Bush-backers-only policy riles voters at RNC rallies

[cal04]

A Republican National Committee practice of having people sign a form endorsing President Bush or pledging to vote for him in November before being issued tickets for RNC-sponsored rallies is raising concern among voters. When Vice President Dick Cheney spoke July 31 to a crowd of 2,000 in Rio Rancho, a city of 45,000 near Albuquerque, several people who showed up at the event complained about being asked to sign endorsement forms in order to receive a ticket to hear Cheney.

''Whose vice president is he?" said 72-year-old retiree John Wade of Albuquerque, who was asked to sign the form when he picked up his tickets. ''I just wanted to hear what my vice president had to say, and they make me sign a loyalty oath."

Nick Lucy, a 64-year-old veteran and Democrat, said he was turned away from a May 7 rally in Dubuque, Iowa, at which President Bush spoke even though he had a ticket given to him by a local Republican leader. Lucy, who was not asked to sign a form, said he has seen every president since Ronald Reagan, but he was denied access because he is not a registered Republican. He is a Democrat and a past commander of the American Legion in Dubuque who plays taps at veterans' funerals.

''They asked the police to escort me out of there," Lucy said. ''I wasn't going to disrupt anything, but I probably wasn't going to clap a lot, either. Every rally the president goes to everyone is cheering for him because they're handpicked."


http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/08/09/bush_backers_only_policy_riles_voters_at_rnc_rallies/

[Bowline]

1. Why does this type of activity not surprise me.

You vill not see Der Fuhrer or hear his enlightened message until you vill be signing der oath of loyalty to Herr Cheney. Sieg Heil!

[calico1]

4. It doesn't surprise me either but as

a campaign tactic, its kind of stupid, don't you think? How are they going to attract swing voters if they make everyone sign an oath of allegiance? Not that I am complaining. I just hope word gets around more so that people know that they are only the President and VP of those who support them, not of all of us.

[snippy]

13. It does seem stupid, but after all, it is the Bush Farewell Tour. n/t

[Bandit]

2. The cities need to start charging the RNC for all costs related to meeting

These are private Republican gatherings and not open to general public so cities shouldn't be expected to pick up all the costs.

[Gman]

3. These loyalty oaths are getting a lot of press

and having legs in an "under the radar" way. Its not a big prison scandal and there's nothing legally wrong with it. But I just think people resent it in a way that makes people resent the GOP.

JMHO

[buycitgo]

Kerry should let those ahole disruptors at his rally

get up on stage and rant for awhile, as has been suggested here already

THEN he should hold up one of those loyalty oath papers that pugs have to sign to even SEE their boy, demand that the camera zoom in REAL CLOSE so everybody can see what it's like to be a Boosh supporter these days

he should ask the audience if THEY had to sign anything, or had to be INVITED to come see him

why doesn't he use tactics like this?

or why don't dems start doing THIS?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x601239

[LibDemAlways]

11. He doesn't do it

probably because the media would either ignore it or find a negative way to spin it -- accusing him of abandoning his "positive" campaign or some such crap.

I agree though, these thugs should be called out at every opportunity.

[buycitgo]

12. I think it's VERY VERY positive

VERY big tent

he should USE that phrase

"we include EVERYBODY in our big tent, even the dissenters. contrast that to the Bush Farewell Tour, where they ARREST people for wearing TSHIRTS they don't like."

there's SO much they could be doing

agree, of course, about the media

they do EVERYTHING they can to put him in the most negative light

[LibDemAlways]

16. "Bush Farewell Tour"

Kerry needs to pound that phrase with a big, big hammer.

If enough people sent letters and e-mails to the Kerry campaign suggesting he publically call out the repukes on their Nazi oaths, maybe he'd start doing it. My e-mail goes out this am with snail mail to follow.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

19. Kerry is putting out his own message

rather than allowing Republicans to frame the debate.

[LibDemAlways]

5. Look at what happened to the chimp

at the Unity Conference. He was facing an obviously skeptical crowd - though restrained and quite polite - and he broke into a flopsweat and gave possibly the worst performance of his life.

His handlers would never allow him to confront any anti-repuke protestors at a rally. They know he might publically lose it -- and he'd be the one being escorted from the stage.

These audiences are picked more carefully than his nose at a ballgame in Texas.

[wildeyed]

10. Is there any link

to video or transcript of the Unity event? I have been reading about it here, but so far have seen no links. Thanks.

[buycitgo]

15. you have to go throught the CSPAN maze

dunno how to do it

I taped it, though

very Bananas-esque

dems should do a version of chimp speaking, intercut with Woody Allen's audience as he spoke at a fund raiser for SanMarcos. the audience just sat there with their mouths open, staring blankly, and not responding AT ALL to anything he said, which included this:

Fielding Mellish: I am reminded tonight of the...of the farmer who had incestuous relations with, uh, both his daughters simultaneously.... (nervous laugh) it's the (clears his throat), it's the wrong crowd for this joke (nervous laugh)....Although the United States is, uh, a very rich country and San Marcos is a very poor one, there are a great many things we have to offer your country in return for aid.

For instance, there, uh, there are locusts, uh, we have more locusts th-than, uh... locusts of all races and creeds. These, these locusts are available at popular prices and, and so by the way are most of the women of San Marcos...uh, uh, despite the size of our nation, people fail to realize that we lead the world in hernias, They also fail to realize that before Columbus discovered your country, he, he, stopped in San Marcos and, uh,contracted a disease which today can be cured with one shot of penicillin,uh,....

[LibDemAlways]

18. Go to C-span.org

and then click on the "Bush Remarks at Unity Conference" under recent programs on the front page. It's long, but you don't even need to watch the whole thing to get the flavor of it. It was a disaster.

[buycitgo]

17. hahahahah oh hahahahah

"These audiences are picked more carefully than his nose at a ballgame in Texas."

seen this?
http://www.ifilm.com/viralvideo?ifilmid=960813

first thing that comes up, after you choose a player

[wtmusic]

6. Bad sign

The administration is becoming more and more insular. When they have law enforcement backing it up watch out

[annabanana]

7. Ya gotta laugh

When you hear about this foot-shooting, incomprehensible tactic. The problem is that it makes for good "photo-ops" when shrub is before adoring crowds.

Sadly, you don't get to see the Dem crowds on TV these days. Kerry's huge turnouts are only evident on websites, or by word of mouth.

I hope the first thing Kerry does is break up the media monopolies so people can get to know their country again.

[sui generis]

8. more confirmation that the thiefs in the whitehouse are

anti-American unpatriotic treasury robbing war criminals.

[wildeyed]

9. It is probably not good policy

to have the police escort the past commander of the American Legion in Dubuque who plays taps at veterans' funerals out of a rally even if he is a Democrat. And another good point is made, citizens have the right to see the president and vice president of our country speak, whatever our political affiliation or beliefs.

[WyLoochka]

14. This is just politically stupid

on RoveCos part. Let's not tell them though.

Some "undecideds" are undoubtedly influenced to become supporters at political rallies. They leave and tell their family, friends and coworkers that after seeing so and so and hearing what he/she had to say, "I've decided to vote for - fill in the blank."

That is one of the a major benefits of a rally - convincing the undecideds to tilt and spread the "I saw it and heard it for myself" word. Barring them from the rallies only throws away the opportunity to gain more supporters or quite possibly tilts them the other way.

And it is alleged Rove is a "political genius."

[Gman]

20. Normally rallies are often used this way

to get support from undecideds as well as to rally the troops. However, Rove has already written off the undecideds and the entire Bush campaign is geared toward getting every nutcase right winger to the polls to vote. Rove sees the undecideds as a waste of time because he knows Kerry will end up getting the lion's share of them. Rove claimed in 2000 that the race was so close because 2 million or so evangelicals didn't vote. He's trying to fix that this time by getting all the church rosters, Falwell's political conference next month, and other GOTV strategies.

I think its a desperate strategy but it could end up being brilliant too if Bush wins. The polls look at likely voters and a great deal of the Rove targeted voters are not considered likely to vote so they will fly below the radar and could surprise everyone that expects a Kerry win.

But at this point, its their only hope.