Kerry in Ohio ~
Monday, November 01, 2004
Jonathan Riskind and Alan Johnson
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
DAYTON — Buoyed by a pastor’s depiction of him as a biblical David battling Goliath, Democrat John Kerry yesterday alluded to the Scriptures in offering his own denunciation of President Bush.
Without using Bush’s name during a church service on the final Sunday before Tuesday’s too-close-to-call election, Kerry charged that social-program cuts and lost jobs mean Bush’s presidency hasn’t adhered to biblical values.
"Matthew 25 reminds us how there is a standard by which we have to live," said the Massachusetts senator, attending services at the predominantly black church to help rev up a critical portion of the Democratic base. "Coming to church on Sundays and talking about faith and professing faith isn’t the whole deal. That doesn’t do it."
To applause from about 500 in attendance at the Shiloh Baptist Church, Kerry went on to say that it is "written in James, ‘What does it mean, my brother, to say you have faith if there are no deeds? Faith without works is dead.’ "
With Sunday’s Dispatch Poll showing an essentially dead-even race — Kerry led by eight votes out of 2,880 ballots returned in the mail survey — all four candidates on the Democratic and Republican presidential tickets came through Ohio yesterday.
In Columbus, Kerry’s running mate, Sen. John Edwards, teamed with Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman and former U.S. Sen. John Glenn for a quick afternoon rally and door-to-door campaigning in northern Columbus.
Coleman predicted Democrats, particularly black voters, will turn out Tuesday in record numbers — despite forecasts of rainy weather.
"A hurricane couldn’t stop us from coming out. An earthquake couldn’t stop us. We’re angry, and there’s nothing that’s going to stop us from coming out for John Kerry," Coleman said.
With Ohio’s 20 electoral votes considered key to both sides, the Democrats will be back in the Buckeye State today — Edwards in Cincinnati and Kerry wrapping up his campaign with a Cleveland rally with rock star Bruce Springsteen, followed by a late-night Toledo airport rally.
Kerry has been criticized at times for his supposed inability to win the devout political backing and enthusiasm from blacks enjoyed by other Democratic presidential candidates, especially President Clinton. Perhaps that was why yesterday was the latest of a string of Sunday morning appearances at black churches across the country.
Kerry’s support in Ohio, at least, among blacks has surged, with 91 percent of blacks participating in the Dispatch Poll saying they will vote for him. And interviews with churchgoers here revealed a well of enthusiastic support for Kerry and sharp opposition to Bush, with several people expressing bitterness over their belief that the disputed Florida vote in 2000 that won Bush an Electoral College victory disenfranchised minority voters.
"I like the way he (Kerry) stands against George Bush on everything you can think of," said Lester Dean, 50, of Dayton, adding that he opposes Bush’s handling of Iraq but also is against the incumbent because "I don’t think Florida was fair."
Lamon Baker, 57, a barber from Dayton, said the customers who gather in his shop are all vowing to vote, some for the first time in decades, with the vast majority in favor of Kerry.
"I think it will be a big turnout" in the black community, Baker said.
"This election has focused a lot of attention on the issues."
There was no question about who the Rev. Selwyn Bachus, the pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church, is supporting. "God says David defeats Goliath," said Bachus. "We’re going to see that on Tuesday."
Despite his ardor for Kerry, Bachus several times referred to him as Kennedy, indicating at one point he was thinking of John F. Kennedy, not Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. Kerry came to the reverend’s aid, joking about a time when Sen. Kennedy himself called Kerry in public "my colleague . . . John Kennedy."
Before the Shiloh Baptist Church service, Kerry, a Catholic, attended mass at the Church of the Holy Angels in Dayton. He also stopped at a popular Dayton restaurant to greet patrons before heading out of Ohio — temporarily.
In Columbus, Edwards stood in the back of a 2004 Dodge Ram pickup truck — adorned with red and blue stars and a picture of Kerry — to speak to about 300 supporters gathered in the parking lot of Northtowne Elementary School, 4767 Northtowne Blvd.
"Two more days! Two more days!" the crowd chanted.
"You’re going to make the difference right here at ground zero in Ohio," Edwards said. "Democracy is at stake in this election.
"This is your moment. You can change this country again."
Glenn, who has campaigned frequently with both Kerry and Edwards, said the election may well hinge on central Ohio.
"The rest of the state is more predictable. The way central Ohio goes is the way Ohio goes, and the way Ohio goes determines who will be the next president."
Edwards, Glenn and Coleman surprised about a half-dozen residents by showing up on their doorsteps and personally asking for their vote. In their wake, a gaggle of news-media members, Secret Service agents and Columbus police clogged the narrow neighborhood streets.
"We were surprised, but we’re happy," said Mary Callahan, an area resident whose family posed for a picture with Edwards. "We’re going to support the whole ticket."
David Gilbert, 43, who lives in the house next door to the Edwards rally site, watched the rally with his two children over his backyard fence. He said he found out the vice-presidential campaign was coming at 5 a.m. when trucks began unloading equipment.
Gilbert, a hospital worker, said he will vote for Kerry.
"Hopefully, there will be a change, especially with health care," Gilbert said. "That’s what I’m hoping and praying for."
dispatch.com |
