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Colorado Dem Office Vandalized
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The Colorado Democratic Party's headquarters in Denver has been attacked by vandals, with 11 windows getting smashed by rocks. The windows in question had posters of President Obama and the Democratic positions on health care.
A 24-year old suspect, Maurice Schwenkler, has been arrested, and another man remains at large. Schwenkler and the other suspect allegedly both disguised themselves by wearing shirts over their faces, plus hooded sweatshirts, and fled the scene on bicycles. The crime occurred at about 2:20 a.m. local time, and was spotted by an officer on patrol.
State party chairwoman Pat Waak blamed the vandalism on animosity against President Obama's health care plan, though the police have thus far not commented on a motive.
"We ought to be having a serious, conscientious debate about what's best for the country," Waak told the Denver Post. "Clearly there's been an effort on the other side to stir up hate. I think this is the consequence of it."
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The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
August 25, 2009 5:21 PM
24 years old? Fled on a bicycle? A bicycles? Seriously?
Damn, I can see the big "L" on this genius's forehead all the way from here. 10:1 he lives in his parents basement.
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Xantar
August 25, 2009 5:37 PM in reply to The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
But they're just like Code Pink, right? Remember that time the ACORN workers broke into Bush's ranch in Crawford?
P.S. In all fairness, I've heard that Colorado is very friendly to bicycles and a lot of people use them to commute. So at least these guys are eco-friendly vandals.
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brewmn61
August 25, 2009 5:42 PM
"State party chairwoman Pat Waak blamed the vandalism on animosity against President Obama's health care plan"
Again, we wonder why we can't win over more hearts and minds for true progressive change with messaging like this? To pretend this idiot is smart enough to actually have a coherent "motive" for the type of vandalism I committed when I was fourteen, is to give him way more credit that it's worth. This reminds me of the MSM's constant assurances that that the Teabaggers don't know what they're protesting, but their anger is "legitimate."
How about, "the rightwing knows it can't win any arguments on the merits. And it is so scared of losing this argument that it has to rely on violence, threats and name-calling to stop the debate."
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nova voter
August 25, 2009 6:00 PM
terrorism.
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libdevil
August 25, 2009 6:25 PM in reply to nova voter
Absolutely. And we'll never hear that word spoken in relation to this attack by the traditional media or any major spokesperson for those of us victimized by these thugs. The party chair's statement doesn't even sound human - 'oh, they just disagree with us, it's totally understandable why they're angry.' You can almost hear the subtext, 'after all, we want to kill their grandmas.'
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thumbs
August 25, 2009 8:58 PM
So MANY ways we could go with this one, it's hard to choose.
It's a little self-limiting to be fleeing on bicycle...with a shirt over your face.
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chimpale
August 25, 2009 9:19 PM
Hmm, violent right-wingers. How unusual.
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JohnW1141
August 26, 2009 9:37 AM
Will the Democrats prosecute the vandals or just offer a statement describing them as misguided youths.
I wonder if they were put up to this by someone.
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Campesino
August 26, 2009 12:12 PM
Turns out the vandal was a worker on Democratic campaigns
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_13203950
Police said that about 2:20 a.m., 24-year-old Maurice Schwenkler, now in custody, and an at-large accomplice took a hammer to the picture windows displaying posters touting President Barack Obama and his health care reform efforts.
Early Tuesday, Democratic Party chairwoman Pat Waak said the damage to her building in Denver's art district was a consequence of "an effort on the other side to stir up hate." She tempered her statement after Schwenkler's political history was revealed.
"What I've been saying is there is a lot of rhetoric out there from both sides of the spectrum," Waak said. "That's what's been disturbing to me. People are saying a lot of things not appropriate for civil discourse."
For weeks, people on both sides of the health care debate have rallied across the country.
Schwenkler is charged with criminal mischief and is to make his first appearance in Denver County Court today.
He is accused of doing an estimated $11,000 in damage and could face a felony conviction.
On the last day of the 2008 Republican National Convention, he was charged with misdemeanor unlawful assembly in St. Paul, Minn.
Court records provided through the St. Paul Pioneer Press show he was jailed about 2 a.m.
Schwenkler received $500 in November 2008 to walk door-to-door in support of Democrat Mollie Cullom, who lost her race to Republican state Rep. David Balmer of Centennial.
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JohnW1141
August 26, 2009 12:26 PM in reply to Campesino
Campesino,
so maybe he's a mercenary, now lets see if he was paid to break the windows.
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