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One Clinton supporter traveled from Africa
By Carol Biliczky
and Jim Carney
Beacon Journal staff writers
Published on Wednesday, Mar 05, 2008
Anthony Konecny voted for Bush — twice — but all that was behind him on Tuesday.
He was among several hundred Barack Obama supporters who crowded the Highland Theater in West Akron for popcorn, pretzels, drinks and the chance to watch the election returns on the theater's cavernous screen.
Konecny said he was so inspired by Obama that he had been volunteering 15 to 20 hours a week since November, making 300 calls in the last three weeks alone.
Despite the efforts of volunteers like Konecny, Hillary Clinton carried Summit County and the state. At the Barley House in downtown Akron, her supporters were jubilant.
When CNN predicted her victory in Ohio, everyone jumped to their feet, cheering, screaming, hugging.
Nancy Ulrich — the first to arrive at the party and nervous as the night unfolded — could only use superlatives to express her reaction.
''Great! Fantastic! Super fantastic!'' she exulted.
Earlier in the day, she had waved a Clinton sign in front of her candidate's
headquarters on East Market Street for two hours. On Monday, she had waved signs for five hours for Clinton.
When the race was declared too close to call earlier Tuesday night, the Akron resident was philosophical: ''If Hillary can sustain a loss, I can sustain a loss.''
About 50 people, many of whom had worked for the candidate in recent days, watched election results on a wide-screen TV at the Barley House.
Mary Lipply, 42, of Stow, who voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004 and considers herself an independent, said she voted for Clinton on Tuesday because of her experience.
''I'm not doing it because she's a woman,'' said Lipply, an executive assistant. ''I know I'm stealing Obama's line, but we need a change and she's gonna help do it.''
Geri Ashby, 59, of Akron, said she has been waiting for a woman to be elected to the White House since she was a teenager.
''This is historic,'' said Ashby, who got Clinton's autograph at a campaign appearance in Akron on Sunday.
The Clinton supporter who traveled the farthest to the gathering had to be Soppo Ngalle, 46, of Cameroon, Africa.
She met Clinton in 1995 when she took a group of women to a conference in China, she said. Ngalle came to Akron Saturday to campaign on Clinton's behalf.
''We want to see a woman in command in the U.S. to see how that would work,'' she said. ''She can resolve a lot of problems in the U.S. and in the world.''
Denny Proux, 61, a business consultant from Akron who had volunteered for Clinton, was thrilled to be with other supporters.
''This was worth every minute'' of his time, he said, beaming, as the results were announced.
Obama supporters at the Highland Theater were subdued but optimistic.
When Dan Milo, a social studies teacher at Archbishop Hoban High School, led his 10th-graders through an Internet exercise last week to compare their beliefs against those of the original Democratic candidates to get their best fit, he noticed that those who fell in the Clinton camp were quiet.
''I hate to say it, but the students were . . . well, reluctant to say it,'' he said.
Clinton supporters also were less visible when students were allowed to wear T-shirts and buttons to support their candidates. While many students wore Obama T-shirts, Clinton supporters tended to wear small buttons, he said.
Dan Sojourner, a probation officer for the Akron Municipal Court, took Tuesday off from work to canvass for Obama.
''My attitude used to be, 'Politics is politics. Nothing is going to change,' '' he said. ''Now it feels different.''
Carol Biliczky can be reached at 330-996-3729 or cbiliczky@thebeaconjournal.com. Jim Carney can be reached at 330-996-3576 or jcarney@thebeaconjournal.com.
Anthony Konecny voted for Bush — twice — but all that was behind him on Tuesday.
Get the full article here.
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