We had a small, but vocal group of activists to let the Bushies of Central Florida know that Polk County was not totally in the President's camp this morning as he was about to arrive and give his stump speech to a crowd of several thousand at the Tigertown complex in Lakeland. A small group which gathered at the enterance to Joker Marchant Stadium had masks such as those worn in a hospital/doctor's office as a means to highlight the need to not get ill with the flu during this time of crisis with a lack of adequete flu vaccine.

Also a member of the group also had a faux American flag, but instead of the stars there were corporate logos to highlight the Republicans' attentiveness toward companies instead of caring about the working class.

One of our Democratic Executive Committee members had an inflatable "Pants On Fire" Bush, which she pulled on the back of her pickup truck. After most of the people were inside the complex at 10:00 AM, when the facility was scheduled to be in lockdown in preperation for Bush's arrival, she drove it around the neighbouring streets. It was a real attention getter, and a photog from the Lakeland Ledger snapped a picture. Here's hoping it gets some print in the Sunday edition.

I left in time to get home and watch the speech on Bay News 9. It was the President's standard stump speech to galvanize the conservative faithful, with nothing new of consequence and filled with contempt for John Kerry. Of course, there was the obvious mentions for fellow Republican candidates Adam Putnam (12th Congressional District) and Mel Martinez (U.S. Senate). Putnam was there; I'm not sure if Mel made it.

I felt a lot better after watching Democratic VP candidate John Edwards on TV from St. Petersburg. He just comes across so much better, highlighting the differences when needed but ending so positive that you feel much better after hearing him speak. He will make a wonderful Vice President. Usually presidents use their Veeps as attack dogs to keep the congressional leadership in line. With Kerry at the helm, he should possibly make Edwards the primary communicator for the administration, sending him on the stump regularly to promote his administration's agenda in the hinterland.