When Republicans are on the run — literally

October 9, 2006

Here’s a wild story from over the weekend, brought to my attention by reader J.W.

Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, in [Pittsburgh] for a fund-raiser for Sen. Rick Santorum, had a close encounter with a large group of anti-Republican protesters as he was making his way to the Duquesne Club, Downtown.

It was about 4:15 yesterday when Mr. Bush met up with the protesters near the corner of Liberty and Sixth avenues. The protesters were marching to join other pickets already gathered in front of the exclusive club, a little more than a block away at 325 Sixth Ave.

Protesters said Gov. Bush blew them a kiss, acknowledging the crowd of about 30 chanting pickets that was made up of United Steelworkers and members of Uprise Counter Recruitment, a tour traveling through 22 cities to support anti-war efforts.

The protesters came closer. “Jeb, go home,” they shouted.

Before he could go home, however, Jeb ran into a subway station, where he was promptly cornered and surrounded by signs that said “Pittsburgh is a Santorum Free Zone,” and protestors who chanted “We don’t want you here.”

When the situation got tense, the Florida governor did the logical thing: he hid in a closet.

Mr. Grove said a Port Authority canine unit was called in to help with crowd control. Two officers used their tasers to stun two protesters who “were asked to leave, but did not go,” Mr. Grove said.

The tasers he said were empty of the cartridges that supply a more powerful charge.

“It was a very tense situation. They were very close to the governor and shouting on top of him.”

As a precaution, the governor was ushered into a T-station supply closet and stayed there until the crowd left.

There’s a joke in there somewhere about a Florida Republican going into the closet, but given the circumstances, it’s probably better left unsaid.

However, I think it’s fair to say that when McCain taps Jeb for the ’08 ticket, they won’t be spending much time in Pittsburgh.

Law of Conservation of Closeted Florida Republicans: When one comes out of the closet another must go in.

  • This incident could embolden protesters elsewhere. Maybe the time of tamed protesting is coming to an end. Bush has tried to put America in lockdown.

  • Hey, One son with more balls than brains and one with no balls at all. Way to go Geo.H.W. (and Babs)!

    Good Monday morning pick me up!

  • This is what we have to do every time they show up anywhere. By 1967, the only places in America that the last Texas sonofabitch elected President could appear in the country he allegedly led was on Army bases.

    Bush, Cheney, any other Bush, Karl Rove (he does a lot of traveling and shows up all around the country). Meet them with demonstrations, make them appear behind police lines, make their life as hellish as they have made the lives of the Americans they sent to their little invasion of Poland.

    It’s the least these shitheads deserve.

  • Listen, I can’t stand any of the Bushes or their running dogs, but for a man to hide from a crowd that means him no good isn’t the worst thing he can do. I don’t know what this is supposed to show. It does show that our side is not immune to some of the same kinds of crap Bill Clinton was forced to endure for years–being made fun of for behavior that had absolutely nothing to do with his competence as president(or governor, in this case). Any time we deviate from the real issues here, like the war, the economy, med care, morals, or tax cut for the rich, we do the Republicans a favor. Our side looks petty, and they gain stature by comparison.

    You want to humiliate them? Ask them the questions they fear so much. How on earth did you fuck this up so badly?

  • carwinrpc,
    I think the point is that the scene is sort of emblematic of the state our country is in. We have public servants so hated that they dare not appear in front of their fellow citizens. And for good reason, as this little snippet shows. When people believe their government does not listen and that there is no longer any integrity in the process, what would you expect them to do? Jeb was lucky they didn’t kill him, as any other self-respecting mob would have in some countries. I suppose that there is some vestige of optimism then.

    Here’s my prediction: Rather than reflecting on the grievances that led to this confrontation and perhaps acting to alleviate them, Jeb Bush and his crowd will instead insist on greater security and yet more staged “public events.”

  • I saw Chris Wallace in a subway station in DC, and it was all I could do to keep from asking, “Does your jaw get tired when you service the President every day, or do the muscles build up over time?” But, he wandered off with his latte (closet liberal!) before I got the chance. What a missed opportunity!

  • “However, I think it’s fair to say that when McCain taps Jeb for the ’08 ticket, they won’t be spending much time in Pittsburgh.”

    That’s sick…

    CB…. stick the one about the Fla. Republican going into the closet.

  • I’d love it if George Felix Allen Junior would go visiting and someone would chase him into a closet (with the other racists). But George doesn’t seem so popular in the Republican’t campaign circuit these days.

    And damn, when am I going to start seeing some Webb advertising?

  • “Pittsburgh is a Santorum-free zone!” Beautiful. I nominate Pittsburgh as American City of the Week.

  • carwinrpc, if you read the entire article, you’d see that Bush acknowledged the protesters by blowing them a kiss. He could have waved and moved on. But no, he mocked their presence. Bad move. Then, he went down to a subway platform to escape them. From a tactical standpoint, that’s almost as stupid as invading the wrong country. Oh wait – he’s a Bush.

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