Posted on 10/14/2009 6:02:39 AM PDT by kristinn
The White House's fear of protests from Code Pink and other left-wingers has put the brakes on President Obama making any public appearances during his visit to San Francisco this week.
Obama is scheduled to parachute into Liberalville on Thursday afternoon and pick up a cool $2 million for the Democratic Party at a fundraiser at the St. Francis Hotel - then spend the night, before checking out early the next morning and heading to Houston for a community service forum hosted by former President George H.W. Bush.
The St. Francis event is about all the public will see of him here. Concerns about big and loud protests over the war in Afghanistan, the prohibition on open gays and lesbians in the military and other issues have squelched any thought of a trip to a local school or high-tech manufacturing plant that often accompanies such visits, said a source involved in the planning.
"You're always sensitive about having your San Francisco moment here," said former White House spinmeister Chris Lehane.
He still recalls a news conference he organized here in 2000 for then-presidential candidate Al Gore. It turned into a near-disaster when a "transvestite kept asking if he would support public funding for sex changes."
"No matter how you answered, you get in trouble," Lehane said.
As for Obama's visit, Code Pink co-founder and political rabble-rouser Medea Benjamin said the Pinks are still planning "something big and visual" at Union Square, across from the St. Francis fundraiser.
We're also told a Code Pinker has already bought a ticket to the Obama event and will try to hand the president a petition demanding a U.S. exit strategy from Afghanistan.
And - no doubt - the protester will be exiting just as quickly.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
...come to think of it I remember (as a kid) seeing people yelling at the 2000 ceremony for W.:') 2001.
Wonder if they will come out and disrupt his funeral...They should live so long. ;')
Is “parachuting” a euphemism for sneaking in the back door or is he really jumping out of a plane? If real, I don’t see how the SS is allowing this.
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