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Code Pink Protesters Interrupt McCain Acceptance Speech

Twice so far during John McCain's speech, anti-war Code Pink activists have launched protests in the aisles. As security guards dragged them off, the RNC crowd erupted into chants of "U-S-A! U-S-A!"

McCain, chuckling, told the audience not to be "diverted by the crowd noise and the static."

-- Evie Stone

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It looks as though protesters also included Iraq Veterans Against the War, holding a banner that stated "You Can't Win an Occupation" and 'McCain Votes Against Vets"

Sent by Chris | 10:42 PM ET | 09-04-2008

Does the crowd seem a little bored to anyone else? I realize I'm cheering for the other side, but I'm just really not inspired the way I was last week.

Sent by Jennifer | 11:02 PM ET | 09-04-2008

that was hysterical. i was wondering what the protest was about. i was afraid they would start throwing blows! lol

Sent by maharet | 11:38 PM ET | 09-04-2008

Yippee to codpink..they can get in anywhere! Bravo!

Sent by Samantha | 11:53 PM ET | 09-04-2008

Jennifer - The crowd looked totally bored to me too. Guess because it's more of the same with John McCain. :)

Sent by Trudy | 10:04 AM ET | 09-05-2008

Yea. That looked so good on TV. Mom and Pop at home must have loved the interruption. Republicans are so dumb. I mean, when was the last time they tried to interrupt a nomination speech of a Democrat?

Sent by John | 10:28 AM ET | 09-05-2008

There is comfort in being able to depend on some things in life.

In this case, the Code Pink wing of the Democrat party once again screeches its way to notoriety.

The universe remains in balance.

Sent by Owl Creek Observer | 11:21 AM ET | 09-05-2008

I just thought that the delegates didn't care to hear what John McCain had to say and were entertaining themselves with the "U! S! A!" chanting.

Sent by Erin | 12:18 PM ET | 09-05-2008

So typical of Code Pink-O and the rest of the Stalinists who dominate the American Left these days: "free speech" (and free everything else) for the Stalinists but nada for the rest of us.

Sent by Noreen | 1:50 PM ET | 09-05-2008

I think the most telling part of the protest during his speech is the revelation that McCain considers the concerns of certain Americans to be just "crowd noise and static".

Sent by Zach Vogt | 1:52 PM ET | 09-05-2008

It's all just 'crowd noise and static' if the people doing all the yelling, are just yelling in the streets, on the radio, on the web forums, or elsewhere.

Hence his call for service 'America will be the better for it' grounded speech. He knows 'Americans want us to stop yelling at each other'.

Voting is just one way of doing this, informing oneself on the issues at stake this election is another, and more than these, expressing one's opinion be you average jane or joe or would-be pundit and doing something about it.

Sent by platonicform | 2:52 PM ET | 09-05-2008

I actually thought the protesters hurt their own cause. I am completely undecided, but childish tauntrums and demostrations such as those make me not want to be assosiated with them. It makes me feel like a Vote for Obama would be me validating my behavior. Which pushes me emotionally to McCain, and not away from him.

I feal that if you get past the partisan two party blinders, our country is in a pretty special position where regardless of who wins we get a pretty good president, where as in 2004 there was no real winner no matter who was elected.

Sent by Sam | 4:38 PM ET | 09-05-2008

I was in Denver for the DNC. The Dem's had a "lockbox" around the Pepsi Center and Invesco Field. Protesters were escorted away from the convention area, to the "Free Speech Zone", an empty parking lot about a mile away from the delegates. If this jackboot thuggery is indicative of Obama's approach to free speech..... I don't want anything to do with his administration.

Sent by blue_star_dad | 4:53 PM ET | 09-05-2008

I thought it was a little embarrassing. Let the man speak and voice the errors of his ways. The people can then decide. There is no need to make fools of themselves (the extremists) on television. Do they have that little faith in the US population?

Sent by Karin S. | 5:51 PM ET | 09-05-2008

Did anyone else notice McCain's evil laugh after the "crowd noise" comment? It sent shivers down my spine. As for Codepink, I never heard of them before this incident. My initial response is feelings of respect for them mixed with feelings of wanting them to respect.

Sent by Sharon Quinn | 8:37 PM ET | 09-05-2008

I thought it was brilliant. Inspiring. How sad for us all that we have become so mundane, that we treat impassioned action as some type of unattractive social faux pas. We are the product of radically outspoken forefathers who behaved much more like these protesters, than those who disparage them. "How embarrassing," you say; "What a turn-off," you claim. I hear you dismiss Code Pink for being "silly" in their little outfits; furthermore, you dismiss them as a formidable force. You dismiss the protesters outside; you liken them to vandals and villains. I liken them to a group of men who once dressed in silly Indian outfits and ruthlessly and shamelessly destroyed private property of business owners in the form of boxes of tea. That's $1.87 million modern USD, in damage to be precise.
Man who believed "Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God." I have seen so much mockery and dismissal of these brave and honorable Americans, who I believe represent the truest values of our Fore Fathers. There was a time when corruption, not disruption was the greatest possible evil, and civic virtue required men to put civic duty ahead of their personal desires. We live in an age where government policy begins to mirror the some of the main causes of the American Revolution: The Patriot Act has warped the 4th Amendment into a Modern Writs of Assistance, The increasing cost of essential goods, A people represented in theory only, Our courts revoking so many of those "inalienable rights" that it makes Intolerable Acts seem like reasonable inconvenience. Women of Code Pink, members of The RNC welcoming committee, you are our Sons of Liberty.

Sent by Joyful Girl | 9:26 PM ET | 09-05-2008

If you don't like the DNC's approach to free speech what must you think of the RNC's?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnTtZOy5hO4
Part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NHKsTsneBs&feature=related
Part 2

Sent by amber | 10:10 PM ET | 09-05-2008

The RNC is too civilized to reciprocate in kind to the leftist and what the Obama side represents. Until the leftists actually live in a country where their freedom of expression is taken away from them, and thank their lucky stars they are privileged to live in the great USA and enjoy the freedom they take for granted, they will continue to abuse that freedom.

Sent by JF | 11:06 PM ET | 09-05-2008

It is unfortunate that some of you, including the NPR reporter think you heard Sen. John McCain refer to "crowd noise and static" in response to the rude Code Pink protestors. In fact what Sen. McCain said was, "ground noise and static", a reference to what a fighter pilot must deal with in combat. So clean the peanut butter out of your ears and you may actually hear what both candidates for POTUS are saying. Code Pink and those who admire their behavior, should pull their heads out of your "forth point of contact" (another military phrase I'm sure you've never heard) and see the world as it is.

Sent by Phil Horras | 2:11 PM ET | 09-06-2008

How is it that a young male protestor wearing a t-shirt, sporting tattoos and carrying what must have been a 4ft long cardboard banner manages to get past a phalanx of riot police outside, convention security inside and into a building full of a sea of security conscious Republicans, post-911 paranoia and people who have Secret Service details? Or was it just convenient to let someone in to serve as a foil for McCain's "ground noise and static" comment that felt more canned than Chef Boyardee? Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

Sent by Don | 3:57 PM ET | 09-06-2008



   
   
   
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