Cecelia FranciscoSenator John Kerry and former President Bill Clinton spoke in Philadelphia’s Love Park as nearly 100,000 on-lookers chanted and cheered in support.
“If this isn’t good for my heart, I don’t know what is,” Clinton said to the diverse crowd before him on Mon. Oct., 25. Clinton’s return to the campaign trail, just seven weeks after a quadruple bi-pass surgery, induced immense fervency throughout the masses that inundated the streets of Center City.
With practically every Democrat in the commonwealth behind him, Kerry’s speech was preceded by several officials including Gov. Ed Rendell, Mayor John Street and U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah. One speaker, Bishop Ernest C. Morris, the head of the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity as well as the founding pastor of over 400 churches that endorse Kerry, offered some words of advice to the attendees. “I cannot tell you who to vote for, but I can tell you that my mamma always told me to stay out of the Bushes,” Morris said.
While discussing the issues of war, education and the economy, Kerry reminisced a backstage conversation between himself and Clinton, proving their camaraderie and likeness. Kerry said, “‘Mr. President, can you tell me anything that you have in common with George W. Bush?’ And he thought for a moment and he said, ‘In eight days and 12 hours, we will both be former presidents.'”
Being a swing state that holds 21 electoral votes, Pennsylvania is an imperative state for the candidates; with over 1 million registered voters in the city and the estimated 1.6 million potential voters in its surrounding counties, many political officials emphasize the significance of Philadelphians.
Thousands of Kerry advocates, such as Charles Scaberotto, armed themselves with signs, t-shirts and stickers to convey their concerns and viewpoints. “I’m here today to make sure that the United States doesn’t get Bushwhacked, and votes for Kerry. If they don’t, this county’s in a world of fire,” Scaberotto said.
Although the majority of the turnout was Kerry supporters, smaller groups of Bush promoters gathered to express their opposing positions. Howard Walton proudly displayed satirical signs, jabbing at Kerry and Clinton, in addition to his slightly more controversial pro-life posters. One of Waltons acquaintances held up a picture of an aborted embryo.
Spectator Art Manos disapproved of Scaberotto and his fellow protestors advertisements. “What if I were to show a picture protesting the war and have a G.I. with his guts all blown out? President Bush and the administration won’t even let us see a coffin coming off an aircraft, let alone a picture of a G.I. I’d have the Feds come and break into my house at night. Under the Patriot Act, they’d probably take me away if I had a picture like that. I don’t mind the signs, but when they show pictures like that, I think it should be against the law,” Manos said.
English and communication major Bobby Maro attented the rally, and was not pleased with the grotesque visuals likewise. “Under the First Amendment, they are allowed to protest, but a picture of a dead fetus is going a little too far,” Maro said.
With projections fluctuating daily, both Kerry and Bush supporters are optimistic for their candidate’s victory.
Phil Richmond, a small business owner and avid Kerry supporter, was thrilled with the attendance at the rally. “These are only the people who could come out on a Monday afternoon; there are lots more who aren’t even on the radar. This looks great; I think it’ll be a landslide,” Richmond said.
Despite the turnout, that has been said to be the largest of any Kerry rally as of yet, Walton is confident that Bush will prevail. “It’s hard to tell, but I kind of think that they are going to come to their senses and vote for Bush. It’s going to be a close popular vote, but Bush is going to win the electoral vote in the key states,” Walton said.
Maro, however, disagrees and believes that although suburban voters are generally considered to be republican, more Kerry supporters inhabit the area. “I think Kerry has a very good chance of winning in Pennsylvania. You’ll see a lot of Bush and Kerry signs on the Mainline, but recently I’ve noticed more signs for Kerry. It’s obvious that people are getting more emphasize the significance of Philadelphians.
Thousands of Kerry advocates, such as Charles Scaberotto, armed themselves with signs, t-shirts and stickers to convey their concerns and viewpoints. “I’m here today to make sure that the United States doesn’t get Bushwhacked, and votes for Kerry. If they don’t, this county’s in a world of fire,” Scaberotto said.
Although the majority of the turnout was Kerry supporters, smaller groups of Bush promoters gathered to express their opposing positions. Howard Walton proudly displayed satirical signs, jabbing at Kerry and Clinton, in addition to his slightly more controversial pro-life posters. One of Waltons acquaintances held up a picture of an aborted embryo.
Spectator Art Manos disapproved of Scaberotto and his fellow protestors advertisements. “What if I were to show a picture protesting the war and have a G.I. with his guts all blown out? President Bush and the administration won’t even let us see a coffin coming off an aircraft, let alone a picture of a G.I. I’d have the Feds come and break into my house at night. Under the Patriot Act, they’d probably take me away if I had a picture like that. I don’t mind the signs, but when they show pictures like that, I think it should be against the law,” Manos said.
English and communication major Bobby Maro attented the rally, and was not pleased with the grotesque visuals likewise. “Under the First Amendment, they are allowed to protest, but a picture of a dead fetus is going a little too far,” Maro said.
With projections fluctuating daily, both Kerry and Bush supporters are optimistic for their candidate’s victory.
Phil Richmond, a small business owner and avid Kerry supporter, was thrilled with the attendance at the rally. “These are only the people who could come out on a Monday afternoon; there are lots more who aren’t even on the radar. This looks great; I think it’ll be a landslide,” Richmond said.
Despite the turnout, that has been said to be the largest of any Kerry rally as of yet, Walton is confident that Bush will prevail. “It’s hard to tell, but I kind of think that they are going to come to their senses and vote for Bush. It’s going to be a close popular vote, but Bush is going to win the electoral vote in the key states,” Walton said.
Maro, however, disagrees and believes that although suburban voters are generally considered to be republican, more Kerry supporters inhabit the area. “I think Kerry has a very good chance of winning in Pennsylvania. You’ll see a lot of Bush and Kerry signs on the Mainline, but recently I’ve noticed more signs for Kerry. It’s obvious that people are getting more opinionated,” Maro said.
Posted to the web by Cecelia Francisco
