©2005 Reading Eagle Company
By Jason Brudereck
Reading Eagle
A year after his visit to Kutztown University, President Bush’s approval rating is at one of its lowest points.
But opinions have not changed among the loyal Republicans who had the chance to meet with Bush in Kutztown that day and among the Democrats who protested his visit.
"He’s a man of his word," said Dale Stump, 47, a Bethel Township Republican. "What he stands for — integrity, the sanctity of marriage, pro-life — he still stands for. He hasn’t lowered his standards."
"Or changed them," added Stump’s wife, Sharon, 40, also a Republican.
So then why is Bush at or near his lowest approval rating, with most who participated in recent polls saying they disapprove of the job Bush is doing?
"We can be right and still be unpopular," Dale Stump said. "Popularity doesn’t necessarily mean a man is doing all the right things."
"I think we’re forgetting what he’s done to protect us," Sharon Stump added. "I don’t have that fear anymore when I would worry about car bombs and terrorists.
"I know there’s a lot going on in Iraq, but we have a comfort zone here. The president said he has to be right 100 percent of the time and the terrorists don’t".
The Stumps, James and Debbie Griesemer of Wyomissing and Roger J. and Etta Schmidt of Bern Township were chosen as the Berks Republicans to meet Bush at the Home Town Diner in Breinigsville in July 2004 shortly before appearing with him at a speech at Kutztown University.
The Stumps and the Griesemers also were among 600 Americans who were invited to a holiday reception with Bush at the White House in December.
The Griesemers declined to comment for this article.
The Schmidts still support Bush.
Likewise, many of the protesters from that day in Kutztown still oppose the president, said Cindy O’Neil, a Democrat who allowed about 300 protesters to gather on her lawn in Kutztown the day Bush was down the street at the university’s Keystone Hall.
"I don’t think my opinion has changed a whole bunch, other than to feel a lot more negative toward him," she said.
ONeil’s son, Joshua Neyhart, 17, and his cousin, Casey O’Neil, 17, had tickets to see the campaign event, but were kicked out of Keystone Hall, apparently because the Secret Service discovered Cindy O’Neil had allowed the protesters on her lawn.
O’Neil, 41, who now lives in Greenwich Township, said she plans to keep her campaign sticker for former presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry on her car until someone other than Bush is in the Oval Office.
She said she has had many relatives in the military, so she supports the U.S. troops in Iraq but not the war.
Bush has tried and failed to connect the war to the terror attacks on September 11, 2001, said O’Neil, an elementary school teacher.
"Yeah, we’re glad Saddam Hussein is gone, but Iraq just isn’t stable enough," she said. "Now it’s a tough question about whether we should leave."
During the Vietnam War, Americans were exposed to details about casualties and graphic photographs of atrocities, such as the famous photo of a naked girl fleeing a napalm attack, she said.
"We’re not seeing the details of what’s happening in Iraq," she said. "The children aren’t allowed to see the horror."
It is difficult to know what to make of the war in Iraq, both the Stumps and Roger Schmidt said.
"If we could end the war in Iraq, we’d see those approval numbers increase significantly," said Schmidt, who has a photo in his office of himself with Bush on the day of the Kutztown campaign event.
As a former lieutenant in the Navy Seabees, Schmidt said he supports Bush and the troops, but he didn’t want to offer specific opinions about the war.
"Everyone would like to see it end; there’s no doubt about that," he said.
The Stumps said they simply must trust Bush on the issue.
"I don’t know enough details to completely answer how I feel about it," Sharon Stump said. "I trust the president and his Cabinet are doing the best they can with what they have."
"I would answer that this way:
The men and women over there have chosen to do that and act under their commander in chief," said Dale Stump, a construction contractor. "They’re getting paid to do that just as I get paid to risk my life by going up on a roof.
"I support the troops and president.
"Anything we do that would not defend our freedoms would negate any time, lives and effort we have spent so far in our history to defend our freedoms."
Plus, the country’s problems, such as rising oil prices, can’t be blamed only on Bush, the Stumps said.
"There’s a lot of things out of his control," Sharon Stump said. "He’s not the only person on Capitol Hill."
But overall, the country is doing well, the Stumps and Schmidt agreed.
Schmidt said an economy strong enough to support his businesses is the key to satisfying him — he is president of EJB Paving & Materials Co. and a partner in E.J. Breneman Inc., both Spring Township companies.
"If we’re doing OK here, I’m pretty much happy," Schmidt said.
A year after the Kutztown event, Schmidt’s companies have hired 17 more people for a total of 135 employees between them.
Schmidt said he’s particularly pleased the president recently signed the $286.4 billion transportation-improvement bill, although Bush had previously threatened to veto it because Congress approved more money than Bush requested.
"Obviously, people like myself would like to see higher numbers in a bill like that, but we’re just glad the bill was passed," said Schmidt, whose companies often handle government transportation and paving projects.
Schmidt said he’s spending another $800,000 on equipment to expand the company this year, which is what he told Bush he was doing last year as well.
The Stumps said they and their business are also doing fine with the same four full- and part-time employees they had last year.
"We have as much work as we can handle," Dale Stump said. "We’re doing well under this president."
Contact reporter Jason Brudereck at 6l0-371-5O44 or jbrudereck@readingeagle.com.
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