Bush Backers only Policy Riles Voters

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2004-08-13 11:40am

RIO RANCHO, N.M. -- A Republican National Committee practice of having people sign a form endorsing President Bush or pledging to vote for him in November before being issued tickets for RNC-sponsored rallies is raising concern among voters.

When Vice President Dick Cheney spoke July 31 to a crowd of 2,000 in Rio Rancho, a city of 45,000 near Albuquerque, several people who showed up at the event complained about being asked to sign endorsement forms in order to receive a ticket to hear Cheney.

''Whose vice president is he?" said 72-year-old retiree John Wade of Albuquerque, who was asked to sign the form when he picked up his tickets. ''I just wanted to hear what my vice president had to say, and they make me sign a loyalty oath."

Nick Lucy, a 64-year-old veteran and Democrat, said he was turned away from a May 7 rally in Dubuque, Iowa, at which President Bush spoke even though he had a ticket given to him by a local Republican leader. Lucy, who was not asked to sign a form, said he has seen every president since Ronald Reagan, but he was denied access because he is not a registered Republican. He is a Democrat and a past commander of the American Legion in Dubuque who plays taps at veterans' funerals.

''They asked the police to escort me out of there," Lucy said. ''I wasn't going to disrupt anything, but I probably wasn't going to clap a lot, either. Every rally the president goes to everyone is cheering for him because they're handpicked."

Republicans contend they foiled a plot by America Coming Together, a 527 organization that supports the Democratic Party, to disrupt the New Mexico rally. The 527 groups are so named for the provision in the tax code that applies to tax-exempt political organizations that operate outside party and candidate organizations.

RNC spokesman Yier Shi said RNC campaign rallies are not official visits, but party events designed to energize the Republican base . He said everyone is welcome at the rallies as long as they support President Bush.

Shi said similar forms are used at other reelection and fund-raising rallies sponsored by the RNC.

He added that the decision was made to use the forms at the New Mexico rally after the local RNC office received ''suspicious calls" about the event before it was advertised. He said the caller identification indicated some numbers were from cellphones of members of America Coming Together.

''I think the Democrats are just disappointed we thwarted their plans to disrupt our event," he said.

Geri Prado, New Mexico coordinator for America Coming Together, denies her group planned to disrupt Cheney's speech.

The form Wade was asked to sign had a disclaimer saying no public funds were used to produce it.

Wade said he filled out the form, was given two tickets, but had second thoughts about signing an endorsement he didn't believe in. Wade said he explained his misgivings to a supervisor, and the form was quickly located. The supervisor wrote ''Do Not Use" on the form, but Wade insisted it be given to him. In the end, Wade said, he offered to give back his tickets in exchange for the endorsement, which he did.

''Sure I'm a Democrat and I'll go head to head with you one on one, but I would never disrupt a speech by the vice president," Wade says.

Bush-Cheney spokesman Danny Diaz said that RNC rallies are separate from Bush-Cheney events and that he does not know of any endorsement forms being requested of people attending Bush-Cheney-sponsored events. But he says said he understands why the RNC would require such forms at the campaign events.

''They want to make sure people can hear the president and vice president's vision for the next four years," he said. ''There are thousands of volunteers who sacrifice and work hard on the campaign and who deserve to see and hear their president without being disrupted and disrespected."

The campaign of John F. Kerry, the Democratic nominee, has had to deal with Republican hecklers at events. The Kerry-Edwards communications director for New Mexico, Ruben Pulido, said that when Kerry visited New Mexico on July 10, several Bush supporters shouted ''Viva Bush" and waved flip-flops.

so much for first amendment rights. . . .

Post by **Alyrium Denryle** » 2004-08-13 12:09pm

They cant legally do it. Political parties are not private clubs and as such cant turn people away from their events.

irishmick79 · Post by **irishmick79** » 2004-08-13 12:24pm

I can't believe that anybody still believes that Bush isn't a political coward. This stuff should completely dispell the myth that Bush is a strong leader. If there is anything that Bush doesn't handle well, it's critizism. The fact that he's so afraid of protesters that he won't give people who aren't republicans a chance to hear him says a lot about his priorities.

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2004-08-13 02:47pm

Alyrium Denryle wrote:They cant legally do it. Political parties are not private clubs and as such cant turn people away from their events.

Are they actually doing something about that?

Xenophobe3691 · Post by **Xenophobe3691** » 2004-08-13 03:12pm

Shinova wrote:
Alyrium Denryle wrote:They cant legally do it. Political parties are not private clubs and as such cant turn people away from their events.
Are they actually doing something about that?

Yeah, it made a huge Furor in the news as well as the board. You didn't know?

CaptainChewbacca · Post by **CaptainChewbacca** » 2004-08-13 03:33pm

These oaths aren't binding, are they? I'm getting a "what's the point?" vibe.

(What's the point of signing, not what's the point of why it shouldn't be done)

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2004-08-13 04:46pm

CaptainChewbacca wrote:These oaths aren't binding, are they? I'm getting a "what's the point?" vibe.

(What's the point of signing, not what's the point of why it shouldn't be done)

Obviously they make you sign another oath, that you signed the previous one truthfully. Or they take your family. It was on the Daily Show, so you know it's true.

Seriously though, they might have added some stuff about if you make a disruption, vaguely worded of course, they could take action against you. Or something.

Galvatron · Post by **Galvatron** » 2004-08-13 05:12pm

This angers me.

Post by **Alyrium Denryle** » 2004-08-13 05:34pm

Shinova wrote:
Alyrium Denryle wrote:They cant legally do it. Political parties are not private clubs and as such cant turn people away from their events.
Are they actually doing something about that?

They should be. The ACLU should be all over this one.

Galvatron · Post by **Galvatron** » 2004-08-13 05:35pm

Do the Dems bar Republicans from their rallies?

Captain Cyran · Post by **Captain Cyran** » 2004-08-13 05:36pm

''I think the Terrorists are just disappointed we thwarted their plans to disrupt our event," he said.

Sorry, the edit was just too tempting...

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2004-08-13 05:42pm

Galvatron wrote:Do the Dems bar Republicans from their rallies?

Considering the article had a statement that Kerry has trouble with Republican hecklers, nope.

frigidmagi · Post by **frigidmagi** » 2004-08-13 08:09pm

Kerry has had a lot of trouble with hecklers at his events. He has yet as far has I know taken action to prevent hecklers from showing up or expressing their opinion. Although he has heckled back.

Fasicism is Bush.

Iceberg · Post by **Iceberg** » 2004-08-13 08:23pm

And yet somehow in conservative minds it's the liberals who are suppressing dissent...

Stravo · Post by **Stravo** » 2004-08-13 08:25pm

On a related note, the NYPD is planning on arresting nearly 1,000 protestors DAILY during the RNC. The DNC had a total of SIX arrests.

Stuart Mackey · Post by **Stuart Mackey** » 2004-08-13 09:28pm

This amuses me.. If you cannot deal with hecklers what sort of politician are you? In NZ a politician has to deal with not just hecklers but wads of mud being hiffed at you, and you have to be able to use your fists..even the Queen has to deal with stuff being biffed at her..Are US Republican pollies pussies or something?

SirNitram · Post by **SirNitram** » 2004-08-13 09:30pm

Stuart Mackey wrote:This amuses me.. If you cannot deal with hecklers what sort of politician are you? In NZ a politician has to deal with not just hecklers but wads of mud being hiffed at you, and you have to be able to use your fists..even the Queen has to deal with stuff being biffed at her..Are US Republican pollies pussies or something?

The Bush administration is, that's for sure. I don't recall the previous Bush being this much of a thin-skinned little fuck.

Patrick Degan · Post by **Patrick Degan** » 2004-08-13 09:39pm

SirNitram wrote:
Stuart Mackey wrote:This amuses me.. If you cannot deal with hecklers what sort of politician are you? In NZ a politician has to deal with not just hecklers but wads of mud being hiffed at you, and you have to be able to use your fists..even the Queen has to deal with stuff being biffed at her..Are US Republican pollies pussies or something?
The Bush administration is, that's for sure. I don't recall the previous Bush being this much of a thin-skinned little fuck.

Well... I guess actually being shot at in your plane in the front line of a war instead of disappearing for a 13-month coke binge from training on semiobsolecent fighters might have something to do with that.

frigidmagi · Post by **frigidmagi** » 2004-08-13 09:39pm

The Sr. Bush celebrated his 80th birthday by sky diving. He's alot of things, afraid doesn't seem to be one of them.

Einhander Sn0m4n · Post by **Einhander Sn0m4n** » 2004-08-14 11:36am

frigidmagi wrote:Kerry has had a lot of trouble with hecklers at his events. He has yet as far has I know taken action to prevent hecklers from showing up or expressing their opinion. Although he has heckled back.

Fascism is Bush.

If I ran for office, I'd use my free time to practice my counter-heckling techniques to turn the hecklers into the joke of the room.

BTW I corrected your spelling of 'fascism'

Stravo wrote:On a related note, the NYPD is planning on arresting nearly 1,000 protestors DAILY during the RNC. The DNC had a total of SIX arrests.

God DAMN!! I'd like to see how many protestors get felony convictions and therefore get their right to vote unjustly denied. There's Hardball Politics and then there's Nazi/Fascist/Dictatorial Hold-on-to-Power-at-All-Costs Hit-Below-the-Belt Terrorist Gestapo Tactics. This shit definitely falls under the latter...

Quoth Frigidmagi, Fascism is Bush.

Exonerate · Post by **Exonerate** » 2004-08-14 05:15pm

Iceberg wrote:And yet somehow in conservative minds it's the liberals who are suppressing dissent...

In extreme right-wing conservative minds, dissent = treason

''They want to make sure people can hear the president and vice president's vision for the next four years," he said. ''There are thousands of volunteers who sacrifice and work hard on the campaign and who deserve to see and hear their president without being disrupted and disrespected."

Heh, that's pretty ironic considering it's the Republicans who are disrupting the Democratic conventions... Kerry's wife gets blasted for responding to hecklers, and there's no media reponse for this.

If I were Kerry, I'd do the same thing back to them - what are they going to accuse me of when they're doing the exact same thing?

Talon Karrde · Post by **Talon Karrde** » 2004-08-15 10:49am

I don't think this is an infringement of 1st Ammendment rights. If Kerry wanted to do this, he would be more than able to do this as well. Political parties DO have the right to invite just members of their party to their official functions. If he just wanted to talk to his supporters, than their is nothing wrong than just inviting his party members. I had an oppurtunity to get tickets to an event to listen to Vice President Cheney in Des Moines a few days back, and the only reason I did was because of the support I had pledged to the campaign and party. Kerry may let protestors come, but he doesn't have to. I guarantee you however that Kerry does his best to only give tickets to those who support him.

Keevan_Colton · Post by **Keevan_Colton** » 2004-08-15 11:07am

Talon Karrde wrote: I guarantee you however that Kerry does his best to only give tickets to those who support him.

You are such a stupid little shit.
Bush denies tickets if you dont sign a statement saying you support him, Kerry doesnt, yet Kerry is the one doing his best to only give tickets to those who support him.

Get to fuck you wee cumstain.

Talon Karrde · Post by **Talon Karrde** » 2004-08-15 11:12am

Keevan_Colton wrote:
Talon Karrde wrote: I guarantee you however that Kerry does his best to only give tickets to those who support him.
You are such a stupid little shit.
Bush denies tickets if you dont sign a statement saying you support him, Kerry doesnt, yet Kerry is the one doing his best to only give tickets to those who support him.

Get to fuck you wee cumstain.

Hey moron, I didn't say Bush didn't do the same thing.

Keevan_Colton · Post by **Keevan_Colton** » 2004-08-15 11:22am

Look shit for brains you just said it's fine to do this shit and Kerry could to if he wanted to.
Since that is clearly a better way of keeping out non-supporters it would be the "his best" in terms of letting only supporters get tickets. Since he is not doing that he is not doing his best to allow only supporters to get tickets.

You're a stupid cunt.

StarDestroyer.Net BBS

Bush Backers only Policy Riles Voters

Bush Backers only Policy Riles Voters

Re: Bush Backers only Policy Riles Voters