 "Photo: Frank Prolago")
President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush were greeted by about 150 angry protesters as they paid their first visit to the Buckeye state since Bush was sworn in at last month’s inauguration ceremony.
The crowd yelled out the words “Hail to the thief” and “Thou shall not steal” as the president arrived at Sullivant Elementary School on Columbus’s west side yesterday in an effort to build public support for the tax-cut and education reform proposals he plans to present to Congress on Feb. 27.
Ohio State students were among the protesters.
“I came out here today because I am against Bush’s new education plan,” said Felicia Henderson, a junior in accounting. “Standardized tests only show what the teacher taught, not what the students actually learned. I am also against the voucher program because public schools are the foundation of America.”
“The American people rejected vouchers, high-stake tests and school reform that will gut public education,” said J.B. Lawton, spokesman for Franklin County’s chapter of Democrats.com, the largest online community of democratic activists.
People also came out to speak against the President’s anti-abortion tactics.
“He’s an extremist,” said Sarah Osmer, political organizer for the National Abortion and Reproduction League of Ohio. “I am here to demonstrate that the majority of Americans are pro-choice and don’t agree with his thinking.”
Most of the protesters came out to let President Bush know they are still unhappy with the outcome of last year’s election, which is considered the most controversial in U.S. history.
“There’s no honor when the loser wins,” said Greg Donelson, who was part of former Vice President Al Gore’s campaign team last year. “Hail to the thief because he stole that election. He was not elected, but he was selected by the Supreme Court.”
“We and the allies who have joined us here know that George W. Bush is not the legitimate President of the United States,” Lawton said. “The simple truth, as we are finally learning, is that Al Gore not only won the popular vote nationwide by more than half a million votes, but he also won Florida by nearly 1,000 votes.”
Lawton agrees with Donelson that last year’s election was decided not by the people, but by the Supreme Court.
“If it weren’t for his brother, his cronies and five partisan Supreme Court justices, the former governor of Texas would be back in his home state right now,” Lawton said.
According to many of the protesters, this is just the beginning of their efforts to get President Bush out of office.
“Unfortunately, the American people were themselves rejected in the 2000 elections, but they won’t be next time,” Lawton said. “We are going to turn our anger into organization. We are going to turn our indignation into mobilization. George W. Bush lost the election in 2000; we are going to make sure he loses it again in 2004 and every vote is going to count.”
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