While the DNC is supposed to be a place for high-level politics, doing official business and moving the Democratic agenda forward, it’s also an arena where unprecedented things have happened. Here are a few tales of the strange and unusual from the DNC, both present and past.
Donkey Poop. Yes, you read that right. Donkey poop. There are beautiful fiberglass donkey sculptures posted all over Philadelphia in honor of hosting the 2016 DNC and as part of their festival to celebrate local arts and business. However, advocates found a creative way to utilize the sculptures toward their platform. Food and Water Watch was upset that fracking continues to be an issue and isn’t a mainstay on the Democratic agenda, so they took to creating paper mache piles of poo, and over one weekend, stealthily deposited these piles under 20 donkeys around Philly. Sam Bernhardt of Food and Water Watch said, “We saw a peculiar opportunity to send our message to the DNC and we took it.”
A Fart-In. Sorry, but yes, you read that right..again. There is actually a group of Sanders supporters to plan to attend the DNC, eat a bunch of beans, then pass gas both inside the DNC venue as well as outside the venue. They’re calling it a “fart-in” and are insistent it will be an effective way to show their true emotion about Hillary being the presumptive Democratic nominee for President. Supposedly, protestors will be setting up a shantytown dubbed “Clintonville,” where participators can gas up (pun intended) on the beans of their choice prior to attending the DNC. The idea of using flatulence as a protest tool has been around since at least 1969, when Saul D. Alinsky came up with the concept.
A Larger-Than-Life Mary Jane. Nope, you don’t need your eyesight checked… you’re still reading the Republican Coffee blog, and no, we haven’t lost our marbles. We’re still highlighting tales of the unusual for the DNC here. And yes, supporters of marijuana have constructed a 51-foot joint and plan to march it from Philadelphia City Hall to The Wells Fargo arena, where the DNC is being held. Hint: If you’re going to be in Philly, maybe consider NOT purchasing brownies from the local street vendors.
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Attempt to Remove Mention of God and Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital. At the 2012 DNC, language typically used in political arenas referring to “God-given rights,” references to God and to affirm Jerusalem as Israel’s capital were removed in the original 2012 party platform. Former Ohio Governor Ted Strickland introduced in an amendment the reinstatement of verbiage affirming God, God-given rights and Jerusalem. After three attempts by voice vote to shut it down with no overwhelming “yes” or “no” votes, the Convention Chairman declared the amendment had passed, reinstating the use of “God, God-given rights, and Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.” The announcement caused an eruption of boos and commotion on the Convention floor.
A Decontamination Tent. The 2008 DNC in Denver was an interesting Convention, as it ushered in a new era where the first African-American would eventually become President, and emotions still ran high as the nomination process began, where it looked like Hillary Clinton and Obama might be in close running before Obama took the nomination and Clinton later suspended her campaign. To be prepared for just about anything, law enforcement not only doubled in size and were equipped with riot gear, but also set up a decontamination tent just outside of the Pepsi Center.
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(Information Sources: http://billypenn.com/2016/07/12/heres-whos-putting-poop-under-the-dnc-donkeys/, http://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/sanders-fans-plan-dnc-fart-protest-clinton-nomination-n611596, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Democratic_National_Convention, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Democratic_National_Convention)
