God bless the
Village Voice:
n a measure of how aggressively the Bush campaign is courting young voters, the Republican Party rolled into New York on Thursday aboard a 56-foot 18-wheeler dubbed Reggie the Registration Rig.
The souped-up truck, equipped with a soundstage, X-Box games, and plasma screen TVs, could've driven straight out of MTV's new car makeover show, Pimp My Ride. It was parked next to the Army recruiting center in the heart of Times Square and in eyeshot of MTV's recording studios, so that Republican Party chairman Ed Gillespie could make a guest appearance on Total Request Live with MTV correspondent Sway.
No, really.
So, how did Ed "Lover" Gillespie do in getting his message to the kidz?
Well...
The GOP's crossover act in Times Square made for some odd dissonance. While the mostly white and older crowd chanted "Four more years!" and patriotic images of Bush swirled on the plasma screens, Reggie's juiced-up sound system blared a mix of tracks that included 50-Cent and marijuana-friendly rapper Sean Paul, as well as Britney Spears's racy single "Toxic."
"It's a mix of TRL music," said RNC spokesperson Jim Dyke, who conceded he had "no idea really" what songs were on it.
Likewise, most in the crowd of screaming teenagers outside MTV's studios were oblivious to Gillespie's efforts. "Is he that new actor guy?" asked Tiffany Bodine, a 16-year-old student in town with her Monroe, Michigan, 4-H club. Bodine was disappointed to learn that the RNC chair was to be TRL's only guest that day. "I'd rather see DMX," she said.
Fair enough. I guess you've got to give the RNC credit for hanging out with the unwashed masses, although I'm sure they were dying to take a hot shower w/Lava soap afterwards.
Oh, there were protesters, of course, and recognition of Repub hypocrisies, but that's almost par for the course these days.
God, I wonder how the Evil Elephants will try to court the youth vote next...