RNC BLOG: NEW YORK STORIES
NEWSWEEK CORRESPONDENTS ON THE RNC
Posted: Wednesday, September 1 3:03 p.m. ET
Andrew Cohen: Gewgaws! Gewgaws! Gewgaws! What would a political convention be without campaign paraphernalia festooned with candidate names and affiliations? At this year's RNC, the white-hot center for the buying and selling of souvenirs, trinkets and doodads is the "GOP Marketplace," temporarily established on the second floor of the New York Hilton. There were buttons, pins, hats, bumper stickers, mugs, key chains, sweatshirts, novelty ties, watches, scarves, embroidered golf shirts, commemorative coins, posters, plush toys, presidential trivia books, elephant brooches, patriotic Christmas ornaments, I [Heart] NY cuff links, W ketchup, Republican Cabernet Sauvignon, Sean Hannity DVDs, GWB-in-flight-suit pens, a Barney dog bowl, a bipartisan display case of replica presidential footwear, "Hail to the Chief" George Bush jack-in-the-boxes and, finally, politically themed thong sandals (i.e., John Kerry flip-flops).
One of the exhibitors, Jim Lewis of GopGuys.com, came to New York from Amarillo, Texas, with members of his family to sell fellow Republicans his wares, which included rhinestone American-flag lapel pins ($10) and baseballs with images from the life of George W. Bush ($20). "There are some people here that play both sides of the political [fence] and that's OK," says Lewis. "They're making a living, but for us, it's more than just a business. It's a way of life ... We love doing this, being a part of it. It's a historical event."
Although I own a few items of political memorabilia that span the spectrum from Reagan to Lenin, I saw nothing that made me want to trade away any of my coveted collection of small green portraits of Washington, Lincoln and Hamilton that I carry on me. But I didn't leave empty handed. The National Automobile Dealers Association had a whole table covered with free copies of its Summer 2004 official used-car price guide. Now that's useful.
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Posted: Tuesday, August 31 12:03 p.m. ET
Andrew Cohen: Monday was my day off, and school hasn't started yet, so I thought I'd take my kids to a nice air-conditioned movie theater. They loved "Shaolin Soccer," so we opted to see "Hero," the new Jet Li box-office hit. Plus, with all the stress and disruption caused by having the Republican National Convention in town, you can hardly ask for more escapist fare than a film about flying swordsmen in ancient China.
We live in New Jersey, but the easiest-to-get-to theater showing "Hero" is on 34th Street in Manhattan, just two blocks from Madison Square Garden. No problem. It's always calm in the eye of the storm, right? Plus maybe the kids would get to see a little bit of democracy in action: demonstrators, delegates, police in riot gear--stuff you usually get to see only on TV. If nothing else, I knew Macy's was open, and I needed a new pair of shoes.
The midmorning bus ride into the city took no longer than usual, through as we came out of the Lincoln Tunnel, NYPD traffic cops immediately directed our bus away from its usual destination. Fine. We'd walk an extra block. The stroll south on Ninth Avenue was uneventful, and we arrived at the theater with time to spare. We were so early that I caved to my children's request for a preshow snack. The second-floor dining area of a nearby Wendy's provided a panoramic view of the convention site. Look at the policeman across the street guarding the underground-parking-garage entrance, kids. He's holding the biggest assault rifle I've ever seen outside of a Schwarzenegger movie. And are those snipers on the roof of the Garden?
The movie itself was remarkably soothing for a martial-arts epic. Between the calming soundtrack and lush cinematography, I was soon asleep. But my kids loved it, even though my son, at 7, is still too young to read subtitles. I roused myself too late to totally make sense of the multifaceted plot (my daughter enthusiastically filled me in later), but I emerged from the theater feeling I'd gotten a needed break from the city's all-pervasive RNCiana.
On our way downstairs, we encountered a trickle of betagged convention types heading up the escalators, culminating in the appearance of former House speaker Newt Gingrich. Here for "Alien vs. Predator"? Not at all. Gingrich & Co. were appearing in one of the theaters in the multiplex for a talk sponsored by the Republican Main Street Partnership, a centrist group, in which he denounced the Democrats as the party of "narrow-minded bigotry." In New York this week, even the fantasy world of movies couldn't provide a total escape from the political main event.
