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Battle Lines Drawn in Vienna as Demonstrators Protest Bush Visit
By Dan O'BrienVIENNA, Ohio -- The battle lines in the upcoming presidential election were drawn here today along a rural stretch of road just outside the gates of the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport.Crowds started assembling along the east side of state Route 193 at about 10 a.m. to voice their support for Democratic nominee Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts and protest the arrival of President George W. Bush, who addressed 10,000 supporters at a campaign rally inside the airport this afternoon.About 2,500 protesters, many representing various labor organizations, held signs and placards assailing Bush and Youngstown Mayor George M. McKelvey, a registered Democrat who bolted ranks with his party and is openly campaigning for the re-election of the Republican president.As vehicles drove into the airport parking lot, visitors were met with crowds chanting "Ker-ry! Ker-ry!" and taunts of "Hey, hey, ho, ho. George Bush has got to go!" and "No more Bush-shit!" referring to the group's frustration with issues such as the war in Iraq and the president's handling of the economy.Vehicle passengers and Bush supporters retaliated with shouts of "Get a life!" or "Get a job!"Some cars honked their horns in appreciation as they passed, giving the "thumbs-up" signal to the many activists lining the roadway. A number of these cars turned into the airport, indicating there were at least some Kerry supporters in the audience as the president spoke."I'm supporting Kerry, and I'm here for myself," said Shawndea Bell of Youngstown."I won't be silent until Kerry gets in."Signs promoting Kerry and running mate Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina were plentiful, while others carried more direct messages regarding the president and his supporters. One sign placed Bush's photo next to McKelvey's with the caption, "Dumb and Dumber" written beneath it.Irate at the Youngstown mayor's support for Bush, the group unfurled a 10 foot inflatable rat with the name George McKelvey taped across its belly.Despite the potential for a scuffle, there were no unruly incidents, reported trooper Jim Quinlin of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. "Everybody was very well-behaved," he said.The crowd was mostly composed of representatives of organized labor, including the Service Employees International Union, or SEIU, the United Auto Workers and various building trades. The age of the crowd was also mixed -- young men and women stood aside retirees from not only the Mahoning Valley, but the rest of the country."We're here to set an example for the people of Trumbull County," said Jim Graham, president of UAW Local 1112, which represents more than 3,200 autoworkers at the General Motors Lordstown Complex.Graham estimated about 2,500 people showed up to demonstrate their support for Kerry along 193 and nearby Ridge Road, which runs along the west side of the airport. "We love it. I wish this could go on for another month," he smiled.Others who wanted to attend the protest rally couldn't because their cars were turned back by security and police earlier in the morning, noted Bill Padisak, an officer for the local SEIU. "There were a lot of people who wanted to be here," he added.Kevin Ciambrone of Niles and Kenny Zucco of Warren came armed with their acoustic guitars and launched into an impromptu performance of the Rolling Stones' song "You Can't Always Get What You Want." Ciambrone, a registered Republican, said he was upset with Bush's justification for going to war with Iraq."I switched to Republican to vote for John McCain in the 2000 primary. I'm voting for Kerry because I feel Bush is bad for the country," he said.The large turnout also included strong representation from Democratic Party organizers across the country who have focused their "get out the vote" efforts on Ohio. Kerry supporters from as far away as California were on hand to lend their voice to the demonstration. Glenda Corcoran, who works in Sacramento for a state assemblyman, took two weeks of vacation to work on the Kerry campaign in Ohio."We asked the campaign how we could help and they said we needed help in Ohio," she added.This is the second campaign visit to Ohio for Isabel Byron of New York City, a retired English teacher who worked on voter registration in Cleveland last July."Bush is, at best, misguided," she said. Byron added that New York City still hasn't recovered from the attacks of 9/11. More importantly, she said nations that stood with the United States in the aftermath of the tragedy have since rescinded their support because of Bush's policies. "This man has squandered this goodwill. He's turned our nation into a pariah," she said. Marcus Roberts of Edinburgh, Scotland, who was in the crowd only as a curious observer as he visited friends in Warren, added this election is the most important news event throughout Great Britain and all of Europe. "The BBC (British Broadcasting Co.) is covering this election extensively. Across the world, the attention is unprecedented," he observed.At one point, chants from the crowd died out, but were re-instigated by a New York organizer who yelled, "I didn't come all the way from New York for this! Let them hear you!"Other demonstrators included Scott Curry of Boston, international organizer for the International Association of Heat & Frost Insulators and Asbestos Workers. "Kerry has been nothing but good for Boston. He's been my senator for 20 years," he said. "Bush has been unfair to labor," especially here in Ohio, where many are unemployed, he opined.Come Wednesday, Curry added he expects there will be a five million person strong victory parade in the streets of Boston for two reasons. The first is to celebrate the Boston Red Sox's imminent win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. The other is to congratulate Kerry as the next president of the United States."