On October 20 President Obama came to Portland to boost the Kitzhaber gubernatorial campaign, and was said to attract around ten thousand people. Then:
Hey, what's that?
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Why, it's the AFP - Americans For Prosperity. I'm pretty sure the dark haired man to the right of the tan sign is Jeff Kropf, AFP's state director. I came across Kropf's photo after what happened next.
By johndenton46 at 2010-10-23
Someone had spaced out my promised ticket and the no-ticket line was about a quarter mile long. This scene was more interesting anyway. A guy in the middle of the street yelled 'I got your food stamps here.'
I moseyed on my bike eventually to "Kropf's" group on the curb. Several video cameras caught me telling them they were whiners and that they should man up, the country is in trouble. Geezer Goes Off. I didn't plan it. Like Chevy Chase said, I'm old and I don't give a shit anymore.
Kropf and I traded factoids on health care and Wall Street as others - a guy who insisted that I read his pocket Constitution book, and one who could only say, "You're like George Soros," repeatedly, as if those were fightin words - kept jumping in.
Kropf winces when 'SEC' is spoken.
Kropf has been a farmer, state legislator, lobbyist. Now he has a radio show on the AM dial. He wouldn't tell me who was behind the protest turnout. From the glitter of his eyes and his body language when I said, "You're for the corporations," I started getting a clue.
He commented that Obama probably stopped off to play golf, to see how I would react. I retorted with a Bush-at-Crawford-500-days and moseyed up the sidewalk to suss the vibe. Lots of backbone and stiff necks. Well, I remember a completely different America too. Boo hoo.
Dangerous socialist mobs were setting the baggers' figurative hair on fire:
By johndenton46 at 2010-10-21
The tea personnel chanted "Obama's not your mama." They also bleated like sheep but the joke seemed to backfire as the Democrats looked across the street at dozens of people bleating, and from the bleating side of the street the sight of the crowd turning to one another and laughing at the incredible irony of it all shut them up for awhile.
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The local folk remedy measure was touted at the ML King "I Have a Dream" statue
By johndenton46 at 2010-10-21
The anti-war group had a prominent corner spot
By johndenton46 at 2010-10-21
The wars are buried in our psyches. We look at the war protesters, the signs, check in there briefly, feel that smoldering slag in the gut, and go on.
UPDATE: AFPhas a photo gallery of their rally earlier that day.
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