Earlier this week President Bush came to St. Paul for a fundraiser, hauling in a local record total of $1.4 million. At the event, the chief organizer (the always gracious former US Senator Rudy Boschwitz) responded as follows (as quoted in the Star Tribune):
"This is a most successful fundraiser," Boschwitz said to loud applause.
The always gracious, if not always graceful, President Bush had this to say:
"Today we are laying the groundwork for what's going to be a great national victory in November 2004," Bush said.
These plainspoken, honest, inspirational words seemed to go over well at the event. The general feeling best summarized by this attendee:
"Nice job -- it was absolutely worth it," said Ted Risdall of North Oaks. "Look at all the Democrats who are running. Not one of them paints a positive future. There's no comparison at all."
Hard to deny that statement (even coming from a guy hailing from tony North Oaks). But it seems all this warmth and positivity lasted only until people reached the exit signs. Where upon everyone was greeted by the sneering and taunting, gloom and doom representatives of the Democratic party, protesting outside. Thankfully, the state GOP chairman was there to articulate the appropriate response:
Ron Eibensteiner, chairman of the Minnesota Republican Party, walked out a happy man. The crowd had surpassed the 500 that organizers had anticipated. As he was taunted by protesters who were kept across the street on Kellogg Blvd., Eibensteiner leaned over a police barrier at them and yelled, "Get a job!"
I love it. Absolutely beautiful. Of course, now Eibensteiner's getting the predictable abuse from the local columnists, decrying his insensitivity. This also gives the press an opportunity to flex their well used "irony" muscles (and the muscles used to create a self satisfied smile), attempting to contrast this statement with current unemployment statistics, as if this invalidates Eibensteiner's point. In this spirit, the Star Tribune's Kim Ode, attempts a populist critique:
Eibensteiner's crack revealed one more thing than he might have intended. Newspaper reports described the protestors as a mix of people, among them military vets, teenagers and retirees, but also nurses and Teamsters.
And we all know how reliable newspaper reports are. Come to think of it, Kim Ode is supposedly a journalist. How about a little original research here, Kim? Instead of sitting around your office reading the newspaper as the source for your newspaper column, how 'bout you expend a little shoe leather? Get off your arse and do some interviews. (Or as Ron Eibenstenier might say--"do your job!") It shouldn't be that hard, considering this protest occurred all of 10 minutes away by car from the Star Tribune building.
Ode continues:
Maybe Eibensteiner, a venture capitalist, lives in a world where people work from 9 to 5 and doesn't fathom that some people may work nights, or odd shifts, or have jobs that consume their weekends but give them Tuesdays off. Maybe some of them felt deeply enough about the issue to devote their lunch hour to make their views known before going back to their jobs..
"Maybe"? (There's some of that hard-hitting, keen insight again.) Yeah--maybe. Or maybe they were the usual gang of professional protesters, spoiled and impudent college students, lay-abouts, and radicalized public sector employees.
If you're torn between our two maybes (and feeling like a fool), perhaps some photographic evidence can tell a more complete story. Here's a series of pictures from local Lefty agitators Circle Vision. Review these and make up your own mind as to whether my "maybe" or Ode's "maybe" is closer to the truth.
Also note how many of these protesters, amid their rants about intervention in Iraq, capitalism, and John Ashcroft, seem to care anything about the state of the economy. Or how many look like they'll be hustling back to the office after their 'lunch hour' is over. Hint--zero. Unless of course they all work in a head shop. Or maybe a costume shop.
No comments:
Post a Comment