After-Freep Report: Kerry in Seattle/Tacoma (Press Van Flips Us Off!)

My never lyin' eyes | 08/28/04 | SW6906

[SW6906]

Today the unwashed masses gathered at the Tacoma Dome for a Kool-Aide drinking party AKA a Kerry rally. The line snaked down several blocks and was continuously feeding into the event for about four hours. I wouldn't be honest if I didn't say there were thousands and thousands of Kerry-ites there. All-in-all, there were at the peak about 50+ pro-Bush/anti-Kerry protesters spread out over a couple block area.

I arrived in Tacoma around 8:30 AM and never before have I seen so many hard-core lefties in one place as I saw here. Nearly every car I saw as I drove to the parking garage (and in the parking garage) had at least a Kerry sticker, more often than not also some kind of anti-Bush sticker. This was truly going into the belly of the beast. As I parked my car, I decided that:

1-I better back my truck into a wall parking space, and
2-I better take down the 8X11 Unfit For Command book cover picture from my back window.

I need this vehicle to get to work. ;o)

I linked up with our fearless chapter leader, Libertina as she stood alone on a corner with her Kerry Lied sign. We weren't there five minutes before we got our first one-finger salute. One woman with a Bush Lied shirt stood across the street and gestured to herself saying "This is who lied". That was just too much of a slow, fat softball pitch right over the plate that Libertina felt compelled to swing it out of the park with her retort: "Yeah, that's right, you are a liar!" That lady gave us our second one-finger salute.

We weren't allowed to meet at our original meeting place, so other Freepers may have had trouble finding us. We met up with some Protest Warriors and headed up towards the event. We soon discovered that the real protest was down a block and around the corner, right at the entrance to the rally! Yes, folks, they set us up on one side of a narrow two-lane street with the line feeding into the rally across the street, WELL within eye and earshot. The police did a good job of keeping the street a "no mans land" as many a time one of theirs tried to come over to get in our faces.

There was one guy there on our side who was VERY vocal, mostly about Vietnam. For some reason, after a while, he decided to get off on a rant about homosexuals and abortion, asking the crowd across the street to raise their hands if they were a "homo" or had had an abortion. After some time of this, a cop came and asked him to tone it down and not use the word homo. Bad idea. This set him off even more and he got louder and even more offensive. Several of us tried asking him to calm down as he was not making us look good, he was not helping the cause. We eventually packed up and moved down the block as we didn't want to be associated with his over-the-top extremism and choice of language - especially when there were kids there.

I respect his opinion, but this just wasn't the place to go off on that. None of the 25+ signs we had dealt with homosexuality or abortion (including his), that was not what we were there for.

After about an hour, he left and we were able to return to the prime spot he had occupied.

The LaRouchie's showed up with a huge banner condemning Bush and Kerry. They had some obscene song they kept singing over and over in unison about Bush and (Dick) Cheney and Kerry and so on. It actually was a nice sounding tune, but the words were nothing I liked. Good thing it was hard to understand many of the words. ;o)

A big group of the protesters (Protest Warriors?) brought these HUGE 4 ft X 8 ft poster boards that they wrote everything from Kerry is a Traitor to Asians for Kerry to Washington Loves President Bush to Kerry Lied and so on. EXCELLENT signs as they were huge with large, easily readable letters. We took turns holding them at various times.

Of course there were a lot of one-finger salutes and swearing at us, all in front of kids that were waiting to go in. One guy was trying to sell stickers to people waiting in line that said “Lick Bush and his Dick” (as in Cheney) or something obscene like that.

One yell I used over and over as the line moved by was “Kerry wraps his campaign in Vietnam and says Bring it On, then when the Swift Boat Vets bring it on, he says make them stop, make them stop” (in a whiney voice).

Kerry was supposed to be there at noon, he ended up being 50 minutes late. By then, we had been told by some of Tacoma’s finest that Kerry was going to come right by on the main street at the end of the side street we were on, so we moved down there and lined both sides of the street with our huge signs and people waving flags. When his entourage arrived, he drove RIGHT THROUGH OUR GAUNTLET. When he came around the corner and saw us, he was clearly seen in his SUV (yes, he was in an SUV) immediately turning and ducking his head so as not to see us. Coward.

Several of the vehicles in the entourage had signs in them saying Press Pool. In one of them the passenger in the front seat had his window down and I saw him flip us off. Another person said they heard him yell FU as well. Nope, no media bias here folks, nothing to see.

A couple other Freepers besides Libertina and I were there, but I’m afraid I didn’t get their names. As I recall more details, I’ll post replies……….

[JDoutrider]

Good job!

50 of ya'll vs thousands!

About the same ratio as we had in Everett yesterday...

The closer we get to the election, the more we need to stand up against those that hate America.

Have to admit it's eerie going into the belly of the beast, being that out numbered, but hey! It's worth it!

[concerned about politics]

After some time of this, a cop came and asked him to tone it down and not use the word homo.

Why?

[boop]

Protest Warrior rocks! The left is terrified of anyone who DARES to disagree with them. They've had a monopoly on protesting for the last 40 years, and have gotten used to being media darlings. They just don't know how to react when the right stands up to them.

[CDB]

"47 states and the soviet of Washington."

Not much has changed...

[concerned about politics]

When he came around the corner and saw us, he was clearly seen in his SUV (yes, he was in an SUV) immediately turning and ducking his head so as not to see us. Coward.

Ducking???? LOL.

[Republican Wildcat]

One woman with a Bush Lied shirt stood across the street and gestured to herself saying "This is who lied". That was just too much of a slow, fat softball pitch right over the plate that Libertina felt compelled to swing it out of the park with her retort: "Yeah, that's right, you are a liar!"

Now that is classic! Way to go!

[Republican Wildcat]

By the way...why is Kerry campaigning in Washington? That's like Bush campaigning in Kentucky.

[concerned about politics]

Several of the vehicles in the entourage had signs in them saying Press Pool.

Cess pool? They actually had a sign that said that??

Oh wait. That's "press pool". Never mind.

[Nea Wood]

You truly were in the belly of the beast. I just got back from a vacation in Seattle, Tacoma and Oympia. I looked, and I did not see ONE Bush/Cheney bumper sticker or button the entire time I was there...just Kerry/Edwards. Two times I saw people registering voters, and both times they had Kerry/Edwards buttons on. It's the same here in LA. I have yet to see a Bush/Cheney bumper sticker anywhere around here. Not ONE!

[cmsgop]

Very good point Wildcat, He is spending alot of AD Money up here, I questioned this last week. The best poll I found had him leading by 6 in WA.

[Socratic]

"...we definitely have a similar message and agenda."

And Belly Girl was one of the first substantial links.

[SW6906]

Seriously, I don't in the least think he was a plant. I honestly believe his passion just got away from him. If he was a plant, he was REAL good as he helped our side quite effectively for a couple hours.

[Southack]

"I saw people registering voters, and both times they had Kerry/Edwards buttons on. It's the same here in LA. I have yet to see a Bush/Cheney bumper sticker anywhere around here. Not ONE!"

For perspective, compare the number of people who aren't wearing buttons and the number of cars that don't have any bumper stickers on them at all to the number with political stickers.

What you'll find is that only the hard-core sport the stickers and buttons. Your survey reflects the number of die-hards. It's the die-hards who wear the buttons and put the stickers on their cars...a very small percentage of the voting population.

The phrase "silent majority" comes to mind, in fact.

5 Legislative Days Left Until The AWB Expires

[SW6906]

I think the cop asked him not to use the word homo and the other things he was saying in a derogatory tone as there were a lot of small children heading into the event. Several of us were saying the same things to him as the cop did, but when the cop did it, whoo boy, that really shifted him into high gear. That was when we decided to distance ourselves from him.

[RightthinkinAmerican]

No, the media's not biased. How stupid do these f%#@* think we are?

[Boss_Jim_Gettys]

"And Belly Girl was one of the first substantial links."

Belly Girl? What "Belly Girl?" he asks, wondering if someone might post the picture.

[concerned about politics]

Washington (latest Gallup poll) ----- It's Bush 43% and Metro Man 48%
Bush is gaining ground there. It's very close to a toss up state.

[SW6906]

Actually, Washington is in play. According to RealClearPolitics.com, it is a battleground state. Kerry leads here by less than ten points when he should be leading in the high teens.

[concerned about politics]

The phrase "silent majority" comes to mind, in fact.

They don't want their cars smashed up by rabid liberals.

[SW6906]

Just in the last week, I have been noticing more and more and more Bush/Cheney signs in the greater Seattle area. You're not going to see them in downtown Seattle, but get out to the 'burbs and you start to see them everywhere.