Read this
extremely important article in Salon. Michelle Goldberg points out that the anarchic protests at the 1960 Democratic convention may have helped Nixon win the White House -- because most Americans sympathized with the cops, not the protesters. (In fact, the anarchy was mostly due to "police riots", and there were even military intelligence agents planted in the crowds, to encourage the protesters to act up.)
Could marchers on the streets of NYC likewise help Bush win re-election? I'm afraid they could.
Goldberg quotes one anti-RNC activist who says
"First off, you've got to do what you've got to do for yourself. I'm less concerned with how things are going to affect the vote, and more concerned with confronting the systemic problems in this country head on." ... Flores-Williams says that the goal is "to make New York reflective of the anger that's inside of us."
This is idiocy. Actions have consequences. If your goal is to get Bush out of office, don't hand him victory on November 2 by acting like a fool on August 31.
Maybe we can start a meme encouraging demonstrators to wear business attire, even suits? That would create a far more powerful picture than ranks of body-painted, bandanna-wearing radicals carrying giant puppets. I've previously blogged about how the media -- especially the supposedly "liberal" New York Times -- mocked anti-war marchers' dress and hairstyles last year. (Eventually I even got a quasi-apology from the office of the NYT's public editor for the paper's snide comments on protesters' appearances.)
Let's not give them more ammunition. The stakes are too high.