Okay, so let's talk about this.

[Stinky The Clown]

The easiest answer is it was what it was on the surface. Protesters got into a Drumpf rally venue where they disrupted enough to get the event cancelled.

But think about it. There are factions in this primary campaign season that could possible see a benefit in having things go as they did.

There's the candidate himself. Drumpf could now use this as evidence that, in fact, he is the victim. "Bad dudes" abound. (In fact, I predict this meme will be all the talk of the town by tomorrow noon, after Drumpf does his morning call-ins to all the yakkity yak shows.) He could also use this as a way to calm his crazy assed supporters. Don't worry, they'll do anything he asks of them.

Then there are the Democrats. It is alleged that Sanders supporters did this. It is alleged that Hillary supporters impersonated Bernie supporters and did this. It is alleged that Mayor Rahm was the engineer of it.

Maybe it was the RNC/GOPee Establishment looking to discredit Drumpf. For sure it was heavy handed and ham fisted enough to have been them.

It has been written that the Cruz campaign was at the root of it all. Well . . . . he does, after all, have a history.

This is like a game of Clue.

I think it was Colonel Mustard in the Parlor with the candlestick, myself.

Or, more accurately, it was probably the first guess: it was simply what it seemed to be.

But its fun to make shit up when there are so many possible plots afoot.

[JFKDem62]

1. This has Trump or GOP fingerprints all over it.

No offense to Hillary or Bernie, but they don't have the guts or imagination to pull this off.
(I mean this as a compliment.)

[sandyshoes17]

7. Agree it seems like their mo

Could be what they came up with at that meeting the other day
[link:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/aei-world-forum-donald-trump_us_56ddbd38e4b0ffe6f8ea125d|

[JFKDem62]

8. Yep, GOP meetings all week, some with Rove attending.

And some of the talk about Trump and options most likely were not nice.

[malthaussen]

2. Trump calm his supporters? I think not.

He's loving this, he wants more, not less. I agree, he probably could calm them if he wanted to. Why should he want to?

Other than that, Occam's Razor would seem to apply. It was a university campus. Shame it wasn't Red University (U of Chicago). Then we'd have a classic set-to of commies and fascists. But it's 2016, so instead we have morans vs youth.

-- Mal

[Dont call me Shirley]

3. Bush and establishment gop want trump gone.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

4. "This is like a game of Clue. " Good one.

[world wide wally]

5. I tend to think that the people who were there were behind it

I was in Chicago in 1968, and I think they just said "fuck you too"

[Stinky The Clown]

6. That was kinda my conclusion, too.

To wit - the second to last line of the OP:

"Or, more accurately, it was probably the first guess: it was simply what it seemed to be."

[jaysunb]

9. You forgot Karl Rove :) n/t

[starroute]

10. There was definitely a student-led protest planned for outside the venue

It also had support from local Hispanic leaders. But the question is who were the people who got tickets and went inside to protest. Were they a faction of the original protest? Outside agitators?

And what became of them after the rally was shut down? Did they blend back in with the demonstrators outside?

For that matter, what became of the Trump people? Did the cops guide them all out the back door and away from the protesters? I was surprised not to see any violent confrontations outside.

And there were reports of people smashing cars in a parking garage who were dispelled by cops. Who were they? Protesters? Black bloc type hangers on? Or a false front operation to discredit the protest?

All clear as mud.