Maine: Protesters prepare for president's visit

AUGUSTA - Preparations continued Tuesday for the president's planned visit to Bangor, but not all of the events propose to offer a warm welcome. The Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine plans to bring its own greeters to Bangor International Airport where President Bush plans to stage a quick campaign stop at 4:15 p.m. Thursday. In its notice, the center advised "peace and justice folks" to gather along Godfrey Boulevard leading to the airport starting at Union Street at 3 p.m.

"In the spirit of previous 'Code Pink' anti-war demonstrations, a large pink banner, 'Pink Slip War Without End' will be displayed," the center said in a prepared release. "Protesters will also hold banners calling to 'Turn the Ship of State Around' and 'Working for Real Security in Eastern Maine.'"

Volunteers at the center expected that many protesters would bring their own signs to the demonstration outlining unique criticisms of Bush policies at home and abroad. Organizers said the protest "will be peaceful and no civil disobedience is planned."

In a swipe at Bush-Cheney campaign organizers, the center's announcement said members of the public are invited to join the protest "since no ticket, loyalty oath or Social Security number will be required."

On Monday, Randy Bumps, a former state representative and executive director for Maine's Bush-Cheney campaign, said it is standard policy for those who want to obtain tickets to see the president to provide Social Security numbers to obtain clearances from the U.S. Secret Service. Bumps also said that while prospective ticket holders were being asked whether they supported the president, support was not a prerequisite for admission.

Jesse Derris, a spokesman for Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, said he had heard from at least four people who were declined tickets on the basis that they did not support the president. Refusal on that basis, he said, contradicted assurances from Bumps that the event was open to all.

Jim Tobin, New England regional campaign chairman for the president, said all sides could voice their opinions at the event and "those opinions will be respected." Bumps and Tobin said they were unaware of the specific instances cited by Derris in which people were denied tickets.

In other campaign-related developments Tuesday, former Gov. Angus King endorsed Kerry's presidential bid during a Portland press conference. In a prepared release, King cited Kerry's history of working in a bipartisan fashion to further his political goals. He chastised George Bush, whom he voted for in 2000, for catering to special interest groups.

"Rather than uniting the country, George Bush has pursued a narrowly partisan and ideological agenda that has divided our nation as never before," King said. "As an independent, I have been reluctant to endorse partisan candidates at any level. But my deep concerns over the direction of the nation under George Bush have led me to believe that we need new leadership to take America in a new direction."

Although Jesse Connolly, Kerry's state campaign director, predicted King's endorsement would be "respected throughout Maine," Bumps said it was more likely that undecided voters would be influenced by sources closer to home.

"We have a very deliberate grass-roots campaign that relies on neighbors talking to neighbors, colleagues talking to colleagues and parishioners talking to fellow members of their congregations," he said. "We're relying on the word of average Maine voters."

In other campaign-related developments Tuesday, former Gov. Angus King endorsed Kerry's presidential bid during a Portland press conference. In a prepared release, King cited Kerry's history of working in a bipartisan fashion to further his political goals. He chastised George Bush, whom he voted for in 2000, for catering to special interest groups.

"Rather than uniting the country, George Bush has pursued a narrowly partisan and ideological agenda that has divided our nation as never before," King said. "As an independent, I have been reluctant to endorse partisan candidates at any level. But my deep concerns over the direction of the nation under George Bush have led me to believe that we need new leadership to take America in a new direction."

Geez, two lies from the Virginia Sage.

I'd be willing to bet anything that this "progressive" dweeb, claiming to be an independent, never pulled the lever for Dubya. And if he's a freakin' "independent", it would seem that for him, independence consists of getting the DemonRat legislative agenda passed.

All Maine breathed a sigh of relief when he hit the road.

President Bush to visit Bangor for campaign rally
BANGOR - President Bush, a familiar sight at his family's southern Maine estate, will venture north Thursday for a Bangor rally.Not everyone wanting to hear Bush will be allowed to attend the event, scheduled for 4:15 p.m. at a location to be determined.

Peter Cianchette, the Bush campaign's Maine manager, said Sunday that a limited number of no-cost tickets will be distributed only to supporters planning to vote for Bush or to undecided voters wanting to hear his message.

"If they are clearly not supporting the president in his re-election bid, then we're not going to give them a ticket," Cianchette said Sunday. "This is not an official White House travel event. It's a campaign event. We only have a limited number of tickets, and we don't want to turn down supporters and undecided voters. That wouldn't make any sense for us to do that."

People who want tickets will be asked by a campaign volunteer if they are supporters or undecided, and if they would like to volunteer to work on the campaign. Each person will then be asked to fill out a form, providing name, address, Social Security number and date of birth. That information will be given to the Secret Service "for security reasons," Cianchette said.

"In this post 9-11 era, the need for security is so tight that we need to collect that information," he said. "That's pretty standard."

If any nonsupporter gets into the event and stages a protest, that person will be escorted out of the building, Cianchette said.

"We want to make sure that at the event there's not people there to disrupt the event," he said. "We're going to make them leave the venue. That sounds more harsh than it really is."

Jesse Derris, state spokesman for the campaign of Democratic Sen. John Kerry, said Sunday he believes that people who want to hear President Bush should not be pre-screened about how they will vote Nov. 2 before being given or denied an event ticket.

"It's unfortunate that the people of Maine cannot see their own president talk about why he should be president again," Derris said.

The issues Bush will address Thursday are not known, Cianchette said. Two of Bush's seven campaign events this week focus on education.

He will attend a town meeting-type event today in Derry, N.H., and the other campaign stops, including the Bangor visit, are being billed as "victory" rallies.

"I'm sure it will be a message of his record of accomplishments," Cianchette said. "He'll touch on his positive agenda for the next four years. There probably will be two broad themes - our need to continue the war on terrorism and plans for a stronger economy, including creating more manufacturing jobs."

Derris said the Kerry campaign camp is interested in what Bush will say to Mainers, particularly the 18,000 workers who have lost manufacturing jobs in the past few years.

"I hope the president offers a vision of how he will help people instead of continuing a pattern of putting special interests ahead of working families," Derris said.

Thursday's appearance in the state's 2nd Congressional District will be unlike any of the president's trips to Kennebunkport, the southern coastal community that houses the Bush family homestead.

Instead of waving to people who line the streets up to the Bush family compound, the president actually will be addressing them in a campaign event - and in a voting district that some analysts and pollsters have suggested is a battleground for electoral votes.

Both the Bush-Cheney and Kerry-Edwards campaigns have sent a string of political heavyweights to Maine's 2nd District lately.

Bush lost the district by a few percentage points in 2000.

On the Republican side, first lady Laura Bush and Chief of Staff Andrew Card have attended events in Lewiston and Bangor. For the Democrats, former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, former New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, and former U.S. Sen. Max Cleland of Georgia have campaigned in Bangor and Hampden.

A CNN poll released Friday said Bush would win the Maine 2nd District if the election were held last week. Earlier last week, a Zogby International poll of likely voters statewide, conducted for the Maine Sunday Telegram, said Bush and Kerry were evenly divided at 43 percent.

Cianchette said he did not know whether Bush would be campaigning in the 1st District any time before the Nov. 2 election.

BUSH CAMPAIGN RALLY TICKET INFORMATION

Bangor

People who want to attend must register at MaineGOP.com or call (866) 633-2874. Tickets then can be picked up at the intersection of Godfrey Boulevard and Maine Avenue near Bangor International Airport from 2 to 9 p.m. Monday, and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. No tickets will be distributed on the day of the event.

Statewide

Tickets are available from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday at:

- Maine Republican Party headquarters, 9 Higgins St., Augusta.

- Campaign office at 169 Academy St., Suite C, Presque Isle.

- Campaign office at 159 Lisbon St., Lewiston.

- Campaign office at 778 Main St., Suite 3, South Portland.

No tickets will be distributed on the day of the event.

Hope this helps.

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