A Reinvigoration of Student Action–Thanks to Cindy McCain’s Visit

By Kriscinda Meadows

When we became aware, Friday morning, that Gettysburg College was to host the likes of Cindy McCain and Tom Ridge, my friend Kim Kupperman asked me if I would go with her to distribute flyers to attendees. I said yes. Unknowingly this tipped a tiny snowball over an edge and very quickly, over the next 48 hours, became a snow-boulder, crushing flat everything I had planned to do over the weekend. It would all have to wait.

It was surprising to me that almost immediately handing out flyers was not enough. There was something in me that needed to be released. When I suggested to Kim to expand our efforts, she agreed instantly. Clearly, she had the same need. We hoped that there might be more voices on campus that felt similarly.

The plan was fluid, ideas flowing back and forth, some pooling and staying, others draining off as unnecessary, unsustainable, or just superfluous. As we planned—and you have to appreciate how very quickly this all happened—we both, I believe, worked inwards to better identify this burning push to demonstrate, to make a stand, a real statement.

What exactly was it that I needed to say? What was I standing for?

As information went out and replies came back, as plans and contingencies were passed to and fro, I defined for myself what exactly it was I was doing, and, possibly, Kim was doing the same. It was not reactionary, or as simple as just mindlessly supporting Obama. It was not any strange desire to harass Cindy McCain. It was not a desperate grasp for attention merely for the sake of doing so.

What I landed on was that, by the time she spoke on campus, there would be 17 days left of this Presidential campaign season, a season that has been a large part of my everyday life for the past two years. We have watched the primaries, we watched all the drama, listened to the talking heads and pundits, and worked ceaselessly to interpret what we were seeing while the world raged around us. War, genocide, poverty—to go on listing every thing that could, by and large, depend on the outcome of this election would leave me with little energy left to finish what I need to say here. In fact, after two years of this, I am tired. I was tired when Kim asked about the flyers. But, in asking, she provided me with a bolt of energy that carried me through the weekend of organizing and demonstrating, and, I believe, will carry me through to Nov. 5, when hopefully, the country will be set right.

That was part of it. College kids I have found, especially on this campus, seem to be affected by an apathetic malaise. Despite the wild and rowdy, sometimes downright radical, history of student action, today’s students seem to be anesthetized. Or maybe, like me, they are tired.

I thought that if this opportunity had the power to invigorate me in this way, maybe it would serve to do the same for others, at this vital time, these few weeks before the election, when it is too important to become complacent.

Part of the goal was to push for a new momentum on this campus and, hopefully, that effort would translate into a record-breaking youth vote here in Pennsylvania. Which leads to the other reason for demonstration.

Pennsylvania is a swing state. It leans Obama as I write, but the sad Nov. 5 of 2004, which left me dumbfounded and raw, unable to comprehend why this country would ask for four more years of Bush, is fresh in my mind.

It wasn’t that Kerry was a strong candidate, it was that Bush was so obviously damaging to this country.

This time, however, we have a candidate that is worthy of a wholehearted vote—a vote for Obama is like a desperate last ditch effort to do what needs to be done to save us, to make the country worth living in and fighting for again. He is the last stop on a highway that stretches into darkness, the last place you can rest, regroup, and prepare tackle those miles and miles of night until you come up on the other end, where the destination is finally bathed in sunlight, and you can smile again. And you can smile because you know you did right.

Again, like in 2004, it is unimaginable to me that anyone—anyone—would knowingly, consciously vote for another four more years of this nationalized death. And the McCain campaign needed to know that. The conservative community here in Adams County needed to know that.

The other reason, besides re-energizing the Obama base of this campus, was to inform the opposition that there is a presence here. And we’re waiting, just itching, to cast our votes.

Was it a success?

Unfortunately, if you read the tiny mentions in the local news, you would assume no. It is sad – and a particularly pathetic demonstration of local journalism – that we were approached afterwards and spoken to, but somehow, what we thought, what we meant to accomplish, never made it into the reports. If you were reading from the outside, you would think we had failed. It is my opinion, and the opinion – I feel safe to say – of everyone involved, that we succeeded in doing exactly what we set out to do. The enthusiasm of the Obama people encouraged me and made me feel that the time we spent organizing this event was worth every moment and effort, and I had the feeling as we finished up and parted ways that those who participated felt the same. They felt a new rush—the rush I felt when Kim started the snowball down the hill—that I can make it through this home stretch. That on Nov. 4, nothing, nothing will keep us from the polls, and more importantly, over the remaining days, we will do everything we can to bring the vote home for Obama.

As for the McCain supporters—did we change any minds?

I seriously doubt it. But it doesn’t matter, as that was not part of the plan anyway. Those people, at this stage in the game, are unreachable and it was not our intention to try to bring them over to the side of reason. Our mission was simply that they would know we were there. We stood amongst them and when the time felt right, we stripped to our protest shirts and held aloft our letters—O-B-A-M-A. The crowd around us moved in closer, uncomfortably so, murmuring hostilities. They raised their signs to block us, from both Mrs. McCain and the cameras behind. But I have no doubt that McCain saw us before we were obscured, and footage on the evening’s news showed me that we were seen, we were noticed, they knew we were there.

They could not help it, for as long as she spoke, we kept our letters raised. It didn’t matter who could or could not see us at that point. People all around us were forced to acknowledge us by keeping their own signs raised and jockeying for position with us. We could have retreated when it was clear we were outnumbered. But as my arms strained, and I reached to heights I didn’t know I had, as I wished that woman would just stop talking, I was determined to hold out until it was over. As much as my arms ached, I knew that their arms ached too. Kim Kupperman, Hanna Ackerman, and Holly Szimanksi joined me in solidarity in keeping those letters afloat in a sea of irrationality, and I am thankful for them. We were, whatever anyone thinks, completely successful in our mission.

Outside, Cassie Sheets wrangled our external contingent. Signs were held, slogans were shouted, energy was kept high. I was surprised, when I emerged from the CUB about an hour and a half after entering it, that they still had the energy to shout. As McCain supporters spilled out in spurts, some held their own signs, some yelled at us, some approached and engaged in a dialog with some of our people. We were called “Communists” and “Socialists.” A man chanted something about “Hussein” before stopping, perhaps, if I give him the benefit of the doubt, realizing the utter stupidity of this. It should also be known that when an article appeared in The York Dispatch, which pointlessly stated – despite more important information being discarded – that Kim had said that “only uncomfortable part was when people yelled ‘Country First,’ a McCain campaign slogan, in her ear.” A particularly charming citizen responded online with: “She’s damn lucky. If I would have been there, I would have yelled ‘N’ lover in her ear.”

And they say race isn’t an issue.

Another commenter posted: “Barack HUSSEIN Obama… Sounds like a muslim terrorists to me! You go Cindy! Bring back the America that we all love. Obama can go to the Middle East and run for office!!!!!!!!!” For all these attempts at juvenile name calling – and gross abuse of punctuation – we had shown to us the ignorance beaming dumbly from the opposition, and I was fortified again in our decision to go ahead with our action. Its necessity was clear.

I cannot close this out without mentioning the ambiguity with which I view the organizers of this event.

While I stood in line for tickets, I witnessed more than one student being asked their party affiliation and when it was clear that the student was not a McCain supporter, they were specifically told not to protest. I have since heard of other instances of this targeting of liberal students. Most of those students were not a party to this action, and it is a shame they were targeted as, apparently, “trouble-makers.” There was clearly a sense of nervousness on the side of the event organizers. I received one email letting me know my actions—despite being constitutionally protected—were “unacceptable.” I was also asked by Colleen Weldon—Program Coordinator at the Women’s Center and McCain/Palin National Campaign intern—to “call off my troops,” and attempts were made at intimidation through thinly veiled threats that our group would “incur a financial penalty” should violence erupt—an idea that was ridiculous, both that we would be held liable for the inability of McCain supporters to control themselves—our action was silent and non-violent— and that violence would erupt at all.

At a Palin rally—with the vitriol she spouts—maybe. But not here, not Cindy McCain.

I understood that plans were made and then abandoned to bar us at the door—they must have realized that that would have served them much worse than it would have served us. Furthermore, I would stress this just as vehemently as I would if a liberal organization attempted to bar conservatives from a liberal event open to all students and community members. In the end, despite the assumption that we would be escorted out immediately, we were suffered to stay, and for that, I do commend them. They handled our presence in exactly the manner I would expect—a pull and push of polar opposites, vying for the free speech soapbox. It was what I expected to have happen in this democracy.

In closing, I would like to earnestly thank everyone who felt their Sunday afternoon was worth rescheduling to make this statement. Both Kim and I were impassioned and emboldened by your zeal and commitment and it is clear that nothing we did inside would have mattered much if we had come out to a silent street, full of security and fallen leaves. Instead, we were greeted by poor, tired people happily screaming themselves hoarse.

Although I, myself, was tired and thirsty coming out, again, I was re-invigorated by the sight and sounds of you. I picked up a sign, and started in: Barack the vote! Yes, we can!

Kriscinda Meadows is an adult student, activist, and freethinker, who organized the protest of Cindy McCain’s visit to Gettysburg College on Oct. 19

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