Just the Beginning of the Road
Incredible... This pretty good WaPo article says Kerry got 40,000 people in Portland, Oregon today, lining the banks of the Willamette river, much like they did when he came to Milwaukee a week or so ago. Other reports are saying more like 50,000.

Candidates Cross Paths in Oregon

And another point of view here:

"We're dying to vote," said Aisley Deymonaz, 17, who was waiting in line with her twin sister and two of their friends. "We obviously want to change things. We've asked all of our relatives to vote on our behalf."

Her twin sister Courtney, who was dressed for the event in an "Edwards is a Fox" T-shirt and combat boots, agreed, saying, "I just got my grandparents to agree to vote for us. Bush plans to go to Mars. That is so stupid. Money is being taken away from our school, and he plans to go to Mars."

Bush had a couple of thousand hand-picked volunteers and still managed to screw things up. In a statement defending his tax cuts for the rich (they create jobs, apparently)

...that defense of the entrepreneurial drive of the rich was followed a moment later with a more ambiguous comment about their motives. "A lot of the rich are able to get accountants so they're able to dodge," Bush said, adding that such manipulations of the tax code mean the middle class would bear the burden of taxes to pay for the new spending Kerry proposes.

Let's see, dodging taxes with sharp-pencilled accountants is a good thing, in that it puts the burden of running the country on the shoulders of everyone else, and that's a good thing too? Let's wait for the transcripts to document this idiocy.

And he probably couldn't have cared less about these 1000 or so folks anyway. The real purpose of the visit was fundraising:

President raises $2.4 million for Republican Party

I just wish I was in a swing state so I could go listen to Kerry. Maybe he'll pass through Wisconsin again.

Watched Olympic opening ceremony on TV much of night. Great visual experience. I love Calatrava as an architect (he did the wonderful bat-wing Milwaukee Art Museum). I didn't catch the name of the artist who designed the entire presentation -- not a cheesy moment in entire thing. Tho I haven't seen the mascots yet. The mascots are always laughable.

Sounds like Florida is a mess. I have a very good friend near Orlando I couldn't get through to. If you're out there, RD, give us a call.

- posted by Cynthia @ 11:52 PM | | | Link |