Police disperse angry protesters in Downtown T-station
Saturday, October 07, 2006 By Ervin Dyer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, in town for a fund-raiser for Sen. Rick Santorum, had a close encounter with a large group of anti-Republican protesters as he was making his way to the Duquesne Club, Downtown.
It was about 4:15 yesterday when Mr. Bush met up with the protesters near the corner of Liberty and Sixth avenues. The protesters were marching to join other pickets already gathered in front of the exclusive club, a little more than a block away at 325 Sixth Ave.
Protesters said Gov. Bush blew them a kiss, acknowledging the crowd of about 30 chanting pickets that was made up of United Steelworkers and members of Uprise Counter Recruitment, a tour traveling through 22 cities to support anti-war efforts.
The protesters came closer.
"Jeb, go home," they shouted.
Mr. Bush, accompanied by a security guard and a female aide, made a slow retreat toward the T-station at Wood Street.
"He was quickly getting out of the way and not wanting to engage us," said Jon Vandenburgh, one of the protesters, who also is a researcher for the United Steelworkers.
Once in the subway station, Mr. Bush scurried to the escalators and descended to the mezzanine level, Mr. Vandenburgh said.
By now, Mr. Bush was cornered. He was surrounded by signs that said "Pittsburgh is a Santorum Free Zone," "Honk if you're sick of Rick," and a crowd growing increasingly louder, according to Mr. Vandenburgh.
"We don't want you here," protesters chanted.
Port Authority spokesman Bob Grove said six or seven officers responded to the scene to control the crowds.
He said Mr. Bush had been walking in the area near the T-station and the incident happened spontaneously when about 50 pickets "tailed him and stayed with him and went into the Wood Street station."
About 75 protesters remained on the street, said Mr. Grove.
He said the crowd was asked repeatedly to disperse.
Mr. Grove said a Port Authority canine unit was called in to help with crowd control. Two officers used their tasers to stun two protesters who "were asked to leave, but did not go," Mr. Grove said.
The tasers he said were empty of the cartridges that supply a more powerful charge.
"It was a very tense situation. They were very close to the governor and shouting on top of him."
As a precaution, the governor was ushered into a T-station supply closet and stayed there until the crowd left.
No arrests were made and no citations were issued, Mr. Grove said. Mr. Bush was not injured.
The two men who were tasered were shaken and left the protest, said David Meieran, with the Thomas Merton Center and one of the protesters with Uprise Counter Recruitment.
Mr. Meieran said the Port Authority officers were fairly aggressive and pushed them aside.
Pittsburgh police said they monitored the protest in front of the Duquesne Club, which they called peaceful, but did not respond to the incident in the T-station.
The entire incident lasted about 5 minutes. After calm was restored, the smaller group of protesters inside the T-station made their way back to the Duquesne Club where they staked out the front of the building and an alley entrance.
Mr. Vandenburgh and Mr. Meieran said they later saw Mr. Bush escorted to the Duquesne Club, which he entered through a back door at about 5 p.m.
A spokeswoman for Mr. Bush said she was unaware of the incident last night and had no immediate comment.
(Ervin Dyer can be reached at edyer@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1410.)
BY MICHAEL McAULIFF and CORKY SIEMASZKO DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS Originally published on October 7, 2006
Mark Foley may be an embarrassment to the Republicans, but they still like his money.
The National Republican Congressional Committee intends to spend the $100,000 the former Florida legislator gave this summer - before his sordid e-mail exchanges with male teenage congressional pages turned him into a grand old pariah.
"We're going to do with it what we do with other donations - use it to help elect Republicans," said NRCC spokesman Carl Forti.
Asked whether the committee would consider returning the money, Forti replied, "Nope."
"It's a lot of money," said Larry Sabato, who heads the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. "I'm sure the NRCC has considered the pluses and minuses and decided that 30-plus days before the [Nov. 7] election, they'd rather take a few hits and keep the money."
Foley's funds, Sabato said, "could save a hotly contested seat if spent wisely."
The NRCC chairman is Rep. Tom Reynolds, from upstate New York, whose top aide quit after being accused of trying to protect Foley. Reynolds gave the lecherous legislator a $5,000 contribution, records show.
While the NRCC is hanging onto Foley's funds, GOP politicians in tough reelection campaigns, such as Virginia Sen. George Allen, want nothing to do with Foley - or his money. Allen is giving the $2,000 in campaign contributions he got from Foley to a charity that protects kids from online predators.
Federal election records reveal Foley was a Republican rainmaker. Since 1996, Foley has contributed over $500,000 to the NRCC - and a big chunk of that came after GOP party leaders warned him to behave around the pages.
Foley also gave thousands to the campaigns of Florida Republicans like controversial Rep. Katherine Harris and GOP politicians ranging from Staten Island Rep. Vito Fossella and former Bergen County, N.J., Rep. Marge Roukema to Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman.
Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio), who pleaded guilty to corruption charges resulting from the Abramoff scandal, got $4,000 from Foley.
Most of Foley's contributions came from the health care, finance and insurance industries, Federal Election Commission records show. But Foley was nicknamed "Hollywood" because he courted a business many Republicans rail against.
Sony Pictures coughed up $3,000, another $2,500 came from the Universal Music Group, and the Walt Disney Productions Employees PAC gave $2,000. Jack Valenti, former head of the Motion Picture Association of America, whose job Foley reportedly coveted, gave $2,500.
Foley had other friends with deep pockets in his own party. He also got $4,999 from the PAC of Missouri Rep. Roy Blunt, the No. 3 House Republican.
"That PAC contributed to a number of Congressmen Blunt's colleagues," said Blunt spokeswoman Burson Snyder. "Foley's seat is traditionally a tough seat to hold onto and you will see Blunt's PAC making contributions to the Republican running in Foley's place."
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