Miscellaneous
What happens at all those parties?
With a Republican National Convention in town this week, there were hundreds of different receptions and parties all across the Twin Cities. Most of them were closed to the public. What really goes on inside one of these receptions? Members of the ThreeSixty Journalism staff were recently invited to attend a reception held by Best Buy at the Minnesota History Museum in St. Paul. Here’s what we learned.... Read more >>
Rock out with your cause out
On Labor Day, the Service Employee’s International Union held its first “Take Back Labor Day” concert on Harriet Island in St. Paul, a concert the union hopes to make an annual event.
Featuring a notable set list that included Grammy-winner hip-hop artist Mos Def, and former Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, the union hoped to raise awareness about the problems currently facing labor unions in the United States while the Republican Party took center stage at the Xcel Energy Center across the river.
“Labor unions are a fundamental component of democracy,” folk-country musician Steve Earle said, which was followed by immediate applause.... Read more >>
Day 2: RNC focus shifts back to McCain
With the threat of Hurricane Gustav past, Republicans were ready to sell John McCain as the next president at day two of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul.
Republicans Fred Thompson, a former Tennessee senator, and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) a former Democrat, sold McCain as an experienced war veteran who is ready to lead the United States.... Read more >>
SLIDE SHOW: Monday RNC Protest
ThreeSixty photographer Leah Sorensen joined the estimated 10,000 protesters in downtown St. Paul on the first day of the Republican National Convention. Read more >>
Fairgoers think pronto pups more than politics
As many teens enjoyed their last day of summer at the fair, it seemed that the Republican National Convention and the election were far from their minds.
Of the 10 teens interviewed at the Minnesota State Fair – mostly at the CNN Election Booth – the majority said they haven’t been following the Republican National Convention that opened in St. Paul on Monday.... Read more >>
Thousands march to protest Republican policies
A strange sight confronted protesters who gathered on the Capitol lawn the first day of the Republican National Convention: a polar bear.
Minneapolis resident Mina Leierwood painted her body white, her nose and lips black, donned a white polar bear cap, a white tutu, and roller blades to protest Republican vice presidential nominee and current governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin during the protests on the opening day of the Republican National Convention.... Read more >>
Quiet first day at Republican convention
With the first day of the Republican National Convention shortened to two and a half hours due to worries over Hurricane Gustav, party representatives decided to make the best of it and focus on hurricane relief on Monday.
As First Lady Laura Bush and Cindy McCain, John McCain’s wife, took the podium at the Xcel Center in St. Paul, they focused on relief efforts for hurricane victims on the Gulf Coast. There was applause but the crowd never got a chance to erupt. ... Read more >>
Police meet protests with firm hand
To describe the amount of security outside the first day of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul in one word, that word would be: stunning. As thousands of protesters filed down from the capital, hundreds of police officers stood shoulder-to-shoulder to direct them through the route through downtown St. Paul. ... Read more >>
Political conventions a carnival of democracy
It was a hot July afternoon at the Convention Hall that fateful day in 1948. It was inside the Democratic National Convention when Minneapolis’s own mayor Hubert H. Humphrey addressed his party and demanded that Democrats “get out of the shadow of states’ rights and walk forthrightly into the bright sunshine of human rights.” Turmoil ensued and Humphrey’s unprecedented proposal resulted in southern delegates walking out of the convention.... Read more >>
