Sen. Zell Miller points to Dem support

A Democratic spokesman called the event 'a dress-up party.'
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- As U.S. Sen. Zell Miller of Georgia, the most prominent Democrat endorsing the re-election of Republican President Bush, spoke, he pointed to the people behind him, calling them "Democrats for Bush."
The 10 people stood there holding signs stating, "Democrats for Bush."
When questioned by The Vindicator, however, the sign holders revealed that none were currently registered Democrats. Miller then asked how many of them used to be Democrats, and four raised their hands.
After the press conference, which was held at the Youngstown Club downtown, a husband and wife who raised their hands in response to Miller's question said they used to be Democrats and said they voted for Adlai Stevenson for president in the 1950s. They said that made them Democrats at one time, and if it was reported that they weren't former Democrats, it would support the viewpoint that the media has a pro-liberal bias.
Former state Rep. Michael Verich of Warren, a Democrat supporting Bush and who introduced Miller, was near the crowd when the question was asked and raised his hand.
In December 1998, a month after being elected to his ninth term to the Ohio House, he resigned to accept a $78,208-a-year appointment by then-Gov. George V. Voinovich, a Republican, to the State Employment Relations Board. Verich's term recently expired, and he is up for reappointment that will be made by Gov. Bob Taft, a Republican.
Aaron McLear, a Bush spokesman, said he thought some of the people behind Miller were Democrats.
"The idea was to show that Democrats should support Bush," he said. "We didn't mean for it to be disingenuous with the signs. The point of the exercise wasn't to be deceiving."
Brendon Cull, spokesman for the Ohio Democratic Coordinated Campaign, called the event a "cheap publicity stunt" by the Bush campaign.
"All residents of the Valley should cringe in disgust," he said. "To use people posing as Democrats for Bush just shows the lows that Bush and [Vice President Dick] Cheney will stoop to in order to mislead the public and win the election. I hope Zell Miller had fun at his dress-up party."
Miller's comments
During his speech, Miller said he's been a lifelong Democrat and has never voted for a Republican. But he is supporting Bush because he believes his domestic and foreign policies are effective.
Miller said he has known Bush and U.S. Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic presidential nominee, and they are as "different as night and day." Miller painted Kerry as "very liberal, out of the mainstream, [and] out of touch." He called Bush "a man with a steel spine."
When asked what he would say to persuade Ohioans who lost their jobs under the Bush administration, Miller said, "Anyone who loses their jobs, we regret that, and we want to make sure they have the training to get a better job. Many, many jobs lost in [Mahoning] County were lost in the 1970s with a Democratic president," referring to Jimmy Carter.
Miller said Bush is doing his best to get the economy moving in the right direction, and his tax cuts have helped businesses to create jobs.
Miller said he was sorry he didn't get to see Youngstown Mayor George M. McKelvey, a Democrat for Bush, on Friday. McKelvey was in Canton on Friday introducing Bush at a campaign event.
skolnick@vindy.com