Here's a story from last night's GOP convention that Republicans could no doubt live without as they make their pitch to the American public this week. CNN reports:
"Two people were removed from the Republican National Convention Tuesday after they threw nuts at an African-American CNN camera operator and said, 'This is how we feed animals.'
"Multiple witnesses observed the exchange and RNC security and police immediately removed the two people from the Tampa Bay Times Forum."
The cable news network isn't giving the story a lot of play this morning, and only posted an item on it after Talking Points Memo first reported the news last night. Nonetheless, it is probably worth pointing out that the CNN post makes no effort to soften its lede with "allegedly" or anything similar.
The official statements coming from RNC organizers and the CNN brass last night provide only vague details of what happened.
Convention organizers: "Two attendees tonight exhibited deplorable behavior. Their conduct was inexcusable and unacceptable. This kind of behavior will not be tolerated."
And CNN's statement: "CNN can confirm there was an incident directed at an employee inside the Tampa Bay Times Forum earlier this afternoon. CNN worked with convention officials to address this matter and will have no further comment.”
The first account of the incident, unsurprisingly, came via Twitter in the form of a tweet from former MSNBC and Current anchor David Shuster: "GOP attendee ejected for throwing nuts at African American CNN camera woman + saying 'This is how we feed animals.'"
It was talked about in one of the convention threads. CNN has confirmed it, but said they will not make further comment. Wonder why the big, bad, libural, lamestream media would cover this up?
An unscripted moment happened late this afternoon that caused the assembled mainstream media to turn away in the hope that it would disappear. As I was standing in line for a sandwich next to an Italian and a Puerto Rican correspondent, a controversy was unfolding on the floor. The RonPaulites, whose furious devotion to a single idea have made them the Ellen Jamesians of the right, were protesting a decision by RNC officials not to seat members of the Maine delegation, which was split between Paul and Romney supporters following rule changes made just prior to the convention. There were energetic shouts of “Aye!” and “Nay!” as a Puerto Rican party functionary—Zoraida Fonalledas, the chairwoman of the Committee on Permanent Organization—took her turn at the main-stage lectern. As she began speaking in her accented English, some in the crowd started shouting “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!”
The chanting carried on for nearly a minute while most of the other delegates and the media stood by in stunned silence. The Puerto Rican correspondent turned to me and asked, “Is this happening?” I said I honestly didn’t know what was happening—it was astonishing to see all the brittle work of narrative construction that is a modern political convention suddenly crack before our eyes. None of us could quite believe what we were seeing: A sea of twentysomething bowties and cowboy hats morphing into frat bros apparently shrieking over (or at) a Latina. RNC chairman Reince Priebus quickly stepped up and asked for order and respect for the speaker, suggesting that, yeah, what we had just seen might well have been an ugly outburst of nativism.
At least half a dozen respected Latino pols are scheduled to talk later on at the convention. I doubt any of them will generate a clip like the one that might be playing wall-to-wall tonight in San Juan and southern Florida.
I posted it last night in the RNC thread. At the time there were no follow-up reports.
I get that this is a small fraction of people in the grander scheme of things, but really?! What makes these people feel confident enough to chant and/or throw things? Is it because they believe they are with other like-minded people?
The nuts incident is just so disturbing I don't have words for it.
And here I am being the devil's advocate for the U-S-A chant - are we sure they're not chanting towards something else? Maybe something was happening on the floor when they were chanting? If they're chanting U-S-A to the Puerto Rican woman...geography fail. And also deplorable.
I can't believe this isn't getting more discussion. I was when I read these stories.
I'm here. Can someone clarify that the USA changers were Paul supporters? I never want Paul supporters to not have to answer for racism. The man wants to eliminate birth right citizenship. Any supporter who understands what he believes outside of his Libertarian non intervention pro drug anti choice stance kind of has to be down for some racism.
As I understand it the USA chanters were Romney supporters that were trying to drown out the Paul delegates from Maine.
It's not getting traction because getting upset about there being racists at a GOP convention is like getting upset there are whores in a whorehouse?
That, or the opposite. OMG, it was only 2 people! (2 people representing their home state's GOP.) You can't paint everyone in the GOP with the same brush!
I can't believe this isn't getting more discussion. I was when I read these stories.
I'm here. Can someone clarify that the USA changers were Paul supporters? I never want Paul supporters to not have to answer for racism. The man wants to eliminate birth right citizenship. Any supporter who understands what he believes outside of his Libertarian non intervention pro drug anti choice stance kind of has to be down for some racism.
This is why I don't get why libertarians love Ron Paul. He's NOT a libertarian. He's rabidly pro-life, for one thing. He introduced the Sanctity of Life Act, which would define life as beginning at conception on a federal level.
1. Wasn't Machete Man just exercising his second amendment rights? 2. MACHETE MAN WAS ARRESTED! 3. Peanut throwers were not, by all accounts, arrested, even though what they did is likely assault and/or battery (I don't know FL statutes well enough to say). 4. Kindergarten lesson for the day: TWO WRONGS DON'T MAKE A RIGHT.
Yeah, I'm not sure why a machete is such big news (seriously, I had to go several links down to find a non-biased source [I'll let you guess which side has been playing this up]), when I'm sure several convention people were wearing guns on their person.
Unless, are guns banned from the convention as well?
Yeah, I'm not sure why a machete is such big news (seriously, I had to go several links down to find a non-biased source [I'll let you guess which side has been playing this up]), when I'm sure several convention people were wearing guns on their person.
Unless, are guns banned from the convention as well?
I'm asking this too but we both know lys won't be back to answer.
There was a man arrested, but I don't think anyone knows if he was a dem or whatever. Given that he argued that he was allowed to carry what he wants, it sounds more like a repub to me
Yeah, I'm not sure why a machete is such big news (seriously, I had to go several links down to find a non-biased source [I'll let you guess which side has been playing this up]), when I'm sure several convention people were wearing guns on their person.
Unless, are guns banned from the convention as well?
The article I found said weapons are prohibited frmo event zones, so likely yes.
I'm here. Can someone clarify that the USA changers were Paul supporters? I never want Paul supporters to not have to answer for racism. The man wants to eliminate birth right citizenship. Any supporter who understands what he believes outside of his Libertarian non intervention pro drug anti choice stance kind of has to be down for some racism.
This is why I don't get why libertarians love Ron Paul. He's NOT a libertarian. He's rabidly pro-life, for one thing. He introduced the Sanctity of Life Act, which would define life as beginning at conception on a federal level.
He does support several libertarian principles, specifically with regards to smaller/local government, taxation reform, US refraining from being the "world police," etc. He ran on the Libertarian ticket last time around, so there's that affiliation as well.