A Sea of SUVs and Cowboy Hats.

[DrummerDeanna]

So I just got back from covering the president's visit to Greeley, Colorado.

Oh. My. God.

I don't even have words.

I've covered him before, once in DC and another time in Rochester, NY. Neither of those times was anything like the freak show I saw today.

I consider myself a relatively open-minded person. I don't judge people based solely on their political persuasion, religion etc...but today? It was like one big bad stereotype (or several) come to life simply to scare the **** out of me.

Lets see...first the got the most clueless woman on the planet to man the local press table - so it took about 45 minutes to get in even though I had all the necessary things, including my name on the damn White House Press list.

When I get in the song "redneck woman" starts playing and well the cowboy boots were a flyin. I thought I'd gone to a shindig rather than a presidential visit - people were a two-steppin and jitterbuggin' all over. Meh - no big..just a little weird.

Well pretty much every major Republican candidate was there -and I've never heard so many people spew so many lies and so much bile...well not so much lies as really really bad spins. I am freakin' dizzy because of the amount of spinning I just witnessed.

Then the President came out. Good Gravy. It was painful. Literally painful to sit through.

There are a lot of blind sheep out there....I'll all nervous about tuesday

[carrie721]

Originally Posted by DrummerDeanna

It was like one big bad stereotype (or several) come to life simply to scare the **** out of me.

lololololololol. cracked me right up.

[DrummerDeanna]

Originally Posted by carrie721

lololololololol. cracked me right up.

You know--after I wrote this I realized how WRONG of me it was to write it.

In my job I'm not supposed to have an opinion.

Although to my credit - I'm really no longer a reporter, it's just that no one else could (or wanted to) cover this - and since I've got experience I got stuck.

Now I did go back and write a lovely story about it - leaving off the scary factor, didn't mention the women screaming along to "redneck woman" or the fact that people CHEERED when one of the candidates made a joke about killing John Kerry. Yes...killing him.

Also - here's class--

They blocked off the area where Marine 1 was to land with....get this...a huge circle of Wal-Mart trucks

If anything gets me to stop shopping there - that's it

...

[carrie721]

Originally Posted by DrummerDeanna

You know--after I wrote this I realized how WRONG of me it was to write it.

In my job I'm not supposed to have an opinion.

Although to my credit - I'm really no longer a reporter, it's just that no one else could (or wanted to) cover this - and since I've got experience I got stuck.

well, yeah, but as long as you don't include your opinion in your piece, i think you're safe. i'm not going to report you to npr.

Now I did go back and write a lovely story about it - leaving off the scary factor, didn't mention the women screaming along to "redneck woman" or the fact that people CHEERED when one of the candidates made a joke about killing John Kerry. Yes...killing him.

Also - here's class--

They blocked off the area where Marine 1 was to land with....get this...a huge circle of Wal-Mart trucks

If anything gets me to stop shopping there - that's it

...

mmmmmmmmmm, classy. i haven't shopped at wal-mart in 4 yrs, and now i remember why!

[DrummerDeanna]

Originally Posted by carrie721

well, yeah, but as long as you don't include your opinion in your piece, i think you're safe. i'm not going to report you to npr.

Oooh no...I made sure there was no editorializing in my piece - it's actually not all that hard - just report what happened - throw in a few soundbites and bam..an unbiased piece.

It's hard...and sometimes I think about going to another line of work - one that doesn't care if I protest on the side or how I lean...but this is such a rarity...

Oh except for election night when their sending out again....to another Republican

[irishgrl]

Originally Posted by DrummerDeanna

So I just got back from covering the president's visit to Greeley, Colorado.

Oh. My. God.

I don't even have words.

I've covered him before, once in DC and another time in Rochester, NY. Neither of those times was anything like the freak show I saw today.

I consider myself a relatively open-minded person. I don't judge people based solely on their political persuasion, religion etc...but today? It was like one big bad stereotype (or several) come to life simply to scare the **** out of me.

Lets see...first the got the most clueless woman on the planet to man the local press table - so it took about 45 minutes to get in even though I had all the necessary things, including my name on the damn White House Press list.

When I get in the song "redneck woman" starts playing and well the cowboy boots were a flyin. I thought I'd gone to a shindig rather than a presidential visit - people were a two-steppin and jitterbuggin' all over. Meh - no big..just a little weird.

Well pretty much every major Republican candidate was there -and I've never heard so many people spew so many lies and so much bile...well not so much lies as really really bad spins. I am freakin' dizzy because of the amount of spinning I just witnessed.

Then the President came out. Good Gravy. It was painful. Literally painful to sit through.

There are a lot of blind sheep out there....I'll all nervous about tuesday

Im not likin the sound of that girlie, nosir.

[desertangel]

Why does this make me think of some Naked Gun type movie?

[SuzeQuze]

Originally Posted by DrummerDeanna

You know--after I wrote this I realized how WRONG of me it was to write it.

In my job I'm not supposed to have an opinion.

Although to my credit - I'm really no longer a reporter, it's just that no one else could (or wanted to) cover this - and since I've got experience I got stuck.

Now I did go back and write a lovely story about it - leaving off the scary factor, didn't mention the women screaming along to "redneck woman" or the fact that people CHEERED when one of the candidates made a joke about killing John Kerry. Yes...killing him.

Also - here's class--

They blocked off the area where Marine 1 was to land with....get this...a huge circle of Wal-Mart trucks

If anything gets me to stop shopping there - that's it

...

Killing John Kerry, now that's a hoot! [slaps knee] Yeehaw, that liberal book-learnin' bastard will go straight to hell!

Except if someone made such a crack about the pres they'd be on a list and get a little visit from the FBI. NOT FUNNY.

Wal-Mart trucks for AF1? Okay, that's too much. Did you put that in? Oy.

[Rickypt]

Originally Posted by DrummerDeanna

There are a lot of blind sheep out there....I'll all nervous about tuesday

I'm a bit nervous also, but all the signs are there for a big Democratic win on Tuesday. Almost everyone is conceding the House takeover and there is an outside shot of getting the Senate. The Dems need to win 6 out of 7 key contested races in Virginia, Missouri, Rhode Island, Montana, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Ohio. It looks like Ford will not win in Tennessee, so they need to get the other 6...and Dems are ahead in polls in all 6.

I can't wait to follow the election results!

[gldstwmn]

And people wonder why I don't leave the confines of Denver unless I'm going to Boulder, of course.

[gldstwmn]

Originally Posted by DrummerDeanna

factor, didn't mention the women screaming along to "redneck woman" or the fact that people CHEERED when one of the candidates made a joke about killing John Kerry. Yes...killing him.

Jesus H. Christ. Who was that asshole if you don't mind me asking?

[DrummerDeanna]

Originally Posted by gldstwmn

And people wonder why I don't leave the confines of Denver unless I'm going to Boulder, of course.

You're a smart woman It's scary up here in cowland. Seriously. I had no idea how bad it was until today....I've been in a little radioland bubble...but today I'm totally freaked out!

[DrummerDeanna]

Originally Posted by Rickypt

I'm a bit nervous also, but all the signs are there for a big Democratic win on Tuesday. Almost everyone is conceding the House takeover and there is an outside shot of getting the Senate. The Dems need to win 6 out of 7 key contested races in Virginia, Missouri, Rhode Island, Montana, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Ohio. It looks like Ford will not win in Tennessee, so they need to get the other 6...and Dems are ahead in polls in all 6.

I can't wait to follow the election results!

Oh how I hope you're right.

Shrub made lots of comments about the dems thinking they've got this thing wrapped up. Not that I listen to anything he has to say - but I'm nervous...

And I also realize today was a relatively small sampling of people - and it seemed like there were more kids/teens there than anything - so they can't vote....but good grief..I don't think I've ever been so nervous about a freakin' election...there is just so much at stake...

[gldstwmn]

Originally Posted by DrummerDeanna

You're a smart woman It's scary up here in cowland. Seriously. I had no idea how bad it was until today....I've been in a little radioland bubble...but today I'm totally freaked out!

Heh. Colorado Springs is even freakier.

[DrummerDeanna]

Originally Posted by gldstwmn

Heh. Colorado Springs is even freakier.

I got an inkling of that when I drove through there last weekend and saw the big "Focus on the Family Visitor Center" sign. Yikes. I didn't realize it was such a conservative stronghold...right about now I'm thinking "what did I get myself into..."

I went from covering Hillary and Louise Slaughter and Eliot Spitzer to this