Still, just to be safe, two security guards were on hand to keep an eye on the rowdiest enthusiasts. Axtell himself helped patrol the crowd, a couple of times rushing to hotspots to quell potential disputes before they got physical. He had to intervene when a backer of Libertarian candidate Joe Silvestri, who wasn't included in the debate, threatened to confront Porter as the congressman arrived on the scene in his shiny, black SUV.
A small but devoted crowd of Libertarians had also assembled by this point, their presence reminding those on hand of the indignity dealt to their candidate via his exclusion from the proceedings. Axtell had earlier cited a list of criteria established by the Nevada Broadcasters Association—and supported by the FCC—that all participating parties had to meet, most notably receiving a five-percent share of the votes in the previous election, but that did little to quell the dissent among Silvestri's supporters. "You can't get there without the exposure." said Kevin Stockton, a Libertarian.
Off to the side, quietly watching as the Porter and Hafen camps flung insults and invective across the divide, Jolie LaChance discussed how the scene perfectly illustrated why she and her fellow Libertarians decided to show up.
"They both look like the same thing to me. It's two sides of the same coin. Big government throwing more money at problems they've created," LaChance said. "There's a lot of name-calling but no actual issues being discussed."
As to whether either camp appeared to be a reflection of its candidate, LaChance said, "Well, Tessa Hafen is supported by Locals [unions]. There are a lot of union people who are staunch Democrats. I'm a member of a Local myself—I won't say which one, because they'll be pissed—but the reason I'm here is that I see no difference between the two. There really are paid demonstrators on both sides. Porter's probably right, some of [Hafen's] people are probably getting time-and-a-half to be here, but even though none of [Porter's] guys are union, they're still getting paid in the end."
With that, she touched on what appeared to be the key talking point among the Porter set. Hafen's union support clearly stuck in their craw, and the chief bullhorn in blue—a twentysomething in sneakers, a blue hoodie and a visor—kept goading the Democrats with labor-related digs. "Hey, isn't it time for you guys to take another union break?" he sneered at one point.
That kind of talk rankled Steve Hester, proudly wearing his Glazers Local 2001 jacket on the Hafen side of the divide. "I think a lot of times, union-bashing comes from ignorance," Hester said. "If they realized that unions fight for minimum wage, benefits and breaks for their jobs too, they might be more empathetic. Most of the politicking, that's part of the deal. Everybody has their issues on both sides. But when they attack unions, that really hits home."
Still, members of all camps said the hostilities were nothing personal, and there should be no hard feelings come November 8. Brenda McKenzie, a Porter supporter, said, "I'd never been to a political rally before, and I didn't know what to expect. But it's been very controlled and a lot of fun. There's been some jawing back and forth, but that's how it should be."
It was hard to imagine some of this would be quickly forgotten, like when a member of the Hafen brigade, standing near a POW-MIA flag, asked if any of Porter's backers were veterans. "I'm serving my country in another way," Blue Hoodie screamed into his bullhorn. "By kicking Democrat ass!"
And yet, there was a serendipitous moment of unity, when the Porter loudspeakers cranked out the saccharine strains of Lee Greenwood's patriotic platitude, "God Bless the U.S.A." As the chorus swelled, each side belted out the refrain, full throats aimed at the heavens, either bonding in a shared love of God and country, or (more likely) trying to prove who was more deserving of a two-year stint suckling Lady Liberty's bosom through the sheer volume of "God bless the U.S.A.!"
Then the big-screen TVs in each camp flickered, the candidates appeared onscreen, and both sides retreated to their corners to watch the Main Event.