University College Democrats members on Tuesday rallied students in the EMU Amphitheater at their first “Bush Bash” celebration, delivering speeches, playing games and giving out pro-Kerry paraphernalia for prizes.
Eighteen hours later, the Republicans answered the call with a rally they had been planning for a while.
With flag-waving, patriotic music and a host of speeches, the University College Republicans sponsored a Memorial Day rally on Wednesday — an event that College Republicans Chairman Jarrett White described as a celebration of our country.
U.S. Congress candidate Jim Feldkamp, who is running against Peter DeFazio for Oregon’s 4th District, was Wednesday’s keynote speaker. Feldkamp, a veteran of the Gulf War, said the United States needed to oust former dictator Saddam Hussein and respect U.S. military veterans.
Feldkamp also spoke in opposition to same-sex marriage, but he said he supported civil unions. He said minority opinions shouldn’t impose their will on the majority, however.
Oregon legislative candidates Michael Spasaro, Norm Thomas, Debi Farr and Gary Pierpoint also spoke at Wednesday’s event.
White said some rally attendees were less than friendly to the rally’s message, however. A man in his early 20s tore down a sign and tried to steal a “Bush Cheney ’04” sign, he said. When White struggled to get the sign back, the man scratched him, he said, showing a small scratch on his left forearm.
Another man tore two signs from the ground and threw them into the amphitheater.
“All of a sudden, I guess he got sick of our country and the flags,” White said.
College Democrats spokesman Chris Halverson said the “Bush Bash” on Tuesday helped channel anti-Bush emotions into support for Kerry.
But White saw it differently.
“It’s not going to be a ‘Bash Kerry,’ as you (saw) what liberals (did Tuesday),” White said. “This is one of the huge differences between liberals and conservatives or between Democrats and Republicans — we actually have values and morals and beliefs, which we stand on. But, Democrats and liberals don’t know anything, except that they hate us. That’s why they put on ‘Bush Bash,’ and we put on Memorial Day candidate rallies.
“We have enough good things about our candidates and about our party and about our country that we don’t need to use up time by saying bad things about other people,” White added. “We don’t have enough time in the day to say good things about our own country, our soldiers and about our candidates.”