303 Comments

Perhaps he pays bonuses when the agents guarding him are "proactive" and demonstrate "initiative."

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allegedly.

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Almost all of Trump's suits are dropped or dismissed, usually without any publicity. It is very rare when he actually follows through with one, and even more rare when he wins.

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Reminiscent of the 1972 Republican Convention in Miami and its "designated protest area" bordered by chain link fencing and a phalanx of police and located several blocks away from the convention center.

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Was this done by Secret Service agents or was it done by Trump's (or the rally organizer's) own rally security team?

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Courtesy of The Google ("secret service protection for presidential candidates" About 384,000 results (0.66 seconds)):

http://www.secretservice.go...

http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/...

http://thehill.com/blogs/ba...

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The separation of the media and protesters began w/ "W". After the start of the Iraq War, the Bush administration started assigning "protest" areas for those wishing to exercise their 1st amendment rights, which were far removed from where his (& Cheney's) actual appearances were held. On occasion, if I remember correctly, journalists were assigned to those areas as well. We're talking FAR removed from W & Dick. Quite a few protesters were arrested and the process of prosecution started during those years.Molly Ivin's last book, "The Bill of Wrongs" documents some of these occurrences, and many more blatant violations of folks' 1st, 4th, 5th... amendment rights. .

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Me, too.

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"Designated Protest Areas" date back to the 1972 Republican National Convention in Miami, FL. Created in the aftermath of the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago debacle.

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Thank you for clarifying. Funny, though, how it seems to consistently be the GOP who does this?

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Still, doesn't the Secret Service have to abide by local ordinance and state law? At least? I mean, assault and battery are crimes in most locals.

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They had very robust security to insure that any protests did not move or expand out of the fenced-off area.

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I think that what you described above may indeed be an "innovation" by the Bush 43 administration. As far as I know, DPAs were never previously set up for more routine public appearances and speeches. They were originally implemented just at really big events, namely the quadrennial national nominating conventions. They were created specifically to "prevent another Chicago" at the convention and that purpose was frankly acknowledged by the organizers right from the start. Smaller events might have a back fence, beyond which protests were allowed or at least tolerated. But no fenced-off DPA isolated from the main site. If I am not mistaken both parties have implemented DPAs in the past at some of their big events, although perhaps not at every one.

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The 1972 election was unique in that both major parties held their nominating conventions in the same city (Miami Beach, FL) at the same site! The Democrats met at the Miami Beach Convention Center from July 10-13 and the Republicans met there from August 21-23. One might be prompted to snark about "not a dime's worth of difference," etc. except that the two nominees produced by these conventions were George McGovern and Richard Nixon. Who were, to put it mildly, very different from each other. It must have been a busy summer for the MBPD.

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"They're terrific. Just the best. It's too bad they've had to protect that shadey one these last whatever years. All I'm saying is we're going to make America great again by making sure there's some white people in the goddamn White House okay?"

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Refer to my earlier allegation that he has a short attention span (also his lawyers are smarter than he is.)

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