Just returned from the Kerry rally in Steubenville, Ohio

[doc03]

Here is a short report for now. The gates didn't open until around 5PM, not at 4PM as announced, don't know why. Had a great crowd, it started raining around 5PM but most people stuck it out. Hey, it was worth it for the wet T-shirts alone. There was a group of pro-lifers from the University of Steubenville (Catholic Fundamentalist Cult).
Had some fun trying to get them to sign up for Iraq, they weren't interested, would rather stay in school and protect the home front like Bush and Cheney. At around 6PM the Sheriff announced that Kerry had entered Jefferson county and would you believe the sun came out briefly and the rain quit. If I were a Bush supporter I would say that was a message from God. Some local politicians spoke, after that John Glenn and one of the best congressman in the US (Against NAFTA and the IWR) Ted Strickland introduced Kerry. The part that got the most applause was when Kerry started talking about the war in Iraq, I was really surprised how much anti-war sentiment there is. Had a good time even with the rain. Dennis Kucinich was there but he didn't speak???

[cmd]

1. Thanks for the report, doc03

I'll be watching the WTOV news tonight. Geez, couldn't you get just one to go to Iraq? They need pro-life people over there more than we need them here.

[Ohio Dem]

8. I watched it on WTOV, and I'm still pissed.

Eric Minor gave a recap, including the part where Kerry said he wished the negative campaigning wasn't happening, and then he immediately attacked Bush over jobs. Of course, Kerry was talking about attacking the person himself, not his policies, but such nuances are lost on RW idiots like Minor. Minor said he expected Kerry to come back, as they believe Ohio is important, and so does Bush. Then he said that the polls had Bush winning by 11 points, but they would come back anyway. Fucking liar! No poll about Ohio says that. Most reckon Ohio to be evenly split. I imaging Minor was talking about that anomalous Time poll, but that was national, not about Ohio.

On edit: Oh yeah, then WTOV let the Jefferson County Bush/Cheney chair have the final say in the form of a rebuttal. Total whores at WTOV!

[EastOhioDem]

10. WTOV

Eric Minor said all that? Grrrr. I'm gonna try to catch the 11 o'clock news. I wouldn't be surprised if they don't say much about it. They seem to care more about Wheeling than they do Steubenville and the surrounding communities anyway. Eric Minor, what a punk.

[newyawker99]

30. Hi EastOhioDem!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[cmd]

11. I feel a letter coming on

Here is their e-mail addy
[e-mail]

[cmd]

14. Written, sent and feeling good

Thank you, OhioDem. And thank you, DU, for the media blaster.

[Ohio Dem]

18. I'm calling them Tuesday.

Not only to complain, but to inquire as to when the replays will be. They replayed Bush's speach in Wheeling.

[ArnoldLayne]

27. kick

:kick:

[Ohio Dem]

19. BTW, they repeated the Minor segment on the 11 o'clock news. nt

[ArnoldLayne]

26. Yea did you hear the Jeff. Co. Bush/Cheney Big Liar

he said John Kerry is not with mainstream Americans because he said Kerry supports Gay Marriage what a mother fuckin lying cocksucker that dickhead is. :grr: :mad: :mad:

[annabanana]

2. Thanks for the report............

Any estimate of the size of the crowd?

[mongo]

3. Thanks for the account

Kucinich was at the Springfield rally too - but he didn't speak.

[AlinPA]

4. It got decent coverage on KDKA TV news (Ralph Ianotti). More than

Bush on that segment of the news.

[ezee]

5. CBS news

did a short report on the event. Saw it on KIRO TV Seattle. Dennis K did a very short interview, saying that Kerry was right on time when the reporter stated he (Kerry) had not been fighting back.

[EastOhioDem]

6. Steubenville

Hi Doc03, I was there too! Thank God it quit raining before Kerry got there. But even though I was soaked..it was well worth it. :) This is the first time I've ever been to a rally. I was happy to see such a nice crowd. I was in the blue ticket section, so we were pretty close to the stage. But, I sure would have loved to have had a red ticket. I wondered why Dennis Kucinich didn't speak too. I loved the story about the train, when Kerry said someone had a sign that said, if you give us 8 minutes, we'll give you 8 years. Then he told us about going through a rural area and there was one man standing by the tracks with a flag and he saluted as they went by. The whole audience went..awwwwwww. It was sweet.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[0rganism]

9. A third of the country will vote on touch-screen bullshit boxes

That is no reason to stop campaigning in states like Ohio, Florida, and Pennsylvania. John Kerry absolutely MUST win one of those states to have a realistic chance of winning the electoral college vote.

[Toucano]

15. Blackwell Halts Deployment Of Diebold Voting Machines For 2004

Maybe you missed this.

http://www.verifiedvoting.org/article.asp?id=2588

Regarding the rally, I was very disappointed that they let so many protesters in with their signs! I don't think they should be kept miles away like Bush does, but I don't see why they have to be let IN to the event.



Otherwise it was great, and thanks for your summary. The people, especially the union folks, did a great job with this event.

[Carla in Ca]

28. But the owner of Diebold is a friend of *ush

and he has already promised him he would make sure he wins it. Gee, what is he going to do now, poor man. (hehehehehe)

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

16. Ohio isnt Dieboloded...we are not using touchscreen in Ohio...

folks following the issue know that these machines are not being used statewide...

[JI7]

12. Kucinich is working behind the scenes and providing advice to Kerry

[candy331]

13. Thank you Kucinich.

[doc03]

17. Update on crowd, they said 4500 tickets were given out. I don't think

the protesters were a problem, maybe some of their minds were changed.
The kid we were heckling about signing up for the Army looked like he was ready to cry. Everytime the pro-lifers got loud they were shouted down with Kerry Kerry Kerry! Kerry welcomed the protesters unlike Bush who doesn't like free speech. I set my VCR for channel 9 WTOV to record from 400-630pm so I didn't get any of Kerry's speech. I did hear Eric Minor's interview with the Repug guy from Jefferson county, he said Kerry is against marriage, that's a new one! I hope I can see the event on C-Span.

[doc03]

20. Additional info on Repug spokesman that Eric Minor interviewed.

He is on the Steubenville city council, I don't know if he was one of them or not, but the Univ. of Steubenville was running candidates for the city council last fall and they were making a big issue about some of the candidates for council being pro-abortion. The Univ
is trying to get control of the city government to push their conservative agenda.

On edit: I heard a good line today from one of the speakers, "Crazy as hell Zig Zag Zell!"

[Ksec]

22. How about the winger

who didnt allow Kerry to shoot skeet at his business. This morans need to read a newspaper once in a while

[EastOhioDem]

29. zig zag zell

That was Fred that said that,wasn't it? hehe. I liked it also when he was talking about the purple heart bandaids, and he said to the protesters..even you have to agree, thats wrong (sorry can't remember his exact words). Yeah, that was the Steuby-U crowd. You can spot them a mile away.
I missed the news last night, so if anyone finds out that it's going to be on c-span, please post it here.

[Ksec]

21. I couldnt make it

but we did have a rally in E Liverpool waiting for the bus which never showed up. Just watched the TV and WTOV highlighted the wingers. Im so pissed. Im writing some letters tonight. BTW IM in Wellsville for all you e Ohio folks.

[Ohio Dem]

24. Wellsville, huh? Woodsfield here.

I'm sure you've heard of it, but don't really know where it is. LOL

Not many people over in this area, but we're 70% or so Democratic.

[Sugarbleus]

23. Thanks for this report!! Woohoo I get so excited when you

guys do this. Revs me up and renews my hopes. I wish I could be at every rally along the way... what an experience!

Thanks to those that did attend... you were there for those of us who are far away. Shout out our support for Kerry too. :D :hi:

I think it's totally cool that Kerry allows protesters to come near; like someone said, perhaps some will hear and learn something positive and have a change of heart.

Unless a P'tester was being obnoxious, I might turn to 'em and smile as if to imply isn't this wonderful....only in america can we have these differing opinions and not get shot.

GO JOHN/JOHN!! :bounce:

[ArnoldLayne]

25. I was there too and everyone

had a good time with Ohio US Cong. Ted Strickland's speech and finally Sen.John Kerry really had the crowd fired up. He really laid out a great message for his future for America and the crowd responded really well to it. John Glenn was also good but a little more laid back but the crowd really liked him also,after all he is a legend in Ohio and of course one of if not the states biggest hero of all time.:dem: :kick: