ST. PAUL, Minn. — The city of St. Paul, Minn., has become the center of attention in American democracy this week, as Republicans officially nominated U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., for president and thousands of protesters have filled city streets with cries for change.
On Wednesday, Republican vice presidential nominee, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, told a roaring crowd at the Xcel Energy Center that she and McCain would go the White House for the “right reason” and bring real change to the country.
“Americans expect us to go to Washington for the right reason, and not just to mingle with the right people,” Palin said. “Politics isn’t just a game of flashy parties and competing interests. The right reason is to challenge the status quo, to serve the common good and to leave this nation better than we found it.”
Palin vowed to create jobs and move forward with solar, wind, geothermal and other alternative energy sources, and also used her primetime spot to criticize Democratic nominee, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama.
“Small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities,” she said in reference to Obama’s previous work as a community organizer and her own as mayor.
Palin, who was little known a week ago, has quickly gained attention after being picked as McCain’s running mate. She took a jab at national media sources, which have reported on her 17-year-old unmarried daughter’s pregnancy.
“Here’s a little news flash for those reporters and commentators: I’m not going to Washington to seek your good opinion, I’m going to Washington to serve the good people of this country,” she said.
Palin drew upon her experience as governor of Alaska and said that if elected, she would govern the United States with “integrity, good will and a serving heart.”
“It’s always the other side that says ‘we’re first to do this, we’re first to do that,’ but this is the first time we have a woman on the ticket, and it’s a Republican,” said Darlene Ross, Republican Party chair in Shawano County, Wisc.
Her husband, Bill Ross, the 8th Congressional District delegate committee chair, said Palin is a fresh, young face who would bring change to Washington.
“She’s not Washington-based. She’s a reformer. She’s not an old guy with gray hair,” Bill Ross said. “She’s got a young family, and it’s really a refreshing change.”
Sol Grosskopf, a University of Wisconsin senior and alternate delegate, said he’s honored to be in the forefront of representing the youth at the RNC.
“The Republican party really is the party for the youth,” Grosskopf said. “This is the party that wants to limit government, wants to allow individuals to make their own choices, to allow hard work to be able to overcome any adversity and to have individuals and communities make society better.”
Grosskopf added he wants to bring the message that McCain is the best candidate for young people back to UW.
The RNC had a rocky start due to Hurricane Gustav, which caused President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney to cancel appearances at the convention, but the remainder of the convention has seen no major problems.
While thousands of delegates focused on nominating McCain, another 10,000 people filled the streets of St. Paul in protest, asking for universal health care, troop withdrawal and support for the economically challenged population.
The group marched to the Xcel Energy Center on Monday and peacefully chanted and sang without much disruption.
On the same day, however, another group of nearly 300 protesters who smashed windows, threw concrete on streets and turned trash cans upside down were arrested, and more than 100 were held on felony charges, according to St. Paul police.
Among those were at least four journalists, including an Associated Press photographer, Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman and two of her producers, the AP reported.
The protesters attempted to storm to the Xcel Energy Center, but were met with tear gas and pepper spray Monday afternoon.
On Tuesday, a group of about 2,000 also marched to the Xcel Energy Center as part of an anti-poverty march. They left an American flag and a citizen’s arrest for “crimes against humanity” to Republican leaders at the gates of the convention center.
Protesters were met with police resistance on the corner of St. Peter and 7th streets, and upon non-compliance with an order to dismiss, officers shot several rounds of tear gas, flash-bang grenades and mace.
Briana Falb-Joslin, a 20-year-old sophomore at the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, said she was running from the crowd attempting to flee the scene, when police sprayed her with mace in the ear, followed by a second spray on her face.
“I just started screaming for a medic, and when I started stumbling toward them, they just screamed at me to get back or they would mace me again,” Falb-Joslin said. “No one would help; they were just out of control. I don’t even know how to describe it. It was one of the scariest things.”
No major injuries were reported, and several protesters were taken to an improvised clinic run by volunteering streets medics.
St. Paul police and officers from several other counties and states continue to patrol the streets of the city for expected protests today, as the RNC concludes and McCain is expected to formally accept his nomination.
