There has been some discussion on this site as to what Democrats should do during Tuesday's State of the Union Speech. One suggestion was to walk out. Not a bad idea but there might be better options.
Should the Democrats get a spine and do something newsworthy, there are basic rules they must consider. Since they do not control the press, their actions must be symbolic and something most people will understand in spite of the talking heads. Walking out will be spun as "disrespect." Not that disrespect is necessarily bad, but there must be a legitimate rationale for the disrespect.
The colonists dumped tea in the bay. Can't you just hear Fox News today, "Good tea! The terrorists dumped good tea in the Bay!" But the populace knew the symbolism of their actions. The Democrats need something similar.
The solution after the jump.
The Democrats could show up dressed as spies or prisoners of Abu Ghraib. People would understand the symbolism but the polls are not clear that the masses are all that upset with either the spying or the torture. But they do understand scandal and payola.
Recently a number of prominent Republicans have come out urging Bush to make his photos and contacts with Abramoff public. What if at the appropriate time, Democrats started chanting "Abramoff! Abramoff! Abramoff!"? We wouldn't need all of them or even as many as a filibuster requires. Twenty would work.
What could happen? Republicans could shout them down. OK, that could be fun. Maybe Bush will have the guards handcuff and throw them out - great reality TV! Whatever the reaction, the Abramoff scandal will be the lead news story for days if not a week or more.
Abramoff! Abramoff! Abramoff!