As we were walking around downtown Denver yesterday, we ran into a couple of protests that were worth sharing with Projectors.
First was the group of Hillary Supporters walking around with huge pro-Hillary banners and chanting, "Elected not selected." The crowd wasn't that large, but they were attracting quite a bit of attention.
Pictures from the protest plus an anti-gay protest after the jump.
Jerame, Indiana delegate Lori Morris and I were on our way to the Big Tent when we ran into the group of Hillary supporters. 
Since both Jerame and Lori were pledged to Clinton, it obviously grabbed their attention. While neither of them plan on wreaking havoc at the convention, they're both still miffed about the treatment Hillary supporters have received.
There has been quite a bit of grumbling from the other Clinton supporters too. Several Clinton delegates have reported being strong armed into quieting their complaints about Barack Obama and being told they will fall in line - or else. As a blogger who uses language to persuade people, I have to say that telling (mostly) female supporters to fall in line and follow the man is not a winning strategy.
For example, about a dozen sources from Indiana mentioned Rep Baron Hill's loud and grating speech from the Indiana delegate breakfast. While I didn't attend (I'm not a delegate) all sources said he literally shouted at them, "We must get Hillary Clinton to release her delegates." While folks went into the breakfast briefing in high spirits, Clinton won Indiana and most of the people in the room were Clintonistas who left the meeting very angry. As one highly placed Democrat told me yesterday, "Baron Hill stepped on his dick in there. It was just embarrassing and didn't help Barack at all."
The other protest I grabbed for Projecters was the anti-gay homophobes who were picketing on the 16th Street thoroughfare downtown. By the time I arrived on the scene, a mob of convention goers had surrounded the handful of protesters.
About a half dozen police officers in riot gear stood guard nearby in case things turned violent, but passers-by mostly just jeered at the homophobes. It was heartening to see so many straight people stop and look on in disgust as these bigots displayed "God's love." (For a loving God, he sure as hell has some angry believers.)
"You deserve to go to hell." What a way to sway people. I'm seeing some similarities between the anti-Hillary and anti-gay nuts. There's nothing wrong with having your own opinion, but when you start to shove it down other people's throats they have a tendency to reject the message.
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13 Comments
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Uhhh... is it just me or is there a marijuana leaf in the middle of that sign?
Tyrion Lannister | August 26, 2008 8:22 PM
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I'd say your right about the pot leaf now I'm left wondering if they might of smoked just a little to much of it with the Clinton camp.I hope they get the Clinton thing straitened out as I'm beginning to wonder if she's trying to spoil this election for Obama so she can run in the next one.She's no dummy and realizes if he wins office she has to wait 8 years.If Obama loses and Mc Cain wins with Romney at his side it's a bet I'd be willing to take he wouldn't run again (to old)and Hillary would beat Romney unless people realized what she did.While I tend to go on the conservative side I really like Obama so don't tell anyone this but he's had my vote for quite a while and after last nights speech I'm wondering why I'm not voting for Michelle.As for the Clintons I've never liked them and I think old Bill is more than a little chummy with Bush Senior much more than I feel comfortable with.For those who think I'm being a bit harsh on the Clintons ask yourself this were they really that good to the lgbt or were they the beginning of the road that lead to 28 states with anti gay marriage amendments with doma leading the way? As far as I know only Mass and Ca have gay marriage wheres Arkansas or are they allowed a different kind of Democrat?
amym440 | August 26, 2008 10:03 PM
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Thanks for the article. I have had similiar pushing from the hard core Obama followers for me to show the kind of enthusiasm for him that they have.
I cannot.
I will vote for him after a couple of shots of Jemmies to make it less painful, but if suddenly every superdelegate defected to Hillary I certainly would be likely to open a bottle of Moet...
MauraHennessey | August 26, 2008 9:50 PM
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Hey, what happened? We aren't on the top of their list anymore! Those damn rebellious women and party animals!
Robert Ganshorn | August 26, 2008 10:58 PM
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Not to mention that baby who is killing women! He tops the list.
Dale | August 27, 2008 12:19 AM
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Well, I'm not a big fan of the Clintons and I'm glad that she's not the nominee but the Obama camp are proving to be very bad sports.
24 hours from now, Clinton will have released her delegates after a partial or full roll call, and Obama will be the nominee. Dickering over a point of procedure that is traditional is pointless.
In addition, Clinton is the first runner-up candidate for the Democratic party nomination in decades to endorse the winner before the official nomination at the convention. Brown didn't do it, neither did Jessie Jackson. I don't like Clinton's politics but she's breaking with decades of tradition in showing enthusiastic support for Obama.
CBrachyrhynchos | August 26, 2008 11:45 PM
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The Obama camp is bad sports?
Hillary and her minions race-baited to get back into that contest, basically dissed the African-American community, tried to force her way onto the ticket, dragged out the nomination battle for two months when it was mathematically impossible for her to win the nomination, has supporters openly saying they want Obama to lose and we're being bad sports?
and the Obama camp is considered bad sports?
Monica Roberts | August 27, 2008 1:27 AM
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Well yes. Since conceding the election in June 7, the Clinton campaign has:
* repeatedly endorsed Obama by name
* repeatedly asked donors to donate to the Obama campaign
* instructed their own campaign whips to avoid disruptive protests on the convention floor.
All of the above are historically unprecedented in Democratic politics.
I can't stand Clinton's politics, (or Obama's either, but that's another story) but the largely fabricated drama in which Clinton is secretly plotting to undermine the Obama campaign is damaging to both camps.
If you want to point the the finger in regards to the potential for schism in the party, why not point it at the McCain campaign which has aggressively courted hawkish Dems while magnifying dissent? Or the mainstream media which has been blatantly cherrypicking to sell the narrative of a big party rift?
Because at the end of the day, the fact is that Obama has an overwhelming consensus of support and better fundraising than McCain.
CBrachyrhynchos | August 27, 2008 9:01 AM
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C'mon, make nice everybody. Hillary's speech tonight was a ringing endorsement of Barack and a strong call for party unity. She repeatedly urged everyone to support Obama for President, and to defeat John McCain. Let's not allow the bruises of the primary keep us from doing what both Hillary and Barack agree is important: ending Republican misrule.
Dale | August 27, 2008 1:43 AM
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As an Obama supporter I'd like to focus on the task at hand. But everytime I hear a Hillary supporter whose supposed to be a loyal democart say they're voting for Mccain, it pisses me and every other African-American Obama supporter off who had to swallow losses like Jesse Jackson's Sr. in 1988 'for the good of the party'
No...this time somebody else is gonna have to be the team players. We've been the team players for 40 years now.
Monica Roberts | August 27, 2008 4:53 AM
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Bil, did you get an estimate on the size of the USLAW and IVAW antiwar demonstration?
AlterNet has a video of a demonstration but I don't think it’s the antiwar march. It seems unfocused and even though the demonstrators are pretty mild mannered, at least compared to the loony ultraleft antics of SDS forty years ago, the cops still corralled them and held them for a couple of hours, never letting them near the convention. Their only crime seems to be that they don't like Republicans and Democrats. If that were a crime they'll never be able to build enough jails.
AlterNet has a good story on the protests and the usual attempts by the Democrats to use the police to stop dissent and criticism. We'll see the same from the Republicans in ST. Paul.
As for the debate between those who claim that internal Democratic Party (sic) racism played a role in the primaries and those who answer that it was sexism that tarnished the process, all I can say is, you're right.
What I want to know is why a few people choose to ignore the unconcealed bigotry that’s dragging the Democrats rightwards. The bigotry of opposing same sex marriage, of pandering to christist bigots, of dropping the critically needed hate crimes bill and gutting ENDA until even the Chamber of Commerce can live with it. To say nothing of adamantly refusing to repeal Clintons DOMA and DADT and the Audacity of Purging us from Obama’s platform. Somewhere, Dobson is smirking. Now he has two parties to play with.
Bill Perdue | August 27, 2008 5:59 AM
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You know what I can't stand the most? It's a bigot that promotes hate while also promoting "God's love." First, God loves everyone, regardless of race, sexual orientation, and all that. Second, God is a forgiving, loving God, not a hateful God that holds a grudge. These people need to read the Bible before they start "speaking in God's name."
Curtis Morton | August 27, 2008 2:33 PM
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It looks as though both participants in the "we hate everything that isn't in our back yard" party had a successful march and got squeaky toys with their Happy Meals.
Robert Ganshorn | August 27, 2008 11:23 PM
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