Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Karl Rove gets Occupied



We kind of like watching Karl Rove shout, "No you're not! No you're not!" It has a real, "Get off my lawn!" feel to it.

Ironically, the Occupy Baltimore "mic check" of Karl Rove's speech reminds us (a little) of the Brooks Brothers Riot during the Florida recount in 2000.

The Consortium recounts (pardon the pun) what happened:
On Nov. 22, 2000, after learning that the Miami canvassing board was starting an examination of 10,750 disputed ballots that had previously not been counted, Rep. John Sweeney, a New York Republican, called on Republican troops to “shut it down,” according to Down and Dirty. Brendan Quinn, executive director of the New York GOP, told about two dozen Republican operatives to storm the room on the 19th floor where the canvassing board was meeting, Tapper reported.
“Emotional and angry, they immediately make their way outside the larger room in which the tabulating room is contained,” Tapper wrote. “The mass of ‘angry voters’ on the 19th floor swells to maybe 80 people,” including many of the Republican activists from outside Florida.
News cameras captured the chaotic scene outside the canvassing board's offices. The protesters shouted slogans and banged on the doors and walls. The unruly protest prevented official observers and members of the press from reaching the room. Miami-Dade county spokesman Mayco Villafana was pushed and shoved. Security officials feared the confrontation was spinning out of control.
The canvassing board suddenly reversed its decision and canceled the recount. “Until the demonstration stops, nobody can do anything,” said David Leahy, Miami’s supervisor of elections, although the canvassing board members would later insist that they were not intimidated into stopping the recount.
The rioters were rewarded with plum White House jobs. One of the rioters got the job of deputy chief of staff for policy -- a job previously held by none other than Karl Rove.