Conventions

Windbreaking News: Fox News.com is reporting that Denver activists planning protests at the Democratic National Convention are concerned about police unleashing a "crap cannon" on them. The crap cannon is also called "the brown note". According to Fox "it is believed to be an infrasound frequency that debilitates a person by making them defecate involuntarily."

Mark Cohen of a Denver protest group called Re-create '68 said, "We know this weapon and weapons like it have been used at other large protests before." He says the weapon is uses inaudible frequencies to disrupt people's equilibrium. The theory is that the brown note weapon comes from military developers looking for non-lethal alternatives to conventional weapons. For example, there was a report last year of a so-called "gay bomb" the military may or may not have tried to develop.

Fox cited the popular Discovery Channel TV show Mythbusters' 2004 test to poo poo the brown note. The show concluded that there is no evidence any frequency can cause people to crap themselves. In an episode from season three of South Park, the children tried to find the mystical tone with more success (clip).

In April, Democracy Now's Amy Goodman spoke to Cohen about Recreate '68.

Or, as Wonkette sensitively puts it, "Oh God: Ron Paul Plans Paultard Convention"

As of now, your Wonkette still plans on attending the Republican National Convention in the Twin Cities in early September, because why not. But now there may be something interesting to do! That's right: Ron Paul will hold a Rival Convention, same time, same cities, with every Paultard in the world.

And from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: (I like the tribune, but not so much the review. Too predictable.)

A Paul campaign aide said the Texas congressman hopes to pack about 11,000 supporters into the Williams Arena at the University of Minnesota on Sept. 2, which coincides with the second day of the Republican National Convention at the Xcel Energy Center in neighboring St. Paul.

At first, I thought this would be a big monkey wrench in my "Ron-Paul-calypse Now!" plan, but since that's set for day 1 of the convention, this event will allow the triumphant Paul Army to get together and celebrate, sing hymns praising my name, perhaps design a tattoo for me. Then, on day 3, perhaps a rumble?

"I love the smell of money bombs in the morning. Smells like...liberty." – Fictitious Ron Paul/Robert Duvall Hybrid

After the success of Operation RonDemption, where we hit our goal of a 20+ point finish for Dr. Paul in Idaho, I was feeling a little let down, as the mainstream media continued to characterize these as anti-McCain votes, instead of recognizing the very real power of the Paul grassroots movement.

I floated the brilliant, but impossible, idea of a McCain/Paul ticket yesterday. Some Paul supporters have expressed reservation at the gulf between the two candidates on the issues, but that is the key to its brilliance. McCain shores up his maverick image, while Dr. Paul has some real influence over policy. However, with no primaries left, there are very few ways to leverage Dr. Paul's support into serious national coverage.

I urged Republicans to e-mail the McCain campaign and suggest Ron Paul as McCain's VP, but who knows how many will do that, and will they listen? I even put the tattoo back in play.

Then, I saw MyRonPaulBlimp.com, and a bolt of lightning struck me again.

Update: I got an e-mail from the proprietor of the blimp site, he was very excited. Also, Digg this story to help it spread faster.

Face Off is back! Two of our writers will be posting separate pieces on a hot-button topic. You can check out both and then vote for the one that speaks to you and aligns with your views.

Today the topic is whether the Florida and Michigan Democratic delegates should be seated.



Greg McNeilly writes:

Republicans and Democrats, in both Florida and Michigan, tried to play a game of political chicken with their respective party bosses.They both lost. The GOP's rules are a little less punitive in onlycutting the size of the state's delegations, whereas the Democrats flat out bar the states from seating their delegations. It's expected tha the DNC will relax its punishment and seat some delegates, from both states.

This is not a complicated issues... Read more

Mark Impomeni writes:

The two front-runners for the nomination didn't completely follow the plan. While neither campaigned or attended fund raisers, Sen. Hillary Clinton remained on the ballot in both states and Sen. Barack Obama was on the ballot in Florida. This means that the Democratic Party must find a way to deal with a situation where not only the states but also the top two candidates broke the rules. In another year, this may not have been such a problem... Read More

The word has come down from DNC lawyers. Despite Hillary Clinton's best attempts, Michigan and Florida will be punished for holding their primaries too early. A memo has been sent to the Rules and Bylaws Committee, which states that, at most, it has the power to seat half of the delegates. The RBC will meet on Saturday to hear what will surely be raucous protest from Hillary Clinton's supporters who want the full delegations sat in their candidate's favor.

But for now, anyway, that's not going to happen. From the AP:

Democratic National Committee rules require that the two states lose at least half of their convention delegates for holding elections too early, the party's legal experts wrote in a 38-page memo.

There is one last bastion of hope for Clinton: Denver.

The analysis also said there is an option to restore 100 percent of the delegation--by a recommendation of the Credentials Committee that meets later this summer. However, that would mean a final decision would not be made until the first day of the convention in Denver, since Credentials Committee decisions have to be approved by the full convention as it convenes--risking a floor fight.

Before that happens, two things are likely to occur. First, following the conclusion of the final primaries on June 3, a flood of superdelegates will go to Obama, giving him a guaranteed advantage over Clinton whatever is decided with Michigan and Florida. Second, a deal will be reached so as to seat the full delegations come convention time.

In March we told you about the difficulty Denver was having getting funding for the Democratic Convention in August. The city needs just over $40 million by June 16 and today with little more than two weeks left it's still $15 million in the hole.

The main reason for the shortfall? Many place the blame on the ongoing nomination battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. It seems donors don't want to pony up until they see a resolution.

The GOP on the other hand has plenty of cash:

The Democrats' situation contrasts markedly with that of the Republicans, whose committee is on budget in its $39 million fund-raising drive for the Republican National Convention, to be held in Minneapolis-St. Paul on Sept. 1-4. Teresa McFarland, a spokeswoman for the host committee, said it expected to meet its June 15 target of having 80 percent of the money raised by that date.

The Denver fundraising committee is scrambling to woo corporate underwriters and is even working up a backup plan in case the convention has to be held on the cheap.

Former Georgia Congressman (1995-2003), Bob Barr, has won the Libertarian Party nomination as candidate for president. The party convention, held this week in Denver, nominated Barr on the 6th ballot, defeating Mary Ruwart - a research scientist.

Barr, probably best known for his role in the Bill Clinton impeachment trial, left the Republican Party in 2006 and shortly thereafter set up an exploratory commission for the 2008 presidential campaign.

Barr, long a favorite of some conservatives, leads some to think he might pull some votes from John McCain in November. However, since leaving Congress in '03 his personal platform has a decidedly leftist feel. Historically opposed to Bush administration thought on Iraq, Iran and the Patriot Act, Barr has recently joined the ACLU. As a Republican, he too was seen as a maverick, while at the same time his past record of social conservatism seems at odds with traditional Libertarians.

Barr's nomination brings some much needed attention to this alternative party - perhaps in part why he got the nod over more traditional and long-standing Libertarian Party members. On again-off again Libertarian Ron Paul is perhaps the best known of past party members with former Democratic presidential candidate Mike Gravel as it's newest. Gravel fell out of contention after the 4th ballot.

Calling St. Paul. Come in, St. Paul. It seems there may be some trouble brewing for this summer's GOP convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. You see, another Paul is looming large on the horizon, threatening to stir up mischief at the August coronation of John, the would-be Baptist of that new and improved sect of Republicanism--Bush-Lite, for lack of a better term. As Paul's supporters learned from Guy Fawkes, surprise is the name of the game.

From The LA Times:

Virtually all the nation's political attention in recent weeks has focused on the compelling state-by-state presidential nomination struggle between two Democrats and the potential for party-splitting strife over there.

But in the meantime, quietly, largely under the radar of most people, the forces of Rep. Ron Paul have been organizing across the country to stage an embarrassing public revolt against Sen. John McCain when Republicans gather for their national convention in St. Paul at the beginning of September.

Yes, he was dissed by Fox News, taunted by his rivals, scorned in the press, but Ron Paul is not ready to stop preaching the gospel to his followers. In fact, the proselytizing continues apace, and St. Paul's stage is set to provide the Texas Congressman with ample microphone time.

Presumptive Republican presidential candidate John McCain's hand-picked choice for convention manager, Doug Goodyear, resigned after Newsweek ran a story about his lobbying work and involvement in 527 groups in 2004 that were fined for improprieties.

McCain has denounced 527 groups as recently as this past February.

Goodyear, CEO of the DCI group, a consulting firm that lobbies for ExxonMobil, General Motors and the military junta that runs that great democracy Burma, said in a brief statement, "Today I offered the convention my resignation so as not to become a distraction in this campaign. I continue to strongly support John McCain for president, and wish him the best of luck in this campaign".

Astonishingly, the McCain campaign's first choice, Paul Manafort, was nixed due to HIS lobbying efforts for foreign heads of state that included Ferdinand Marcos and personal relationship with Russia's Vladmir Putin. The campaign was concerned about the appearance of McCain being to closely tied to Washington lobbyists.

Does John McCain NOT have anyone close to him that ISN'T a lobbyist? Does his staff need introductory courses on how to vet people? I'm sure they'll run and take my advice, but they might just want to expand their circle of influence before he starts getting called on this stuff in earnest.

Poor Rush Limbaugh. Sometimes he just gets ahead of himself. With all that empty airtime to fill, his mouth gets to flapping, and, well, before you know it, he has potentially committed a crime. Another crime, I should say.

Today's legal infraction? Inciting a Riot. That's a Class A Misdemeanor and it carries a potential sentence of 5 years in prison. Of course, the riot in question hasn't happened just yet. But now that orders have been sent out to the "Dittoheads" I'm sure it's just a matter of time.

From the ABC News affiliate in Denver:

Talk show host Rush Limbaugh is sparking controversy again after he made comments calling for riots in Denver during the Democratic National Convention this summer.

He said the riots would ensure a Democrat is not elected as president, and his listeners have a responsibility to make sure it happens.

"Riots in Denver, the Democrat Convention would see to it that we don't elect Democrats."