The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, October 24, 1984- Page 5
A.,...
Mondale backers thrilled by rally
By SEAN JACKSON
It wasn't the Democratic National
Convention, but for many loyal
Democrats yesterday's rally on the
r Diag is as close as they'll ever get to a
presidential candidate.
The rally was especially satisfying
for the people that made it happen: the.
students and other volunteers at Mon-
dale-Ferraro headquarters.
"IT WAS definitely worth it. You just
feel so satisfied when you contribute to
something important," said Robin
Morgan, an LSA senior.
Many volunteers put in many hard
fhours of work for a candidate they see
only on television, but Mondale's ap-
pearance made all the efforts worth-
while, said first-year graduate student,
Dave Silvo.
"It meant a lot to have Mondale come
to campus," he said. "It's nice to see
the real thing roll through. We put a hell
of a lot into this appearance."~
THE STUDENTS have been bustling
around campus since last Wednesday's
announcement that Mondale would ap-
pear today on campus with Colorado
Sen. Gary Hart.
After preparing for the big day with
'poster-making parties, the volunteers
hit the Diag yesterday morning at 5
a.m. to begin setting up.
"It was dark and cold," reported doc-
toral candidate Jennie Moody, who
arrived at the Diag at 6 a.m.
OTHERS HAD been out earlier,
posting flyers around in the Diag. At six
they began placing the banners up bet-
ween trees and blowing up the balloons
for the balloon arch.
Mondale supporters, waving Mondale
signs and pom-poms, sang the song
"Jeremiah Was a Bull Frog," and
chanted "two more weeks, two more
-_.
weeks."
"Don't let anybody tell you there's no
Democrats on this campus," said Roy
LeParl, LSA junior. "We are out here to
prove we're young, we vote, and we
support Mondale," he said, adding that
"my midterms basically went by the
wayside," in order to help prepare for
the Mondale rally.
NO ONE would have tried to tell
Le Parl there were no Democrats on the
campus as the large crowd - estimated
at 30,000 by the Mondale-Ferraro
headquarters and from 5,000 to 8,000 by
the Ann Arbor police - turned out to
hear Mondale.
The crowd went off into a frenzied
round of cheers and songs as Mondale
made his way up to the podium.
"It was really good, when he hopped
out of the car, he was beaming -he was
told there were about 30,000 people
here," said John Austin, a member of
the Mondale advance team.
THAT BIG crowd had an effect on
Mondale, said Taeku Lee, a LSA senior
and volunteer in the campaign.
"I think if you give .Mondale a big
crowd he can really turn them on, Hart
really set and then charged up the
audience for Mondale," he said.
Another volunteer said Mondale
seemed to be enjoying himself, "I
thought he was very pleased with his
reception," said Maureen Rosser,
senior LSA student.
AFTER THE rally, Mondale suppor-
ters felt their man came off looking
good.
"I think he is very strong in his ap-
pearance," said Scottie Teschner, a
junior LSA student. "I distrust Reagan.
If Reagan doesn't have a cue card, he
wouldn't know what to say."
Shawn Winstrom, LSA junior, liked
the way Mondale addressed the rally.
"He really appealed to the Michigan
audience by hitting on the Michigan
issues, like education."
"(Mondale)" is interested in the
same things Americans are interested
in, but not necessarily rich Ame-
ricans," LSA sophomore Kathryn
Grimes. "He realizes young Americans
are supporting him."
"MONDALE spoke forcefully, he
made the right points," said Silva who
added "Mondale is fighting for the right
stuff," he is saying "let's look to the
future."
While many of the Mondale volun-
teers have Mondale in person before by
traveling to Detroit or Lansing, for
most this was still a unique occasion.
"It was great to see him today," said
Russer, "because he could be the next
president."
"IT'S A VERY special feeling to have
him right in front," said Cheryl Gold-
farb, an LSA senior who worked on the
Mondale campaign this summer and
attended the Democratic National Con-
vention.
"It's history if he gets elected
president, I can say I shook his hand
two weeks before the eleciton," said
Melisa Fernau, an Ann Arbor resident.
"Very exciting, exciting feeling. . . I
did get to shake his hand, both hands,"
said Morgan.
Seeing him live made me see he's
not dull and boring, he had a presence,"
said Mark Farnau, a doctoral can-
didate in meteorology.
For all the volunteers out there who
spent so much time campaigning for
Mondale, it was an opportunity to enjoy
the benefits of all their work.
But, then again, it was not the
Mascone Center in San Francisco.
Presidential candidate Walter Mondale takes home a souvenir from the
University yesterday.
t
Mondale rally draws a diverse
crowd with a variety of views
DOaily Photo by DOUG McMAHON
GOP
e
FRITZBUSTERS
V Z
The By DAN SWANSON
third tree north of the Graduate
'''Library held a typical sample of
S yesterday's crowd at the rally for the
'Democratic presidential candidate:
students, townspeople, and a special-
'interst group.
Although they shared the same bran-
ches, they didn't all share a desire to
put Walter Mondale into the White
House. Like much of the crowd, they
held different political views and came
for different reasons.
TO SOME, the rally was a chance to
see a major candidate for the first time.
LSA sophomore Melissa Johnson tur-
ned out for the novelty of it. "It's
something you don't see everyday," she
said, adding that she was not planning
to vote for Mondale.
In addition to students, much of the
crowd was made up of labor and in-
terest groups. Al Cruickshank,
president of UAW Local 782 in Ypsilan-
ti, attended the rally with fellow union
members to demonstrate support for
the Democratic candidate.
'We've got to send Reagan back to fantasy
land. If he is reelected, 'A', we'll live to
regret it, or 'B' we won't."
- Ken Bawcom
Ann Arbor resident
"We're all Reaganites," she said,
"we want people to know that his
beliefs are our beliefs."
Degener estimated that her group
was represented by 30 to 50 volunteers.
One of their placards showed a fetus
with the words, "I can't vote yet so
Walter Mondale doesn't care about
me."
Ken Bawcom, an Ann Arbor wood
worker, found the rally "invigorating"
and supports Mondale as an alternative
to Reagan.
"WE'VE GOT to send Reagan back to
fantasy land," he said, "If he is re-
elected, 'A' we'll live to regret it, or 'B'
we won't."
Despite the large number of people at
th was also a Mondale supporter. She
said the prospect of four more years of
Reagan was "horrifying."
"I oppose his position on women's
rights, nuclear disarmament, prayer in
public schools, and Central America,"
Wentworth said. She added that
although he was not a capable leader,
he was a fine actor.
AT THAT, her friend Alyce Bauerle,
a botanical curator at the University in-
terrupted, "I don't even think he was a
good actor!"
A number of people complained about
the viewing situations at the rally.
"We were getting trampled," said
Caroline Burke, extending a foot to
show the heel marks on her stockings,
behaves
(Continued from Page 1)
while, like when some woman
screamed out 'ASS-HOLE,' but these
outbursts only lasted a couple of secon-
ds."
EVEN MONDALE supporters were
pleased with the conduct of the campus
conservative groups.
"I think they behaved themselves
pretty well," said Dev Anderson, an
LSA freshman, covered from foot to toe
with Mondale paraphrenalia. "They'd
start chanting 'four more years,' once
in a while, but they'd stop right away."
BUT AT THE rally, like at other
campaign appearances, Mondale was
met with opposition frm right-to-lifers.
Although they were at the Diag in
force, holding signs like "Mon-
dale/Ferraro-Committed to Abort
America," they also refrained from
heckling.
"Our position is not to heckle," said
Mary Sponseller of the Washtenaw
County Right-To-Life. "We feel he ha's a
right to speak. We're just trying to raise
the issue of abortion. I support Reagan,
but I'm here more as anti-abortion than