[Seattle-editorial] Submissions - Bush and Dean In Seattle - Black Helicopters, etc.

[Mark Taylor-Canfield]

Here are two articles about the last week of political
events in Seattle:

Active Political Week In Seattle – Bush Versus Dean
Black Helicopters And Peanut Butter And Jelly
Sandwiches
$1.7 Million Versus 15,000 Supporters

The Emerald City came to a standstill on August 22
when George W. Bush came to town. Surrounded by secret
service and military style-police, Bush arrived in Air
Force One at Boeing Field where he greeted a dozen VIP
supporters. He was immediately whisked away to the
multi-million dollar McCaw mansion on Lake Washington
where he proceeded to raise 1.7 million dollars in
less than two hours. Then he left Seattle,
leaving behind him a significant political backlash in
his wake.

The local media was denied access to Bush while
reporters from CNN and Fox were given the royal
treatment. This caused some frustration among Seattle
print and media journalists who were ignored by the
Bush entourage. Reporters from local radio stations
were forced to give live reports of Bush’s arrival
from positions that were so far removed 
from the action that they could barely see him. It was
easy to detect a bit of resentment in the voice of the
reporter from KIRO radio during his live report – “I
can barely see the president, I think he’s greeting
some VIPs but I can’t tell who those people are…”

Traffic was stopped on Interstate 5 and on the Highway
520 floating bridge across Lake Washington to allow
the president’s motorcade to pass. After sitting
through tedious traffic delays caused by the Navy’s
Blue Angels a few weeks ago during Seattle’s annual
Seafair events, many commuters were frustrated by the
traffic tie-ups caused by the president’s motorcade
and the intense security surrounding the Commander In
Chief. Seattle’s traffic congestion is some of the
worst in the nation and even Bush was forced to sit in
a traffic jam on I-5 before he finally reached the
McCaw mansion at Hunts Point.

Meanwhile, citizens reported seeing unidentified black
helicopters and the local television media did stories
about military jets that chased private planes in the
area. 
The jets even fired flares at small planes that
strayed into a “no fly zone”, forcing them to land.
Demonstrators at Hunts Point complained of law
enforcement officers with no clear identification.
Some of them looked more like soldiers – especially
the police in black uniforms carrying automatic
weapons. 

According to KIRO radio, the secret service made
several requests to the Kirkland police department,
asking that the officers push protesters to a position
150 feet away from the motorcade route.  Evidently,
even local police agencies felt it necessary to rebel
against 
heavy-handed federal authorities who had taken over
the city for the day.  Police officers moved the crowd
about 25 feet back from the street which still allowed
them to be visible from the president’s vehicle. The
Bush handlers were trying very hard not to allow for
camera shots of the protesters demonstrating near the
official motorcade route. I assume that they did not
want people to see the president’s vehicle and the
protesters in the same frame on their TV sets during
the evening news. 

Their efforts failed, however, as anti-Bush
demonstrators were very visible and well spoken. A
protest rally was held at Westlake Park in the middle
of the downtown shopping and business district just as
Bush arrived in Seattle around noon. 
The demonstration was put together by local activists
and labor unions
(www.stopbushseattle.com). Asian Pacific American
Labor Alliance spokesperson Akson Moulamai told the
large group of anti-Bush protesters that INS agents
had dressed up as employees and raided the Port of
Seattle’s SeaTac airport, deporting dozens of
immigrants for minor immigration law violations. He
promoted the immigrants Freedom Ride to Washington DC
and upcoming protests in September against the Bush
administration’s immigration policies in the post-911
era. Other calls for protests included a rally and
march for September 28th against the occupation of
Palestine and US support for Israel sponsored by the
International Answer coalition
(www.internatiuonalanswer.org). These events are part
of an international day of protests.

On the east side of Lake Washington, in the
ultra-yuppie community of Bellevue, a local right-wing
radio station (KVI) secured a permit for the entire
city park, denying access to anti-Bush protesters who
began to gather in the area. Pro and anti-Bush
factions faced off with police barricades between
them. Hundreds of protesters challenged the Bush
supporters and by the end of the day anti-Bush
demonstrators outnumbered his supporters in several
locations. Activists from the Howard Dean campaign
canvassed the crowds and invited the protesters to see
the Democratic presidential candidate in person on
August 24th at a Westlake Park rally.

As the afternoon progressed, groups of people from the
various anti-Bush rallies began to congregate at Hunts
Point, where the president was holding a fundraiser at
the home of telecommunications millionaire Michael
McCaw. Attendees paid $2,000 each to meet the
president, and in one case, a woman beamed to local
media that George W. had kissed her on the cheek. Her
husband literally gave Bush the shirt off his back.
The president liked the man’s colorful shirt so he
gave it to Bush. 

At Hunts Point protesters were met with police in riot
gear from local law enforcement agencies, including
the only four police officers on the Hunts Point
force, as well as police from Kirkland, Bellevue and
Seattle. No one knows how many federal agents or
undercover officers were present. It is a fair bet
that the FBI, Homeland Security and the Secret Service
were well represented, in addition to military staff
from Air Force One and other military personnel.  One
unidentified demonstrator at Hunts Point commented to
reporters, “Welcome to the police state of America.”
One man was so upset that he tried to block the
motorcade route on Highway 520 by standing in the
freeway. He was immediately arrested. 

The local TV news in Seattle was full of video of the
president’s visit and the accompanying demonstrations.
Protesters were interviewed on local television and
radio and most of them made very strong statements
against Bush, the war in Iraq and the flawed
presidential election of 2000.  The Bush
administration has provided a focus for the political
opposition in the Northwest. During the original
anti-Iraq war protests, demonstrators in Seattle
seemed like a ragtag coalition of lefties, peaceniks
and progressive democrats. Many issues were
represented at the rallies and many different groups
vied for exposure and attention for their issues.  The
current series of anti-Bush protests seem to be much
more focused and unified.
Bush has become the issue and much of the past
conflicts among opposition groups have evaporated for
the time being. I saw black clad anarchists as well as
mainstream Democrats at these protests. Everyone
seemed to be united on one simple point:
“Anybody But Bush”. I’ve come to calling it the ABB
syndrome.  

In fact, another anti-Bush protest was held the
following day even though Bush had already left town. 
An estimated 3,000 to 5,000 demonstrators held a rally
at Myrtle Edwards Park.  Keynote speakers included
mainstream politicians like Seattle City Council
President Peter Steinbrueck, US Congressman Adam
Smith, Washington State Democratic Chairman Paul
Berendt, former Clinton speechwriter and policy
advisor Eric Luci. Demonstrators marched along the
Seattle waterfront, receiving a mostly positive
response from tourists and locals who suddenly stopped
shopping long enough 
to watch the march. 

Billionaires For Bush were present at the protest to
spoof the administration. Actors dressed as Bush and
Cheney and assured everyone that America is safe now
that the US has secured the Iraqi oil fields. The man
in the Dick Cheney mask carried a scythe and 
Dressed in a black robe like the Grim Reaper. A rich
matron in a lace dress and pearls threw money at the
crowd and urged them to support Bush so that she can
continue to protect her wealthy lifestyle. Faux pink
ninja riot cops wandered among the thousands of
demonstrators. The marchers were enthusiastic and even
the local police seemed more relaxed and jovial after
Bush had departed from the Northwest. 

Bush’s comments in eastern Washington had angered many
environmentalists 
who were on hand to protest his administration’s
environmental policies.
He came out solidly against demolishing any of the
numerous dams which have
contributed to the destruction of the salmon
population. Appearing in a small rural community that
had voted 75% for Bush during the election,his
handlers told the media that he had come to the
Northwest to talk about the economy and the
environment. 

Washington and Oregon have the highest rates of
unemployment in the US.  Bush’s
rhetoric fell largely upon deaf ears in the
metropolitan Puget Sound area and in Oregon
where the economies are the worst that anyone can
remember and the politics are traditionally aligned
with the Democratic party. There is no Republican
party office in Seattle – it has been considered“enemy
territory” by conservatives for many years. 
And the economic news under the current Republican
administration has been nothing but depressing. At
least 30,000 machinists have lost their jobs. Boeing
moved it’s corporate headquarters to Chicago and is
threatening even more lay-offs. The dotcom industry is
a bust and only those still employed at Microsoft are
able to afford the high rents and increasingly high
cost of living in Seattle. Add to this the diminishing
salmon run and radioactive waste at the Hanford
nuclear plant and anyone can see that his words
sounded hollow to a population that once enjoyed a
flourishing economy and a pristine natural
environment. 

Many members of the community obviously resented the
federal government’s presence in Seattle and the
resulting high security, loss of access, and major
traffic problems. Even the local corporate media could
not ignore the underlying message of Bush’s visit: 
George W. is not interested in engaging the majority
of the population in the Northwest. He is satisfied to
meet with the elite and raise as much money as he can
for his campaign while ignoring the real problems that
trouble our region of the US. Being whisked away to a
millionaire’s mansion while avoiding liberal Seattle’s
anger at his administration’s policies was probably
not a smart political move. People who are ignored
eventually fight back. 

If the Bush administration is serious about getting
those potential electoral votes from Washington,
Oregon and California, he will have to acknowledge his
unpopularity in this area of the country. He ignores
the grassroots resistance to his policies in the
Pacific 
Northwest at his own peril. The movement against him
is growing at a time when the Republicans desperately
want to make gains on the West Coast. 

George W. Bush left a very bad taste in the mouths of
many of the residents of Seattle. It’s probably no
wonder that Democratic presidential candidate Howard
Dean was able to draw 15,000 people to his rally in
Seattle two days after Bush’s visit. It seems that
they prefer a guy who serves peanut butter and jelly
sandwiches at his fundraisers over the usual Bush
routine of expensive dinner parties at millionaire
mansions.

Dr. Dean Comes To Town 
15,000 Gather In Seattle To Welcome Presidential
Candidate Howard Dean

Enter former Vermont governor and current presidential
candidate Howard Dean, the great white hope of
grassroots activists in the Democratic party. “Meet
Ups” are sprouting up all over the country and
especially in the Northwest. These pro-Dean gatherings
are held mainly in private homes and on the internet.
His campaign is widely regarded as the most effective
internet organizing effort in the history of US
politics. Through mostly small donations from “average
citizens”, Dean has been able to create an amazing
amount of national hype and he has been able to raise
more money than any of the other Democratic party
candidates. He is the only Democratic candidate who
did not support the war in Iraq. The backlash against
George W. Bush has fed Dean’s campaign with thousands
of enthusiastic volunteers who are so opposed to Bush
that they are becoming active in electoral politics
for the first time in their lives. 

At a fundraising event at the Westin Hotel in Seattle
on August 24th, Dean told his supporters that the
“Meet Ups” were not his idea. He claims that they were
happening long before he had even heard about them. 
He also told the group of donors that had gathered,
“If I am the most liberal candidate running for
president, then American politics are in a sad state
of affairs.” He obviously does not see himself in the
way that he has been portrayed by the conservative
Democratic Leadership Conference – as a radical
“lefty” who is out of touch with the majority of
Americans. In one statement, the DLC referred to Dean
as a “fringe candidate” who would never be able to
garner support from the mainstream voter, and
therefore he could not win the election.

At the recent events in Seattle, Howard Dean did not
come across as a radical. In fact, his smooth
professional politician’s smile and swaggering
attitude reminds this journalist that electoral
politics are largely a game of perception. I witnessed
a manufactured photo opportunity with Dean after his
speech at the Westin. The press handlers from his
campaign brought us out into the hotel lobby so we
could take photos of him holding a small child. She
and her mother were the only members of the general
public who were allowed to get that close to Dean
during the fundraiser. I witnessed several other
examples of the traditional photo op session. The
press conference was cut short
so that he could be seen with a couple of other
“important guests”, mostly folks with children. He is
definitely well schooled in the politics of shaking
hands and kissing babies. In this way, he comes across
as a very mainstream kind of candidate.

Other comments during his speeches give more evidence
of his willingness to use 
US military power. He seems proud of the fact that he
supported the first Iraq war and the invasion of
Afghanistan. In the case of the Persian Gulf war he
stated that “an ally had been invaded and we had to
protect Kuwait”.As for the Afghanistan war, Dean
invoked the 3,000 victims of the September 11th attack
on the World Trade Towers and claimed, “It was
self-defense.” These statements should worry pacifists
and non-interventionists who support him. He told
those gathered at the rally that he “would not
hesitate” to send troops to a foreign country. The
only difference between Dean and Bush on this issue is
that Howard Dean promises, “I will not lie about the
real reasons for the war.” Are we to assume that the
Democratic candidate would therefore have no problem
with invading sovereign nations to secure oil or to
destabilize unfriendly governments?

As for the environment, Howard Dean had little to say
to the people of the Northwest. 
He did not commit to the idea of removing dams in
order to save the salmon. Nor did he have any real
proposals as to how to solve what Bush calls our
“energy problem’, except for an off-handed remark
about renewable energy sources (no specifics). The
Dean campaign website contains no more details on
environmental policies as far as I can tell. 
Here’s a quote: 

“…One hundred years from now, long after my
governorship has ended, Vermonters will continue to
hike, camp, fish, and farm lands that will be forever
pristine.
Vermont’s population may triple in that time, yet our
essential character as a state will remain unchanged.
As President, I would bring my commitment to our
environment to the White House.”

Since the website contains no information on the
context of those comments, I’m not sure when he made
that statement, and I’m still left with no facts
regarding any specific proposals he may or may not
have in mind. Dean says he opposes drilling for oil in
the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge. Other than that, it
sounds like he thinks of the natural environment only
as a place for recreation and farming. And how can he
assure anyone that Vermont will be as beautiful and
endearing after a hundred years? I guess he won’t be
around to be held accountable for his prediction a
century from now, so it doesn’t 
Really matter.

After a fundraiser at the Westin Hotel where donors
were reputably served peanut butter and jelly
sandwiches, Dean made his way to Westake Center to
address a huge crowd of enthusiastic supporters. I
heard the same chant that reverberated through the
Westin, 
“We Want Dean!”  It became obvious to me then that
this guy is a veritable rock star. 
His cult of personality has come at a time when the US
sorely needs a courageous challenger to the status quo
which is now controlled by corporate raiders and
religious extremists.  But it always makes me nervous
when I see this kind of phenomena.
Mindless chanting and hero worship do not necessarily
translate into good government. Political rallies
often have the feel of an old-time religious revival
meeting. Passionate individuals testify to their
commitment to the candidate and that is supposed to
encourage others to do likewise. By the time the
candidate shows up the crowd is in a total
frenzy, which has been carefully orchestrated by
members of the campaign staff. 

When Dean entered the room it became so loud and
uproarious that members of the electronic media were
forced to remove their headphones or turn the volume
down to avoid severe aural pain. The sound meters were
peaking and Seattle City Council President Peter
Steinbrueck was so pumped up that he nearly swallowed
the microphone. His shouting came out sounding
distorted and unintelligible. All one could tell was
that he was very excited. Former Washington State
Governor Booth Gardener was also there at the podium
to welcome Dean and promote his candidacy.  

Later, at the Westlake Park rally, Dean supporters
began to shout down some of the remaining speakers by
chanting again – “We Want Dean!” again. The crowd was
literally rebelling against the organizers and the
speakers. They wanted Dean and they wanted him now!
The campaign staff was flustered but before the crowd
could become too raucous, the man of the hour arrived
to ecstatic cheers. People seemed to be extremely
happy to see him, as if they were afraid that he might
be just another figment of the liberal imagination and
not a real challenger to Bush.  

The crowd seemed satisfied that Dean is the “real
thing” with the right stuff. He received the greatest
response every time he mentioned Bush or his
administration by name. He is undoubtedly capitalizing
on the growing anti - Bush sentiment which has been
growing quickly since revelations about the lack of
weapons of mass destruction in Iraq became public.
He’s riding a tide of dissatisfaction which was
apparent in the rest of the world before the Iraq war
started but was lacking in the US at that time.

The question is: Is Howard Dean a visionary or just
another liberal opportunist? I was unable to find
anyone who could give me some honest answers about
Dean’s record as governor of Vermont, a very small
state with a tiny economy. 

The most encouraging statement I heard from Dean
regarded his push for “universal” healthcare. He
bragged that 99% of all Vermont residents under the
age of 18 have health insurance.  He listed countries
that provide state-funded healthcare for its citizens
– Canada, UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain,
Scandinavian nations, and “even Costa Rica”. This
brought loud cheers from the audience that had
gathered at Westlake Park. Dean is an MD and has used
those credentials ceaselessly to promote healthcare
issues. The old saying goes, “If you can’t trust your
doctor, who can you trust?” His position in the
medical field has given him a voice of authority on
this issue. Let’s hope that if he 
is elected he can do better than the last Democratic
administration at providing US residents with
healthcare. 

The way in which the rally was organized led to
several difficulties. First of all, most of those in
attendance could not see Dean speaking on the stage
because the platform for the media cameras blocked
their line of sight completely. Perhaps they didn’t
expect such a
l
arge turn out, but I am forced to conclude that the
rally was staged primarily for the media, not those in
attendance. Also, security was a bit lacking.  Dean’s
handlers often seemed confused about where to take the
candidate to avoid the crush of the huge crowd of
passionate Dean lovers.  The local media was handled
by overworked and sleep deprived staff members.
Although we got to tag along with the national press
core 
that had been following his campaign across the
country, we were also caught up
in the crowd of supporters at the press conference
after the rally and many of us from the local media
were not able to ask Dean any questions at all.  

It is impossible to avoid comparisons, however,
between Bush’s visit a few days ago and Dean’s own
political circus. The local media was allowed no
access to Bush at all. Security was so intense that
the city felt as if an invading force had occupied it.
Dean caused his own disruptions but his spinners will
see that in a very positive light. His rally in
Seattle drew the largest crowd on the campaign so far.
We were all shocked when media sources the next day
reported that 15,000 people had attended the event in
downtown. That is truly impressive for a guy who
compares himself and his campaign to Seabiscuit, the
unlikely race horse who made it big in the 1930’s
during a very rough time for the US. Yet He has
captured the imaginations of millions of people who
agree on one thing: “Anybody But Bush”, or as I call
it, “A.B.B.”  

Howard Dean fits the bill for the moment. He may not
be the best candidate, but he might
actually have a chance of winning and replacing the
Bush legacy which so many in Seattle seem to
vehemently despise. The underlying message of the
events which took place in Seattle August 22- 24th has
been interpreted by the local 
media as a clash between the elite wealthy and the
common citizens. To liberals and progressives, the
Bush administration represents nothing but the rich
getting richer on the backs of working folks. When
Bush ignored the people of Seattle and went directly
to a millionaire’s mansion, it was amazingly symbolic
of the reasons that the opposition is so eager to
replace Bush with an A.B.B. candidate. They see him as
a liar and a corrupt rich frat boy whose domestic and
foreign policies threaten the very existence of our
nation. Howard Dean, on the other hand, is much more
accessible to the people because most of his support
comes from the grassroots. He needs them to succeed. 

A couple of side notes here, including a question that
was never answered:
When I was standing outside the Westin Hotel with the
rest of the local media during Dean’s fundraiser, we
noticed that vans were being driven up to the hotel by
men in military uniforms with berets. I don’t even
know which branch of the armed forces they
represented. I don’t think it had anything to do with
the Dean campaign but it seemed strange. When an
independent photographer from the University of
Washington asked the driver why military personnel
were taking people in vans to the hotel, the man in
uniform replied, “I have no idea.”  

I must mention that there was one lonely anti-Dean
protester at the rally who confronted his entourage as
they approached the rented van that was to take Dean
to the airport. The man shouted something through a
bullhorn about Dean being a “Wall Street crook”. I
tried to interview the man but he left immediately and
disappeared into the crowd. 
Maybe someone should look into Dean’s stock holdings.

Sooner or later Howard Dean will have to face his
critics as well. I get the distinct feeling that he
will be much more willing to engage in the necessary
political debates to come.
Meanwhile George W. will probably be busy relaxing on
his ranch in Crawford, Texas, surrounded by Secret
Service and trying very hard to avoid the media.



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