Karl Rove in SF: Protestor attempts citizen's arrest
It happened in San Francisco today.
At the annual convention of the Mortgage Bankers' Assn., former White House guru Karl Rove debated the 2008 presidential election -- and the current economic meltdown -- with former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell.
Up on the stage walks a well-dressed woman, name as yet unknown. First she complained that there was no woman on the panel. Then she drew out handcuffs and tried to arrest Rove for treason.
She was quickly ushered off the stage.
Protests, shouted from the audience, continued during the debate, described by one local television reporter as "a very lively back and forth."
Rove tended to blame everything on the Democrats, including deregulation that led to the subprime mortgage mess. "So the regulators in 2005 were the Republicans, and the deregulators, the anti-regulators, the let-them-do-anything-they-want crowd, were all Democrats, with all due respect," said Rove.
None taken.
Anyway, perhaps the most remarkable exchange was when Rove tried to claim that the Democrats were being unduly negative in their attacks on Republican standard-bearer John McCain. He said:
Yesterday John Kerry, your nominee of your party in 2004, stands up and said if John McCain was asked the question of whether he wears boxers or briefs his answer would be Depends. I think that is pretty much under-the-table and pretty nasty.
Mitchell could barely suppress a bemused smile. Perhaps he was thinking about all the dirty tricks that Rove is alleged to have committed -- including against McCain -- while running two presidential campaigns for George W. Bush. The Maine Democrat said:
I have to say I feel like Dorothy in the Land of Oz, hearing you lecture about negative campaigning.
KGO-TV in San Francisco has the video, which you can watch here.
-- Johanna Neuman
Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
I guess Neuman dodged the issue well by avioding a substantive response to Rove's point about Kerry. What Kerry said was nasty and below-the-belt. Do we expect anything other from Democraps these days.
Posted by: FreeTHinker | October 21, 2008 at 08:56 PM
It's about time. In the state of California if you have knowledge an individual has committed a felony you can arrest them and even (after knocking and announcing you are there to arrest them) break into someone's residence to perform the citizen's arrest. (California Penal Codes 837 and 844)
Anyone care to list off all the felonies of the Bush crime family? Maybe we can make California a state they are afraid to ever visit out of fear the populace will do what congress could not.
Reddit discussion forum: http://www.reddit.com/r/reddit.com/comments/70sl4/forum_for_citizens_arrest_of_karl_rove_lawyers/
Posted by: Patriotic-1 | October 21, 2008 at 09:31 PM
"I have to say I feel like Dorothy in the Land of Oz, hearing you lecture about negative campaigning"
I'm sure you already know how the Republicans will spin this statement by George Mitchell.
"Democratic leader, speaking in San Francisco, admits to being not just a friend of Dorothy, but to actually imagining that he is Dorothy."
Posted by: Glen Tomkins | October 22, 2008 at 06:15 AM
Typical Republican - blaming everyone else for their miserable lack of leadership. Thank God it's almost over. After we take our country back, I hope we can save it and start to re-build once again. As far as Rove, Bush and Cheney are concerned, I would hope a full investigation will be under way and to go after these criminals and finally lock them up. They deserve no less.
Posted by: Kathy | October 22, 2008 at 06:28 AM
Reading this article this morning made my day. I just wish she could have been successful in her effort to make a citizen's arrest.
We should impeach both Cheney and Bush and file criminal charges against both of them as well as Carl Rove for treason!! They have destroyed our country.
And John McCain, the hot-head, that does not even know what he believes in would finish off our country!
The GOP has succeeded in bankrupting America "in the name of God"!!!!!
Posted by: Helena Shaw | October 22, 2008 at 06:31 AM
It's truly amazing how uneducated you people are.
Posted by: Tom | October 22, 2008 at 07:23 AM
FreeTHinker wrote "It's about time. In the state of California if you have knowledge an individual has committed a felony you can arrest them and even (after knocking and announcing you are there to arrest them) break into someone's residence to perform the citizen's arrest. (California Penal Codes 837 and 844)"
Even the police have to have a warrant to kick down a door to arrest someone. I guess if you have that warrant somehow, you could do that otherwise you just committed breaking and entering and you'd then be the felon (not to mention trespassing). You're probably better off reporting it to the police to avoid any OJ Simpson 'take care of it myself and get life in prison' situations. Oh and in Texas, if you kick my door down and you're not a cop, I can shoot you where you stand. In fact if I leave my front door open and you come into my house uninvited, you could be shot. Just something to think about before taking the law into your own hands, better off letting the professionals do what they are trained to do.
Posted by: Rob | October 22, 2008 at 10:37 AM
While I agree kicking down a door is not a bright idea, I just want to inform people of how far the state of California lets us go in pursuing a citizen's arrest. I'm all for letting the professionals do what they are trained to do, but when those in charge refuse to have their officers do so, what choice is left but to do it ourselves? I prefer that to rolling over and letting them get away with their actions.
Fact of the matter is there are criminals in our political machine who are blatantly violating laws, violating and denying parts of the constitution and then ignoring congressional subpoenas, and they are still walking the streets without a care in the world. Ours is one of the few states where we can actually LEGALLY arrest them as ordinary citizens so long as we know what felonies they have committed. Would you stand idly by if you witnessed a homicide? A rape? A robbery? That's basically what Rove & Co. have done to our country.
Posted by: Patriotic-1 | October 22, 2008 at 11:05 AM
What would it matter if McCain wears Depends? what is wrong with that? I have known my elders to use them. Bush wore a similar thing when he landed on the aircraft carrier in 2003 and no one said he was less of a man, yet we knew he was.
Depends is not a minus but it does remnd us the man is at the age when many of his peers do have incontinence problems. Is that what some of you are worried over?
Posted by: Smedley Valet | October 22, 2008 at 11:59 AM
I agree that something needs to be done to these criminals, however what if you kick down the wrong door, or even if you kick down the right door but somebody else is there who is not a criminal. You can be arrested for breaking and entering, sued, or even shot. In my opinion unless you witnessed the crime, and then chased the person into that house, this is not very wise and you're asking for prison time (not to mention someone could legally kill you). Not to mention defense lawyers know the law very well and the slightest mistake by you could let the criminal go for good and now you'd be responsible for letting him free. Police know what they are doing, and sometimes they have to wait on things in order for it to be as strong as possible in court.
Posted by: Rob | October 22, 2008 at 12:01 PM
Wow! what an awesome idea. Citizens charging and arresting government officials, prideful greedy executives and political leaders for criminal behavior... man could we as a people start doing that and making charges stick? Or would it just be treated by the law as an act of protest and just make blog news.
I'd like us to exercise some of our rights as people, and this could be among the most nonviolent ways to do it... smart lady. Innovative resistance.
Posted by: Gabriel Gayhart | October 22, 2008 at 12:02 PM
JOHN KERRY'S GOT JOKES!! LOL.. WELL PLAYED SIR
Posted by: Asia | October 22, 2008 at 06:08 PM
there is an aresst warrent for bush / cheney in vermont. i hope karl rove will end up in gitmo, that would be just great. my american dream , drop cheney ,bush ,rove, rice, rummy and chernoff in iraq , naked ! l
Posted by: paul | October 23, 2008 at 03:50 AM
Sedition is a legal act and is defined as the people acting up against ones government. What this lady did is legal in the State of California if a felony act was committed. According to Oran's dictionary of the Law (1983) Treason is the act to seriously injure [the parent nation]. Treason is a felony and one has to ask oneself if our nation is injured. From any perspective, our nation is shamefully injured.
Our stock market is in shambles thanks to the SEC removal of the UpTic rule in June of 2007. Our real estate market has lost 38% of its value over this same period. Iraq was not the target of our need to deal with our enemies and yet we spend billions per month over there. The Iraqis are laughing at us, we are absolute fools. Bin Laden is still alive doing his mayhem and we are no closer to catching him. These are but some of the items that have injured our fine nation. In my book the administration has committed treason and Carl Rove is not in this administration so it is even worse for him.
Land of OZ? Yes Senator Mitchell, we are in a fantasy world.
Posted by: Naked Truth | October 23, 2008 at 10:41 AM