McCain visit sparks loud reaction

BALTIMORE – John McCain made a quick pit stop in Maryland on Tuesday.

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee was joined by former Gov. Bob Ehrlich (R-Baltimore) for a fundraiser at the Center Club in Baltimore. A photo reception with McCain was priced at $2,300 per person, and the general reception required a donation of $1,000 per person.

During the reception, Ehrlich announced that the event brought in approximately $1 million to the McCain campaign. However, McCain will only be able to use these funds up until the Republican National Convention, according to Politico.

In an interview with PolitickerMD.com, Chris Cavey, the chair of Maryland for McCain, called the fundraiser “just a good event the whole way around.”

I was “very impressed with the Senator. He was at ease, very conversational,” he said.

“Every time I hear him he says, ‘I will never do anything to hurt this country’,” Cavey paraphrased. “I just feel comfortable when he says that.”

James Pelura, the MDGOP Chairman, said, “The mood in the place was electric.” Pelura also noted that McCain “doesn’t tailor his message to the group.”

While the attendees on the inside may have entered and left with a smile, the scene on the outside wasn’t as grand.

Protestors from ASCME and 1199SEIU circled the building prior to the event. One 1199SEIU member, Joyce Dukes told PolitickerMD.com, “We’re here to, not show support, but to let McCain know that, hey, we don’t want no parts of him.”

“We don’t want three or four more years of Bush tactics,” Dukes said.

Dukes, who has been a Central Sterile Processing Tech at the Maryland General Hospital for 39 years, denounced McCain’s stance on universal health care. “We’re fighting for the fact that all people need health care. Young, old, whatever. We know that he is more for the business people than he is just for the general workers,” she said.

James Pelura, however, told PolitickerMD.com that “the little bit of protest that was outside from ASCME” didn’t compute with him. Pelura pointed to McCain’s position on cutting taxes, which he felt was something that would be beneficial to union members.

ASCME and 1199SEIU members also joined Democratic Party officials for a “McSame as Bush” news conference on Monday. The MDGOP quickly denounced the event.

Though McCain rarely visits the Free State, Cavey mentioned that he felt confident McCain would return prior to the November election.