I spent last night amongst “the enemy,” red-blooded, real Republicans, who were gathered in bars in St. Paul watching the headlining show. At upscale steakhouse Kincaid’s in downtown St. Paul, I sipped from a martini and slurped oysters and tried my best to fit in even though I was not at all dressed appropriately. I had come from the AntiWar March and figured for that occasion, I should wear comfortable clothes and look like a regular person, lest I get arrested. I gave up on the protesters, who were still having a sit down when I left (they later got arrested), and because the apartment where I was staying was literally at the end of the street that was being blocked by the protest, I had to walk all the way into downtown. This meant, basically, I looked like a scummy lefty dirtbag. One thing I’ll say about the Republicans: They are always dressed nice. Some aren’t necessarily stylish, but the men are always looking pretty sharp in suits. It made you almost want to try it (the men and dressing up) out for size.
Most protests are pretty predictable and offer little to no excitement beyond a bunch of people chanting slogans. The anti-War March on the Capitol the final day of the Republican National Convention buzzed with energy and tension, because the previous, smaller actions throughout the week had been met with an intense police response. Though the first protest went further into anarchy, with the protester who smashed windows at Macy’s being met with tear gas and rubber bullets, the others were relatively small and peaceful.
This didn’t stop downtown St. Paul from turning into a police state. On nearly every corner you could see clusters of military, police officers, and members of the National Guard surveying their surroundings. When an action was planned, like the one on Wednesday, and again on Thursday, the police responded with a show of force that some would call a bit heavy-handed. Officers stood in long lines with face masks, body armor, and plastic cuffs at the ready.
Their opponents? The usual scrappy college kid with green hair, striped leggings, and a blase demeanor. On the stage at the Capitol Thursday, the organizers shouted the perfunctory lefty call to arms—we heard a “Free Palestine!” and urged their followers to be strong; the organizers didn’t get their permit, so their original plan to march to the Xcel Center before John McCain’s acceptance speech was derailed.
The throng walked speedily over John Ireland and were blocked on a bridge overlooking the freeway. Police surrounded the protesters in the front and in the back, boxing them in. Initially, the front row of officers holding back the ground were on horses; behind them stood a line of the masked crusaders. The media surrounded the protesters, who were sitting down, and people stood along the sides to try and get a glimpse of the action, their backs hanging over the bridge. Whoever thought to make this the stopping point was a real genius.
The horses neighed and a few bucked up; there was a moment when the tension between the officers and the protesters reached a shrill point. At the Capitol an officer yelled menacingly to a woman who was taking a photo to get off the sidewalk. As protesters passed by the lines of police, a few gave the finger; others threw a peace sign, instead. It felt like either side was ready to pick a fight. After a few minutes, it became clear that the action would be relegated to some protesting cyclists riding around in circles near the back as they taunted the bicycle cops. “Hey bicycle cops! Join the party! Come out and play!” Later, it turned out, one side blinked, and the protesters were arrested.
“Shaking up Washington,” McCain’s Fight In his speech, McCain promised to “shake up Washington” and that this country’s citizens should “Fight with me. Fight for what’s right for our country. Fight for the ideals and character of a free people.” CNNreprinted bits of the speech in which the senator also praised his VP choice Sarah Palin, describing her as someone who has “tackled tough problems like energy independence and corruption” as well as an individual who “stands up for what’s right and she doesn’t let anyone tell her to sit down.” Not the most mellifluous speaker, McCain concentrated on conveying other strengths, such as the battles he has fought and will “fight” (see above) for the country.
The Femmempire Strikes Back As Sarah Palin picks up steam and a following, Hillary Clinton may be bearing her claws and preparing to fight back to woo those who stood by her for the 18 million cracks she made in the glass ceiling, but who could begin to dance to the tune Palin’s piping if, The New York Timeswrote, they see the Alaskan as a glass-breaker. Clinton, on the way to Florida to campaign for Obama, has not lashed out against Palin, and Clinton’s advisors have emphasized she will not be doing so. We’ll know soon enough. The Times highlighted the fact that Clinton may be a huge asset to Obama, but likely fears too much association with him as much as she does a face-off with Palin, both people/situations presenting potential for Clinton reputation-damage should Obama lose the election and Palin win that theoretical confrontation.
Egyptian Embroglio Lebanese singer Suzanne Tamim’s (pictured left) brutal murder (stabbed multiple times, throat slashed) in Dubai spurred a series of theories that Egyptian real-estate tycoon Hisham Talaat Moustafa paid to have the singer, possibly his former lover, killed. CNNreported that because Egyptians feel their government is in bed with its businessmen, many were very surprised to read that Moustafa had been arrested. But any corruption fears his arrest quelled have been revived by citizen-spawned musings, as the article described, regarding their country much along the lines of ‘if that’s what a typical mogul, who has so much power here, is up to, what else is rotten in the upper echelons of this state?’
Berlusconi and The Economist’s Legal Tussle Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, the third longest running PM for the Mediterranean republic, also serving in that office in 2001, pursued a lawsuit against British The Economist in that year after the self-described newspaper published a piece titled “An Italian Story” in the edition bearing “Why Silvio Berlusconi is unfit to lead Italy” on its cover. Shockingly, the politician found both the line and the article unsavory. As of today, however, the paper gleefully announced Berlusconi will be paying it recompense as the Court in Milan rejected his claims. The Economist didn’t specify how much Berlusconi would have to cough up, but the judgment can be found (if in Italian) here.
From the very beginning, it was apparent that students, faculty, and staff gathered in Annenberg’s East Lobby to hear John McCain speak last night for very different reasons. Senior lecturer Richard Reeves said the Republican National Convention always provides “a chance to see how many white people there are in America.” Others came for the free pizza. Some came to sulk. And then there was a handful (ten, at most) who came to support McCain while he accepted the nomination for president.
Before McCain took the stage, the moderators of the event — University Professor Geoffrey Cowan, J-school Director Geneva Overholser, Journalism Professor Michael Parks, Senior Lecturer Richard Reeves, Law and Political Science Professor Kareem Crayton and Dan Schnur, Director of the Unruh Institute and former Communications Director for John McCain — debated the effectiveness of these four-day convention “infomercials.” They maintained that the Republicans, who are always much more scripted and better organized, usually throw the more effective pitch during this home-stretch.
While watching the bio vid crafted by the Republicans, Trishna Patel, a first-year grad student in the broadcast journalism program who describes her political standing as middle-right, commented, “whether you like McCain or not, you have to give the man credit for all that he’s overcome in this life.”
Trishna Patel
The bio vid did achieve a surprising sense of humor at times, which made McCain — a tried and true “mama’s boy” — seem a little less stodgy. However, when McCain took the stage and accepted the nomination . . . Annenberg was silent. This couldn’t contrast more with the hootin’ and hollerin’ that followed Obama’s acceptance last week.
Josh Schwartz just might have me hooked again on a show I have no business watching. I avoided Gossip Girl all last season – after all, how could I really justify to myself watching a show where the target audience is 18 to 34-year-old women?
But when my new wife sat down to watch the season premier of the second season this week, she didn’t have to twist my arm to get me to join her. See, I have a soft spot in my heart trashy evening dramas, especially if they feature teens behaving badly. I wondered if Gossip Girl could match the quality of Schwartz’s previous creation, The O.C.
I was also afraid of getting too attached, however. The O.C. began as a great show, and it was one I watched religiously. But it too quickly became a caricature of itself, as main characters began to behave more and more ridiculously.
My wife’s (then girlfriend’s) family introduced me to the scandalous world of The O.C., Schwartz’s show about teenagers and their parents in high-society Orange County, one winter break during college. The show was in the middle of its second season, and I ripped through the first on DVD so I could catch up with the salacious stories of Marissa, Ryan, Seth and Summer.
The O.C. wasn’t written for me, but I was instantly attracted to the characters on the show – they had heart, and the ones that didn’t were just as fun to hate. How can you not like a father who goes surfing every morning and works as a public defender? Or a kid who is constantly quipping one-liners and loves comics?
