RNC Miscellany

August 27, 2004

Will the city reap any economic benefits from having the convention? Can the gains offset the cost of additional security measures and the impact of so many New Yorkers leaving town?

Sirotablog: GOP to NY: Drop Dead: " House Speaker Dennis Hastert's recent attack on New York City highlights a pattern of Republicans slamming the Big Apple."

NY1: Rooftop, Window Banners (Un)Welcome Republicans

Some residents are placing giant anti-George Bush and pro-John Kerry banners on top of rooftops near the city’s airports in Queens. They hope delegates coming to the GOP convention next week will be able to see the banners as they land.

Christian Science Monitor: Liberal New Yorkers welcome conservative Republicans - sort of

Philadelphia votes almost as Democratic as New York City, after all - as do most big cities - but no one had to urge the "City of Brotherly Love" to "make nice" when the Republicans held their convention there four years ago.

The Village Voice: The 10 Ways Bush Screwed New York

Tom the Dancing Bug: The Republican Guide to New York City

Slate: Escape From New York

Combine the unwelcome Republican intruders with the normal August downers—muggy weather and the eau de crap rising from the Dumpsters—and Manhattan may reach its lowest resident population in decades. We wanted to know how many of the 1.5 million residents could possibly skip town, but the city's population experts seemed to be, well, long gone by Friday afternoon.

The protests begin at The Plaza:

For those of us that will be around, here are some convention guides:
NY1. New York magazine, NY Times, Village Voice.

And, most importantly, How to score at the convention:

Tell her that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge isn't the only gorgeous, white thing you'd like to see drilled immediately.