Ralph Nader is back in the news, but probably not quite in the way he hoped. He hasn’t convinced millions of voters to support his independent campaign for president. His rhetoric against “McBama” hasn’t won him frequent press coverage. But attempting to break a Guinness record for the most speeches in a day will earn you an article or two, just like any other schmo.
Nader traveled across Massachusetts on Saturday, speaking in 21 different locations for more than 10 minutes to more than 10 people. He stopped in cafes and colleges and, of course, a Dunkin’ Donuts. His message? ”Barack Obama has raised more corporate money than any candidate ever before in the history of the Democratic Party,” Nader said. “He has told these business interests he’s their man.”
They say first impressions are everything, but my first impression of Barack Obama’s speech last night wasn’t much. I was slightly dismayed at how let down I was by “the once-in-a-generation experience.†Covering the convention should have given me the ultimate insight into Obamamania. For most of the time, I was convinced that, aside from a few moments (the Roll Call vote, Bill’s speech, and hearing Obama utter the words “I accept your nomination for president”), it would all be a waste.
But at an afterparty last night, something pulled my head out of the journalistic, observational fog. I had spent the week trapped in a political convention bubble, enveloped by a non-stop barrage of punditry. At the “Yes We Can” Celebration party thrown by Perennial, the same management company behind the epic Wyclef Jean event earlier in the week, I watched a set by the Black Eyed Peas, who managed to penetrate my persistent cynicism with their raw energy and gusto.
Toward the end of the evening, I had gotten separated from the rest of the group, and decided to walk outside to see if there were any interesting conversations to be had. I struck up one with two African-American men, who didn’t know each other, but both of whom, by coincidence, were from Los Angeles. As we chatted, a Kenyan man wearing a dapper suit approached looking for a light and joined in on our chat. He had flown all the way from Kenya just to see Obama’s acceptance speech. His tribe in Kenya neighbors that of Obama’s father.
On the eve of the democratic roll call event, I could feel the electricity and tension in the air as I walked down the streets of downtown Denver. Although Sen. Obama was expected to receive the majority vote and formal nomination for the Democratic presidential ticket, there existed the possibility that Hillary Clinton could somehow snatch the nomination from him.
And there were rumors of protests and riots by angry Hillary supporters, vets against the war and other groups outraged with the Bush Administration.
So I wasn’t surprised to find myself in the middle of a standoff between the Denver police and a group of bikers. Although I am not certain how the protest began, but when I arrived the police had already set-up a barricade to prevent at least 100 bikers from continuing their ride down Wazee Street near 16th street mall.
I stopped David, a biker in the protest, and asked him to explain the situation:
“We wanted to bike through. We are not bothering anybody. We just wanted to bike through the city. It’s our city. We pay taxes. We aren’t contributing to the air pollution. We are even increasing our fitness.â€
The DNC in Denver has earned its reputation as the greenest and most environmentally friendly convention ever. So it was surprising that bikers weren’t allowed easy access to the city streets during the convention. The Freewheelin’ organization even provided free bike rentals to DNC attendees to reduce the amount of driving and air pollution during the convention. The event attracted a lot of resident bikers, many of whom had traded their cars for bikes for environmentally conscious reasons.
“I gave up a 2007 Dodge Magnum that got 12 miles to the gallon for this bike to be a conscious citizen of this planet,†said David. “It’s time for all of us to get the tenacity to do what is right. That is why I am voting for Obama.â€
When the protest appeared to settle down, one angry participant walked up to the police and spit at them. He was then pushed to the ground, hit with batons, sprayed with mace, handcuffed and escorted off by the police. And the crowd and protesters chanted: “The world is watching.”
