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In what has become a tradition when prominent Republican politicians make appearances in Lancaster County, local protesters took to the streets Tuesday to challenge the visit of Sen. John McCain, the presumptive GOP presidential candidate.
McCain spoke in Manheim after holding a town-hall-style meeting in York County.
Protesters were kept in the dark, however, as to McCain's ultimate destination in the county, creating uncertainty as to the best place to voice their concerns.
About 30 demonstrators, representing the Lancaster Coalition for Peace and Justice as well as Students for a Democratic Society, gathered at Penn Square Tuesday evening, ready to speak their minds about McCain's visit to Lancaster County and his foreign policy and domestic issues.
"(McCain's) trying to position himself as a green candidate, but yet (he had) a score of zero from the League of Conservation Voters last year," Millersville resident Bill Adams said. "That's the worst record for the Senate for environmental issues. From commercials, you get the feeling that he's environmentally friendly."
The protesters — holding signs reading "Honk if you want change," "McSame" and "Want More War? Vote McCain" — were greeted by enthusiastic honks and occasional rude gestures from people in cars passing by.
John Schreck, LCPJ's administrator and public spokesman, said he feels McCain's campaign has been misleading on important issues, focusing more on pop culture with his Britney Spears and Paris Hilton ad than on the Iraq War or the economy.
Schreck, a Lancaster native and Millersville University graduate who joined LCPJ in 2004, said large media organizations have not been doing their job to educate the public about McCain's positions.
"There's a problem, and its not being addressed, and we have three months until the election," Schreck said. "McCain, he's just doing the Republican thing — being misleading because he wants to be in power."LCPJ protests are not new to the area. A March protest against the Iraq War garnered 600 people, and 400 people came out to protest President Bush's visit in October.
More than 100 people lined Lincoln Highway East at the Lancaster Host Resort in 2006 to demonstrate against former Bush adviser Karl Rove, who spoke at the Lancaster County Republican dinner.
Adams was at all those demonstrations, speaking out against the Iraq War. His son, Brent, was killed in Ramadi, Iraq, on Dec. 1, 2005.
Adams echoed Schreck's sentiments, saying McCain's campaign has been geared toward base-level emotional responses and stays away from actual issues.
"It's time to get an accurate timetable" for withdrawal from Iraq, Adams said. "The Iraqi people want a timetable. The majority of Americans favor a timetable. Why don't our leaders favor timetables as well?"
Several members of SDS, from high school and college chapters, also were at Penn Square. Among them was Becca Rast, 18, a McCaskey High School graduate.
Rast said people walking by the demonstration were very receptive to their message as she handed out voter guides. She said she doesn't necessarily support either of the candidates but wants to inform voters about what they stand for.
"The American people deserve to hear the truth about candidates, and when (Sen. Barack) Obama is here, we'll do the exact same thing — telling people what's going on here," Rast said.
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