Posted on 04/19/2008 4:08:40 PM PDT by Libloather
Rendell joins Chelsea Clinton for 'gay pub crawl' in Philly
by BRETT LIEBERMAN, Of The Patriot-News
Saturday April 19, 2008, 4:22 PM
Christopher Murray embraces Chelsea Clinton Friday night when the former first daughter campaigned with Gov. Ed Rendell and actor Rob Reiner during a pub crawl of gay bars in Philadelphia. They loved her hair; they smacked her butt; they hooted and hugged Friday night as Chelsea Clinton hit Philadelphia for what campaign aides called a "gay pub crawl." BRETT LIEBERMAN, The Patriot-News
"Chelsea, the gays love you!" Jeff Guaracino, 35, shouted as the former first daughter took the stage at Bumps, the first of four stops for Clinton, Gov. Ed Rendell and actor/producer Rob Reiner.
"Oh, gosh, I don't know if everybody loves me," responded Chelsea, who made her first visit to the city's gay clubs a couple of weeks earlier and has made similar stops at gay bars in other cities while campaigning for her mother, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
The reception was no less enthusiastic at the second stop, Sisters, a lesbian bar, where women dancing to Kool and the Gang's "Celebration" barely allowed Chelsea to speak because they kept interrupting her.
Out on the streets, Chelsea Clinton was like a pied piper, leading her dates for the night, Gov. Ed Rendell and actor/director Rob Reiner, and a throng of well-wishers that included transvestites, gay men and lesbians.
With Tuesday's primary days away, the gay bar tour shows how much the campaigns are courting the gay vote, which by some estimates represents as much as 5 percent of the city's vote.
"This is where the voters are," said Rendell as he walked with Bill Wood, the founder of Woody's, the most famous of the city's gay bars and the final stop of the night around 1 a.m.
Rendell's been a regular at the gay bars since he ran for district attorney in 1977, when he was credited with being the first straight candidate to court the gay vote. He made a similar campaign swing through the neighborhood in 2004 for John Kerry.
"These are important voters; they're smart; they're sophisticated, and they turn out in large numbers and always have," Rendell said.
It couldn’t get much more disgusting than this. Well, yes it could. At least a donkey wasn’t part of the festivities.
Maybe next time... ;-)
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