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Ron Paul, MLK, Minneapolis
Since even Hillary Clinton knows she's done, Democrats should start thinking more about McCain, Bush and the Republicans. The stars couldn't be lined up better for Barack Obama and the Democratic Party: Bush/Cheney are toxic; his nomination speech will land on the anniversary of MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech; the Republican hypocrites will have Larry Craig's Minneapolis Airport bathroom stall lingering over their convention; and Ron Paul's backers could do nationally in Minnesota what they did statewide in Nevada.
Oh, Frank Rich:
"... As fate has it, the nominee’s acceptance speech is scheduled for the night of Aug. 28, exactly 45 years after the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. electrified the nation with “I Have a Dream.”
The next day brings another anniversary: Mr. McCain turns 72. And then, on Sept. 1, comes the virtually all-white G.O.P. vaudeville in Minneapolis. You’ll be pleased to know the show will go on despite the fact that the convention manager, chosen by the McCain campaign, had to resign last weekend after being exposed as the chief executive of a lobbying and consulting firm hired by the military junta in Myanmar.
The conventioneers will arrive via the airport whose men’s room was immortalized by a Republican senator still serving the good people of Idaho. This will be a most picturesque backdrop to the party’s eternal platform battles over family values, from same-sex marriage to abortion.
For good measure, antiwar demonstrators from within the G.O.P. — Ron Paul devotees — could provide at least a smidgen of the 1968-style disruptions the Democrats may avoid. In April, the Nevada Republican state convention abruptly adjourned in midsession after the Paul forces won rule changes. The Los Angeles Times reported last week that other Paul cadres, operating below the national press’s radar, have also been fighting guerrilla battles “at county and state conventions from Washington and Missouri to Maine and Mississippi..."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/18/opinion/18rich.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&oref=slogin
Comments (3)
Ahhhh... the RNC can't wait for all of them to arrive in my home state of Minnesota. Our roads suck, our bridges collapse and our job growth is in the negative digits. Oh, our bridge will be up in time for the convention in Sept. It won't be ready for cars and transport, but it will be ready in appearance.Cannot carry a load, but it will look good.Typical Republican smoke and mirrors, the state's infrastructure is crumbling, but" no new taxes " Pawlenty smiles on, because he might be McBush's running mate. Hey, Tim how come your home senate district is blue? He sold his soul to a no new taxes pledge with the taxpayer's league. What is more important his pledge or the welfare of his state? Minnesota is not purple it is blue.
May 18, 2008 3:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
Timmy Tantrum's got some 'splainin' to do, if you ask me. His party loves him. Most others...not so much.
Me, I'm looking forward to getting rid of Slimy Norman (Quimby) Coleman. Send that skirt-chasing empty suit (my apologies to clothing everywhere) packing.
On Election Night in November, I want him in tears, contemplating self-exile, perhaps to some Third World hellhole.
May 18, 2008 9:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
Great Frank Rich piece today. Love the idea of Ron Paul supporters causing a disruption.
Sorry to hear about Minn's problems with jobs and infrastructure collapses. I've been to the Boundary Waters there, and love the state. It deserves much better than the Republicans can give, and I hope this contrast is drawn over and over again at the convention.
I also hope they put up a photo booth at bathroom-senator Larry Craig's stall.
I think Pawlenty may have DQ'd himself recently with his stupid "My wife doesn't give me enough sex" statement. Sounds like he needs some vetting.
PS - GO AL FRANKEN!!
May 18, 2008 9:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
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