RNC Dispatch--Day 3 Photos

More pictures from the Republican National Convention, as Sen. John McCain's Vice Presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin gave her acceptance speech and a wonderful succession of GOP speakers--Michael Steele, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Linda Lingle, and finally Rudy Giuliani--helped build the adequate emotional charge with speeches that were quite powerful, and included great rhetorical gems like Steele's "Drill, baby, drill!" that were repeated throughout the night.


Security was tight, but once past the innermost line of defense against the uncredentialed and unhinged protesters, the mood was fairly relaxed.


Feeding frenzy at the RNC shop.


Michigan delegates sport hockey jerseys in support of Sarah Palin's veep speech Wednesday night.


Ushers were very adamant about this rule.


Even before Palin delivered her acceptance speech, "Palin Nuts" were going crazy for John McCain's pick.


Rudy Giuliani fired up the crowd and joined the audience in a bit of laughter at the Democrats' expense.


Colorado delegates wore matching shirts and occupied prime real estate in front of the center teleprompter.


"Hockey Moms for Palin" from Michigan.


The enthusiasm was palpable, even from the nosebleeds.


My (remote) view--Palin supporters nearly blew the roof off the Xcel Center.


The best look at Palin came from the large side screens behind the podium--this was my view of the convention.


As loud as the crowd was Wednesday night, it probably did little good to have the booth enclosed.

RNC--Quick Reflections; More To Come

Tons of pictures (celebrities, hardcore GOP supporters, etc.) to sort through and video to load--as well as recaps and reflections on other aspects of the RNC.

Wanna know why the usual SP coverage wasn't, shall we say, the same as usual?

The convention had a steep learning curve--in terms of expectations and ability to cover the event. Apparently I'm not alone, as Ben DeGrow points out in a link to Rick Moran. Hard to "blog" and get the type of material I would like, or make the networking connections and tap into a larger sense of community when bloggers are banished to the extreme nosebleed seats behind the stage, with no view of the speakers, and then asked to navigate the labyrinth of the Xcel Center to the press filing room where the only "free" Internet is located. And without even a temporary, revolving access to the floor to meet the state's delegates or get a sense of the convention's pulse, it is not difficult to say whether or not it might have been easier to "blog" the convention from my hotel room. Other than the "just happy to be here" feeling that quickly eroded once the reality of the arrangement set in, the convention organization and blogger accommodations made frustration the order of the day.

Oh well, there's always 2012!

Stay tuned . . . I'll blog from the road as I make my way back to Denver.

RNC Day 4: Reflections On John McCain's Solemn Acceptance

John McCain--genuine humility, a record of service to his country, solemn and understated.

Barack Obama--his ego writes checks his record can't cash.

The stark contrast between the two acceptance speeches by the respective candidates can't be stated in any easier terms or demonstrated in a simpler manner than to compare how McCain reached out to Obama in a gesture of respect, while only a week earlier Obama's hostile criticism appeared to reveal a bitterness that did little to represent "hope and change." Obama's cynicism was exceeded only by the sense of true optimism and real hope and change that a McCain administration would bring.

McCain's message and that of the RNC the entire week--freedom and responsibility, service and sacrifice.

Obama and the DNC? Government, government, government. Not "you're on your own" but "we own you."

The land of opportunity vs. crisis and criticism.

Policy specifics are overrated. It is the comparative vision of each party and each candidate that creates the path that each candidate will follow on the campaign trail and after the election. The destination matters, but so does the route by which the destination is reached.

Liberty and open-mindedness vs. dogged reliance on outdated philosophies that have been recycled again and again by a party that relies on a sense of victimization rather than an admiration for the ability to achieve and to go one's own way.

Washington insiders, government handouts, and pork barrel spending.

Mavericks, tax cuts, fiscal responsibility.

McCain envisions a future for America. Obama chooses to wallow in the past.

Of the two candidates, only one offers real hope and change.

And I just watched his acceptance speech tonight in St. Paul, Minnesota.

RNC Day 3--Protester Updates; Sarah Palinpalooza!

Gateway Pundit has kept a close eye on the plans of leftist/anarchist protesters for the RNC, including kidnapping delegates, and CodePink became so offensive that the mellow Jim Hoft of Gateway Pundit came a bit unhinged--but in a good way!

More on the way . . .

Dispatches From The RNC-A Subdued Day One Inside The Xcel Center; Crazed Leftists Attack Delegates

Xcel Energy Center primed for Republican National Convention.


A view from the upper level--a much simpler design.

Gateway Pundit has extensive coverage of the serious and dangerous attacks on delegates and other guests of the RNC, including bags of cement tossed off bridges at passing buses, water/bleach spraying of delegates, tire slashings, etc., not to mention urine bombs, molotov cocktails and other devices seized over the weekend.

Brad Jones of Face the State is also in Minneapolis-St. Paul for the convention and has extensive coverage of the events in and around the Xcel Center, including blogger credentialing (there are 200 credentialed blogs at the RNC), proximity of protesters to the venue, and an important question for both parties--where are the young people at national political events?

On to the photos:


At least 80 feet separated the enclosed protesters from the inner perimeter of the Xcel Center in this area.


Stop the War!


"Brains not Bombs!" "McCain = Bush"


The socialists were out as well.


Closing the gate on protesters.


The security checkpoint was evenly distributed and quite efficient, and the buses just a short distance away.


Protesters had been confined to the narrow passage in the center, and funneled away from the Xcel Center off to the right.

Celebrity sightings:


Actor and on-screen tough guy Robert Davi chatted with guests on the 2nd floor of the Xcel Center.


Kevin Farley and Robert Davi posed for photos while discussing their new comedy, "An American Carol" due out October 3 (trailer), directed by David Zucker of "Airplane" and "Naked Gun" fame.

The effects of Hurricane Gustav:


A steady crowd monitored the reports on Hurricane Gustav.


Red Cross operations set up information tables and called for donations and other relief efforts.


First Lady Laura Bush and Sen. John McCain's wife Cindy McCain urge delegates and RNC guests to join the relief effort in any way they can.

Blogger and press digs:


Two words: Free.  Internet.


Working hard or hardly working?

Dispatches From The RNC-The Drive To Minnesota

I hate the wind.

Ok, not really hate so much as dislike intensely, especially when it forces you to drive 10 miles under the speed limit through a rather boring stretch of South Dakota.

Yes--I drove (won't be a green convention for this blogger!).

However, lest you think I shirked my blogger duties, here is a sample of what I saw along the way, which included a stop in the Black Hills of South Dakota and a visit to the Crazy Horse Monument (which likely won't be finished in our lifetimes, but is entirely financed through--shocker--private enterprise) and, of course, Mount Rushmore:


BFE, Wyoming.


Custer, SD


Crazy Horse Monument


"Authentic," but waaay overpriced.


A preview of how the mountain will eventually look, sometime around 2500. Just kidding (not really).


Made in Denver.


Just in time for the evening lighting ceremony.


Come on, Vogue!


All lit up.


When I was last here in 1994, there was a much smaller, old-school National Monument building and very little improvements (since the 1960s). A larger parking lot and entrance, enhanced museum, new amphitheater, and this flag-lined walkway all augmented the decidedly patriotic experience.

I'll have video from the lighting ceremony tomorrow.

First, we watched a Mount Rushmore "Cliff Notes" video on the four Presidents represented, and then members of the audience who were veterans of our armed forces (or a representative) were invited to the stage for the nightly flag lowering, carried out with much dignity.  Our ranger narrated the Star-Spangled Banner's first 3 verses, and sang the final verse quite beautifully.  It was clear from the tone of her voice that she was truly overcome with emotion, and this feeling permeated the audience.

On a cool night on Labor Day weekend following the week of hell (temperatures and my poor feet) that was the DNC, it was an outstanding opportunity to reflect on the greatness of our country, the eloquence of our Founding Fathers, and the immense gratitude we should have for our rights and for the ability to exercise our freedoms in a manner unmatched almost anywhere else on this rock.  Sandwiched as it was between the DNC and RNC, my visit to Mount Rushmore reinforced the necessity of an educated and engaged citizenry that is politically active and civically oriented.

But that's not why you're here, is it? On to the convention schwag!


RNC schwag bag--"refresh, recycle, re-use."  Surprisingly, there wasn't a Coke product inside.


The logo may be much-maligned, but the message is important--water is essential for convention survival!


Cool! Mac & Cheese  . . . hey--wait a minute! We are Republicans.  Where is my RNC filet mignon?


Can the Republicans weather the storm that is Hurricane Gustav?

Fellow Coloradan Brad Jones from FacetheState.com (bookmark it) arrived a little earlier in the day, and managed to snap a few photos of those protesters arrested Sunday and the arrival of the Colorado delegates. Check back in at FTS for updates throughout the RNC.

Meanwhile, Gateway Pundit details the moonbat protesters of the "RNC Welcoming Committee" raided over the weekend and arrested for possessing devices meant to "disable" delegate buses.

Same crap (literally), different city/convention.

Oh, it's gonna be a fun week. I'll have updates tomorrow, including more details on the reduced and mainly "procedural" first day of the RNC.

Support Your Local Blog: Slapstick Politics Goes To The 2008 Republican National Convention

**Bumped to the top--

Slapstick Politics has been selected as an Official Blogger to the 2008 Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul from Sept. 1-4. While this is a distinct honor and incredible opportunity to represent the center-right of the Colorado blogosphere on a national level, there is also a substantial cost associated with travel and accommodations.

If you've enjoyed SP's coverage of the DNC (and there will be plenty more in the coming weeks, I can assure you) and you are willing and able to help SP cover the costs of the trip, know that it is greatly appreciated. If you have a business or are a candidate this election and would like to help by sponsoring SP in return for advertising space, then please contact me by email.

SP will feature the usual news roundups, but will also bring you photos and video straight from the RNC--a view from the "other side," with interviews and backstage access.

If you have Colorado-related questions for GOP bigwigs you'd like answered, leave them in the comments or shoot me an email.

First SP just has to make it out of Denver and the DNC alive!

Democratic National Convention Countdown, No. 33

Democratic National Convention Daily Digest and Open Thread
Wednesday July 23, 2008--No. 33

DNC:

•DNC gas tax break rescinded, host committee will pay taxes and "market rate" for fuel only after program was exposed, causing public outrage and national attention, of course

•Moonbat summit between Recreate '68 and rival splinter Alliance for Real Democracy fails to heal schism and differences over "non-violence," more dialogue needed (just kidding--well no, not really)

•DNC Chair Howard "Yaaaargh" Dean will be in Denver to inspect the Pepsi Center, Invesco Field, where preparations have been underway for two weeks

•DNC's "green queen" Director of Greening was once an actress, has junior high activities listed on resume as credentials for current job, leading to questions about experience

•Centennial (not Denver) City Council member thinks that anti-weapons ordinance targeting DNC protestors is unnecessary for Centennial

•Major RTD detours will take place due to DNC

•The latest in the rather dark Civic Center Park series, a feature the profiles the main site for protests at the DNC in less than 5 weeks

RNC:

•Federal mediators seeking to reduce conflict between law enforcement and anti-RNC protestors offers counseling--the police accept, the protestors decline (but isn't the left all about "dialogue" instead of confrontation?)

•RNC ready for the "sleeping dragon" that is the protestors?

•RNC facing a security shortage?

•Ronald Reagan's legacy might haunt the RNC

•Getting the Xcel Center ready for the RNC

---

All previous Daily Digests can be found here.

"Adopt-A-Delegate" Program To Harass RNC Delegates By Targeting Them At Hotels; Anti-Authoritarian/Anarchist People of Color

The moonbat Left does support adoption--of Republican delegates for the purpose of harassing them using a "wide diversity of tactics" on their way to and from their hotels in the Twin Cities at the RNC:

Unconventional Action Midwest invites all autonomous groups and individuals to “adopt a delegate” in preparation for the Republican National Convention taking place in St. Paul September 1-4.

How does it work? Easy! Simply choose a hotel and do what you can to the delegate experience in the Twin Cities an unforgettable one!

Delegate hotels may be found
here:http://www.rncwelcomingcommittee.org/2008/04/07/gop-convention-names-party-headquarters-delegation-hotels/

In congruence with the RNC Welcoming Committee’s Points of Unity and the historic St. Paul Principles, UA-Midwest respects and encourages a wide diversity of tactics.

Too bad that "respect" doesn't extend to allowing party delegates to proceed, unencumbered and without verbal assaults while they conduct their business at the party conventions.

Then again, if it is one thing the Left despises, it is democracy in action. Especially if they . . . "disapprove."

They will, of course, be doing the same thing at the DNC.

Meanwhile, "People of Color" solidarity at the DNC--starring AIM and "friends" of Mumia:

Calling All Anti-Authoritarian/Anarchist People of Color to network and organize during the pReNC 5.3 in the Twin Cities, MN.

Over the last year anti-authoritarian/anarchist people of color all over the country have felt the desire and urgency to actively support and prepare for the call to action to go “All Out At the DNC.” This call to ction is in solidarity with the American Indian Movement (AIM), the MOVE Organization, and friends and family of Mumia Abu-Jamal for all radicals and progressives to actively resist the Democrats and the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Denver, CO August 2008. These diverse and strong people of the left are fighting back for the freedom of their families, friends and lovers [Leonard Peltier, Mumia Abu-Jamal, the MOVE 9 and many other oppressed peoples].

In August 2008 the MOVE Organization will have served their 30 year minimum sentence for a single death they did not commit. In August 2008 Leonard Peltier will have his first opportunity in years to have his case heard again in the court system (after the Clinton’s left him in jail and did not pardon him). As of March 2008, the courts ruled on Mumia Abu-Jamal’s eliminating the future of his life with only to options, execution or life in prison without the possibility of parole.

APOC are preparing to actively resisting the DNC while keeping the community of Denver (especially the oppressed and disenfranchised people) as a key element of our resistance.

Anti-Republican National Convention "Blockade" Strategy Manifesto Revealed

"Anything from a lockdown, to a pile of gathered materials, to a yoga bloc in an intersection, to a good, old-fashioned traffic jam . . . Stopping the convention won’t stop the election, but it throws a big fuckin’ wrench in the GOP’s PR machine, and they need that machine to survive"--RNC Welcoming Committee

An "explanation" from the fine moonbats at the RNC Welcoming Committee who plan to "blockade" Republican delegates in the Twin Cities:

ONE: GEOGRAPHY
The geography of the 2008 RNC lends itself quite readily to a blockading strategy- unlike conventions of past years, this one is being held in a city without the capacity to sustain it alone. St. Paul is not big enough. Thus, convention-related events are happening all over the Twin Cities metro area, bringing Minneapolis into the fold. And between Minneapolis and St. Paul, there are still not enough hotel rooms to house the thousands of conventioneers who’ll be descending on our cities for four days. So, delegates, media, staff and extras will be housed throughout St. Paul, Minneapolis and the surrounding suburbs, requiring that they all be transported to and from their hotels en masse (mostly on several hundred city buses contracted specifically for that purpose). Thanks to the mighty Mississippi, they’ll mostly have to be funneled across a small number of bridges, and thanks to the car culture we live in, they’ll only have a limited number of entrances to downtown St. Paul from which to choose. Few conventions have presented such clear transportation vulnerabilities, and we would be foolish to pass up the opportunities those vulnerabilities present. The 2008 RNC is begging to be blockaded.

TWO: WE ALREADY HAVE BLOCKADING SKILLS
Blockading is something that we as anarchists have put a lot of energy into over the past couple decades, meaning we have a lot of experience and technical know-how to apply to this sort of situation, and have a chance to share those skills with all kinds of folks just getting into things. It’s a strategically prudent choice to identify the skills- like blockading- that we have, and to use them where they’re most fitting. Our movement definitely suffers for being small and stretched-thin, and doing that is simply a more efficient use of our energy. This is an especially positive thing when you take into account that organizing mass mobilizations has historically been quite a drain on our radical communities. Simply put, the blockading strategy takes less from our movement by utilizing a skill we’ve already put lots of energy into developing.

THREE: DIVERSITY OF TACTICS, DIVERSITY OF PARTICIPANTS
Calling for “blockades” sets a radical tone for the day without dictating the forms of resistance that people engage in. Anything from a lockdown, to a pile of gathered materials, to a yoga bloc in an intersection, to a good, old-fashioned traffic jam, helps create the desired effect, and the more diverse the actions, the less likely the cops will be prepared to deal with them all. Last summer’s G8 protest in Germany created a change in the landscape of our organizing. Dissent! and Block G8 were able to mobilize huge amounts of people because of the open and participatory manner in which it was organized. The blockading strategy provides ways for large numbers of people who would likely be excluded from other strategies to plug in, through such things as public blockades- large, effective, accessible actions that meet people closer to their comfort level and provide clear avenues of participation for folks who aren’t experienced or aren’t already a part of strong militant networks.
And simultaneously, there is ample room for small affinity groups with the capacity to plan and execute their own actions to do so. But, breaking with the recent trend in mobilization planning of calling for a “day of decentralized direct actions” and strategizing no further, the pReNC framework creates a way for all of these actions to complement each other, resulting in an output greater than the sum of its parts.

FOUR: OPENING UP SPACE
Not everyone is into blockading, and that’s cool, but a lot of other tactics- the more mobile and offensive sorts, for example- are hard to do well in a space where large numbers of cops have easy access to any sites of potential interest and there’s little else going on to hold their attention. Successful execution of the blockading strategy, however, will actually create spaces more conducive to “other tactics” than we’d otherwise see.

FIVE: DIRECT OPPOSITION
The most “direct” way to oppose a dog-and-pony show is just to stop it. It’s worth recognizing that the RNC is a symbolic event- we all know who the nominee is, and the convention is just a chance for his party to gather and toast themselves at our expense. Stopping the convention won’t stop the election, but it throws a big fuckin’ wrench in the GOP’s PR machine, and they need that machine to survive.

Denver doesn't have the kind of "choke points" that would enable moonbats to attempt to blockade the DNC, not that reality ever stopped them before . . .

The Recreate '68/Unconventional Action folks will, however, be targeting individual delegates on their way from the hotels to the Pepsi Center.

Extended Bar Hours At DNC, RNC Not Likely

In Denver and Minneapolis/St. Paul bars close at 2 AM, and efforts to extend those "happy hours" to 4 AM have met with opposition or outright dismissal in Denver and lukewarm support in Minnesota. Most concerns are based on extra police hours and security costs:

Unlike in Minnesota's twin cities, the current hour that bars are forced to close in Denver doesn't appear to be an issue for bar owners who might have been thinking about doing even more business during the upcoming Democratic National Convention.
. . .
LoDo's Bar and Grill manager Dave Shaughnessy said his bar is already booked solid for convention week, without any special requests.

"None of the people that are having parties here have asked for us to stay open past 2 a.m. It hasn't even come up on our radar," he said.

The Denver mayor's office says they haven't had a single request to keep the bars open later. They say that didn't happen in Boston at the last Democratic convention and they don't think it's necessary here.

That news comes as a big relief to Denver city councilman Charlie Brown.

"I don't care what political party is here. I don't care if it's the bull moose party, I don't want any part of (such a proposal). There's going to be enough potential chaos in Denver ... we don't need to add to it and fuel the fire."

Ed Morrissey at Hot Air argues that the Twin Cities should consider the modest adjustment for the days surrounding the convention if they want to be considered a "world-class metropolitan area."

Denver would be wise to do the same.