EVERETT – In the 1950s, Norm Marsh supported Republican Dwight Eisenhower for president.
This year, he’s supporting John Kerry.
The Everett resident was a “lifelong Republican” until 1992, and has supported Democrats every year since.
That’s why Marsh attended an Everett “meet-up” gathering for Kerry on Thursday, the eve of the Democratic presidential nominee’s visit here.
“The Republican Party has abandoned its historical mission of defense of personal liberties,” he said, explaining that abortion was the issue that first changed his mind.
“Barry Goldwater was pro-choice.”
About 35 other people attended the meeting at the Snohomish County PUD building, a once-a-month affair spawned by Howard Dean meet-ups about a year ago, said organizer Toni Rich of Everett.
The group was not there to discuss Kerry’s visit, though Marsh said he was “a little bit insulted” that only a select group was invited to see Kerry at the Everett Events Center.
“It’s like the rest of us aren’t good enough,” he said. “But, hey, he’s still got my vote.”
Rich, who started attending the meet-up about four months ago, was invited by someone in the Kerry campaign to serve as a volunteer at the candidate’s Everett event.
“I’m excited, of course,” she said. “I’d love to see him.”
As Kerry took the lead in the Democratic nominating process early in the year, the Everett Dean meet-up group morphed into a Kerry group, Rich said.
It sprang out of the Meetup Web site, www.meetup.com, she said. The site enables people with similar interests to contact each other and arrange meetings.
“When they first started, it was just a few people that came,” Rich said.
Kerry groups are meeting nationwide, and even in other parts of the world, according to Rich. Each group determines its own format.
“We are free to set our own agenda,” she said.
The Everett group meets the fourth Thursday of each month at the PUD building. The program for the Thursday meeting included a talk by Dr. Bob Crittenden of Seattle on health care; a talk by Everett resident Carolyn Johnston, a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Boston; and a session on voter registration.
Dan Lewinski of Stanwood spoke about the growth of a new group, Northwest Snohomish County Democrats. He encouraged Democrats to be active and talk to undecided voters.
“There are still people on the fence who are undecided about Bush but just need to have the facts explained to them,” he said.
Two more meet-ups will be held at the PUD between now and the election, Rich said. “And we’ll probably have a meet-up party after the election to celebrate John Kerry’s election,” she said.
Reporter Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439 or sheets@heraldnet.com.
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