Clinton's 'Whip Team' to Keep Obama Protesters Subdued

Hillary Clinton is going to make sure her supporters don’t cause too much of an embarrassment to Barack Obama at the Democratic conventions next week.

Politico.com reports that Clinton’s staff is creating a 40-member "whip team" for the events in Denver to ensure her die-hard fans don’t partake in any anti-Obama demonstrations during the floor vote on her nomination. Obama and Clinton recently announced that, as a sign of party unity, her name would be formally placed in the nomination to ensure that her delegates were heard.

"If people get down there on the floor and want to start blowing kazoos and making a scene we want to make sure we’ve got people who stand in front of them with Obama signs," a person involved in the planning told Politico.com. "Is it typical for a losing candidate to have their own whip team? No. But it’s also not usual for a losing candidate to get 18 million votes either.”

Clinton spokeswoman Kathleen Strand said the whip team would not try to convince delegates to vote for the New York senator, but would hand out Clinton signs to supporters if they want them. “We have been and are working closely with the Obama campaign to make sure we have an exciting and unified convention," Strand said.

But MSNBC wonders if the presence of the whip team won’t make matters worse and encourage seriously disruptive protests. The Associated Press is reporting on preparations being made to restrain and hold such protesters, saying police have scrapped plans to top the holding cells in place with razor wire after some groups started comparing the site to the detention facility for suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Denver city officials don’t anticipate mass arrests, but just in case, they opened a city warehouse as the "Temporary Arrestee Processing Center" — complete with chain-linked cells — to allay fears that those arrested could spend long hours waiting. The center is located a couple of miles from the Pepsi Center, where the convention will take place. The cells will be topped with chain-link fencing. Protesters’ nicknamed the holding area as "Gitmo on the Platte," named after the South Platte River, which is nearby.