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Friday, February 22, 2008

“Mr. Obama, You Can’t Say That Dallas Doesn’t Love You”

posted by on February 22 at 8:35 AM

There’s good Kennedy mystique, and then there’s bad Kennedy mystique

Security details at Barack Obama’s rally Wednesday [in Dallas] stopped screening people for weapons at the front gates more than an hour before the Democratic presidential candidate took the stage at Reunion Arena.

The order to put down the metal detectors and stop checking purses and laptop bags came as a surprise to several Dallas police officers who said they believed it was a lapse in security.

Dallas Deputy Police Chief T.W. Lawrence, head of the Police Department’s homeland security and special operations divisions, said the order—apparently made by the U.S. Secret Service—was meant to speed up the long lines outside and fill the arena’s vacant seats before Obama came on.

Uh… since when is the Secret Service less freaky about security than local police departments?

Thanks to Slog tipper Reggie.

RSS icon Comments

1

maybe GWB put Brownie in charge of the secret service, too. With advice from Mushareff.

Serously this is terrible.

Posted by unPC | February 22, 2008 8:44 AM
2

That is some seriously freaky shit. Especially in Dallas, of all places.

Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty | February 22, 2008 8:46 AM
3

Um, it's Texas, did you really expect everyone to leave their guns at home?

Posted by Mike of Renton | February 22, 2008 8:47 AM
4

I attended the rally in Madison and there were only cursory patdowns done by a private security company.

Apparently there was more security in order to get on the floor but they didn't seem that concerned with everybody else.

Posted by Chris | February 22, 2008 8:53 AM
5

seriously WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope Obama at least is asking some questions. sheeesh...

Posted by marigold | February 22, 2008 8:58 AM
6

No searching for weapons? In *Texas*?

Goddammit, they're already trying to assassinate him and he's not even president yet.

In Dallas, too. Old habits die hard, I guess.

Pun not intended, but fitting.

Posted by K | February 22, 2008 8:59 AM
7

J

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maybe some things don't change like that dark unkown underfaction that lashes out at....change.

Posted by lorax | February 22, 2008 9:02 AM
8

In Texas, problems are solved with guns. You don't shoot people, but you do that Sheriff shit where you raise your voice and start shooting your gun in the air. Imagine that at an Obama rally. Congress.

Posted by Mr. Poe | February 22, 2008 9:02 AM
9

Remember kids, the problem with shooting guns in the air is that what goes up must come down.

</psa>

Posted by lostboy | February 22, 2008 9:06 AM
10

I went to the rally at the Key Arena a few weeks ago and didn't get screened. In fact, I only saw screening going on for people who'd stand in the huddled mass in front of the stage. Consequently, I'm betting the SS forgoes screening a lot more often than this story indicates.

Posted by Ronan | February 22, 2008 9:08 AM
11

I look at this the other way. I would say that that the Dallas police were dragging their feet to prevent people from hearing Obama speak. The Secret Service, who expect to be reporting to Obama a year from know, put a stop to it.

Posted by mikeblanco | February 22, 2008 9:28 AM
12

everybody like barack, so there's no need to worry!

Posted by max solomon | February 22, 2008 9:29 AM
13

@11 - that's completely absurd.

Posted by Levislade | February 22, 2008 9:30 AM
14

Your headline is wrong -- the quote is "DOESN'T love you". It doesn't make sense otherwise.

Posted by Fnarf | February 22, 2008 9:35 AM
15

Thanks, Fnarf. I tossed it up, walked away. The minute I saw it I realized I fucked it up. Sigh.

Posted by Dan Savage | February 22, 2008 9:45 AM
16

The real issue here is that Obama's appearance crowds keep growing and growing. People were lining up outside of Reunion Arena at 6:30 a.m. and the place pretty much filled up; this is as much an issue with Secret Service as it is with local event promoters finding themselves unprepared to deal with the masses. The bottleneck on that Dallas line was ridiculous, and I'm sure Obama's camp had at least something to do with just opening the floodgates and getting the rally on its way so that people with jobs could leave in time. Could've turned out awfully, but, shit, Dallas crowds aren't as bad as Slog commenters think. Who'da thunk. Still, other cities should take heed and prep for Obama's appeal appropriately.

Posted by Sam M. | February 22, 2008 9:46 AM
17

Screening only the people who are very close makes sense. It's not like someone is gonna be able to sneak a sniper rifle into the bleacher seats, even without a metal detector.

Posted by Mahtli69 | February 22, 2008 9:51 AM
18

Have we ever had a politician draw this many people? Is there an equivalent in the celebrity/music world that would also require a lot of security?

How the hell can you screen 18,000 people in a timely fashion?

Once elected, will he do rallies like this?

The mind wonders...

Posted by crk on bellevue ave | February 22, 2008 9:52 AM
19

once he's elected, he's going to be so busy climbing us out of the shithole chimpy threw us into that there won't be another rally till 2012.

if there's even an amurka by then.

seriously.

Posted by max solomon | February 22, 2008 10:12 AM
20

this is a non-story. the SS has reasons for doing things certain ways. I was probably in the last 1000 or so of people who got into Key Arena. We were rushing the doors like it was a cincinnati Who concert. There was no (visible) screening and we weren't really entering the main doors single file. Of course the only seats left at that point were in the nose bleed sections. The SS job entails risk management. In some ways they may be creepy, but I trust them more than local police departments.

Posted by stinkbug | February 22, 2008 10:15 AM
21

Now if you could just Photoshop Obama's head into some stills from the Zapruder film. Tastefully, of course. I wouldn't use the one with the big chunk of head laying on the trunk of the car with Jackie diving after it. No, wait -- yes, I would.

Posted by Fnarf | February 22, 2008 10:27 AM
22

btw, one advantage to being in the nose bleed section at Key is that one could watch the police in the catwalk section. most people there probably didn't see them.

Posted by stinkbug | February 22, 2008 10:36 AM
23

Interestingly--when I went to see Obama at Key Arena, before I even got to the front doors, a LOCAL security screener from the Center claimed I couldn't enter the area because I was carrying an SLR camera (removable lens). I protested and stayed in line anyway. When I got to the doorway, a couple in front of me WITH A STROLLER was being patted down, and then I was allowed in without anyone blinking.

At least our local security people here are vigilant. But if this story pans out--that the Secret Service was being lax--this needs to be corrected, pronto.

Posted by Andy Niable | February 22, 2008 10:50 AM
24

Sooo... Hillary does have a "plan B" to get the nomination, and her moles in Obamas security detail are putting it into play...

Posted by You_Gotta_Be_Kidding_Me | February 22, 2008 11:05 AM
25

i have it on good authority that obama can dodge bullets.

Posted by some dude | February 22, 2008 11:13 AM
26

A better option for the headline would have been: "Dumbshit who has no understanding of security protocol brings the other dumbshits out of the woodwork to comment."

Posted by Bison | February 22, 2008 11:32 AM
27

I think they hired Brownie to supervise.

Posted by Will in Seattle | February 22, 2008 11:33 AM
28

some dude @25, Obama doesn't have to dodge bullets; they bounce harmlessly off his Kryptonian skin just before being transformed in flower petals by the radiance of his divine soul.

Posted by lostboy | February 22, 2008 12:07 PM
29

Lesson from this: fuck Dallas.

Posted by Greg | February 22, 2008 12:40 PM
30

I dislike this topic immensely.

Posted by elenchos | February 22, 2008 1:17 PM

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