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Inside the Gardens at the Republican National Convention

by Marinka Peschmann, Special to Canada Free Press

September 7, 2004

Last Saturday, I’d breached security at New York City's Madison Square Gardens. Looking for the media check-in, I suddenly found myself on the convention floor right by the stage. Camera crews from television networks were calling out names of states, ‘Tennessee,’ ‘Puerto Rico,’ ‘Wisconsin,’ memorizing their locations, maneuvering their lens’ in lively competition. Over an hour later an irritated ‘Inspector’ and two obliging police officers escorted me out after I’d reached the 10th floor.

With each passing day leading up to President Bush's acceptance speech, security checks amplified. By Thursday, the checks began with the NYPD at the bottom of nearby subway exits. Delegates and press wore numbered passes indicating the day dangling around their necks. Colored codes showed your access: Limited-Green, General -Red, Radio & TV Booth -Silver, and All Access — Gold. Upstairs onto 34^th Street towards 7^th Avenue one was shuffled through a series of metal barricades lining the streets passing by New Yorkers heading home and protesters waving signs yelling the kinder, ‘Republicans Go Home,’ to the nastier un-printables. But protesters certainly were Canadian friendly. Nearing the Gardens, bomb squads, cops in riot gear, caution tape, police vans and dogs came into view. Then another round of what would be repeated flash pass requests from the NYPD took you through another barrier to Security Guards, the Secret Service and RNC volunteers posted at each entrance. Whisking through the rows of metal detectors, bags were searched, phones and people scanned, cameras opened, and sips from water bottles were taken. Credential checks ensued at each turn, at every escalator, elevator and walkway before reaching the thick blue-carpeted floor of the convention and continued all night long.

Exiting and entering the hall of the Garden’s one could run into White House Chief of Staff, Andrew Card, walking by or CNN’s Wolf Blitzer or Fox’s Tony Snow hurrying off. The dressed-up delegates sometimes pinned with American flags, and a few with elephant hats mingled then took their seats while the press core broke off to the ‘Media Center’ and ‘Farley Building’ that was transformed into a parallel world to the historical Convention that collided non-stop. Blue drapes separated work-stations of make-shift print offices housing the international press core. ‘Radio row’ on the ground level stretched afar with banks of open tables where ear-phoned hosts were live and on-air all day and night. Politicos including former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, California Congressmen David Dreier and Darrell Issa, accredited for the recall that carried Arnold Schwarzenegger into the Governor's house and onto the RNC stage last Tuesday could be seen at any given time jumping from host to host, then hurried upstairs for a quickie TV interview. Actors including Steve Schirripa from the Sopranos who incidentally will be ‘in Canada in November’ and Air-America radio-show host, Al Franken, grinning mischievously, blabbing incessantly, could be seen strutting down radio row flanked by their own camera crews and entourages.

Upstairs are the skyboxes, the temporary home for TV press, transformed into studios for live stand-ups and VIP RNC members where one might bump into former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, at another turn, one could come face to face with CNN’s Larry King, best-selling author Richard Miniter who wrote, Losing Bin Laden and the omnipresent Secret Service. Inside was wheeled in catered food and comfortable seats that bestowed a panoramic view of the Gardens. Just above hung enormous nets bulging with red white and blue balloons fastened to the roof.

On Tuesday, Governor Schwarzenegger’s ‘Don’t be economic girly men’ brought the delegates to their feet, one of countless standing ovations that evening. Later, without warning a brilliant surprise when Barbara and Jenna Bush turned from the podium and faced the colossal screen to introduce their father who was beamed in from a softball game to introduce his wife, Laura Bush.

On Wednesday, Democratic Senator Zell Miller’s thunderous speech, ‘this is the man who wants to be the Commander in Chief of our U.S. Armed Forces? U.S. forces armed with what? Spitballs?’ took the breath away from scores of delegates, thrilled gasps abounded. ‘Miller’s the appetizer,’ whispered one delegate to another, "Cheney has yet to speak…’ Later back in media land, a top news editor described Miller’s speech as ‘hurtful.’

On Thursday on route to listen to President Bush’s speech with one foot on the aisle, I turn my head to look for the seat section numbers, when instantaneously I’m taken aback. Now my back is pressed against the wall to get out of the way of the Secret Service with camera crews in tow whizzing by me to snatch up a protester pulling her dress over her head.

During the President's speech, standing ovations rotated with cheers, of ‘USA’ and ‘Thank you George’ when his speech crossed into the subject of Iraq. Over halfway through, a spontaneous, ‘Four More Years,’ low rumble begins escalating to a roar from one section in the cavernous Gardens, oddly out of place. In seconds you see a beeline of Secret Service zooming from opposite directions towards one another — it’s yet another protester. One nearby delegate fumed, ‘the press must be giving them passes to try and start something…’ The following day the delegate's words are proven true. A ‘Code Pink’ protester arrested during Vice President Cheney’s speech, admitted she'd ‘obtained’ her credentials from a ‘friend of friend’ whose media outlet she refused to share.

Now that the festivities are winding down and street cleaners are clearing NY streets, the polls are piling in. Reportedly the RNC bounced President Bush to a double-digit 11-16 point lead over Senator John Kerry. Ratings indicate that more viewers watched President Bush’s address than John Kerry’s DNC acceptance speech. John Kerry broke precedence last Thursday holding a midnight press conference swinging hard at the Republicans. The race for the White House is reaching its zenith. Less than two months to go.