I saw a real live anti Bush/Cheney protest in Dayton, Ohio!

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

OK,..so there where no more than 20 or 25 people (from a quick glance out my car window).

Cheney was in town for some reason, and was apparently staying at the Stouffers downtown. I was driving through downtown on my way to Charlies market in North Dayton to stock up on blood sausage and head cheese and beer...and glimpsed a big police presence around this hotel,

Across the street was a small knot of protestors, one guy was carrying a US flag, and I saw a sign some signs like "Drop Bush, not Bombs", and some saying "Lies..." "Haliburton...." (couldnt reaad them). The crowd looked to be pretty old...maybe ex Vietnam vets, maybe a few union guys, old ladys, & such.

Its really kind of shocking to see this here. You really have your finger on the pulse of Right WIng America in the Dayton area, so seeing any kind of dissent is a bit jarring.

[AndyP]

1. That's good to hear

even if it's only 25-30 people, I'm sure thousands took notice when they drove by. Especially if it's older people, who tend to be a little more conservative, people are finally waking up.

[Blue-Jay]

2. Cheney's in town to make an appearance at WPAFB.

An "official" visit that WE paid for. Then he's off to a $1000 per plate RNC fundraiser.

Campaigning on our dime yet again.

I only found out about it from today's newspaper as I was having lunch. Had I known a few days ago, I'd have been there protesting as well. It sucks that the paper didn't announce it earlier, but to their credit (Spfld News-Sun) they ran the tidbit with one of the awfulest pictures of Cheney looking more sneery, angry, and evil than usual. HA!

[eileen from OH]

3. "Cheney was in town for some reason" ??

Either Bush and Cheney are here in Ohio every other week, have been for months, and will probably start shitting buckeyes soon. In the meantime, call the Kerry For Ohio phone number and leave a message that you want to help/donate/whatever and leave a name number. Call twice. Hell, call three times. What you won't get is a return call.

Word is that the Kerry people are planning to rely on the Dem County organizations. BIG MISTAKE.

We've developed a nice size organization of former Dean, Clark, etc., supporters and we are NOT waiting on the local Dems. We'll work with 'em, if they want, and will do anything they ask. But we aren't depending on them, and sure-as-shit the Kerry campaign shouldn't either. We need professional from-the-national-organization people here - and we need 'em now.

I know I've ranted about this before (sue me) but IF the important thing is for Kerry to define himself before Bush/Cheney does, and IF Ohio is as goddam important as everyone feels it is, they need to get an official, professional presence here.

eileen from OH (never loses an opportunity to get on favorite soapbox)

[mtnester]

5. If Al Gore had not written Ohio off

He would have been in office. Period. It was so close in this state. Kerry had better spend a LOT of time here, if he writes Ohio off, it will swing to *Bush. Relying on the local dem offices is a mistake, because most of them are right smack in repuke strongholds, and weak at best.

Gotta be there to win this year in Ohio

(live east side of Columbus, yuppie capitol Pickerington, haven't had a democratic party elected official in decades)

Edit - extreme typo

[mtnester]

6. Sorry - Al Gore - dang the G and H are close on a laptop

[frogbison]

4. I'm more than a little repulsed

by your grocery list - and I'm from Ohio.

"blood sausage and head cheese and beer..."

Except for the beer, eewwww!!!!!

It is true that the Bush administration does not tell folks in advance of their upcoming visits...probably to curttail the number of protesters!

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

9. Rye bread, Dusseldor mustard, herb cheese, and liverwurst, too....

....that more exotic stuff was for my partner.

This is a great place to get hard-to-get Central European stuff.

...and aslo some good port.

[htuttle]

12. Exotic?

Hell, "Rye bread, Dusseldor mustard, herb cheese, and liverwurst" sounds like one of my lunches when I lived in Milwaukee. Ain't a bit exotic!

Of course, that was in Milwaukee. ;-)

Head cheese and blood sausage, though?

Yuch. I say that and I've actually eaten lutefisk...

[theHandpuppet]

20. Yep...

I read that and immediately hoped there wasn't a big date planned for tonight! :D Whew!

[WoodrowFan]

7. Montgomery County?

I always thought Montgomery Country was heavily Democratic (except for Oakwood). I was born and raised there, but the last time I lived their I was a volunteer for Richard Celeste, so it's been awhile./

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

10. Montogomery county seems pretty GOP to me.

...the only places the Democrats win is where there is a large black population, as the blacks remain loyal Democrats.

The white people here seem pretty much hard core culturally conservative GOPers.

[SharonAnn]

18. Used to be Democratic with all the factories and unions but

lately, as many of them cut back or are closed and employment is professional people, it has swung Republican in many areas.

[Blue-Jay]

11. I've been trying to find a county-by-county 2000 election breakdown

on the net, but sadly, my google skills have been overrated.

How's about a little help, DU? I know it's out there, but I forgot to bookmark it.

[mtnester]

14. County By County

http://serform.sos.state.oh.us/sos/results/

[Blue-Jay]

15. Thanks, nestor. You're a gem.

<bookmarked for future reference>

Edit: WoodrowFan, yes, your county and mine (Clark) went Dem in 2000. Now, if we can only get the more rural areas....

[izzie]

8. I recall crossing through anti-war ones in the 60s and 70s

They were at navy bases a lot and also was in down town Charleston when the said their was a race riot in all the papers but I had my kids out sight seeing and no one did a thing to us and we were white so I could not figure just what these Southern papers were talking about.There were a lot of people around but it was down town in a city? Made me look at what papers said a little different.It should have been scary if it was a riot, right?

[rucky]

13. How big was the "free speech zone?"

Lots of jobs lost in the Miami Valley

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

16. Oh..it was pretty much the sidewalk on Jefferson Street

The hotel was across the street.

Im not sure the sidewalk was really the "free speech zone"...they are anyway, right?

[BabsSong]

17. Yo Ohio people on the board tonight---what does it look like there??

Have you seen any polls, etc. Given the unemployment I thought things might be swinging towards Kerry. Bush won with less than 5%. So...would love to know what you are observing, know, etc. Thanks

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

19. Ohio is a politically diverse state..from my part of Ohio...

...we are Bush Country. This is Southwest Ohio..the Cincinnati/Dayton area.

My county, Montgomery County, may well go for the Democrat again as there is large black vote, which pretty much votes en-bloc for the Democrats. There is also some residual retiree/union vote that, when you add it to the black vote, tips this county over to the Democratic column. Its pretty close though, as there is a big right wing GOP religous right/military presence in suburbia around here. This is one of the more right-wing areas Ive lived in...and Ive lived in Kentucky, which is pretty conservativ too.

The rest of the area is pretty solid GOP, except for inner city Cincinnati, and Springfield, which also has a similar blue collar/black "coaltion" that goes for the Dems.

[frogbison]

21. Heard today on NPR

that West Virginia is evenly split in poll with 46% Kerry, 46% Bush, yet 2 out of 3 voters in the state are registered Democrats. We have some work to do.

[Oddman]

22. Is there a list of

appearences by bu$h and Cheney posted anywhere? I think it would be a good idea to have these easily available for reference so people can meet and protest - are they on the calander here?