Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Known Protestors

This account from Spazeboy is very disturbing.
I was about 10 yards behind Jane [Hamsher], and had just gotten to the door when I was told that no backpacks were allowed in the theater. I could see Jane showing her ticket and presumed that she’d save me a seat, so I bolted to my car to drop off my bag. When I came back but a minute later, a familiar face was waiting for me. It was the Lieberman staffer who exuded so much confidence about Lieberman’s ability to change minds in New Britain when speaking at the DTC meeting in June who reached out and ripped the ticket from my hand.

...

It was someone a little higher up on the Lieberman food-chain (I can tell this because he didn’t steal anything from me) who came over with a police officer and said this about me:

“Officer, he’s a known protester”

...

I bristled at the charge that I was a “known protester”. Am I not also a Democrat? How about a constituent of Senator Lieberman? How about a fan of Bill Clinton?

Nope. Because I am a pretty visible supporter of Ned Lamont, and because I’ve made appearances at a couple of Lieberman campaign stops to see what he has to say (and to ask him to commit to the Primary), I was not allowed in to see Bill Clinton.

This is just the kind of turnaround Joe Lieberman needs. Talking Points Memo spoke with Lieberman spokeswoman Marion Steinfels about the issue:
She tells us that although Spazeboy had a ticket (which was apparently given to him by someone else), his name wasn't on the list, and no one whose name wasn't on the list was admitted -- ticket or no ticket. "You had to have your name on the list, for security reasons," she told us. "Every ticket had a number and the name corresponded." It appears that the person at the door recognized Spazeboy and knew his name wasn't on the list, and thus barred him.
Spazeboy says that no list was checked, and that in fact no lists were present.

If this is true (and I suspect that it is), then that was not a smart thing of the Lieberman campaign to do if they want to prove to Democrats that they are not, in fact, the Bush campaign from 2004. I wonder if free speech zones are next.

Update: In fact, there was a free-speech zone at the event. Sigh.

11 comments:

Genghis Conn said...

This shutting of people out of events because of differing views or for phony "security reasons" is very disturbing to me.

Anonymous said...

According to Maura, who came to the lamont event last night, there was, in fact, a free speech zone.

ctblogger said...

Genghis,

There was a free soeech zone at the event. The whole thing was crazy and what happened to Spazeboy was outrqageous.

Marion is lying and doing damage control. I was also barred from a Lieberman event which I find insulting to say the least.

I won't get into the detail (you know how to reach me) but in short, the entire Lieberman campaign is out of control. Come on down to a Lieberman event and find out for yourself (if you know the next time Joe has a event).

ctblogger said...

gio,

What you said is complete crap. Spazeboy has NEVER stalked Lieberman and I'm shocked Genghis would publish your comment.

Spazeboy is the ultimate professional when it comes to doing his blogging and to say anything different is insulting.

ctkeith said...

Marion did what she's been trained to do,LIE.

I "stalked" Lieberman for 14 months before there was a Lamont,was at all 4 public events where he took questions from the public(4 at each event and ran out the door)and the 2 Kens,Sean and Marion know exactly who I am.

All 4 of them are so clueless and paranoid they've become famous across the country for it and have made Lieberman and his campaign the butt of every late night comedy show.

Lamont should pay for these guys vacations after August 8th.They may have helped Lamont more than Swan Himself,LMAO

ctkeith said...

By hiring the inept crew Lieberman has and being petrified of being asked any probing questions Joe Lieberman has been proven to be nothing but a paper tiger.

The fact that he and his entire staff have been outwitted repeatedly by a college kid with a $200 camera should in itself preclude any nutmegger with a half a brain or more from voting for him.

How anyone here(yeah you Gio) can't see the Humor in of an 18 yr incumbent Senator who was a hair away from being VP being outmanouvered by Spazeboy is amazing.

I love that Spazeboy is "on the Hunt" for Lieberman and hope he "Brings Him to Justice".LMFAO

Anonymous said...

There was indeed a "free speech zone". All "protesters", which basically included about 30 local Waterbury onlookers who didn't have tickets, 10 people with signs like, "THANKS, BILL, FOR RESPECTING THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY!", one person with a Lamont sign, and one person with a hand-drawn cartoon fetus sign were all forced by the police to leave our positions across the street from the Palace to a location one block away behind police barricades.

In the first position right across from the entrance to the theater, nobody shouted anything. Nobody had a megaphone or disrupted proceedings. People just chatted companionably and stood with their signs. Even Sean Smith, Lieberman's campaign manager, came across the street and petted Ed's golden retriever. But shortly after Sean's visit, the cops came over and told us we had to go a block away behind barricades.

I talked with a local Waterbury cop about it while we waited in the hot sun for Clinton to arrive. I asked whether the "free speech zone" was for security for Clinton and he said no, it was because he was told that Lamont people would start fights with Lieberman people. That just made me laugh out loud.

If you knew the mild-mannered personalities involved and the totally mild signs we held (I mean, come on, "Welcome, Bill! Thanks for respecting our primary" and "Bill, please tell Joe "No Do Overs" Respect CT Dems" - can you get more mild than that?) the whole idea that we were going to start some kind of rumble is hilariously paranoid.

Genghis Conn said...

Maura,

That really, really bugs me. Turfgrrl is right, campaigns who need to use "free speech zones" should be taken to task for it.

Clinton doesn't care so much about security. In Enfield in 2002, a few people sneaked past the cops and got to the parking lot where he was to arrive. Apparently, according to them, he popped out of the car and went over to them to say hello. He didn't care that they weren't supposed to be there.

Anonymous said...

Stalker? Citizen journalist? Citizen Paparazzi? Muckraker? It all depends on your point of view. Spazeboy has been very clear about his biases in covering the U.S. Senate race. He has also done a very good job of documenting the race. It would be great if the traditional media were covering the race as closely as Spazeboy is.

It is understandable why the Lieberman campaign would not want Spazeboy there. He represents part of the new media that is critical of Lieberman. All campaigns want to control the media. That is the job of the communications director. However, the Lieberman campaign, in its failure to recognize the role of new media in the media ecology, have been very clumsy in handling all aspects of new media.

As to “Free Speech Zones”, the Democrats used “Free Speech Zones” at the 2004 Democratic Convention and they have been popular ever since. They are a bad idea and are likely to backfire more and more often.

The police do have a responsibility to “preserve disorder”, to quote Mayor Daley, and it is understandable why the police would want to keep protestors away from the entrance to the Palace Theatre, especially if they believed that fights could break out between Lamont supporters and Lieberman supporters. After all, the whole world is watching.

And, the Lieberman people may actually believe that “Lamont people would start fights with Lieberman people”. The paranoia of the Lieberman campaign does appear to be that bad. Another aspect of the Lieberman campaign is psychological projection. Their accusations of the Lamont campaign are typically projections of their worst characteristics, and the fear that Lamont people would start fights may actually be a projection of their own belligerence.

Anonymous said...

What a joke you Lamont people really like to lie and deceive everyone.

The Lieberman staff rules Sean is a great Campaign Manager The Two Kens are great guys i have known them for years.

Better than that lamo Tom Swan that works for Lamont he needs to get a tie on and stop acting like a flashback to the 60's oh that's right these liberals are trying to turn the clock back to 1970 when their sungod of that Time Joe Duffey beat Tom Dodd Then both lost to Lowell Weicker.

this time maybe Ned wins the primary(I doubt it)But Joe Lieberman wins in the end.

Then we can get rid of the DFA , dumpjoe.com and these liberals can be driven back underground once they cant control our speech anymore.

Anonymous said...

gc, not a fan of free speech zones either, however, there were lists present at the doors as my name was checked off one. this is not uncommon.