Scanner Brian is in Minneapolis this week for the Republican National Convention...
Day Two at the RNC was, for the most part, a much more subdued affair, even more so than the shortened Monday night. The reason you aren't hearing about as much violence or as many protest marches is, according to one activist lawyer, because the city is stalling the court procedures against those already in jail.
"They only went through two cases, both misdemeanors, in the several hours I was [at the courthouse.] Bail was... $750. They're going to drag this thing out..." In other words, the city is going to quell the violence by keeping the violent protesters-- and anyone else picked up in march-related sweeps, such as a woman who had been pushing a stroller-- out of the public eye.
Meanwhile, Republicans increasingly found themselves on the defensive as Joe Lieberman rescued what was becoming a rapidly disappointing convention...
First, George Bush spoke via video link. A rumor going around the convention had said he would actually make a surprise in-person appearance, but that was never the plan-- as one McCain campaign worker told us, "we wanted to keep the President as far from McCain as possible." It didn't work-- most of the news in the paper today is about Bush's speech and how supportive the two are of each other, even after the bitter 2000 primary campaign.
Bush's speech, as expected, continued his longstanding practice of using 9/11 as a political weapon:
"We live in a dangerous world," Mr Bush told delegates in Minnesota.
"And we need a President who understands the lessons of September 11, 2001: that to protect America, we must stay on the offence (sic), stop attacks before they happen, and not wait to be hit again.
"The man we need is John McCain."
Of course, Bush's certainty about McCain's "readiness" for office, as he calls it, completely contradicts his campaign's position eight years ago, during which the current President attack the Arizona Senator for being too much of a loose cannon for the highest office in the land. (A former POW agrees... watch the video here.)
Lieberman's speech, meanwhile, was well received by both delegates and a media looking for a story other than a negative one about Sarah Palin:
He called Obama "a gifted and eloquent young man" with a promising future. "But eloquence is no substitute for a record - not in these tough times," Lieberman said. He pitched a special appeal for McCain votes to independents and Democrats, saying his is "the real ticket for change this year."
"I'm here, as a Democrat myself, to tell you: Don't be fooled," Lieberman said.
While Lieberman has angered Democratic leaders, they haven't been able to do anything about it.
Lieberman, who describes himself as an Independent Democrat, endorsed McCain for president on Dec. 17, 2007, when his friend was struggling for a comeback in the campaign for the Republican nomination. McCain called it "a courageous act."
At the time, Lieberman was asked whether he was concerned about Democratic punishment for his defection to the GOP candidate. "I'm the 51st vote," he said, smiling. [Seattle Times]
We saw the poor guy take a coffin out of the back of this vehicle and carry it in two different marches. We were very disturbed by this-- not necessarily in the wrong way, though.
Meanwhile, at nearby Mears Park, the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign rallied peacefully (and even quietly), serving up free vegan lunch buffets, hosting live radio interviews with homeless residents of Minneapolis, and generally trying to take it easy after the unrest that was Monday.
While we were standing at the edge of the park, getting ready to head to the convention, and just before the PPEHRC march was to begin, we were suddenly surrounded by riot cops (i.e. "stormtroopers), all of whom were wielding batons and racing around us at top speed. A young man of perhaps 18 to 2 years was opening his backpack when the cops swooped in; as he looked up, a trooper lunged forward and shoved him hard. The man's head appeared to hit a large rock along the bank of the brook as he went down, hard. Before we could rush to his aid, we were almost instantly surrounded by hundreds of protesters, all of whom began chanting: "The whole world is watching!" Cameras came out and everyone tried to get a good look at the injured kid. It was too late-- there were far too many people...
We'll leave you on a positive note... Rage Against the Machine was not permitted to play their surprise concert during Monday's rally... so they took matters into their own hands...
[We can't yet embed the YouTube video because their site is down, but here's the link. Keep trying, they'll be online soon.]
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