Glenn Greenwald, as usual doing the heavy lifting of actually remembering these guys, points out that an egregious offender against democracy and the voters has been placed high up in John McCain's campaign:
The placement of Jenkins in charge of McCain campaign events is already producing exactly the heavy-handed, dissent-suppressing tactics that were the ugly hallmark of Bush events. Shortly after Jenkins joined the McCain campaign, this is what happened at a McCain speech, billed as being "open to the public" -- an event which, ironically, also took place in Denver:
A 60-year-old librarian received a trespassing ticket today after a liberal group's protest outside a John McCain town hall meeting Monday.Clutching a sign that read "McCain = Bush," Carol Kreck was removed from the atrium at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts by four Denver police officers.
Kreck, a former Denver Post reporter who works part-time as a librarian for an education think tank, said she was removed as she quizzed a police officer about whether he could deny her free speech "on city property" by taking away her sign, while McCain supporters wore buttons inside.
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I think there is a great opportunity here for street theater. I'm thinking of something along the lines of standing outside of McCain venues with hand-outs for people going. Sample Handouts might look like this:
" Please be respectful of Senator McCain. His time is valuable and can not be wasted talking to voters who are not already in agreement with him on all points of his program. Please do not ask Senator McCain any specific questions about his programs. There may be something on his Website, then again there may not. He is too busy for your questions. In addition, there will be no talking, raising of hands, or any show of interest while Senator McCain is in the room. Try to blend in. All questions will be asked by official republican spokespeople. Independent voters should remain silent unless questioned directly by campaign staff. If there are any incidents, or if you look unenthusiastic about Senator McCain, you may be expelled from this campaign event, accused of trespassing, and even ticketed or fined by your local police. We hope you enjoy this campaign event! If you are accused of trespassing or are arrested, here is the phone number of the Obama campaign and the ACLU. Unlike Senator McCain--we'd love to hear from you!"
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