Local supporters praise Bush speech

MARYSVILLE – Clapping and chanting “Four more years!” 150 people rose from their restaurant seats as they watched President Bush take the stage to deliver his acceptance speech Thursday night.

They applauded loudest when Bush spoke about national security and health care. And they laughed hardest at his self-deprecation and jabs at his Democratic opponent, Sen. John Kerry.

“I thought it was a great speech,” said Sue Strickland of Everett. “What stood out was that we really need to stand firm against terrorists and tyranny. And if we don’t show strength, the terrorists will continue to think they can run over us.”

Thomas Kirwin Prigmore of Lynnwood, a member of the Republican National Committee, praised the president for laying out a comprehensive plan for the next four years and “talking about issues important to all Americans.”

The crowd began filling the Bella Rosa Restaurant shortly after 5 p.m. By 6 p.m., a steady line had formed at the buffet table. At 7 p.m., every seat was filled and several people had to stand to watch the president on a big-screen television.

Cheryl Candle, one of the restaurant’s owners and a Bush supporter, said afterward that one of the lasting impressions of the speech was the focus on “remembering what has happened and the rebuilding of the country since 9-11.”

She said she was pleased that Bush spent time talking about helping small businesses provide health insurance for employees.

Thursday night’s speech-watching party was one of dozens held throughout Snohomish County, most of them in private homes.

As the president spoke, Democratic activists around the state were on the phone, calling potential supporters of Kerry.

And in Everett, union members knocked on the doors of homes of other union workers to talk to them about the coming elections.

About 60 workers gathered in the Labor Temple on Lombard Avenue at 4 p.m., then fanned out to neighborhoods throughout the city. They targeted homes of union members and delivered fliers comparing Bush and Kerry proposals on jobs, health care, overtime and outsourcing.

Mark Hughes of Everett, a member of the painters union, joined the effort to offer a message counter to that of the president.

“Kerry is all for labor,” he said. “If I can get out and help, maybe it will change a few people’s minds.”

Reporter Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623 or jcornfield@ heraldnet.com.

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