Daily Kos

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  •  Dems should show up in droves.. (4.00 / 44)

    to these events wearing whatever they think is appropriate.  Bring cameras and videocams, invite local newspeople to watch Americans being led away from a tax-payer funded event.  This would make great evening news.

    "We have met the enemy and he is us." -- Pogo

    by prophet on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 08:36:59 AM PDT

    •  It might be time (none / 1)

      by 88kathy on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 08:39:37 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  Ohhh, (4.00 / 4)

        It's Waaaaayyyyyyyy PAST time.

        "America did not invent human rights. In a very real sense, it is the other way around. Human rights invented America." -Jimmy Carter

        by Bulldawg on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 09:06:50 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  Here are the stops (4.00 / 3)

          http://www.strengtheningsocialsecurity.gov/60stops/

          We should have people at each and every one trying to get in to discuss SS with the Preznit.

          by BudMan on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 09:31:40 AM PDT

          [ Parent ]

          •  Those Morons (4.00 / 2)

            Show in the graphical representation March 3 - 24, which equals 22 days.  How can we expect to entrust them with managing reform of a trillion dollar agency if they can't even get their posters right.

            by BlueBaron on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 10:13:22 AM PDT

            [ Parent ]

            •  Dems should show up in droves... (4.00 / 4)

              a la Ghandi. Call the press and have hundreds of dems show up to "make salt" at these propaganda road shows.
              I think Dems could get more mileage out of this than dozens of anti-war protests. It would be another strike against the far right ruining this country and more evidence ofthe erosion of what this country stands for. (or once stood for)

              by sooner on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 01:18:04 PM PDT

              [ Parent ]

              •  SS will site "security" issues (none / 1)

                This is a good idea, but I think anywhere Bush goes in the world, including the USA, the SS can keep people at considerable distance. So unless the "free" press is willing to go a few blocks (or miles) to see these protestors, nothing is going to happen. You can already guess what the media will do - they'll do exactly what they did in NY city during the replubican convention, when they conveniently ignored 100,000 protestors as if they didn't exist. It is pretty sad but true.

                by Bailey Savings and Loan on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 06:07:02 PM PDT

                [ Parent ]

                •  Not exactly (4.00 / 2)

                  Get tickets from your congressperson. Show up properly dressed (a suit would be nice). Behave. But have a bumper sticker on your car. Or wear a donkey pin on your lapel.

                  Have the rethugs (and is THAT ever appropriate) throw you out.

                  Call media. Immediately. On your cellphone, from in front of the venue.

                  Repeat (and repeat, and repeat).

                  They might ignore a few, but keep pounding on them, and they'll get the drift.

                  And tell them that the OTHER unnamed network is going to be showing up in, oh, about 2 minutes.

                  (Local guys will jump on this -- it's NEWS. For small town stations, this is HUGE.)

                  by mmacdDE on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 07:32:40 PM PDT

                  [ Parent ]

                  •  I would notify the media first (none / 0)

                    and tell them what was going to go down...a political car wreck!
                    Revolutions and revolutionary acts are riveting when done right.
                    If the refuk bouncers were intimidated enough THEN you give Bushwhack the gift of a REAL PUBLIC appearence. (with, gosh, other viewpoints and democracy thingys and everything!!!)

                    by sooner on Wed Mar 30, 2005 at 10:47:51 PM PDT

                    [ Parent ]

          •  Maybe I'm being dumb... (none / 1)

            ... but how can you tell what days he's going to be at what stops?  I couldn't find a way to click on the map.

            by tree hugger on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 10:58:45 AM PDT

            [ Parent ]

            •  To thwart organization... (4.00 / 2)

              they only announce the schedule a day or so in advance.

              Taken from: the 60 stops site

              DAY 28
              Wednesday, March 30, 2005

              President Bush participates in a Conversation on Strengthening Social Security in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

              Treasury Secretary John Snow delivers remarks to local community leaders in Bozeman, MT

              SSA Deputy Administrator Jim Lockhart participates in four town hall meetings with Rep. Wally Herger in California

              Social Security AdministrationSenior Advisor Mike Korbey participates in Town Hall meetings with Rep. Tom Price in Woodstock, GA

              Deputy Director, National Economic Council, Keith Hennessey participates in a town hall meeting with Rep. Sur Myrick in Charlotte, NC

              Mama, could we buy stuff made in China if we moved there? -- My six year-old son.

              by leolabeth on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 04:45:02 PM PDT

              [ Parent ]

          •  the site (none / 1)

            seems to have been taken offline - or at least 'privatized' in one form...

            Any other links to the schedule?

            State Rep. Jeremy Kalin Energy, Transpo., Elections & Pub.Safety

            by JK Minnesota on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 11:11:06 AM PDT

            [ Parent ]

            •  If we don't know when the party is... (4.00 / 2)

              We can't crash it. I've used my meager Google skills for the past twenty minutes trying to find a schedule for the King of Lies SS Tour... you don't think they'd want to suppress THAT info, do ya?

              Every page I've found is happy to tell you about the staged events that have already occured, but I can't find a schedule of DATED upcoming stops.

              Little help?

              R

              From the fool's gold mouthpiece
              The hollow horn plays wasted words

              by Randular on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 12:05:56 PM PDT

              [ Parent ]

          •  have a senior citizen try to get into the event. (none / 1)

            . . . and have them say to the media "I am concerned about social security, and I want to hear what the president has to say"

            Bryan E. Burke, Chair of Eastern Washington Voters; www.ewvoters.org

            by bryanb on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 12:58:28 PM PDT

            [ Parent ]

        •  Sneak Attack (4.00 / 2)

          Protests don't work because the MSM doesn't cover them.  The sneak attack is the answer, only intensify the effort.  Swear loyalty, or whatever it takes to get into the meeting, make a loud protest at the right moment and get thrown out.  Then after you get thrown out, someone else stands up and protests from another part of the audience.  It will eventually make it to the media if the chimp is always forced to talk over us and hide our dissent.

          by kharma on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 11:37:24 AM PDT

          [ Parent ]

    •  Reid and Senators should protest loudly (4.00 / 30)

      Demand that Bush pay back the costs of these trips until such time as they become truly "public" events, not partisan private events.

      The Dems should cook up an estimate of what Bush has spent so far on Bamboozlepalooza.  It's probably in the tens of millions at least. Agree on a number and repeat it on every news show and interview they appear on.

      Remember the Republican rule: "If you repeat something often enough, people will think it is true."

      In this case it shouldn't be hard, because it is true.

      Old Man McCain.com - the best McCain attack blog on the web!

      by existenz on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 08:42:49 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Dems do show up in droves (4.00 / 6)

      The Secret Service makes sure they are a couple of blocks away. On any given day one can see masses of progressives screaming at the President. I do like your idea though. The key to making it work is to make sure that the Dems are not disruptive in any way. Kind of like a silent protest. Seeing a hoard of people being escorted from a presidential event for absolutely no reason would be a new twist.

      The plural of anecdote is not data.

      by bobinson on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 08:43:53 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  This is a case of tax payer money (4.00 / 5)

        Funding Local republicians.....Kos please ask these 3 people what information they had to provide to get tickets?

        I want to know if these local republicians are using this oppurtunity to collect demographic information and target fundraising oppurtunities.

        www.DowningStreetMemo.com

        by Mikecan1978 on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 08:47:06 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  I Attended With No Problems (none / 0)

          Tickets were available to the general public at Bob Beauprez Congressional Office in Wheatridge. I had to show them a photo ID, my name was written on the ticket, and my ID was checked at the door.

          The bumpersticker story is news to me -- but there were articles about this in both the Denver Post and the Rocky Mtn News.  

          by Charles K on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 09:20:33 AM PDT

          [ Parent ]

      •  Would the Secret Service Turn Away (4.00 / 9)

        a Democratic Senator or Representative?  Why can't Kerry show up with a few regular Americans and try to get in?  What would happen, do you suppose?  If Kerry wore a Dem t-shirt, would he be turned away?

        It would be a great photo-op, in any event.

        "We have met the enemy and he is us." -- Pogo

        by prophet on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 09:15:06 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  anyone ordered to (4.00 / 2)

          the SS does not choose anyone to turn away, they follow the orders set out to them by the sponsering campaignoffice.

          I posted at the bottom, but i was K-E Advance and I know most of their rules and regs.

          They only do what they are told to do, don't let those lying POS pass the buck onto SS. The SS would rather not do events at ALL, NM partisan ones, but once they do, they follow the guidelines set by the White House, in this case.

          Anything they do was pre-approved prior.

          Googling Monkeys-R-US -2.75,-3.54 http://www.politicalcompass.org/

          by Dour on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 09:22:37 AM PDT

          [ Parent ]

          •  SS orders (none / 1)

            Is it just possible that in this case the SS were expressing their dissatisfaction regarding the dirty work they're being asked to do? Are we beginning to see the start of a revolt of the Praetorians?

            Question: If enough people (like many thousands) mobbed the lines blocking them from the Presidential limo and rushed to overturn it (I'm not advocating personal violence here), how hard would the police (who are underfunded, and are missing many of their buddies to the Reserves and NG) fight to protect the Chimp-in-Chief?

            by hughster56 on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 06:16:45 PM PDT

            [ Parent ]

            •  I also find it interesting (none / 1)

              that the SS is telling how things work. I don't EVER remember this before.

              I can't believe that they approve of how this WH works...and if there's one group you REALLY don't want mad at you, it's your bodyguards.

              THey don't even have to hate you, all they have to do is hesitate a split second at the wrong time...

              by mmacdDE on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 07:51:39 PM PDT

              [ Parent ]

        •  That would be pure hilarity... (none / 1)

          if Kerry attended wearing a Kerry 2004 T shirt. Too bad he is too polite to do that.

          It's a neighborly day in this beautywood. Relentless!

          by ablington on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 09:39:25 AM PDT

          [ Parent ]

          •  Too Polite? (4.00 / 3)

            At this point I have a hard time distinguishing whether Kerry is polite or a pansy.  What has he REALLY done since November to show his concern for what is happening to our Constitutional rights?  Not much in my humble opinion.

            by Oke on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 10:10:21 AM PDT

            [ Parent ]

      •  What Jeffery Feldman was talking about.... (4.00 / 4)

        ... a couple of Frameshops ago here.

        He describes this protest as an example which sounds pretty effective:
        "Walking along the streets during this protest was an amazing experience.  Thousands of people stood silently holding up a piece of paper, evenly spaced at about 15 feet apart.  There were no drums,  no loud music, no shouting.  It was a completely different protest aesthetic than I have ever seen before.  And it was effective--both emotionally and politically.  The protest garnered a great deal of political attention and momentum for issues important to the progressive movement."

        Sounds good to me.

        Misled Into War: A Timeline/DowningStreetMemo.com

        by highacidity on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 10:37:15 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

    •  parking lot activism (4.00 / 5)

      what if EVERY car parked at a Bush event were to suddenly have a "No More Blood For Oil" bumper sticker on it?

      Not that I'm advocating defacing private property... maybe just scotch-tape it on.

      by emptypockets on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 08:54:02 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Complain to your reps (4.00 / 4)

      If your representative or senator is Republican, is he or she going to be happy when a Democratic POTUS uses taxpayer dollars for his private campaigns?  Because that is the precedent that is being set.

      So phone and write your reps.  There is an election coming up next year.  

      I'm not a lawyer, but it seems to me that the ACLU could bring a suit on behalf of the Denver citizens who were ejected.  

      The IPCC predicts average global temperatures to rise enough by 2050 to put 20-30% of all species at risk for extinction.

      by Plan9 on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 09:23:44 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  The ACLU is on the case. (4.00 / 4)

        They have a national lawsuit on this subject, and numerous state suits.  Here's the link.  

        Join the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy -- www.acslaw.org

        by yella dawg dem on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 10:24:54 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  That suit was dismissed. (4.00 / 3)

          They had sued the Secret Service. The Secret Service denied excluding anyone based on political beliefs, blaming the Local Cops, and the Campaigns.

          When Kerry was scheduled to speak at the Wisconsin Capitol, and advertised that no "outside signs" would be allowed, I called the Campaign Office here, who reitererated their position, claiming it was on orders of the Secret Service. I next called the Chief of the State Capitol Police, who agreed that, persuant to my successful suit against him, and then Governor Tommy Thompson in 1993, anyone has a right to display any sign on the Capitol Grounds at any time.

          Next call was the local Secret Service Office, who passed me to the Regional Office in Chicago. I was informed that the Agency has no objection to signs, so long as they're not mounted on sticks.

          The Campaign , in it's last press release, modified their ban to sticks. Due to ugly weather forecasts, the September event was moved to a rented indoor venue, where I had no right to take my sign inside. Instead, I held it by the entrance.

          Kerry returned to Madison in late October. This time the rally was held on a public street, under a City issued Street Use Permit. Approaching with a ticket in hand, and a poleless sign reading "Grow Hemp, Save Farms," I was grabbed by Union guys working security for the campaign. The first local cop on the scene tried to persuade them to admit me. Meanwhile, several thousand folks were stuck in line due to the standoff. The next local cops to arrive debated what action to taker, eventually deciding it would be easier to arrest me, than my assailants.

          My Disorderly Conduct charges were dismissed by the City Attorney. I'll be filing civil action shortly, against the City, the Campaign, and my individual assailants.



          The 4th Amendment: It's not just for dope dealers anymore.

          by ben masel on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 10:57:34 AM PDT

          [ Parent ]

    •  exactly (4.00 / 2)

      I tried to get tickets when Bush was here. I called all of the senators and reps offices, but did not receive a return call. My call was last minute... evidently the Bush plans were not released to media in advance so we didnt find out till last minute when he was coming and how to get tickets.

      I think that this would be a great dkos action. Find out where bush is holding his next "town hall" session. Why are we protesting outside? why are we being excluded from his "conversations"?

      Get tickets, show up well dressed, suit, business attire, but with a democratic pin or better yet, with an american flag lapel pin and a discreet democrat button .

      Tell the presenters that you have a question for Bush, How can you ask it?

      The point is to expose these "town hall" meetings clearly for what they are. controlled, screened campaign stops.  The point isnt even social security. its the larger narrative which stretches from gannon to armstrong to rather to segrena.

      Bush plays a man of the people on screen. but this could help to pop the bubble.

      If you love Bush, Vote John McCain '08

      by biscobosco on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 09:39:04 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  The underlying idea... (4.00 / 2)

        of this whole shitpot of shenanigans is Karl Rove's "permanent campaign," this time to pave the way for Bush's anointed successor.  Remember, EVERYTHING Bush and Rove do is part of the ever-expanding political campaign.  These guys are absolutely focused.  Even when Rove is giving the old rogering to his blow-up doll of Lee Atwater, he's thinking "campaign, campaign, campaign."  Treat these "events" as campaign rallies -- i.e. get inside and do some creative (and legal) disruption, even if it means nothing else but getting thrown out.  (If you're going to do that, get a buddy to videotape you.)

        The History Commons needs your participation.

        by Black Max on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 01:11:14 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

    •  Bush supporters heart Kerry! (4.00 / 2)

      Here's an idea.  Identify people who are headed to these sham town hall GOP rallies for privatization and put Kerry bumper stickers on their cars (or "No blood for oil" or whatever).

      Wouldn't that get some true believers kicked out and give them a taste of what it's like on the receiving end of this taxpayer-funded thuggery?

      Political compass: 0.0, -4.92

      by freedc on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 10:18:17 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  even better (none / 1)

      use a HIDDEN camera.  heh.

      after that, they'll start strip-searching the attendees.

      "Sir, please step out of your clothing, hold your ticket in your right hand, bend over and grab your left ankle with your left hand."

      by Joon on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 10:53:39 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  or forget the media, and take'm to court (4.00 / 2)

      I am fairly sure that it is illegal to use taxpayer money for a political event (except to provide security for the president).  If you are excluding anyone who might disagree with you, it is a political rally . . . not a public event, and I can't see how it would be legal to use public money.  Anyone with legal expertise on the matter know anything else about this?  Or anyone want to offer his or her opinion?  

      Bryan E. Burke, Chair of Eastern Washington Voters; www.ewvoters.org

      by bryanb on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 01:07:56 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  I'm with you (none / 0)

        Kos said:

        Who in Congress will step up and call for an investigation?

        I think with this Congress there won't be any investigation forthcoming soon, if at all. Better to slap a seize-and-desist order on the administration first. That might bring some reaction from those dozy chambers.

        Restore Democracy! Denounce the GOP (Georgie's Orwellian Party)!

        by high5 on Wed Mar 30, 2005 at 01:08:22 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

    •  absolutely (none / 1)

      I am so sick of Bush&Co having these "public forums" where the only people that show up are the ones who agree with him. If we don't do something about it, they're going to turn this country into a theocratic one party state. Bring hordes and hordes of Democrats with signs and American flags.

      Crash the party. Signal there's an opposition. The media will cover it, especially if the Republicans are stupid enough to counterprotest and give the whole thing more attention.

      Visit the incredibly useful Pacific Northwest Portal, the regional media & information gateway for progressives

      by archerhouse on Tue Mar 29, 2005 at 01:34:16 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Bush's GOP: Acting Like KGB Agents In Ol' USSR (none / 0)

      Seems like George W. Bush and his Republican hordes are acting like KGB agents in the old Soviet Union kicking out potential dissenters from taxpayer-supported events. There's nothing private about a taxpayer event featuring a public official promoting a highly public program.
      It shows the true nature of George W. Bush and his political operatives. These guys aren't conservatives, they're outright FASCISTS whose extremism must be exposed and put out of commission.

      by alaprst on Wed Mar 30, 2005 at 03:52:37 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

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