn’t be able to get out. God damn you
fuckers are entertaining!
@7
Obama is running for president….., and be careful when you equate Barry to Cindy. I mean, resume to resume, she is more qualified to be president than he is.,.She has more executive experience…Had to make a payroll, Founded a charity for children, worked to make the lives of special needs children better, and now sits on the boards of numerous charitable orgs…..
Barry……….School, Community agitator, Gov employee.
12 – Stole and abused drugs from her own medical non-profit, was rehabbed and is now apparently trying to fill the void of her marriage of convenience with over-the-top conspicuous consumption.
@13
Ok, so she ran into trouble with prescription drugs….
She doesn’t hide it…Millions of americans can relate to her…..and overcome the same adversity..
again…so?
@13 YLB: Let’s not disparage Cindy McCain for her drug addiction. More power to her so that she can overcome it. What’s not acceptable is the McCains’ pattern over time (and time again) of repeated disrespect for other Americans. In this case, it’s Cindy. As noted by Lindsay Beyerstein (See http://majikthise.typepad.com/.....-on-c.html for the full story):
As if that wasn’t enough, there’s the official involvement of the “Republican” Party in the pattern of recurring lies that surround the McCains like a storm cloud:
The Anatomy of a Deception: How The McCains Changed Their Baby Adoption Story Just Before 2008 Campaign Began
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....20381.html
It’s not the drugs to be concerned about, but the recurring pattern of lying–and lying when they don’t even need to(!), cheating, and putting other Americans needlessly at risk for their own–personal–reasons.
@1 When only the police have guns, clubs, and tear gas … only the police are dangerous.
Remember the 1968 Chicago police riot?
It was the cops, not the protesters, who rioted.
Let’s never forget that.
Goldy, Goldy, Goldy… You partisan simpleton.
It was McCain that first seriously used the Internet for fundraising and political purposes — back in 2000.
Howard Kurtz, CNN (2/26/2000): “I should add that the candidates themselves are utilizing the Internet, whether it’s McCain raising millions of dollars over the net…”
Bunny Boy @ 16
In the words of the LEFTY Denver protesters:
Re-create ’68!
Re-create ’68!
Re-create ’68!
Re-create ’68!
In EVERY way!
Especially since Obama is trying hard to inherit the crown of slime like Daley.
Oh! And one last news tidbit for you Lefty fans of PLC* Wes Clark:
“Wesley Clark is not attending the Democratic National Convention. Clark was informed by Barack Obama’s people that there was no reason to come.”
* – PLC: Private, Low Class
So this thread is full of the usual right wing inbred asswipe comments so let’s set the record straight.
SIN dee McCain is a vicious druggie cunt who spends 800k a month on her Amex thanks to dad’s money.
McSame is a coward who made 30 propaganda videos for the VC during Nam. This after graduating FIFTH from the bottom of his class and crashing five planes *that we know of.*
The cunts on the right are all about accountability – unless it applies to them.
As for security Goldy – with the number of republican racists out there looking to do evil, it’s probably a good thing.
And watch – at the rethuglican convention next week – it will be even nastier. Unless you’re a gay prostitute. I hear those guys will be given free all access passes to the “GOP” convention since they are in such high demand. Maybe pastor Ted Haggard will lead a special service at the Minneapolis airport bathroom stall where republican Larry Craig practices his “wide stance.”
Larry Craig was just scouting the best bathrooms for the Repub convention. He has since reported his findings back to GOP headquarters..stay tuned.
Dave @ 15: Hmmm, parallels with the Rush Limbaugh story, huh? Rush used his maid to get prescriptions for him, and then tried to blame her when the authorities started closing in on him.
Funny, the first thing you hear whenever those wingnuts or RPE (“Republican Priviledged Elite” get caught, is “how come you are coming after ME? Don’t you have some REAL CRIME (i.e., arresting blacks) to investigate)?”
Remember when Bush insisted that American occupation forces would remain in Iraq only as long as the Iraqis wanted them there? Then this past year the Iraqi government told the Americans they wanted the American forces to leave – their presence was causing more problems then they were solving. At first the Bush administration pretended they didn’t hear them, then they wanted to engage in “talks” towards a future security agreement. The tried to force a security agreement on Iraq which involved permanant U.S. bases in Iraq, and the Iraqi goverment refused to sign.
More recently, the U.S. leaked that it had an “aggrement in principle” that U.S. combat troops would remain in Iraq until 2011, and that “logistics and training troops” would remain indefinately. Today’s news said that the Americans were originally insisting on U.S. combat troops remaining in Iraq until – 2015!!!!!
The Iraqis still haven’t inked the deal, they want ALL U.S. troops out as soon as possible, and they certainly don’t want any open-ended commitment of any sort.
So why is Bush so determined to have an agreement in place before he leaves office which commits the U.S. to a long-term presence in Iraq? Two possibilities come to mind. The first is that it can be the basis for awarding long-term contracts to U.S. contractors, who can then sue the U.S. government for lost profits if they pull out early. The second possibility is that they just want to tie the hands of the next President as much as possible, restricting his options. Finally, they probably want to lay the groundwork to take the credit if things go well in Iraq under an Obama presidency, or to blame Obama when the current government eventually collapses after a U.S. withdrawal.
Either way, it seems to me the Bush administration is pretty convinced that Obama will win. Otherwise, why wouldn’t they just leave it for McCain to negotiate an agreement more to his liking?
Did Howard Dean excite the crowd with his famous scream?