Dori finds an unlikely political ally at the Republican National Convention
Jul 19, 2016, 11:44 AM | Updated: 12:49 pm
RNC protester Tom Mitchell and Dori Monson bond over their distrust of political parties. (Dori Monson, KIRO Radio)
(Dori Monson, KIRO Radio)
Adapted from KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson’s live coverage of the Republican National Convention on Monday.
I’ve got to say this kind of quietly because I’m in media row. But, I’ve got to tell you, the people-watching here is fascinating. Everybody has the exact same look and demeanor. It’s this very weird atmosphere of self-importance.
I’ve talked about my disaffection with both parties – and this will be the same thing next week at the Democratic National Convention — as you’ve got a bunch of go-getter 20 or 30-soemthings buried in their phone. Either on their laptop every second or on the phone while walking. I don’t think anybody walks with eyes up. You’ve got a lot of 45-year-old guys who will see somebody they vaguely recognize and give him or her the bro-hug.
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I’m a little out of place because I’m wearing shorts here today. Everybody’s got on the exact same uniform: either the gray suit or the khakis and blue-stripe button-down tucked in. It’s really funny. I feel like this is the Super Bowl for the super nerds.
I feel very out of place. And I have at all the conventions I’ve covered because I can’t quite buy into the enthusiasm that everybody has for political parties.
I did find a somewhat like-minded individual before coming into the convention when I spoke with RNC protester Tom Mitchell who was holding up a sign that said he’d rather vote for Mickey Mouse than Trump or Hillary.
“They don’t have integrity,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell told me he hadn’t voted for a balloted Democrat or Republican since 1972.
“I don’t think Republicans or Democrats get things done,” Mitchell said. “Trump is not a Republican or a Democrat, that’s not a bad thing. I’ve been waiting my whole life to vote for somebody who’s not in the political system. But Trump doesn’t respect women, he attacks people who disagree with him. Trump thinks that Ted Cruz’s dad is complicit with Lee Harvey Oswald killing John F. Kennedy … And he thinks a long-form birth certificate for Obama from Hawaii is not real.”
And his disagreement with Hillary: “Flip flop. Political expediency; do anything to get elected, no integrity.”
Finally. Someone I can rally behind.
