(Originally published on my MovableType blog, and moved here for consolidation)

The story going around the blogs right now, http://blog.deanforamerica.com/archives/003214.html, http://travis-bushman.dailykos.com/story/2004/1/17/23537/3980, and http://www.needlenose.com/pMachineFree2.2.1/comments.php?id=P777_0_1_0 is about a Dean rally at Drake university yesterday, which got crashed by a group of about thirty young Bush supporters. One of them rips a Dean sign and poses for the cameras, another is said to have pushed Joan Jett who responded: You can push me, but don't touch my guitar. (this guitar kills fascists...)

For those who don’t recognize the quote, Woody Guthrie had ‘This machine kills fascists’ inscribed on his guitar. (http://subvertise.org/details.php?code=238)

One comment said, “Good gracious! When are the Republithugs holding their very own Kristallnacht? And what would the RNC do if Deaniacs tried to crash their convention (jails, billy clubs...). And all it took to fix it was the Star Spangled Banner...” Most likely the Deaniacs would be held as suspected terrorists or enemy combatants, probably in the brig of a ship with no access to lawyers.

Yet the reference to Kristallnacht caused me to stop and think. People have commented that if instead of Hitler being arrested at the Beer Hall someone had pulled down his pants, Hitler would never have come to power. I suspect that the Dean supporters have so far responded very well.

One person commented on Travis Bushman’s diary at DailyKOS, “A marine (a Democrat) who was at the Dean rally asked Joan to start singing the Star Spangled Banner to quiet the Republican attackers. The Dean supporters in the audience all joined in the song and SANG LOUDLY. It silenced the Young Repubs; they appeared confused and perhaps shamed. They went back upstairs to their convention. “

Another person referred to Casablanca, compared this to Laszlo getting the orchestra to play the Marseillaise.

The blogs and comments go on to say that Janeane Gareafalo provided comic relief by posing for pictures amidst the chaos and began cracking jokes at about the young repubs.

I hope people have some good recordings of this and can share some of the jokes.