Politics Activists Get Meeting w/ Cantwell
Six of the original seven antiwar activists who showed up at Senator Maria Cantwell’s downtown Seattle offices yesterday to protest Cantwell’s position on Iraq, ended up spending the night there on Tuesday—sleeping on the floor or in chairs in a conference room.
The activists report that Cantwell has agreed to meet with them. A meeting is scheduled for May 6, they say.
Rather than have the protesters removed, two Cantwell staffers and one of the staffer’s boyfriends spent the night in Cantwell’s 32nd floor offices as well—acting as federally required escorts. One activist says the Cantwell chaperones were, “cool and amenable.”
Cantwell spokesperson Charla Neuman did call me back yesterday. Sounding weary and calm she explained why they didn’t have the protesters removed: “They’re good constituents, and I’ve got a sleeping bag.”
It sounds like the activists—including an Iraq war vet, the father of a soldier who was killed in Iraq, and the pastor at Wallingford’s United Church of Christ—are going to leave Cantwell’s office this morning after they agree on the final details about the pending meeting with Senator Cantwell.
Yesterday, the activists showed up at Cantwell’s offices demanding that Cantwell either sign off on Senator John Kerry’s troop withdrawal plan (out by Dec. 2006) or agree to hold a meeting where she clarifies her position.
I’ve got a call out to Neuman to confirm the activist’s report.
UPDATE: Neuman called to say the activists went home at around 1:50 today. (A tired Neuman, who also stayed the night, “walked out the door with them.” She confirmed that the activists have a meeting with Senator Cantwell scheduled for May 6. She said the activists were a nice group. She lent them a deck of cards last night so they could pass the time.
George Bush could sure learn a lesson from Senator Cantwell. Sounds like she and her staff treated the activists with respect and class.