The fond and the furious greet Bush in Ohio

[Sporadicus]

BY G. ROBERT HILLMAN

The Dallas Morning News


CANTON, Ohio - (KRT) - They were a world apart Saturday - those outside this city's civic center and those inside.

Outside, as President Bush's campaign bus rolled into town, hundreds of people lined the streets to protest his visit.

Some gestured their disapproval with a thumbs-down, or worse. Others carried placards supporting the Democrats, John Kerry and John Edwards, or protesting the war with Iraq.

"Bush lied. 900 died," one sign said.

"Where are the jobs, George?" asked another.

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/special_packages/election2004/9291882.htm

[Sporadicus]

1. The Part of the Article That I Posted

didn't include the fact that * was meeting 5,000 supporters. I didn't post that in the main article due to a three-paragraph limit. I don't think 5,000 supporters can compensate for being greeted by hundreds of protestors, and his fatalism can be summed up in this quote from the article:

'The economy "lags in places like eastern Ohio.
I know that. I'm aware of that," Bush said at Saturday's rally at the civic center.

[Frances]

4. The supporters were invited supporters

according to CBS news tonight that showed them in a large building.

They showed Kerry at an outdoors rally where I assume anyone could come

A reporter asked a rural voter why rural voters were supporting the Dems this time instead of the Repubs as they did last time. The man said, "I guess we're smarter now than we were 4 years ago."

[Sporadicus]

6. Music to My Ears n/t

[DianeG5385]

18. Oh My God! That is so perfect!

My 83 year old bedrock republican dad ( who is THE BEST guy) who LOVES to argue politics with his liberal daughter (in fact I think it seriously keeps him going) called me after Kerry's speech, he lives in Boca Raton Fla, I live in Rohnert Park Ca and said so what do you think of the speech? I said it was fantastic whattaya think dad? He said it was great, but I can't vote for him....yet...but I also won't vote for Bush!!!! VICTORY!!!! One less vote for Bush! I still have three months to see if I can get him to vote for Kerry...Half a loaf is better than none!

[Crachet2004]

2. I love it. There is no state that more incorporates the concept of 'middle

America', than Ohio. For the Buckeyes to be in the streets in such numbers, Bush must really be in trouble in that state.

Go Buckeyes!

[Jackpine Radical]

3. Maybe the real news is not just that there were protestors, but

that the press mentioned their existence.

[mhollis]

5. Yes, and we didn't cover it!

Attention shoppers, media bias alert!

Our coverage was all about trying to do something that magazine shows try to do. We had two reporters, one following "Shrub," the other following Kerry-Edwards.

Our "Shrub" reporter gave you strategy and information about what counties he carried in the last election (assuming there wasn't the kind of election thevery there as in Florida) with pertinent soundbites from the spinmeister himself. He was quoted as saying that "the economy is great", while many of his listeners were looking for jobs, stating that "the best way to add more jobs was to be extra kind to business" in hopes that these corporations that are now outsourcing operations wholesale might add some jobs stateside.

Our Kerry-Edwards reporter went on and on about how many suitcases were in the Kerry camp, then attended a strategy meeting where we see one campsign strategist read a newspaper. No quotes or soundbites from Kerry or Edwards. Thus, the audience learns nothing new about either their strategy or their plans were they to win the election.

For a four-minute piece, it was total chaos, as niether reporter had coordinated witht he other what was being covered. There was no attempt at fairness -- other than the attempt to give each reporter's story equal time (which should not be confused with equal time for each candidate.

The other networks did the standard one report for each candidate, lead-in, narration, candidate soundbite narration and reporter stand-up at the end to complete the thing. I'll say this about our Kerry-Edwards reporter, she sure doesn't pay any attention to the message the candidates want spread. I guess it's all about the luggage...

[kentuck]

7. What city do you work out of mhollis?

If I may ask?

[mhollis]

9. NYC

I work for one of the "Big Three" networks.

[chimpymustgo]

10. I wanted to send you a pm, but can't.

System wouldn't allow it, maybe because you're a (very) newbie). Can you pm me?

And welcome to DU!!

[mhollis]

13. I cannot PM anyone.

The response I get from the DU is:

The page you requested cannot be displayed.

You don't have enough posts to send private messages.

[samplegirl]

8. "ohio resident all my life

I was born and raised in Ohio......and still here (who knows why)
I can remember the days when my father could go from one factory to
the next and get hired in day.
Not to many factories left here......Delphi Packard Electric
and General Motors being the biggest with the most employees
All others are just small manufacturing plants. What was once
the biggest known steel town.....is now just
tumbled down buildings with alot of broken glass. Year by year
one by one they closed.
For the life of me i cant understand anyone in this valley would vote
for Shrub. The only thing holding this valley up is Packard Electric
and General Motors....if these two were to close..........we couldnt
even sell our homes....ghost town we would be.
It took me years to be able to move into an upper class neighborhood
which i call yuppiehood.........and i remind them all...4 more years
of Bush and the rest of the Delphi jobs will be in Mexico. They will
go from Yuppieville to poorsville real quick.
I think i've got most of them
thinking here in yuppieville

[Kolesar]

11. I grew up in Niles

Welcome to the Underground! Join us in the DU Ohio forum

[samplegirl]

16. Hey Spike

I grew up in Warren...........now living in Cortland

[Merlin]

23. Good work. Where are you? Youngstown area?

I grew up in Cleveland. Broader based economy, but still leaking jobs like a sieve.

[cmd]

12. Here's a first hand account from Canton from my e-mail

Here is Steve's account of the Canton protest:
My wife and I spent 4 hours in the on-again off-again rain this morning, holding protest signs in front of drive-by traffic, across from the Canton Civic Center.
 
When Market Street traffic was blocked to protect the pretender of the United States, We went a few blocks south to where cross traffic could read our signs.
 
Judy's said "George W. Bush You're Fired!" front and "Mr. President Why did you lie to us?" reverse. Mine was a little more confrontatory (as list readers might expect), front said "Liar Coward Bully Thief" and "George Bush doesn't understand unemployment, on Novernber 2, 2004 let's help him figure it out." reverse.
 
We got about 2/3 raised thumbs and 1/3 raised fingers in response! One lady gasped in surprise as she drove by, I don't know what protected part of the universe she lives in but it was obvious that she never thought to connect those 4 words with her president.
 
As the end of george's visit approached, early departers waved pro bush posters in our face. I asked the well scrubbed young parents if their children were draft age yet, telling one lady that her 4 sons looked like good material for soldiers. "Yes, Christian soldiers!", she replied.
 
More and more white upper class families, grandparents, parent and kids flowed past. We heard calls of "baby killers", and was told that my sign described Clinton! A few well dressed guys let loose with "idiot" and "asshole", but that was to be expected given Cheney's example!
 
Finally, the bus convoy drove past, dozens of state patrol, and secret service cars, 4 busses and a truck, and my favorite, the swat team van! Judy and I held our signs up towards the convoy, 20 feet from the president, telling him what more and more Americans think about him: "Liar Coward Bully Thief"
 
The crowd swelled as the pent up audience was released, bush supporters walking in a steady stream, all reading my sign while I looked them in the eyes, then Kerry supporters, the union members laid off and angry, groups of younger less well off kids mixed in with the staid bush crowd. Finally a middle aged bush woman pushed or punched a young Kerry woman, and the shrieking and calls of "she hit me, arrest her!" brought the attention of no less than 6 squad cars! The police did what they were trained to do, and did it well. They sent the two complaintants into separate cars, where they sat and cooled their heels for about 10 minutes, then I overheard the police tell the aggrieved womand that if the other woman apologized and she accepted it, then everyone could go about their business. The older lady came over, apologized, and they each went their separate ways with stories to tell at dinner!
 
After that it was even rainier, traffic thinned out, and we went to get lunch at the City Diner. We walked in and sat down next to one of the families that we had confronted on the street! They gave us fish eyes for a while, finished their malts and left without eating!
Another protester came in and said a group of them had staked out the place where george was supposed to stop for lunch, Lindsay's on Dueber and W Tusc. They reported that the convoy saw the signs already in the restaurant parking lot and just kept on going onto I77 on their way to Cambridge! "We ran him out of town!" the guy said.
 
After lunch we drove home exhausted, who would think that just standing in one place could be so tiring! All in all, a good time.
 
bush is playing the religion card this year. These people cannot be reasoned with. Someone more clever than I will need to devise a strategy to shake up those smug, self-assured, self-righteous Christian Soldiers, and help the scales to fall from their eyes.
 

[mhollis]

15. "Christianity"

"The trouble with Christianity is it's never been tried yet"
-Will Rogers

My reply would be that they make great hostages for Ansar al-Islam and that the various Islamic "brigades" would enjoy teking their heads off as well. They also die just as easy as any other cannon fodder.

I keep thinking of the woman who lost her son in Farenheit 9/11 and her reaction to her loss. Christianity really does nothing for parents who have to bury their dead children.

You did the right thing. I only wish there had been a group of protesters at his unscheduled stop today.

[goclark]

17. Maybe at rallies some Christians should have signs that say..

"Christians for Kerry
we are now Born Again!"

I'm a real Christian
and
Hope Is On The Way!


Proud to Be A Christian for John Kerry

Bless You Kerry/Edwards

These so called Born Again, self righteous folks do not have a monopoly on Jesus. I have as much right to proclaim my faith in the Lord, just like they do.

[cmd]

20. Absolutely correct!

We had a Bush* supporter pull his SUV up into a parking space in front of our group. He was right, it was a public space. He also was inconsiderate, because his big gas guzzler was blocking out protest. He then go out of his gas hog and began berating Kerry and quoting the Bible. We ignored him as he blended in and looked like one of the protestors. It just made our numbers look larger.

[The_Casual_Observer]

22. I guess he was doing what he thought Jesus would do.

[quaoar]

14. From the Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30872-2004Jul31.html

Bush has been appearing in front of almost uniformly supportive crowds, with his campaign or the White House carefully dispensing tickets as a tool for weeding out dissent. But there was no disguising or diverting the pain in Dover, once a flour- and steel-milling center, where Bush's eight-bus caravan passed by rain-soaked residents waving signs such as "We Need Jobs" and "Thanks for Stealing My Daddy's Pension."

Ohio, perhaps the most crucial target for both campaigns, has begun regaining jobs but still has about 200,000 fewer than when Bush won the state by 4 points in 2000. The industrial states' importance was underscored Saturday afternoon when the bus motorcades of Bush and Kerry came within 40 miles of passing each other on Interstate 70 in western Pennsylvania. Bush took a detour to drive through Wheeling, W.Va., where Kerry was scheduled to appear 90 minutes later.

In Dover, Bush's bus, emblazoned "The Heart and Soul of America," was greeted by a barefoot, red-headed girl carrying a poster that said, "My grandpa lost his job! -- your Turn!" Her older sister, wearing flip-flops, brandished one that said, "My grandpa lost his job -- you should too!"

The president's speeches typically portray a robust, recovering economy. But on Saturday, as Bush finished a two-day, four-state bus tour, he personally confronted the human fallout from the heavy job losses of the past four years, which have hurt his popularity in many of the manufacturing towns that are part of his natural base of support.

[The_Casual_Observer]

19. "has begun regaining jobs"

I know, someone apparently built a giant sporting goods store there that has dramatically increased employment figures. bush said so.

[cmd]

21. This is my town, and I was part of that rally

I'm amazed that we made the Washington Post. That made standing in the rain for three hours worth it.