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by: Aaron Silverstein

08/26/08 @ 01:40:39 PM MDT


I am over at the "Big Tent." I hear that somewhere in this room Sean Penn is wandering around the room. But celebrity is in greater supply at my table than spots on the power strip, and I am going to use the electricity while I have it.

I took a walk through Civic Center Park and spoke to veteran activist Keith McHenry about what he saw last night. McHenry was one of the original founders of Food-Not-Bombs, and has a colorful history that includes two years in prison for charges including, "felony conspiracy to distribute free food in violation of a court order."

McHenry says he saw the undercover cops right away. They were all body builders in new black t-shirts wearing new bandanas and playing the role of agent-provocateurs trying to goad the crowd to follow them into a confrontation with the police on the West side of the park.

According to McHenry the planted police entered the street and the readied riot police pushed them back into the park from that side. As the crowd then tried to move to the East a second wall of officers closed from that side and started hitting protesters with pepper spray and making arrests.

Later he said he saw the body builders standing around a police van with uniformed officers, chatting together and watching the proceedings.

Aaron Silverstein :: DNC Tuesday

Meanwhile in the center of the park, Bill Moyer of Back Bone Campaigns was getting marchers ready to go as soon as the pro-Hillary marchers were on their way up the route.

Elizabeth Fiechter of "18 Million Voices for Hillary" was busy getting her team ready, trying to shout away the pro-McCain crowd that was trying to hijack her march, and spelling her name for the media.

I was able to get back to the "Big Tent" to catch the tail end of Dan Rather's blistering critique of corporate media, and Katie Couric doing some fluff piece interview. I have to go and ask Katie what designer she is wearing today and what Sean Penn is like offstage.

On my way out of the Big Tent, I ran into Senator Ken Gordon. I spoke to the Senator about the possible opening of the Secretary of State position. Gordon was not ready to accept the premise that the current officeholder was going anywhere, and suggested that CD-6 Democrat, Hank Eng, might keep Coffman right where he was.

Sen. Gordon did say that he has told Gov. Ritter that he has an interest in the seat, and he felt that he was the right one for the job.

I asked if that was politically viable, given that despite it having been a tiny margin, Gordon had lost at the ballot box. Gordon pointed out that he does hold the record amongst Democrats in number of votes for the position, and that there was precedent in former Gov. Owens' appointment of John Suthers.

From there I went to thank Gov. Dean for what he had done for me, blogging, and the party at a blogger BBQ deep in the distant parking areas of the Pepsi Center. There was a Kafkaesque moment when we discovered that the bloggers had been led to a tent through a gate that would not allow any of us back in to the general area, and that snipers were patrolling the roof of the Circle K beside us. Eventually they worked it out so security let us back onto the site.

Gov. Dean was great and continued to be accessible  and plain spoken. People wanted him to stay on as Chair, but he said that he was happy to move on and that it was up to Obama to decide who he wanted in that role.

This is a picture of a tree I planted with DemocratsWork, you could see more of them if Rev. Sharpton would get out of the way. Sharpton spoke very strongly in favor of the Party's nominee at one point saying the interesting quote, "I would rather have someone who spoke the truth than someone who just agreed with me all the time." Ok, Al, but just out of curiosity, which things do you think you are saying that aren't true?



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DNC Tuesday | 2 comments
A Few More Pics (0.00 / 0)
I have a few pictures of Monday's Civic Center Park goings on HERE.

undercovers (0.00 / 0)
Thanks for doing the leg work on this Aaron. Be sure and let us know if you hear of anything else on this issue.

Amazing that the DPD has been such a train wreck for so long.  

http://steampoweredopinions.bl...


DNC Tuesday | 2 comments
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