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Politics | 08/21/2008 11:00 am

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

By The Staff at wowOwow.com
Photo by Barbara Kinney/Flickr.com

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.

 

53 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Mugsy Peabody
Anyone else at the ‘68 convention in Chicago?
By Mugsy Peabody on 08/21/2008 7:46 pm
Buh- Bye
were you there?
By Buh- Bye on 08/22/2008 1:07 am
Mugsy Peabody
I was in high school, so my parents wouldn’t allow me to go. But I had friends there, and my parents went with other parents to get them out of jail. It was utter insanity. One of my friends had an arm broken. She was taking a picture of a Chicago police officer beating a pregnant woman who was on the ground. I will never again doubt that a police state isn’t entirely possible here.
By Mugsy Peabody on 08/22/2008 1:25 am
Mugsy Peabody
One of my friends just phoned and told me “You were in high school in 1968 in your dreams!” True enough. I was in college. But still living with my parents. And the kids they bailed out were my high school friends. This asthma is simply too hard on the old memory banks. Screw the computers. When are they going to invent some gigabytes for my brain?
By Mugsy Peabody on 08/22/2008 6:22 pm
theCHEROKEErose
i agree with star…’kinky’…like i said yesterday…would be reeeealy interesting if the delegates at the dem convention did a 180 and reeeealy nominated hillary…better hang on folks…this is gonna be an INTERSTING ride….so MANY variables….
By theCHEROKEErose on 08/21/2008 11:47 am
Marjorie C.
CHEROKEErose, Frankly, I think it’s the only was the Dems will take the White House this year. A good ticket would be HRC for Prez and BHO for V.P. Then everybody would be happy, the party would mend and be as strong as it could be.
By Marjorie C. on 08/21/2008 3:24 pm
N P
If HRC really wanted to make sure that her supporters wouldn’t cause a scene, she would not have allowed (if she didn’t create it herself) this 40-member Whip Team in the first place. (Wasn’t that what placing her name in nomination was all about anyway - to give her supporters recognition, etc. Well, that sure worked.) And secondly, what are 40 people going to do anyway, against an angry crowd. What a joke.
By N P on 08/21/2008 11:57 am
N P
And, as if Obama wants HRC policing HIS campaign.
By N P on 08/21/2008 1:42 pm
K O
Hi NP, When I read your thoughts, it is clear that you support Senator Obama’s candidacy, and I respect your opinion. I’m curious what caused you to be so vehemently against anything Senator Clinton does. This ‘whip committee’ has a goal to diffuse any disruptions against Sentator Obama by Senator Clinton’s supporters. Why would you be against that?
By K O on 08/21/2008 4:34 pm
N P
Kitty, This is Obama’s convention - not HIllary’s. I can’t imagine that the Obama team is happy with Hillary being proactive with regard to any potential Hillary demonstrators. I would think the Obama team would want to address that themselves. I hope you’re right, but I’m skeptical.
By N P on 08/21/2008 5:21 pm
K O
Hi NP, Please don’t clobber me with your beautiful perfume bottle, but it’s the Democratic Convention, and Senator Obama is the presumptive nominee. With all respect, and I mean that without reservation, it’s not Senator Obama’s convention. The 18 million voters who backed Senator Clinton can not just be ignored.
By K O on 08/21/2008 6:13 pm
N P
Kitty, What is the point? To honor Hillary, or to win the election? Is there some purpose to honoring Hillary creating a division among Democrats, and losing the general election?
By N P on 08/21/2008 6:30 pm
mary lou s
n p, there is something wrong if the democrats cannot both honor hillary and nominate barack.
By mary lou s on 08/21/2008 7:50 pm
N P
I hope you’re right. I’m just a little concerned. I was watching Chris Matthews today, and he stated that Hillary, in a talk, referred to Obama as her opponent. That makes me just a bit nervous. Hillary needs to get on message, and hopefully she’ll be on message at the convention.
By N P on 08/21/2008 10:49 pm
Elizabeth Bennett
Chris Matthews has been staunchly anti-HRC for a while now. If you watch the Women’s Media Center compilation of evidence of sexism in the media, Matthews pops up now and then. Obama and Clinton are friends and colleagues and the vote for the first major woman candidate is historic. Clinton is on message.
By Elizabeth Bennett on 08/22/2008 11:56 am