Alyssa Cwanger, Post-Gazette Marky Billson, of Hazelwood, imitates Dean's rant after his third place finish last year in the Iowa caucuses. Click photo for larger image.

The Young Republicans of Allegheny County notified the media a day in advance. They were staging a lighthearted protest to egg on Howard Dean outside the Democratic Party fund-raiser at the Church Brew Works in Lawrenceville last night.

Once the TV cameras were rolling, however, the Republicans' competitive "Scream Off" -- to spoof Dean's infamous yowl after last year's Iowa caucuses -- got upstaged by a group of not-so-funny anarchists, who ripped up their placards and tried to outscream the GOP screamers.

The competing media stunts deflected at least some attention from the main event, a speech by the new Democratic National Committee chairman.

The Young Republicans modeled the mock competition after a contest thrown by South Carolina Republicans on June 29. Screamers would be judged on "creativity" and "lack of poise and decorum" for their renditions of Dean's rallying cry after he placed third in the 2004 party caucuses in Iowa.

Just after the first contestant, Griffin Emerson of Fox Chapel, finished bellowing, "We're going to South Carolina and Arizona and North Dakota and New Mexico! We're going to California and Texas and New York, and we're going to Washington, D.C., to take back the White House, yeaaaaaah!" about six or seven anarchists arrived, shouting profanities and calling the Republicans "racist" and "homophobic."

The official "Scream Off" came to an abrupt halt, replaced by a genuine screaming contest.

	Alyssa Cwanger, Post-Gazette Neal Andrus, left, a member of the Young Conservatives of Pennsylvania and a South Sider, engages in a high-volume exchange of political discourse with Alex Bradley, of Bloomfield. Click photo for larger image.

Members of a local group called Anti-Racist Action unfurled a blue tarp spray-painted with the words "We Bash Back" and argued with the roughly 16 GOP activists, taking pains to say they weren't Dean supporters.

"We would like to talk about serious issues, like war, racism, poverty, reproductive rights," Jules Bonnot, 21, of Bloomfield, told a reporter.

A Duquesne University student named Dan, holding a poster that said "I [love] the GOP," stepped up to resume the contest. "Howard Dean is gay," he said, and was immediately surrounded and lectured by the anarchists.

The next contestant, Dave Swanke, 20, a senior political science major and member of the College Republicans at the University of Pittsburgh, decided to forgo the Dean speech and just belt out a fairly authentic sounding "Auh-hahaaaaaa!"

Swanke, of Shaler, said he cut his performance short to avoid a confrontation. He said that in the spirit of free speech, he respected the counter-protesters for what they were doing.

"Four years at Pitt make you realize it's not worth getting into fights and yelling at people."

"I'm not trying to have a debate," said counter-protester Alex Bradley, of Bloomfield, who said he came to protest the Republicans after reading an article about their plans. "They're interested in having a media stunt. I'm just interested in disrupting their media stunt."

Just when the political ribbing seemed to be dying down, one of the anarchists grabbed a couple of pro-Bush signs, trampling on them and ripping them up.

Police Officer John Suzensky had kept his distance, remaining on the other side of 36th Street from the showdown, but at this point came over and told the anarchists to ease up. The protesters moved to different sides of Liberty Avenue. No one was arrested.

Holding a crumpled "Republicans Rock" sign, Monica Douglas, executive director of the Republican Committee of Allegheny County, announced that committee member Marky Billson had won the screaming contest.

Across the street, the anarchists seemed just as certain that they had won.