Just No Place For A Street Fightin' Blogger!

Bob Novak writes about a new phenomenon in American politics: out and out hatred and rancor by urban leftwing protestors:

While the 1968 demonstrators foolishly risked street combat with the Chicago cops, their 2004 brethren wisely kept their distance from New York’s finest. Unlike their predecessors of 36 years earlier, last week’s protesters wanted to single out individuals with verbal abuse that was often vile for the sole reason that they were presumed to be Republicans.

Tim Carney, a reporter for this column, got a taste of that last Thursday night as he left the Garden. He was wearing a three-piece suit and presumably was mistaken for a delegate by a young woman, who yelled at him: “Get out of New York!” She added to Carney, a native New Yorker: “You don’t belong here!”

That was much milder treatment than one journalist (who preferred his name not be used) underwent one day when he probably also was mistaken for a delegate. Walking out of the arena, he was called a “Nazi.” That was a favorite epithet used by protesters, along with “fascist,” “scumbag” and “crook.” This reporter, who has spent much more time in Europe than I, says such harassment in the street is commonplace in European cities. He regrets its spread to this country.

Bob must be whoring for hits though. He mars an otherwise thoughtful and well written column with this:

I have covered every national political convention beginning with 1960 and never before encountered so unpleasant an atmosphere. Not even the infamous 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago approached last week’s level of animosity. The irrational loathing expressed daily on the Internet by passionate, though poorly informed, bloggers was transferred into the streets.

Somehow I doubt very many well-known bloggers on either side of the political spectrum were out busting heads at either convention.

Because in sleepy Manhattan, there’s just no place for a street fightin’ blogger.