The KMT must be spending a frigging fortune on this 313 rally thing tomorrow. The “lizhang” came and knocked on my door two days ago. He didn’t want to talk to me, but asked if my wife was in (asked by name). I said no, so he left me a little 313 promotional flyer to give to her. Then I saw him go to the neighbor’s door. Are all the lizhang doing this? Door-to-door KMT salesmen?
Then today I get a “DM” for the rally in my mailbox. From the looks of it, everyone in my district got one too.
Then the phone rang this evening - automated computer voice telling me to come support the KMT at the 313 rally tomorrow.
Sheesh.
Just caught the news. Guess I can forget going near Sogo in Taipei tomorrow - Ma Ying-jeou is having Chunghsiao E. Rd. blocked off for the rally. Nothing like a little mayoral muscle.
The whole 228 rally struck me as rather spontaneous. The planning for this 313 thing is reaching epic proportions. Wonder if the KMT will see a return on its massive investment.
I got an automated phone call this morning that was probably for this (I can’t speak Chinese). At first I thought it was something like “pay your phone bill” but at the end I’m pretty sure I detected “Lien-Soong”. I thought it was just a campaign call but now I think it was for this 3-13 thing.
Ma closing the street is another piece of evidence that Ma has KMT blood flowing in his veins. The law is something for everyone to abide by, unless it conflicts with the authority or wishes of the KMT, then it can be overuled.
His earlier knee-jerk command to local leaders to boycott the referendum was only rescinded after everyone pointed out that his doing so was illegal. It never occured to him. It was just KMT business as usual.
I wonder what the legality of closing a main street is?
The theme of the rally? “Change the president, save Taiwan.”
The worrying thing is that two days ago, a report said:
[quote][Taipei Mayor] Ma explained that the “four noes” of the “pan-blue alliance” refer to “no welcome for those who mudsling or otherwise call participants at the rallies communists; no response to those who try to provoke marchers; no clashes with those who try to frame the participants, and no retort to abusive language.” Ma asked that all participants remain calm, rational and avoid any conflicts. …
Ma said that anyone who is bullied or verbally abused should not take matters into their own hands and instead let the police or those tasked with maintaining order and security handle the situation. If, for example, someone raises the national flag of the People’s Republic of China and shouts, “Hail to [Beijing President] Hu Jintao” to try to frame the “pan-blue alliance” supporters, marchers should not be angry or feel the need for retribution – just flash the “V for victory” sign, Ma said. [/quote]
Where does he think he is? I can’t imagine a DPP supporter trying to disrupt this rally.
This smacks of a set-up to me. I can see the KMT salting their own rallies with their own rabble-rousers and then blaming it on the DPP.
Let’s see what happens.
Soong is talking in Taichung and behind him is a big billboard with a Nike ‘swoosh’ in the middle and to the right is a map of the outline of mainland China without Taiwan. WTF?
Any of you Lien-Soong supporters want to explain that?
[quote=“wolf_reinhold”]I can’t imagine a DPP supporter trying to disrupt this rally.
This smacks of a set-up to me. I can see the KMT salting their own rallies with their own rabble-rousers and then blaming it on the DPP.
Let’s see what happens.[/quote]
Kick ass point, Wolf. While I don’t expect any disruptions, the KMT is certainly not above it.
I met someone who claimed to have been once paid by the KMT to join DPP rallies in the early 90s and throw stones, etc. He said the time he went, five of them got paid to throw stones from different places in the crowd. Of course the stone-throwing led to immediate crowd dispersal, and the KMT-controlled media was able to paint the DPP as evil rioters.
Just the other night a TV show host who insisted that no one in his live audience wave flags got upset when someone marched through the crowd with a DPP flag. The audience reaction was telling: “He’s not one of us! He’s paid by the KMT!” I doubt people in the audience knew for sure, but they do know KMT tactics…
Anyways…
I find it interesting that this is a march. The KMT knows it can’t recreate the effect of 228 hand-holding, and most likely won’t get a fraction of the same numbers. But the KMT desperately needs to save face and get some fodder for TV commercials to counter the DPP images of “That day…” ads. I can already imagine the commercials - panning across marching heads, showing different streets (at different times with the same people but who cares). Just look at how many other ads were “rushed to press” - like that silly Mayor Ma jogging ad where you could see there was no one running alongside the small KMT group.
And like you, Wolf, I too question the legality of all the massive transportation restrictions that is making all this possible.
The irony of this is astounding. The KMT despises the people, but today they need warm bodies. They may even get them. All this so they can ignore the people if they manage to get into power. Admittedly a change from putting cold bodies in shallow graves a la 228, but I’m not altogether sure this is progress…
I’m confused. What’s the point of this 3-13 rally again? Is 3-13 some sort of significant date in Taiwanese history? Or is it just some bog-ordinary political rally they’re trying to create some artificial hoopla for?
I mean, c’mon, they’ve got to wrap this in a bigger and more enticing message than, “Hey, we’re the KMT! Vote for us!” Dude, that’s not going to win any votes. You have to stand for something. Like, for instance, anti-corruption.
No, wait. That won’t work. Hmmm. What exactly does the KMT stand for these days besides being anti-DPP and pro-reunification? I mean…what exactly do they have constructive to offer to the Taiwanese people?
Now this is hilarious. I live in a staunchly KMT neighborhood. Every car is parked. But a bunch of my neighbors are all doffing KMT hats and scurrying to their cars armed with little flags and snacks - at 3:25!
Slurpcheese, what are the demographics of a typical “staunchly KMT” neighborhood? I mean, I live in Tainan, so I know what a staunchly DPP neighborhood looks like - working class, native Taiwanese. I suppose your neighborhood must be filled with ex-soldiers and upper-crust waishengren?
“3” is a pun on “shan” - delete/erase, and “san yi san” sounds like “delete / erase it,” i.e. get rid of it. In other words, lame excuse to get something to fit with the vague KMT campaign strategy of “change the president” (whereas “love Lien Chan” probably wouldn’t be terribly effective).
You nailed it on the head, mod. Ex-soldiers mostly, no upper-crust anything as far as I can see - this is more like the low-life KMT.
In my non-empirical demographic opinion, this is fairly common in Taipei residential neighborhoods that opened in the 70s and 80s (modern housing projects would arguably be more mixed). I’ll bet discounts were given to ex-soldier types, and they tended to cluster together in these little KMT Chinatowns since the unthinkable alternative was to live among the natives. Almost every patriarch here (one in just about every house) has a thick nearly unintelligible accent, and it seems the extended families merely parrot their political opinions. I’m told a similar situation can be found in several areas of Taichung, but not nearly so much further south.
As usual, the local and international news are at odds. The pan-blues are variously claiming 2 to 3 million (of course there’s no way they’d claim less that the DPP on 228). BBC and Reuters are also saying 2 million, though a few local TV stations are saying considerably less. Local news says 500,000 at the DPP rally in Kaohsiung, Reuters is saying 50,000. reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArt … ction=news
For what it’s worth, the BBC took its 2 million figure from pan-blue claims, Reuters is saying 2 million is the estimate from the “organizers.” So why didn’t international news estimates of 228 come from the “organizers”? Estimates were 1 million, though almost all estimates here put the number over 2 million. Interesting… Ah well, the numbers game is never precise, but always good fodder for ads.
Some ridiculous moments at the 313 rally though. Former VP Sun Yun-hsuan actually stood up, much to the watering of KMT eyes. Then there was Lien, Soong, and wives kneeling / lying down and kissing the ground as cameras around clicked furiously. Par for the course for Soong, who shed tears on 228 and lives up to his well-known nickname “song sangui” - the kneeling guy (Abian is “taiwan zhizi” - Taiwan’s son, and Lien Chan is “a dou” - the dumb rich guy). So it’s come down to begging. Reminds me of those groveling Chang Hsiao-yan TV ads where he looked pathetic and begged in the end “I really, really need your vote.” The scary thing is, he got elected…
I went to the rally, walked from Jilong Rd to Xinsheng S. Road before I had to go, but it was pretty fun, a large cross section of society represented, good spirits, etc. Police reports for all of Taiwan calculated about 2.6 million I think. Seemed like at least that many just in the immediate vicinity to me.
Given that the DPP 228 deal was so spread out, using order of magnitude to estimate the total turn out would have been very difficult.
With the KMT thing today it should be easier. If a person could agree on the number of venues (127 or 145), given that everyone was clustered together, making an estimate should come up with a more accurate figure that the 228 deal.
Seeing that many people supporting the former dictatorial KMT makes me uneasy.
And I am still at a loss as to why the billboard on the stage in Taichung had a map outline of the mainland without Taiwan.
I think they ought to have the same law in Taiwan as they do in many (most?) other countries that immigrants born on foreign soil can’t run for President.
Actually, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take it one teensy step further. Immigrants born on foreign soil shouldn’t be allowed to vote in national elections.
That would certainly cut the rug from under a certain party here, yes?
Saw James Soong at the Chiayi airport this evening. Knew something was up on the way to the airport with all the scooter cops posted at stop lights. Get to the airport and there’s 2 police cars with lights flashing and a bunch of cops standing around with big flashlights. I’m sitting in the small terminal, noticing the vases of flowers they placed by the door for him, when he strides in accompanied by his small entourage. There’s maybe two dozen people in the airport, including an old lady in a wheelchair. Soong enters, strides the 20 meters to the other side of the terminal, shaking maybe 5 hands on the way. Some in the airport get giggly and excited and rush about, but half sit there unimpressed. Upon reaching the far wall, Soong spins about, repaces the 20 meters, shaking a few more hands, signing an autograph, bending over and whispering sweet nothings to the cripple, before exiting the building.
