Posted on 09/04/2002 8:40:59 AM PDT by pittsburgh gop guy
So I went down to the City-County Building in Pittsburgh this morning to protest Pennsylvania Treasurer Barbara Hafer's endorsement of Rendell. I know this was not an official FREEP - but thought I would post this report anyway.
Republicans are lame. Republicans in Pittsburgh are usually really lame. Despite mass emails to Young Republicans and other Republican distro lists, only about 20 pro-Fisher people showed. I know that it is tough during a business day, and that unlike most Dems, Republicans have jobs. At least they had huge signs already made up: Benedict BARBARA; and quotes from Hafer ripping on Katherine Baker Knoll, whom she ran against 2 years ago and just barely beat (thanks to hard work by most Republicans (not I!). Knoll is a dinosaur and had tons of ethical problems - that Hafer must have forgotten in the last 2 years. I took a sign that had a quote by Hafer from 2000: "Don't trust anything Katherine Baker Knoll says."
I also held up a homemade 1 page sign:
BENEDICT HAFER
And at the bottom of it included "freerepublic.com". Jon Delano - the KDKA-TV political guy came by and liked my signs and asked what FREEREPUBLIC.COM is. So much for him being astute. So I briefly explained. I told him about Freepers being in the same place in November and December of 2000 to make sure that ALGORE did not steal the election.
So on the steps of the City-County Building were about 120 of the usual assortment of Dem hacks, government workers and union thugs (more on them later). The anti-Rendell/Hafer crowd stood across the street, and I tried to get some chants of TRAITOR going - which could be heard across the street. State Rep Joe Preston started yelling "RACISTS" and "SEXISTS" at us from across the street - proving how little intelligence he has. We got some tv and print interviews going and then Hafer and Rendell showed up and started speaking. My cohorts and I screamed "TRAITOR", along with "WHERE's KATHY BAKER KNOLL" - since the Rendell camp has been hiding her.
A few of us wandered across the street as the formalities ended and Rendell and Hafer started doing tv interviews. I tried to distance myself from the rest of the Fisher group and made my way through the crowd, while I said "Go HAFER" and hid my sign. I managed to get behind Rendell as he spoke to the cameras - and I worked my sign which read: ""Don't trust anything Katherine Baker Knoll says" right behind him - with the cameras rolling. FINALLY the dim Dems noticed that my sign was a NEGATIVE sign and started pushing me. So I worked my way over to behind Barbara Hafer, who was giving interviews to other tv cameras. This is where the fun begins!
SO - I am behind Hafer - who had several tv cameras on her - and I am holding up my sign so it can be clearly seen (I hope). Some more Dems come over and start pushing me and grabbing for my sign. Now, I am a veteran of many political rallies and kinda have a specialty of infiltrating where they don't want Republicans to be. I have been assaulted before - at a 1992 Clinton rally, I was hit in the face by a 70 years old man - then chased away by several union goons. I was a dumb college kid that did not have a chance. I have had my signs ripped up at other events and been pushed around. But things are different today. I am trying to get into the Marines and have been doing 3-4 workouts a day for the past 2 months. I don't have bulging muscles, but am 178 pounds of lean, mean, fighting machine - and decided to stand my ground today. Let them DON ADAMS me I thought - there are enough cameras around that if it gets real physical it will be taped. So I held my sign and got pushed. Some fat greaser in a suit told me to move along. I told him that "It's America." He then used his weight to push me outta the way - and since he had 150 pound on me - I was pushed aside. There were about 5 guys around me now. Finally, one guy ripped my sign right down the middle. At this point I noticed a couple photographers that had taken an interest in the little scuffle that was developing. As my big sign got ripped and taken from me - I held up my little 8.5x11 with BENEDICT HAFER on it. The fat guy said he was gonna kick my ass, and I got vocal and said real loud "HE JUST SAID HE IS GONNA KICK MY ASS" - I noticed some of the camera guys that were filming Hafer take interest. I was getting pushed aside, and the fat guy said "Do you want to take this outside" - and I replied "WE are outside dumbass". And stood my ground and pushed back. I had lots of guys around me now, some wearing their union shirts. I stood up on a little bench - holding my little sign - but was worried I was gonna get pushed over. Right then another guy ripped my little sign from my hands. The photographers were loving this!! I hope they got some pictures and actually publish them. Little ol me getting pushed around by at least 6 union goons. The photographers asked my name and I gave it and said that I am glad that Barbara Hafer is no longer in the Republican party and that she must be proud of her new association with thugs. A CityPaper reporter asked me some questions - and I told him that I thought it was gonna turn into another DONADAMS affair and had to explain what that was. Hell - I will get pushed and shoved and have my signs taken away - but if you punch me I will use self-defense. If some of those union thugs had wanted that, I was up for it. But I would have taken a couple of them with me to the hospital.
I then got the heck outta there and went back across the street where a few of the Fisher crowd were. They said they could see my signs and were surprised they lasted as long as they did. So was I - Democrats must be getting dumber - or just can't read, cause it is the longest that one of my signs ever lasted before getting ripped outta my hands.
SO - I hope that not all the coverage is fawning over Barbara Hafer and her endorsement of Rendell. Fisher folks were there and made our presence known.
hehehehe......
Yes, Republicans and conservatives are quite good at griping around the water cooler or from behind the keyboard, but when it comes to actually doing something they seem to disappear.
Rendell is something you step on while walking your dog.
This bovine bi-ped obviously doesn't mind it.
Will watch evening news.
Here is an article posted to the PG's website:
http://www.postgazette.com/breaking/20020904haferp7.asp
Rendell gets Hafer's backing at Downtown rally
Wednesday, September 04, 2002
By James O'Toole, Post-Gazette Politics Editor
Republican state Treasurer Barbara Hafer endorsed Democrat Ed Rendell for governor today, spurning the candidacy of her onetime GOP rival, Attorney General Mike Fisher.
Hafer, who has been the Republican nominee in five statewide elections over the past two decades, said she had decided to back Rendell because his experience as mayor of Philadelphia qualified him to lead the state through tough economic times.
Rendell and Hafer this morning appeared on the portico of the City-County Building in Downtown Pittsburgh, across the street from the office Hafer occupied as county commissioner. Hafer was introduced by Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy, who told a crowd of several hundred that Hafer had displayed political courage in crossing the aisle to back a Democrat.
A different interpretation of Hafer's decision was pressed by a group of about a dozen demonstrators, who stood across Grant Street with signs denouncing the treasurer as "Benedict Hafer."
Hafer and Rendell were surrounded by supporters with signs proclaiming, "Republicans for Rendell," and "Women for Choice; Women for Rendell."
Hafer and Rendell were to repeat their performance in news conferences later in the day in Harrisburg and Philadelphia.
More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
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