Before the speakers hit the stage, a crowd of pro-Obama supporters began a protest rally in the Gander Mountain parking lot, but were asked to leave by Hermantown police.
Police Chief Mike Anderson said the group was first asked to leave by Gander Mountain officials, but the group refused. After the police asked them to leave the protesters went up to the entry way of the store.
Obama supporter Mary Anderson said they were initially asked to leave by someone wearing a Coleman shirt.
“He said someone from the store told us to leave,” she said.
Chris Hill, who was supporting Obama for the Carpenter’s union, said he felt Gander Mountain was wrong to ask the group to leave.
“[The Palin rally] was a public rally and the public was invited,” he said. “We were doing a peaceful protest.”
Patrick Radzak was with a group of Teamsters for Obama, which were holding black and yellow signs.
“A Coleman supporter said your signs are the wrong color and so is your candidate,” he said. “I told him that’s why we’re here.”
I have no further comment.
So….I can scratch that dump off my places to shop this holiday season.
If anyone votes for or against a certain candidate because of the burnouts who attends a rally, instead of voting for which candidate has the better policy for the future, they really aren’t being a responsible citizen.
Any chance the Norm Coleman supporter was Michael Brodkorb? Is there a Perkins in Hermantown?
Dan,
Our country voted for “the guy they’d like to have a beer with” in the last two elections. The Republicans assault on intellectualism and competency has bankrupt your party of ideas, and just about anyone who votes for a guy like Bush or a guy like McCain is doing so because “they’re te kind of guy they’d invite into their living room.” Starting with Atwater, the Republican party won elections based on emotion, and a cult of personality. So, basically at least 50% of Republicans are bad citizens, because that is how they vote.
Now, personally, I would like someone elite to be my leader and take on the hardest challenges. In the military, when there is a tough mission, or a very critical mission, they call in the “elite” forces, Rangers, Seals, Green Berets, etc. They don’t call in the funnest guy to hang with the frat house. I want elite people protecting me and elite people leading me. Republicans can have Biff from Lambda Lambda Lambda.
Thanks,
Alec
Crowd. Crowd. I said if who attends a rally affects your vote, then you are a pretty suggestable person.
I agree. The person who we elect to serve us should be the smartest person in the room. Or at least the smartest person in the room who is willing to run.
Dan
I think it’s irresponsible of you to characterize Todd Palin as a burnout. I have seen no evidence that he smokes dope…..just that he’s a backwoods douche.
As far as your “smartest person in the room” canard, both Franken and Obama attended Harvard. Obama and Franken both graduated summa cum laude. McCain graduated third from the bottom of his class in flight school, and doesn’t understand the difference between shia and suni factions in Iraq. Your choice is clear.
lojasmo -
Steve Jobs attend Reed College for a year and then dropped out. And then started Apple and Pixar. And created the Mac, Ipod, and Iphone.
Franklin Raines graduated from Harvard. And then ran Fannie Mae into the ground.
Getting into Harvard means… that you can get into Harvard. Congrats. But can you deliver? That has little to do with which diploma hangs on the wall.
Our current President graduate from Yale AND Harvard. How do you like that??
Dan
SUMMA CUM LAUDE. Procure a dictionary and utilize it.
You seem to really feel the need to form a class system based on what school one attended, and where they graduated at that school. What do you want me to say? “Good Job, Barack and Al… you really did well in your studies at Harvard.” There.
In the real world, I see the world being changed and improved by the people who have the most drive, the most initiative, the most intelligence, impeccable character, and the biggest ideas all packaged together.
I’m sorry, but I just don’t see as direct a correlation in who makes a mark on humanity and where one graduated in their class. We’ll have to agree to disagree.
I really think that Gander Mountain should have been smart enough to stay out of politics. You can’t win when you piss off 50% of any consumer group. But then when have Republicans been noted for being smart?
I want to see the T-shirts McCain was talking about that equal the shouts of Kill him at McCain events. Threats on ones life or an image on a 50/50 cotton polyester shirt. Hmm.
This Coleman supporter is obviously a dumb ass, and is helping tarnish our Minnesota nice image. I would never go so far to say that Norm agrees with this person, but it does reflect poorly.
Dan
You seem to somehow believe that graduating near the top of one’s class at Harvard does not make one “the smartest person in the room” when compared to a person who graduated third from the bottom at Navy flight school.
We will indeed have to “agree to disagree”…..because you are clearly out in right field. In the bleachers, in fact.
Lojasmo,
McCain’s class rank isn’t the indicator of intelligence (or lack thereof) in this situation.
I think it’s pretty clear that McCain’s statements, behavior, and actions make him less of a fit candidate for office. What he’s done and said to date indicates to me that he is less competent than Barack Obama… not his class rank.
In many cases you can use scholarly performance as a gauge to determine ones mental aptitude. However, there are exceptions to the rule, and suggesting that there isn’t is simply foolhardy.
To be completely honest this is a sore subject for me. I did poorly in high school, but not because of a lack of intelligence. But rather do to my unwillingness to cooperate with a system that didn’t fit me. I failed my U.S. history class twice before passing it the third time (in summer school,) yet each and every time I set the curve for the final.
I didn’t fail because I was dumb, I didn’t fail because I didn’t study, I failed because I would refuse to do certain things out of principal. Take for example the notes we were required to turn in, the teacher/s would not read any work, rather they would simply count the amount of paragraphs the student would have written against the amount of vocabulary terms and assign a grade based on amount, quality be damned. Or take for example the fact that in many of my classes, teachers would actively encourage students to “work together” i.e. copy each others work. It didn’t take long for me to realize that the menial work they assigned us was worthless. If it was all test prep, and I always did well on tests via my own means, why should I do the work? And so I didn’t. Some classes were weighted heavier for tests, papers, and creative work, and those I fared well in. Most however, were weighted towards class work and homework, and if by some miracle I had managed to get enough points through whatever scraps of work I did, I would pass.
I deplore anyone for suggesting that class rank, anywhere, even at the most prestigious institutions, is a surefire way to gauge intelligence. There are always ways to be advantaged in the system; bribery, favors, favoritism, learning style among many others. I like DTM (although I disagree with him on the issues and what constitutes good performance) would rather place my bets on the words and actions of someone seeking such a high an office as the President… not some arbitrary number.
The better candidates are Obama & Franken! And the smarter, so maybe we’re actually on the same side there?
All the Coleman supporters are burnouts? I wouldn’t go THAT far.
Though people of marginal judgment.
I have to laugh loudly over Todd Palin as Steve Jobs? LOL - THAT takes this to a new level of silly & maybe even dumb!
Excuse me, my computer is now acting up! You won’t be having a beer with Steve Hobs, either, I fear!
I don’t know about lojasmo’s past education posts - but 4 out of 5 leading doctors have attended & even graduated medical school!
Another attractive example for you might have better: George Bush & his connections to get into Yale.
Just because SOME do, doesn’t man ALL have that connection. Being a cheerleader & rising to distinction are two different things. And people like Dubyuh manage because they were NOT ALLOWED to fail.
Todd Palin’s achievement was marrying a once good looking almost beauty queen who has been opportunistic.
Not having graduated, or even gone to college does not make one dumb.
Praising the lack of college & achievement however, is truly self-serving.
Driving “snow machines” does nor make you smart, however.
N-Neighbor
This is actually about more than education, so this extended digression is ONLY a digression.
I myself have mixed feelings about the protests. Peaceful & don’t know that they disrupted the proceeding to significant degree. No protester cages at Gander Mountain, just banishment.
Maybe we should have protested Bush more in years past?
In fact, going anecdotal as you did, I have seen people moved off public polling places in 2004 who were NOT protesting, who were there legally, giving out free donuts & coffee. But the polling places were churches. And apparently the police think the churches can remove anyone, even during the day & hours they act as POLLING PLACES. Maybe they weren’t educated.
I am sorry that you have some personal sore spots about the education system & your experience
in that realm. But we are NOT talking about high school & the unfortunate experience you saw there.
IS that actually valid in this?
I don’t think we can suppose that the Naval Academy or Harvard grades on paragraph count.
Finishing in college counts for something. Achievement is a pretty good indicator of success.
Sarah Palin puttered along in 5 colleges. She did finish, I guess. I can’t take that away.
She won’t be a nuclear physicist, not an accountant, nor a geography teacher.
And it looks like she’s a very long longshot for the white house, thankfully, as well.
Todd Palin did not go to college at all, is what I have to surmise in this.
(I don’t actually KNOW - I have wondered about this. I guess that’s what this education digression must be about).
I do know that all the other 3 candidate spouses are not running for office, which makes their appearances a little about who they sleep with, just like it does for Todd Palin. Nonetheless, they DO have personal & educational accomplishments. And none have intruded upon the governmental duties of their spouse.
Todd Palin,’First Dude” looks very guilty of this type of behavior!!!
(And what’s with that “First Dude?” Was it an attempt to grant him his masculinity back?)
Pursuit of education counts for something.
Whether by going on to college, or intense study on your own.
We have no way of knowing whether Todd Palin is at all an intellectual person or has any curiosity beyond
snowmobiles. He MIGHT surprise us, but it would be a real shocker.
SOME snowmobilers might even have other achievements, or college degrees. Others simply are happy humming along.
Hey now! The “armpit” is actually the main strip that also has the Miller Hill Mall. No more armpitty than any other area of the Twin Ports.
Where is the racist comment coming from. It is in the headline and then nothing in either the post or the linked articles that seems to support the claim. I’m sure any candidates has supporters that they aren’t very proud of, some more than others, but if you are going to put racist in the headline you might want to provide some direct rationale for doing so.
Otherwise it looks as though you are calling anybody who supports Coleman a racist. An ironic statement on bigotry if there ever was one. Maybe in line though with calling an entire community an “armpit”.
Where is the racist comment coming from
“A Coleman supporter said your signs are the wrong color and so is your candidate,”
And to expand on that, I made a comment on how you shouldn’t judge a candidate based on some numbskull who is in the crowd up at a rally, and then we someone got into a discussion about which candidate had the better GPA and if Todd Palin is an intellectual.
These things take on a life of their own.
“I really think that Gander Mountain should have been smart enough to stay out of politics. You can’t win when you piss off 50% of any consumer group. But then when have Republicans been noted for being smart?”
You really think 50% of Gander Mountains shoppers are Democrats? I don’t.
“we someone got into a discussion about which candidate had the better GPA”
Poor dan. Hoisted by his own petard. Don’t bemoan your own actions dan. You’re the one who threw up the red herring inplying that you would vote for the smartest person in the room. You won’t.
I don’t know if Gander Mountain shoppers are 50 percent Democrats, but they certainly aren’t all Republicans either.
“I really think that Gander Mountain should have been smart enough to stay out of politics. You can’t win when you piss off 50% of any consumer group. But then when have Republicans been noted for being smart?”
Which is exactly why I’ve stopped using Lawyers.
No, lojasmo, you’re wrong. I will vote for the smartest person in the room. I just don’t buy this argument that academic achievement is perfect, indisputable indicator of intelligence.
Steve Jobs. Bill Gates. Ghandi. All college dropouts.
Young Winston Churchill graduated last in his class, embarrasing his father.
Thanks Sean H, it must be me trying to stay off of coffee while I kick my cold. I missed it completely. To be fair, that would be supporter, singular. Aaron making it in to a plural is quite dishonest. Calling out the bigot in Coleman’s crowd is absolutely fair. To suggest in the headline that the entire crowd is racist is a bigoted comment in it’s own right.
There were Hillary supporters and life long Democrats that said some nasty things about Obama during the primary but that doesn’t make all Democrats racists.
@ mockingbird.
The point I was trying to make was that although I respect scholarly achievement, it pales in comparison to the words and actions of the individual. Don’t get me wrong, I believe education is a great leveler, and that anyone should have as much access to schooling as their curiosity and ambition requires.
It’s not those who don’t go to institutions like Harvard and Yale, and still go on to change the world (although it is fair to point them out.) It’s the people who do attend these world class schools, and somehow pass, when it’s plainly clear they shouldn’t have; that make me question the credibility of academic achievement. George W. Bush as my prime example.
Largely we stand in the same place on the issue of education and intellectualism in politics. I just wanted to make it clear that there are exceptions… and that I didn’t want to see people attacking John McCain over his class rank, especially when there is more than enough fodder to use post naval academy… like his entire senate career, or the Palin pick, or his questionable understanding of middle east geography. All in all I think class rank is nothing more than a low blow.
Ghandi practiced law as a barrister, so I will question his being put in the same class as Jobs and Gates only in that to be a practicing barrister in the late nineteenth century British Empire, you had to have completed college training, which according to his autobiography, he did, from the University College London. He may have dropped out of one college, but he did finish another. Off topic slightly? Yes.
The only other comment I’ll make on this thread is that a parking lot for a big box retail store is not public property any more than it would be at Gary’s Grocery Store in some small town. So if Mr. Palin was there, the campaign had to have had permission from someone up the food chain at Gander Mountain.
Personally, I would not describe Hermantown as the armpit of the Duluth metro area. Now Proctor on the other hand…..
Dantheman your attempts to define rational unbiased thinking is filled with submerged bias. Its obvious you would like everyone to overlook every reason and thing that defines the majority of right wing supporters and just look at all things objectively. Well, Palin is an inarticulate hick that draws people like her to her rallies because majority of them have equal or less brain capacity. In fact she is also a hypocrite, because being in politics she realizes that it is neccessary to change your image, thinking and look often yet she promotes the idea of fighting to keep things like they were in the “good ole days” to a bunch of neandrathals who fear that their days of prestige based upon color is dying.>>>>She is selling them a lie under the guise of a gate keeping hockey mom but wants to elevate herself and family socially and economically beyond anything her followers could fathom or obtain. Look at Bush now.