Karl Rove, Sith Lord of the far right, showed up in Northeast Ohio for another stop on his endless Bush Apology-Bash Obama tour. The Washington power broker spoke in Niles before a group of 400 fans for the Mahoning Valley McKinley Club dinner. The event was 35 clams a plate and closed to the media, but the Youngstown Vindicator went guerrilla and snuck in a reporter with a paid-for ticket. It got lively.
Rove’s appearance was actually picketed by war protesters (you remember those, right?), a crew that seems to have been led by the 25-year-old son of Trumbull County Commissioner Paul Hetlzel (awkward family dinners ahead?). The paper reports a group of about 20 demonstrators “shouted and hurled insults” at attendees. During the speech, the crew tried to ruffle Rove’s verbiage: they shouted from a bullhorn, banged metal together, and at one point entered the building and screamed “warmonger.” Once asked, the protesters left.
Rove was apparently unfazed by the lack of love. He took some stupid digs at Al Gore and criticized the Obama stimulus and health care legislation in his speech. After the event, Rove and Dick Goddard fought a light saber duel in the parking lot. It was a draw.
