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It's Very Difficult to Ambush Bush
Published on Saturday, September 25, 2004 by the Toronto Star
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It's Very Difficult to Ambush Bush
'Bush Bubble' Keeps Fans in Line for Hours, Campaign Events Strictly Limited to Loyal Republicans
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by Tim Harper
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KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa.—Sanitized and somewhat star-struck, clutching cameras and invitation-only tickets, the faithful stood obediently in a line that snaked its way through the parking lot at the Valley Forge Convention Centre.
The object of their ardour was still more than two hours away.But it takes patience to enter the Bush Bubble.Woe betide any of those who pierce the bubble of the George W. Bush campaign, or the equally fortified bubbles of U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney or First Lady Laura Bush.Those who have tried to heckle or loudly protest ruling Republican party members have been dragged from events by their hair or hammerlocked to the ground by zealous supporters. Others face court appearances for their efforts during the runup to the Nov. 2 election.Some run into trouble before they even get to the door in events from battleground state to battleground state, where admission is strictly limited to loyal Republicans and movements are restricted once inside the building or in the cordoned-off areas of outdoor events.One high school student from Minnesota delighted listeners on National Public Radio explaining how he was barred entry to a Bush rally because the Secret Service had identified him as having volunteered for the Democrats.Six men from Lancaster, Pa., were charged with disorderly conduct during a Bush visit to a local elementary school after they stripped to their skivvies and began to re-enact the human pyramid photo from the Abu Ghraib prison scandal for the the president's bus.Perry Patterson, a 54-year-old Oregon woman, faces criminal trespass charges after she said she responded to a "primal need" to challenge Cheney at a rally when the vice-president said his administration had made the world a safer place.A New Jersey mother, Sue Niederer, was arrested after she disrupted a Laura Bush rally in that state with a T-shirt accusing George W. Bush of killing her son, Seth, who died in Iraq last February. (She is also under investigation by the Secret Service for making threats against Bush in an online interview).At a July 4 Bush rally in Charleston, W. Va., Nicole and Jeff Rank were handcuffed and removed from the event and subsequently arrested after wearing anti-Bush T-shirts.Nicole Rank's shirt had the words "Love America, Hate Bush" on the back and Jeff Rank's said "Regime Change Starts at Home."On this morning, Bush's 37th campaign stop in the crucial battleground state, the Secret Service and local police huddle in the passageway joining a hotel and the convention centre, trying to get ground rules set."If someone gets up and shouts `Stop the War' move toward him," an agent says before he spots an interloper and lowers his voice.Reporters are kept in a pen and if they wander to speak to those in attendance, they too, get a visit from the Secret Service and a reminder to return to the pen.On this morning, the bubble remains pristine.The faithful here hold blue tickets for general seating and gold seats for those who get to sit closer to the president. They, and those in attendance later in the day at a Latrobe, Pa., rally, get the Bush stump speech, although it is delivered in two distinctly different venues.The morning event in this Philadelphia suburb is subdued, and is nominally to focus on Bush's education initiative.The crowd of 2,000 is vanilla-white; the only minorities are the young African-American, Asian and Muslim students placed on stage behind Bush. He would later be photographed in many newspapers embracing the young black girls.There is no rock music, no smoke or pyrotechnics, merely a simple announcement: "Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States and Mrs. Laura Bush" as the crowd rises, flashbulbs popping."Thanks to y'all," Laura Bush shouts as the president methodically rolls up his sleeves for the work ahead. He speaks informally, starting his sentences with the folksy "Look ..." or "See ..." promising to talk about health care "right quick."Sometimes he meanders into patter. During a pep talk on the economy he pays homage to farmers. "Farmers are good at growing," he tells backers.Most of the pitch is a mix of jingoism, steadfastness against the evil-doers and some of the easy, self-deprecating humour Bush has mastered in such a partisan session — a manner most pollsters say make him appear more approachable than his Democratic challenger, John Kerry.Surrounded by educators on the stage, Bush hits his stride when he talks to Lou Ramos, who told his story about arriving from Puerto Rico without speaking any English."English was not my first language," Ramos said."Some people say it's not my first language, either," Bush says, and the audience loves it.Ramos wraps up and Bush says: "What a great story. Let me tell you something about our country. Think about that, there's old Lou sitting next to the president of the United States, you know, talking about his dreams and aspirations.""Only in America," Ramos says."It is only in America," Bush agrees.Later at Latrobe, he is introduced by golf legend Arnold Palmer, the community's favourite son. Its other claim to fame is being the home to Rolling Rock, a popular regional beer."How good does it get, to be introduced by Arnold Palmer? What a fantastic citizen of our country. I'm proud to be here in his hometown," Bush says."He said, `Have you ever heard of Rolling Rock?'"I said, `I quit drinking,'" and the crowd loves it.They also lap up the conservative mantra Bush sprinkles into every rally."We will support the institutions that give our lives direction and purpose: our families, our schools, our religious congregations. We stand for a culture of life in which every person matters and every being counts," he says in Latrobe."We stand for marriage and family, which are the foundations of our society. We stand for the Second Amendment, which gives every American the individual right to bear arms. And I stand for the appointment of federal judges who know the difference between personal opinion and the strict interpretation of the law."The Bush routine works.The latest polling in Pennsylvania shows the two candidates in a virtual dead heat, but that is a major comeback for Bush.The Keystone Poll of registered voters has him holding a slim two-point lead over Kerry, erasing a six-point Kerry lead that appeared after the July Democratic convention.Bush leads Kerry among military veterans, born-again Christians, conservatives, whites, men and those who make more than $50,000 per year, while Kerry has a solid advantage among Catholics, liberals, moderates, union households, African-Americans, young voters and those who earn below $30,000, the poll found.Inside the bubble at King of Prussia, all is well, even if there is unease about the war."I support the vision of peace on Earth," says Doris Langerman of Blue Bell, Pa."It's just unfortunate the way we get there is through war."But if Bush does not remain resolute, she says, the U.S. could end up like Israel, living with daily terrorism fears.Anita Visali of Paoli, Pa., shares that view. "I don't think we are safe here," she says. "There are thugs over there, holding people hostage, chopping off their heads. We can't give in to this."
© Toronto Star 2004
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