Blog For Arizona

DaBait In Da Desert (Part 1)

Peter Newton, Legislative District 30's coordinator, and I drove up to Phoenix to take in the debate and associated events, and to lend a hand with the watching party at the Wyndam. First let me say that I strongly recommend such trips to those who can make them. We met some great people and had a fun time. Only through such interactions among activists from different regions of the state can we build an effective state campaign. Never await an invitation, just arrive and start working.

We started out from Tucson at 9am in order to make Tempe in time to catch Dean's ASU rally. After a long search for parking, the main problem for rallies on Arizona campuses, we set out on foot to find the rally. On the way to the lawn were the rally was to be held, we saw a sad sight. One forlorn and bored looking student sitting at a table advertising a bus to Kerry's rally off-campus. We didn't see any takers. That is the main problem with having a rally for students anywhere but on campus.

The rally seemed of good size at first, but we soon realized the lawn was an amphitheater and there were many more people that we first realized. There were at least 1500 when we arrived, and as we walked around assessing the crowd many more arrived. By the start of the rally, there were easily 2000. As Dean spoke and his voice was broadcast across a good portion of the campus, the rally continued to grow. At peak, I estimated 2500-2700 in attendance. News accounts tend to put the number closer to 1500-2000, they are far too conservative in their estimates.

Dean was right on with his standard stump speech, delivered with comments to the students about their importance to the campaign. His tempo and energy were just right for the crowd and the energy built steadily. Dean is very good at teasing the right responses out of a crowd and building them into a near frenzy. There is a build and climax to a good stumping which is quite akin to sex. The kids got a good stumping that day.

A number of campus Republicans bravely worked the crowd. I must say, I admire their moxie if not their techniques. Several times, I heard them yelling that Dean was a "pussy" and a "wimp". Their aggressive and negative tactics are obviously adopted from their role models: people like Cheney, Bush, Rove, DeLay, Lott, Frist, and Gingrich, who know nothing of substantive debate, only lies, personal attacks, and McCarthyesque innuendo. They have taught our children well.

I don't think they begin to understand what they are trying to accomplish, however. One young idiot, during Dean's standup following the speech, loudly insisted on giving Dean a Bush-Cheney sticker. Under some unknown political logic, reserved for proto-fascist children, this is supposed to humiliate and humble the challenger. I found it amusing that as peaceful and pleasant a young man as Tony Cani, the rally's organizer, can throw a hip check sufficient to dislodge an elephant when needs be. After that, nothing further was heard of the Hitlerian youth.

During the rally I met up with Bill Cozine, the Pima County fund-raising chair. I also met Jodi Patterson in the flesh for the first time; someone called an attractive and harried looking woman "Jodi" and I surmised it must be our state media coordinator. I confirmed it was in fact her, and let her loose, as she was up to her neck in press. I never did get a chance to speak with her in person, she was run too ragged with her duties all that evening. If the poor dear got a moment to enjoy the event, I wasn't present to witness it. Someone should send her a gift certificate for a massage. With some time to kill before the debate was to begin, Bill, Peter, and I repaired to a bistro for lunch, a few beers, and some planning.

Next up: lunch with Bill, a visit to campaign HQ, and the watching party.

posted by Michael Bryan @ 10/13/2003 01:17:00 AM