Scuffle at Gep event w/Dean supporter

[crissy71]

Anybody who was there know what happened?

http://salon.com/news/wire/2003/10/29/dean_gephardt/index.html

Democrat Howard Dean's presidential campaign complained to rival Dick Gephardt about an angry confrontation between staffers at an Iowa event.

The incident occurred during a Gephardt speech at a Des Moines, Iowa, senior center Tuesday. A Dean campaign worker got into an altercation with members of the Gephardt staff and was escorted from the event, according to Rod Boshart, a reporter for The Gazette, of Cedar Rapids.

[soup]

1. Link to article

http://desmoinesregister.com/news/stories/c4789004/22630305.html

[NWHarkness]

2. I hope this is not true

But there is a rumor going around that the altercation occurred because some of the Gephardt supporters were calling the Dean observer a "fag". I hope Gephardt will get on top of this right away and that there is no escalation of negativity between the campaigns.

[w4rma]

3. More information

An openly gay staffer from Howard Dean's presidential campaign was reportedly pushed and grabbed by staffers at a rally for presidential candidate Dick Gephardt in Iowa on Tuesday, one of whom called him a "faggot," according to a Dean campaign press release. It is common practice among campaign staffers to attend events for other candidates so that they can report on what opposing candidates are saying, said Dorie Clark from the Dean for America press office.
…
http://www.advocate.com/new_news.asp?ID=10323&sd=10/30/03

Dean Campaign Complains to Rival Gephardt

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)--Democrat Howard Dean's presidential campaign complained to rival Dick Gephardt about an angry confrontation between staffers at an Iowa event.

The incident occurred during a Gephardt speech at a Des Moines senior center Tuesday. Hunter Allen, recording the speech for the Dean campaign, said one Gephardt staffer grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him out of the crowd. A second staffer pushed him out the door.

``The one who was pushing me out was grabbing my arm, and at other points, he physically shoved me.'' Allen said, adding that the pair swore at him and used a derogatory slur. ``I was in shock at being treated that way.''

In a letter to the Gephardt campaign late Tuesday, Dean campaign manager Joe Trippi said, ``I urge you to find the staff member responsible and fire him, and send a strong signal to the rest of your staff that behavior of this kind will not be tolerated.''
…
http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/news/content/news/ap_story.html/National/AP.V3773.AP-Dean-Gephardt.html

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=108&topic_id=71574

[northernsoul]

4. if this is true

it's the final nail in Geppy's political coffin (especially in light of all the BIG unions that are now joining Team Dean)

showing up in the Rose Garden with you-know-who finished Dick G. off in my book a long time ago

[Dhalgren]

5. I am neither a Dean supporter nor a Gephardt supporter.

But having read the article, I tend to believe the Gephardt version. The Dean side of it just didn't make sense to me. It sound more like a "dirty trick" on the Dean peoples part, than that the Gephardt bunch are "gay bashers".

[Eloriel]

7. You read the Des Moines Register article

and it makes so little sense to you that you believe the Gephardt version?

http://desmoinesregister.com/news/stories/c4789004/22630305.html

When they took the very first opportunity possible to politicize it:

Lapp issued this statement: "No one in our campaign did anything wrong here. The accusations are simply not true. There were 20 reporters in the room who saw the whole thing. This is a classic diversionary tactic because Governor Dean has no answers as to why he supported the Republican Medicare cuts in 1995. So he has stooped to this level of dirty tricks to try to change the subject, and it won't work."

That's a truly ugly accusation, on several counts. And yet, you choose to believe that.

Pitiful.

Eloriel

[Gman]

6. So this Dean supporter goes to Gephardt's thing and causes shit

then complains that he got his ass kicked and doesn't understand why.

Is the rest of the Dean campaign like this??

[TahitiNut]

8. LBN Rules

See Rules for Posting in the Latest Breaking News Forum.

The title of the thread does not match the title of the article, an article which is over 12 hours old. I'm locking this thread.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation,
TahitiNut - DU moderator