RACE FOR PRESIDENT: 10,000 pack Warren center to see Kerry
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BY KATHLEEN GRAY and ALEXA CAPELOTO
DETROIT FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS
October 26, 2004
freep.com
<<...He was nearly drowned out by the repeated chants of "Eight more days," but Sen. John Kerry's message in Warren on Monday night was loud and clear.
"Again and again, this president has put our troops and country at risk. George Bush has failed the essential task of commander in chief," the Democratic presidential nominee told the crowd at Macomb Community College.
About 10,000 people filled the college's Sports and Expo Center to hear Kerry stump and rock star Jon Bon Jovi sing. Hundreds more were turned away for lack of space.
"I'm glad to see there isn't enough room for all the people here," said one of the dismissed, Diane Pomish, 75, of West Bloomfield.
Kerry repeatedly slammed President George W. Bush in his speech, focusing in particular on Monday's published reports that a stockpile of 377 tons of explosives had disappeared in Iraq.
"Today those explosives are missing, unaccounted for and could be in the hands of terrorists," he said.
Michigan Republicans said it's ironic that Kerry criticized Bush for the missing explosives after months of bashing the president over the lack of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
"He'll shift every day in response to the headlines in the New York Times," said John Truscott, spokesman for the Bush campaign in Michigan.
The Massachusetts senator also hit on themes of importance to Michigan residents during his speech: job loss, outsourcing, the minimum wage and the ever-increasing cost of health care.
Bethellen Dilcher, 39, would have appreciated the mention of health care, but the long line outside the rally and the stifling heat inside proved too much. She clutched her cane and made for the door just before Bon Jovi took the stage for a pre-Kerry acoustic set.
Dilcher was diagnosed in 2000 with a digestive disorder known as gastroparesis. Health care became her top priority four years ago, she said, and Bush has failed to make it his.
"Bush has had his four years," the Brownstown Township resident said, leaning on the door leading out. "He hasn't done anything for me."
Recent polls in Michigan have shown a tightening race between Bush and Kerry after the Democratic candidate held onto a lead through the fall. As a result, Michigan has regained its status as a battleground.
Bush is scheduled to be in Pontiac on Wednesday and Saginaw on Thursday; Kerry is planning to return to Detroit on Saturday. Vice President Dick Cheney will be in suburban Lansing for a rally on Friday, while Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. John Edwards is expected back in Michigan sometime this week, although details are not yet available.
In addition, Michigan's top officeholders, including Gov. Jennifer Granholm, U.S. Sens. Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow and Democratic members of the congressional delegation are scheduled to participate in a bus tour of the state at the end of this week, campaigning for Kerry.
Macomb County is the home of the so-called Reagan Democrats and has had a split allegiance in recent years. Voters went for Bill Clinton in 1996, but not in 1992. They also supported Al Gore in 2000, but not Jennifer Granholm for governor in 2002...>> |
