[Talkhard]

That huge rally for Obama in Portland? Turns out it was preceded by a free concert by the popular Portland rock band The Decembrists, which has drawn rave reviews from Rolling Stone Magazine. The Decembrists named themselves after the pre-Communist revolutionaries who staged an uprising in December of 1825 against Imperial Russia. The band opens many of its concerts with the national anthem of the Soviet Union.

You won't read any of this in the glowing reviews of the Obama rally, of course.

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/robert-...ma-s-big-rally

[Stepping Razor]

Right, because the Decemberists regularly draw crowds of 70,000 people...

The combination here of grasping-at-straws disparagement of anything Obama-related with grasping-at-straws Red Scare guilt-by-association reaches a level of absurdity that is almost sublime. Bravo -- post of the year!

SR

[Talkhard]

Originally Posted by Stepping Razor

Right, because the Decemberists regularly draw crowds of 70,000 people...

Right, because Obama regularly draws crowds of 70,000 people all by himself.

The combination here of grasping-at-straws disparagement of anything Obama-related with grasping-at-straws Red Scare guilt-by-association reaches a level of absurdity that is almost sublime. Bravo -- post of the year!

Yeah, I'm sure you're right. It's just a coincidence that the band that opened for Obama sympathizes with the Soviet Union. I'm sure Pat Boone could have opened for Obama and drawn just as many people.

And you're right of course about it all being irrelevent. There's no reason in the world why the national media should have mentioned that a popular rock band set the stage for Obama. No reason at all . . .

[stockfire]

You have NO clue what you are talking about. Not sure what you are trying to imply, it's the most fragile thing I've ever seen you post here. You might as well just put a flashlight under your chin and moan "ooohhhh Soviets, protect your women and children, oooohhhh"

The Decemberists are the nicest bunch of people you'll meet They shared a record label (Hush Records - a local label) with a good friend of mine. Their songs are musical literature and things tend to be themed during their live shows. Whether it's an anthem, costumes, role playing, or having the audience mimic the shrieks of someone eaten by a whale. It's about creating an engaging environment to give context for the stories being sung.

The Decembrist Revolt (not Decemberist, please note the spelling difference) involved a group of officers attempting to overthrow the Tsar of Russia (Nicholas I). They failed. In case you forgot, your country was the result of a revolt.

Having both stood in the room the Decembrists stormed and in a room listening to Colin sing about Chimney Sweeps, I get the feeling that no reasonable person is going to buy your feeble attempt to link Obama to communism. Pathetic.

[stockfire]

Originally Posted by Stepping Razor

Right, because the Decemberists regularly draw crowds of 70,000 people...

The combination here of grasping-at-straws disparagement of anything Obama-related with grasping-at-straws Red Scare guilt-by-association reaches a level of absurdity that is almost sublime. Bravo -- post of the year!

SR

But... but... we said SOVIET and OBAMA in the same sentence.... run for the hills! run! run!

[Stepping Razor]

You actually think that more than a token number of people showed up solely for the Decemberists??? People waited in lines for five hours through the morning to see them? (They play local shows in Portland ALL THE TIME, by the way, in much smaller/better venues for concerts.) If all those people were there for the band, why didn't they leave as soon as Obama took the stage? Have you even looked at the stunning photos of the event? All those people with their head-to-toe Obama gear were there for the Decemberists?

The assertion here is ludicrous. Throughout the campaign, Obama's rallies have been drawing huge crowds. I think there are a few obvious reasons why Portland's was the hugest of the huge:

1. The venue (Waterfront Park) had no max capacity, unlike the enclosed arenas where most of his rallies were held. If his rally had been in the Rose Garden, only 20,000 people would have attended because only 20,000 people fit in there. (His rally in Seattle's Key Arena had to turn thousands of people away, and that was in the dead of winter.)

2 People in Portland are mostly liberal and also into these kind of mass political events.

3. Everyone except Hillary dead-enders no knows the primary is over, meaning that this would be the last big rally of this part of the campaign, and a chance to see Obama as the winning Dem nominee for the first time.

I can't believe I'm even responding to this ridiculous post. If this is the best that the right-wing noise machine can come up with, Obama's going to cruise to a landslide in November.

And yes, if Pat Boone had opened it would have been awesome, and 70,000 people would have still showed up.

SR

[Talkhard]

Originally Posted by Stepping Razor

You actually think that more than a token number of people showed up solely for the Decemberists???

I think a good number probably showed up because it was a chance to see both the Decemberists AND Obama. The band certainly was a factor for many people, and yet the mainstream media (who is practically falling all over themselves in adoration of Obama) conveniently failed to mention it.

Gee, I wonder why?

[Talkhard]

Originally Posted by stockfire

You have NO clue what you are talking about. Not sure what you are trying to imply, it's the most fragile thing I've ever seen you post here. You might as well just put a flashlight under your chin and moan "ooohhhh Soviets, protect your women and children, oooohhhh"

You apparently missed the main point, which is that the band was a big draw for this event, yet it went unmentioned in the national media. They were trying to create the impression that everybody came out just to see Obama, which isn't the case.

The Decemberists are the nicest bunch of people you'll meet.

I'll take your word for it. But please tell us why they start their concerts with the national anthem of the Soviet Union. Any theories on that?

Having both stood in the room the Decembrists stormed and in a room listening to Colin sing about Chimney Sweeps, I get the feeling that no reasonable person is going to buy your feeble attempt to link Obama to communism.

Huh? Are you even paying attention? Black Liberation Theology, which Obama's church is based on, has its roots in Marxism. There is no doubt about this. You can look it up. The church's website even talks about the horrible "economic maldistribution" of America, and praises the idea of wealth-sharing. These are facts, my friend.

[Dornado]

Originally Posted by Talkhard

I'll take your word for it. But please tell us why they start their concerts with the national anthem of the Soviet Union. Any theories on that?

[stockfire]

I don't know if TH ignores my posts, but I already address that issue of the anthem, and in all the shows I've seen of them -- never once has it opened like that. Not that it is even an issue to begin with. Grow up.

[kflo]

talkhard, you know nothing about the decemberists. c'mon now.

[Talkhard]

edit: a insulting picture is still a insult, and still not allowed. sa1177

No editing over a CM's edits please.

EDIT

[stockfire]

Let is also be known, that I have lived in Russia. Read its authors and poets. Celebrated the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg in the streets with 2 million other people. Stood at the steps of MULTIPLE Russian revolutions. Recited the story of Shostakovich's 7th Symphony numerous times, bought old Soviet relics, and have used "old country" themes in music, artistic, personal, and professional endeavors.

Yet I'm not a communist.
Yet I am as much an American as TH.