President Bush is coming to Bellevue today to headline a fundraiser for Congressman Dave Reichert at the Bellevue Hyatt around 3 p.m. Having a POTUS visit is a signature event for the average get-yer-ya-yas-out professional protestor.
The excitement among liberal activists here is spreading like a wet spot on a toddler's pants just before meeting the mall Santa Claus. This includes a "spontaneous" rally to call for Bush's impeachment and to end the occupation in Iraq. At least that's what a group calling itself Drive out the Bush Regime sent out. Apparently the "spontaneous" event is being sponsored by Washington for Impeachment and Eastside Fellowship of Reconciliation with about a dozen other "groups" adding their names to the bill of fare.
Protestors are asked to wear orange. I'm guessing this is meant to show solidarity for the citizens of Ukraine. Or to protest the King County Elections Office handling of the 2004 gubernatorial recount. Or to show their appreciation for Sound Politics. Maybe it's hunting season... although it's still too early even for stick-slingers...
At any rate, Bush protestors, wear orange because it's supposed to mean something.
A counter protest is also being staged for Bush supporters. If you want to give a thumbs up to W while waving another digit or two at the people shouting "Bush Lied - Folks died" and other meaningless monosyllabic chants you'll want to meet at around 1 p.m. at The Hyatt Regency, 900 Bellevue Way on the corner across from Bellevue Square.
Bush protestors are mustering at The Bradford Center, 700 108th Ave.
The art of protesting seems to have fallen by the wayside over the past few years. Last year's visit by Bush in Bellevue drew between 100 and 200 folks at the rally; pathetically paltry numbers when you consider the region. The rubber chicken feeds featuring Karl Rove or Dick Cheney drew even less flies. This is a far cry from the halcyon days of the 1990s when visits by Bill and Hillary Clinton drew hundreds of protestors egged on by Kirby Wilbur, John Carlson and Mike Siegel who outnumbered the fawning Democrats listening to their speeches two-to-one. (If I remember right...)
If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention. Or maybe you are but just have better things to do than spend an afternoon with dirty hippies.
Since the art of the anti-whatever rallies seems to be dying, I've included a few helpful tips for Bush Protestors and Bush Supporters.
Bush is baaaad.
You'll want to wake up a bit earlier than normal. Maybe around 10 or 11 o'clock.
Eat a healthy breakfast. Nothing beats a morning nosh of Twinkies, organic oatmeal and bottled water.
Since time is of the essence you won't have a chance to shower, brush your teeth, use deodorant, fix your hair or put on a change of clothing. Treat today just like every morning then.
Catch a bus over the lake.
Get absolutely wasted on the trip over. If multiple protestors are riding Metro or Sound Transit try hot-boxing the bus. Some studies have shown that people who smoke those torpedoes tend to develop feelings of paranoia. Use it. You'll be needing this when making up chants about illegal wire-taps and how the Patriot Act has taken away Americans' rights; including the one about petitioning the government.
Dress appropriately. Your standard Che t-shirt is a good starter uniform. But try upping the ante by donning an eight-foot tall paper-mache head of Condi Rice.
Bush is a Good'un.
Call your boss and tell him you'll be taking a longer lunch break than normal. For you business owners get someone to fill in for the afternoon.
Eat a healthy breakfast or lunch. Try Burger King's Meatnormous Omelette Sandwich to show solidarity with any PETA or CAIR member who you might run into today.
The best place to park your car is at Bellevue Square. Be thankful the event is held on the Eastside and not Seattle so you don't have to worry about getting bent over like a Stranger staff writer with any exorbitant parking fees.
Get riled up by listening to Rush on 770 KTTH because, after all, you-are-an-unthinking-Dittohead-who-is-unable-to-form-opinions-of-your-own-without-MahaRushie-on-the-radio-telling-you-what-say. (And sorry KVI, the Commentators with its contrived conservative-vs-liberal storyline is a stale waste of air-time).
Dress appropriately for the protest. My recommendation is a sensible pair of boots; with the steel toes if you got 'em. Clothing that is stain resistant and can hold up to any fake blood, real spit or any other liquid or solid that gets hurled is a must.
Lastly, I do intend to be at this shindig. Look for the tall, dead-sexy looking guy carrying a Nikon SLR and sporting a blue jean jacket. The '80s might be over but good taste in fashion and cameras never change.
I AM A REPUBLICAN WITH A GREAT RESPECT FOR THE RIGHT TO DISSENT AND TO VOICE THAT DISSENT.
LAWFUL PROTEST IS WELCOME, AND WHO WILL CARE?
Posted by: kelper on August 27, 2007 07:53 AMYou're all wrong on the breakfast eaten by bush badders. First of all, any self-respecting protester wouldn't eat Twinkies, they contain animal by-products and paraffin, an oil-based product. Second, no protester would be caught dead drinking bottled water, they might as well just leave their car idling in the driveway at night.
Do you know how big the carbon "footprint" of that breakfast is? Sheesh, you haven't been studying up on the new material in their handbook. It clearly says in chapter 2, verse 13 of the book of Al that not being carbon neutral is a sin.
Posted by: Nobody on August 27, 2007 07:54 AMI do take issue with Reichart shutting down evening commuter traffic for his own benefit. Not a smart move to tick off voters in this manner. Seems like a good way to drive voters to his opponent. Republican, Democrat, or whatever tickles your tail feathers - still not a smart move.
Bruner's campaign would be smart to latch on to this opportunity to publically flog Reichart :: "He (Reichart) doesn't really care about us. He screwed up our commute home for his own benefit and pleasure."
Now instead of shunning him, people realize they should (and should have) BOUND themselves to him.
History will tell us that G. W. Bush is the most important President of the first half of the 21st Century...and possibly one of the best Presidents in history.
Instead of protesting people should be thronging to see the man, like when Pope Paul the VI came down Van Wyck Expressway in 1965.
As for protesting, it's not that important to me to take valuable vacation time from work to oppose some whack jobs with nothing better to do.
Posted by: Palouse on August 27, 2007 08:52 AMWe'll promote this as an excuse to get people out of their cars. Reichart is just providing an opportunity to experience mass transit, etc.
And as I've stated before, I hope Burner latches onto Bush's visit...it will do wonders for her political asperations.
Posted by: Chris on August 27, 2007 09:20 AMWill people get out of their cars for this event? Doubt it.
Will it piss off thousands of registered voters like me? Very much so.
This is a huge opportunity for Bruner to strike at a Reichart choice that directly impacts his district without jumping on the "I hate all things Bush" liberal spew. If her campaign is smart they will make no mention of Bush.
Posted by: Iso on August 27, 2007 09:37 AMWhat about the media attention focused on Down Town Bellevue?
Uhhh, actually G. W. Bush is the ONLY president of the first half of the 21st century. Well I guess you could say that Bill Clinton had about 20 days.
Posted by: RBW on August 27, 2007 11:14 AMLOLPROTEST!
Posted by: pudge on August 27, 2007 02:01 PMI will patiently await you posting the link to his answer.
peace
Posted by: videoguy on August 27, 2007 02:32 PMAnd the fact that you're too gutless to do anything about it makes it even better.
Posted by: jimg on August 27, 2007 02:39 PM#11 Ka-ching!!!
Good comments rest of y'all.
Had fun today. Will try to post some of my thoughts on the event soon.
At the airport there were no dirty hippes protesting, just some aviation nut jobs and police officers.
Posted by: Andrew S on August 27, 2007 08:24 PMhttp://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/how_to_piss_off_liberal_protesters
Posted by: bush/cheney08 on August 27, 2007 11:42 PMhttp://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/how_to_piss_off_liberal_protesters
Posted by: bush/cheney08 on August 27, 2007 11:43 PMhttp://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1155AP_Poverty.html?source=mypi
"Poverty rate declines significantly
By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
WASHINGTON -- The nation's poverty rate dropped last year, the first significant decline since President Bush took office.
The Census Bureau reported Tuesday that 36.5 million Americans, or 12.3 percent - were living in poverty last year. That's down from 12.6 percent in 2005."
P.S. They wore orange to symbolize the torcher going on by the US and how we should probably stop it being that it's not only wrong but against everything we've stood for for the past 200 years. I thought you were a conservative and feared change? I would think changing something like the geneva convention would scare someone like you no?
Posted by: chris on August 28, 2007 11:24 AMOf course there's going to be more protestors than counterprotestors. Doesn't mean anything. Protestors have more reason to be there, since they are the ones trying to change something. That's the way of things. Duh.
Also, you don't know what "conservative" means, because it has nothing to do with "fearing change."
Also, you would win more people over if you could spell "torture." Maybe. Also if you knew what torture was, since it's not actually going on, and there's nothing going on that represents a change in the Geneva Conventions.
Stupid facts, daring to prove you wrong!
Posted by: pudge on August 28, 2007 11:45 AMAnd don't pretend to care about the money spent to ship Bush out here, unless you also complained when Clinton did it. And for some reason, I doubt you did, and so I therefore couldn't care less about that lame criticism.
Posted by: pudge on August 30, 2007 10:25 PMAnd don't pretend you care more about or have more hope for this nation. It's the grassroots conservative Republicans who for 25 years now have been preaching hope and optimism, while it's the liberal Democrats who have been telling us to abandon our hopes of liberty and prosperity.
It's the Democrats who have been telling us that times change, and we should give in to restrictive gun laws, to the destruction of unborn children, to high taxes, to federal government control over everything they can get their hands on (which constitutes in itself a direct loss of liberty by the people, disallowed by the Tenth Amendment), to so many other things that I believe in that the Democrats say I should give up on.
But I have hope. I still believe this is morning in America. I still believe we can have freedom and liberty and prosperity without giving into the fanciful notion that we need to give up those things because "times change" and the federal government needs to control everything from education to health care just because people are, frankly, far too fearful of freedom.
You say you have hope for a nation of, by, and for the People, yet the Democratic party is devoted to destroying the most important parts of the Constitution, most especially, the Tenth Amendment, which is what guarantees more than any other part that we can have the most power possible to make for ourselves the decisions that affect us.
Most Democratic officials, in the federal government anyway, are afraid of states, of people, having that power. They work as hard as they can to destroy that power. They only care about the parts of the Constitution that they like, or that they can use to attack Republicans.
Also, I also almost never watch Fox News. I watch CNN and MSNBC far more often, because I have a degree in journalism and my standards are high and, even apart from the significant bias, Fox News has the worst news reporting out of any of the news channels, not to mention the greatest focus on non-news. The news I watch most is PBS NewsHour, which I watch every single day, and I even on occasion write to the PBS Ombudsman (he posted two of my letters recently, about the Bill Moyers impeachment program).
Not that any of that makes me better than anyone else, of course. But you seem to think it matters.
So stop pretending I call you names, stop pretending you care more about the money spent than which President is spending it, stop pretending you have more hope or care for our country, and stop pretending you are somehow more well-informed or wiser. You're just another guy, and you're not better than anyone else. (That's another thing many on the left are: elitist snobs.)
Posted by: pudge on August 31, 2007 07:06 AM