podesta_email_17789.txt

podesta-emails 12,849 words email
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					www.americansunitedforchange.org
<http://www.americansunitedforchange.org/> 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jeremy
Funk, 202-470-5878

Date: November 14th, 2008
Julie Blust, Traveling Press Secretary, 267-242-1752

The Bush Legacy Bus Decommissioned After Coast-to-Coast Tour

Mission Accomplished: 5 Months, 42 States, 23,549 Miles, 150 Stops Later
- the Failures of 8 Years of Bush-Conservative Governance Cemented Into
History for Millions of Americans

www.BushLegacyTour.com <http://www.bushlegacytour.com/> 

Washington D.C. - 42 States, 23,549 miles, and 150 stops later,
progressive issue-advocacy group Americans United for Change
<http://www.americansunitedforchange.org/> today officially
decommissioned its 45 foot long, 28 ton Bush Legacy Bus, bringing an end
to a successful national tour launched near the White House on June
24th. In an historic year, one that supporters of President George W.
Bush dubbed his "legacy year,"
<http://www.usnews.com/blogs/washington-whispers/2008/1/10/a-bush-boost-
gop-banks-on-it.html?s_cid=rss:washington-whispers:a-bush-boost-gop-bank
s-on-it> the Bush Legacy Bus, a museum-on-wheels featuring several
interactive exhibits on how eight years of Bush-conservative governance
harmed our national security while sacrificing so many important key
domestic priorities, was visited by tens of thousands of Americans
throughout the country and was seen and heard on local television, radio
and newspapers by millions more, with a "Cumulative Est. Publicity
Value" of over $2.5 million, according to Critical Mention
<http://www.criticalmention.com/report/7770x46244.htm> media service.
*See below for a compilation of pictures, local TV and news paper clips,
and notable quotables from the tour. Click Here to Download
High-Resolution Bus Photos <http://www.bushlegacytour.com/tourmedia> 

The majority of the tour stops took place near the hometown constituent
offices of President Bush's conservative backers in Congress --
including stops in 51 battleground congressional districts and 33
battleground Senate states -- where Members' record of voting in lock
step with Bush's
<http://www.cqpolitics.com/cq-assets/cqmultimedia/flash/votestudy/index.
html> failed policies were spotlighted, including Senator Sununu (NH),
Senator Smith (OR), Rep. Walberg (MI), Rep. Knollenberg (MI), Rep.
Chabot (OH), Rep. Keller (FL), Rep. Feeney (FL), Rep. Drake (VA),
Senator Dole (NC), Representative Porter (NV), Representative Sali (ID),
Representative Kuhl (NY), Rep. Hayes (NC), Rep. Musgrave (CO), and Rep.
English (PA). 

Jeremy Funk, of Americans United for Change: "It is our hope that the
Bush Legacy Project helped extinguish any future effort of supporters of
this President to try to redefine and reenvision the Bush legacy as
anything less than a disaster. But this effort wasn't just about Bush -
it was about the conservative ideology he and his allies in Congress
represented. Conservative ideology rails against government, argues
that government is the problem, not the solution. So when a government
run by conservatives is faced with the most important responsibility any
government has - to protect its citizens - is it any wonder you wind up
with a tragedy of epic proportions like Hurricane Katrina?" 

"It is our hope that conservative ideology as a governing philosophy is
now itself history," continued Funk. "Conservatives had it their way in
Washington for 6 years, and today, we're facing the worst economic
crisis since the Great Depression thanks to their insistence on
irresponsible government deregulation, misguided tax breaks for the
rich, and marching the nation into a $3 trillion, bloody and needless
war in Iraq. Since Bush took office, 7 million more Americans are
without health insurance and the cost of healthcare, groceries,
medicine, and gas has exploded. Tens of thousands of Americans each
week are losing their jobs, their homes, and their dignity. The big
oil, drug and insurance companies had an all-access pass to this White
House and the Republican-controlled Congress while middle-class
Americans families were left behind. Millionaires and big corporations
that outsourced U.S. jobs were handed more and more tax breaks that
never managed to 'trickle-down' to anyone else. Enough was enough. The
American people delivered their verdict on the Bush-conservative legacy
on November 4th, and it is our hope that we helped create an enduring
progressive majority that will continue to offer real solutions the
American people have been looking for to provide quality and affordable
healthcare for all, move the economy forward, and keep the eye on the
ball of real threats to our national security." 

The Bush Legacy Bus visited symbolic and historic sites like the
Superdome <http://www.americansunitedforchange.org/bushlegacy/blog/P20/>
, Bush's home away from home in Crawford, TX, both the Democratic and
Republican national conventions, "The Birthplace of the Republican Party
<http://www.americansunitedforchange.org/bushlegacy/archives/birthplace_
of_the_republican_party> ," Mt. Rushmore, the St. Louis Arch
<http://www.americansunitedforchange.org/bushlegacy/archives/underneath_
the_arch_in_st_louis> , the Alamo, the Grand Canyon, and the Florida
Supreme Court in Tallahassee. The bus even ran into
<http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/presidentbush/2008/09/kodak-moment-mc.h
tml> Senator John McCain's 'Straight Talk Express' during our
travels...twice.
<http://www.politico.com/blogs/anneschroeder/1008/Hide_and_Seek_with_the
_Bush_and_McCain_buses.html> 

A number of groups have sponsored or partnered with AUFC on the Bush
Legacy Bus, including Center for American Progress Action Fund, AFSCME,
SEIU, AFL-CIO, VoteVets.org, MoveOn.org Political Action, Healthcare for
America Now and American Rights at Work, among others.

Local Television Highlights from the Bush Legacy Tour:

<http://www.americansunitedforchange.org/blog/entries/bush_legacy_tour_l
ocal_news_superstar/> 

 <http://www.bushlegacytour.com/page/invite/policeblockade> 

Miami, FL

<http://www.wacotrib.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/08/07/08072008wa
cbushlegacytour.html> 

 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T46V8qvhtf4> 

Salt Lake City, UT

 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onjemTCz9Hk> 

Gulfport, MS, 10-9-08

 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yTWlvqfahc> 

Tallahassee, FL, 10-7-08

Highlights from the Bush Legacy Tour Photo Album: 

Red Rocks, CO, 8-22-08

The Alamo, 8-7-08

Las Vegas, 8-15-08

Superdome, New Orleans, LA, 10-11-08

"This one's for you, Katherine Harris!" - Florida Supreme Court,
Tallahassee, FL, 10-7-08

 <http://www.bushlegacytour.com/tourmedia> 
"A Monumental Failure" - The Bush Legacy Bus at Mt. Rushmore - July 20th

Where we've been...

Running Scared: Notable Responses to the Bush Legacy Tour from Bush's
Enablers in Congress

U.S. Rep. John "Randy" Kuhl (NY-29)
[Kuhl's] communications director, Meghan Tisinger, issued the following
statement: "Several objective watchdog groups have rated Congressman
Kuhl as an independent vote in the House and an independent voice for
western New York." [Fairport-ER Post, 7/1/08]

However, Representative Randy Kuhl says all administrations have some
dents. "I just think in the last six months of a president's term in
office, the energy that some people are using to try to create
controversy could be used in a more constructive way for the betterment
of the country," says Kuhl. [WETM TV, 7/1/08]

U.S. Rep. Bill Sali (ID-1)
"Is that a criticism or are they trying to flatter us?" responded Wayne
Hoffman, spokesman for Sali. "The congressman promised two years ago
he'd go to Washington, D.C. and fight for conservative Idaho values, and
he's done exactly that." However, Hoffman added, "Congressman Sali has
not voted in lockstep with President Bush. In fact, he has criticized
the president of a variety of different positions taken by the Bush
Administration, and he has been open about that." He cited Sali's
opposition to an energy bill that Bush signed into law, and his support
for veto overrides on funding for water projects and farm legislation.
[Spokesman Review, 7/21/08]

U.S. Senator James Inhofe (R-OK)
Josh Kivett, Inhofe campaign manager, said Inhofe is "an independent,
conservative" voice for Oklahoma who proved with his vote against the
Wall Street bailout that he does not always agree with the president.
"Sen. Inhofe has always fought for Oklahoma's interests in Washington
without regard to party or politics," Kivett said. [AP, 10/15/08]

U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME)
Executive Director of the Maine Republican
<http://www.wcsh6.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=89924&catid=2##>
Party, Julie Ann O'Brien says, "The bus is a humorous attempt at trying
to put blame on the President and conservatives for the state in which
our country is." She says the issues cannot be tied to conservatives in
an honest and direct way. [WCSH TV, 7/4/08]

U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent (PA-15)
Congressman Dent's office says the accusations are simply not true. It
says Dent is an independent in the House and his voting record proves
it. [WFMZ TV, 10/28/08]

U.S. Rep. James Walsh (NY-25)

"A busload of liberal followers isn't the kind of change New Yorkers are
looking for this election season. If Barack Obama wants to allow his
Democrat surrogates to continue their smear campaign that's his
prerogative, but New Yorkers are not at all confused about his 'new'
brand of politics," said Blair Latoff, a Republican National Committee
spokeswoman. [Syracuse Post-Standard, 7/2/08]

"It's laughable that the big government, pro-tax Washington-based
special interest group that sponsored this tour to deflect attention
from the fact that the Democrats in control of Congress have failed to
address the No. 1 issue impacting American families right now - sky-high
gas prices - chose a gas-guzzling, diesel fume-spewing bus to spread
their message across the country," said Dan Gage, a spokesman for Rep.
James Walsh, R-Onondaga. [Syracuse Post-Standard, 7/2/08]

U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg (MI-07)
Walberg spokesman Matt Lahr said that despite what his critics may say,
Walberg has been an "independent voice" and he "has not been beholden to
the president or to the Republican Party." "From opposing No Child
Left Behind and amnesty for illegal immigrants to supporting unemployed
Michigan workers, Congressman Walberg has stood up to President Bush
when necessary and been an independent voice for the 7th District,"
Walberg campaign manager Justin Roebuck said in a statement. [Jackson
Citizen-Patriot, 9/23/08]

U.S. Rep. Sam Graves (MO-06)
A spokesman [for Sam Graves] characterized the bus as a "media political
stunt by out of town groups whose arguments just don't hold water." [St.
Joe Now, 9/11/08]

U.S. Senator James Inhofe (R-OK)
Josh Kivett, Inhofe campaign manager, said Inhofe is "an independent,
conservative" voice for Oklahoma who proved with his vote against the
Wall Street bailout that he does not always agree with the president.
"Sen. Inhofe has always fought for Oklahoma's interests in Washington
without regard to party or politics," Kivett said. [AP, 10/15/08]

U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Sen. Orrin Hatch released this statement: "I always do what I believe is
right and in the best interest of our state and country. My positions
generally reflect the opinions of Utahns, and President Bush won Utah by
huge majorities in 2000 and 2004." [KSL TV, 8/19/08]

Notable Quotables from Visitors of the Bush Legacy Bus

Montgomery, AL
Zayne Smith, 28, of Montgomery, said she's heard many of the indictments
against the Bush administration, but to see all of that information
compiled in one place is eye-opening. "I think it puts it in black and
white," she said. "It makes me want to go and do more research and see
what the two candidates believe about these things." [Montgomery
Advertiser, 10/8/08]

Shay Farley, 32, of Montgomery said the exhibit makes a person realize
that a lot has transpired in the past eight years. "It's a lot to
stomach," she said. "Though this is called the Bush Legacy Tour, you
can't just blame one person. These things are the result of failed
leadership holistically." [Montgomery Advertiser, 10/8/08]

Ft. Wayne, IN
For Angie Wenzel, the visit to the bus, which made a two-hour stop at
201 E. Rudisill Blvd., was a chance for her to really think about the
Nov. 4 election. She said she saw the bus and said, "I just wanted to
see what this is about." [Ft. Wayne News Sentinel, 10/24/08]

Little Rock, AR

"A lot of people maybe kind of have forgotten," said John Paul Bodiak of
Little Rock. "It definitely outlines how much of a blunder it was."
[Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 9/13/08]

Nashville, TN

"It's good to see all the facts lined up in one place," said Jamie
McClanahan, who walked through the tour bus. "I learned some new facts,
like the stuff about his environment record." [Nashville City Paper,
9/17/08]

Bowling Green, KY

"I know everyone is talking about it now, but the gas prices jumped out
at me," said Michael Mason, who is studying history at Western Kentucky
University and who intends to vote for Sen. Barack Obama. "I forgot that
it only cost $15 to fill up eight years ago." [Bowling Green Daily News,
9/17/08]

Jackson, MI

"I was driving by on my way to lunch when I saw it," said Jaun Guerrero
of Jackson. "I said to myself, 'Forget the lunch, I'm fed up with the
Bush administration.'" [Jackson Citizen-Patriot, 9/23/08]

Melbourne, FL

"My job is now being done overseas -- I lost my house, I lost my car,
and my savings are gone," said Jane Daley of Melbourne, a former manager
at Intersil. "I wanted to see the true numbers behind the problems his
policies have caused." [Matt Reed, Florida Today, 10/2/08]

Shreveport, LA

Jan Pitts said she voted for Bush for his first term. "I trusted him to
do what he said he was going to do, and he's done all he can do to help
his wealthy friends." [Shreveport Times, 10/14/08]

Reginald Bayonne said he thought the information on the bus was "very
interesting and shocking." [Shreveport Times, 10/14/08]

St. Joseph, MO

Sandy Vandever took in the exhibits but left the partisanship to others.
"I just wanted to see it," she said. "It's part of our history." [St.
Joseph News-Press, 9/11/08]

Boise, ID

Rick Bateman said he supports Bush as "a good, Christian person" but
learned new information he'll consider as he decides how to vote in
November. "I didn't see anything falsified in there," said Bateman. [Dan
Pokey, Idaho Statesman, 7/22/08]

Erie, PA

Kimberly Kovic supports President Bush, but a walk through the Bush
Legacy Tour bus left her questioning Bush's priorities. "I've always
liked Bush, but there were things...in there that I didn't know about
and don't like," said Kovic, 31. [Erie Times-News, 7/1/08]

Odessa, TX

Grady Henry of Odessa said he liked the information the exhibit provided
on the war and the economy. He agreed with its conclusions on Bush. "I
think our government's become too secretive," he said. "Our founding
fathers gave us an open government, and we need to get back to that."
[Odessa American, 8/8/08]

Lileana Rubio said rising oil prices have been just one of the
disappointments in recent years. After turning 18, Rubio voted in her
first election in 2004 and said she had wanted Bush to finish what he
started but with the current situation in Iraq she wouldn't make the
same decision now. [Midland Reporter-Telegram, 8/9/08]

Portsmouth, NH

"It's definitely eye-opening," said Matt Gould, of Hudson. "It's a good
thing to see just what he's done and how he's going to leave office as
one of the worst presidents ever." [Portsmouth Herald, 7/6/08]

"But it also gives you more information to think about with the next
guy," said Julie Gould. "Where are we at and where do we want to go?"
[Portsmouth Herald, 7/6/08]

Dayton, OH

"It's very powerful to see the timetable and cause and effect of so many
of the administration's failed policies," said Marlene Ostrow, 49, who
traveled from Cincinnati to see the bio-diesel-powered rolling anti-Bush
museum at Courthouse Square in downtown Dayton. [Dayton Daily News,
6/26/08]

Fairport, NY

"I just feel this is an excellent way to get the word out on how corrupt
this administration has been and how it's hurt all of us forever," said
Carole Hoffman of Penfield. [Messenger Post Newspaper, 7/1/08]

Albuquerque, NM

One person who stopped in to see the bus thinks the money spent on Iraq
was the part of the exhibit that made the biggest impression. "You can
see how much time is going toward the war moment by moment both in the
nation and the state of New Mexico," Darlene Goodman told the New Mexico
Independent. [New Mexico Independent, 8/12/08]

Salt Lake City, UT

Bountiful resident Bill Ernest said, "It's seven years too late ... I
wish the people of Utah would have realized what was going on seven
years ago, maybe it would be different today." [KSL TV, 8/19/08]

Notable Local Newspaper Clips:

http://www.idahostatesman.com/207/story/448573.html

Popkey: Anti-Bush bus promotes liberal message, but keeps things
fair-minded and civil (Idaho Statesman) 

Edition Date: 07/22/08

I've been thinking lately about how the media too often get sucked into
covering the extremes. So when I went to see Big Labor's anti-Bush bus
on its stop in Boise on Monday, I expected more raw political character
assassination.

Instead, I found the message generally civil and in keeping with the
promises of Barack Obama and John McCain to run clean campaigns.

Yes, the bus was partisan. Yes, it assailed the president on the
economy, Iraq, health care and gas prices. There was rhetorical
hyperbole and a mean-spirited photograph of the vice president. But the
Bush Legacy Tour Bus was rooted in facts and within the bounds of
fair-minded campaign speech. 

I suspect the sponsors were relatively restrained because they know
voters have had a bellyful of name calling, distortions and lies.
Talking to folks who toured the bus Downtown suggests playing it
straight works.

Rick Bateman said he supports Bush as "a good, Christian person" but
learned new information he'll consider as he decides how to vote in
November. "I didn't see anything falsified in there," said Bateman.

Two personal experiences have Bateman, 54, troubled by the country's
direction. In 2004, his classmate from Borah High School, Rick Ulbright,
a civilian special agent with the Air Force, was killed in Iraq.

"This war has gone on way too long," said Bateman, who has worked at
Kmart for 28 years. "More people are losing their lives - for freedom,
yes, but whose freedom? Losing a friend like that at my age, I'm
thinking, Why?"

Another loss has Bateman asking how the next president will repair a
troubled health care system. Bateman's mother died in March. Watching
her suffer while waiting for drugs and helping her negotiate the
bureaucracy convinced him major reform is urgent. That will be a key in
his decision on who to support for president.

"I'm looking for someone who will truly help the people," he said, "not
just say it and run."

Sen. McCain was a victim of false campaign claims in South Carolina in
2000, when opponents said he had fathered an illegitimate black child.
Sen. Obama has been called a closet Muslim, and just last week, I got a
viral e-mail claiming, falsely, that he'd been secretly raising millions
on the Internet from Saudi bankers and the Chinese communist government.

McCain and Obama have promised us civil campaigns. Though both camps
have sniped, we've seen nothing like the scorched-earth tactics of 2000
and 2004. 

A good signal came Monday just before the bus rolled into town. McCain
and Obama agreed to their first joint appearance in a promising venue in
Southern California. They will appear Aug. 16 at the Saddleback Civil
Forum on Leadership and Compassion, organized by Rick Warren, an Orange
County, Calif., pastor of a 22,000-member church.

"This is a critical time for our nation and the American people deserve
to hear both candidates speak from the heart - without interruption - in
a civil and thoughtful format absent the partisan 'gotcha' questions
that typically produce heat instead of light," Warren said.

Warren has both candidates' support for his PEACE Plan, which aims to
have churches around the world focus on five issues: spiritual
emptiness, corrupt leadership, poverty, disease and illiteracy. Members
of his coalition, including Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders, will
meet as part of the forum that includes the candidates.

That's the kind of big-picture problem-solving Americans hunger for.

Kim Hoppie, a Boise bookbinder, stopped by the bus Monday. An Obama
supporter, she nevertheless said she was glad to see McCain playing
fair. 

"We've lost our civility and I think that's what makes people yell at
each other from car to car," Hoppie said. "We need to appreciate others'
points of view and their humanity."

Rep. Nicole LeFavour, D-Boise, also visited the bus, which is sponsored
by groups including the AFL-CIO, VoteVets.org and MoveOn.org.

LeFavour was pleased to see data on uninsured Americans, the growing gap
between the working-class and the wealthiest Americans and financial
connections between industry and policy-making. "It really did talk
about the issues ahead of us and solutions," LeFavour said. 

Recent history has made Americans skeptical of attack campaigns. That an
anti-Bush campaign backed by liberals is sticking to facts gives me hope
we'll have a conversation about addressing America's problems, not
demonizing the two honorable men seeking to lead us.

Dan Popkey: 377-6438 

http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080701/NEWS02/8070103
34/-1/NEWS

Tour bus blasts Bush's policies (Erie-Times News) 

By JESSICA LaDOW
[email protected]
Published: July 01. 2008 6:00AM

Richard Quiggle exits the Traveling Bush Legacy Museum which stopped in
Erie at the Intermodal Center during its national tour on June 30. The
45-foot, 28 ton bus, stopped outside the office of Representative Phil
English to draw attention to English's support of the Bush
administration policies. The bus was greeted by members of Americans
United for Change, Penn Action, the Erie Peace Initiative, and the Lake
Erie Alliance for Democracy. (Janet 

Kimberly Kovic supports President Bush, but a walk through the Bush
Legacy Tour bus left her questioning Bush's priorities.

"I've always liked Bush, but there were things...in there that I didn't
know about and don't like," said Kovic, 31.

That's exactly what organizers hoped would happen -- getting people to
think about the political agendas of Bush and his administration.

The Bush Legacy Tour came to Erie on Monday afternoon in the form of a
48-foot, 28-ton moving museum. The biodiesel-powered bus was parked in
the Intermodal Transportation Center lot on the Bayfront Highway to
showcase what the organizers say are the Bush administration's failed
foreign and domestic policies.

Erie was the sixth stop on the 50,000-mile tour sponsored by Americans
United for Change, a group that favors liberal solutions to public
issues.

The bus debuted in Washington, D.C., on July 23 and is scheduled to make
150 stops across the country.

Julie Blust of Americans United for Change said the bus isn't just about
attacking Bush.

"It's about the conservative philosophy of government," she said.

Exhibits featured posters, timelines and videos on issues that include
Iraq, the economy, Hurricane Katrina, the environment, health care,
workers' rights and education.

The bus came to Erie with help of Erie Penn Action, a community-issues
organization. The bus was parked as close as the group could arrange to
the office of U.S. Rep. Phil English, of Erie, R-3rd Dist.

"We want to let people know about the voting record of politicians in
their states as well," she said. "About those who supported the Bush
administration through the terrible things you see in there."

Blust said that English has a history of voting with the president on
issues. But English spokeswoman Julia Wanzco said that isn't true.

"Most objective watchdog groups have rated the congressman as an
independent vote in the House and an independent voice in northwestern
Pennsylvania," she said.

English voted with Bush 55 percent of the time, Wanzco said, citing the
August 2007 Congressional Quarterly Presidential Support Scores.

Despite the negative focus on the members of the Bush administration and
conservative politics, Richard McVay, field organizer from Erie Penn
Action, said the group isn't trying to sway voters to one side or the
other.

"We push issues, not candidates," he said.

Organizers said they hope to reach more people like Kovic.

Kovic is a registered Republican, but at one point wanted Sen. Hillary
Rodham Clinton to be president. Because Clinton is no longer a
candidate, Kovic settled on the presumptive Republican nominee, Sen.
John McCain.

But as the Girard resident prepared to board a Greyhound bus to
Cleveland to visit family, she found herself questioning her options.

"Now what do I do?" she said.

JESSICA LaDOW can be reached at 870-1854 or by e-mail.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2008/06/25/
ddn062608bushbus.html

 Anti-Bush group motors exhibit into Dayton (Dayton Daily News)

The Bush Legacy Bus will tour 150 cities in effort link John McCain to
president's policies.

By Lynn Hulsey <mailto:[email protected]> 

Staff Writer

Thursday, June 26, 2008 

DAYTON - An advocacy group brought the Bush Legacy Bus to Dayton on
Wednesday, June 25, the first stop on a five-month, 150-city tour
designed to bash President George Bush's record and to paint presumptive
Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain with the same broad
brush.

"It's very powerful to see the timetable and cause and effect of so many
of the administration's failed policies," said Marlene Ostrow, 49, who
traveled from Cincinnati to see the bio-diesel-powered rolling anti-Bush
museum at Courthouse Square in downtown Dayton.

Displays in the bus include timelines, videos and photographs outlining
what the advocacy group, Americans United for Change, believes are the
Bush Administration's disastrous policies and actions.

Displays covered Iraq, the economy, Hurricane Katrina, health care,
workers' rights and education. A large old-fashioned style gas pump sat
at the back of the bus, with an electronic display that could determine
the annual cost of gas to a consumer. Atop the pump was a round sign
with a large "W" in the middle and the words "Bush Cheney Oil," and at
the bottom, and one that said "GOP Grand Oil Party."

Asked to react to the group's message, Republican National Committee
spokeswoman Blair Latoff said, "The last thing Ohioans want or need is a
bus full of professional partisans rolling into town and tearing people
down. Ohio needs leadership and they are looking for someone like John
McCain who has demonstrated the capability and willingness to work on
both sides of the aisle to get things done."

McCain was targeted along with Bush in speeches by local government
officials and union and civil rights leaders. They asked the lunchtime
crowd to support Democratic Sen. Barack Obama for president and they
took particular aim at gas prices.

McCain is on the side of "big oil and corporate greed," said Wesley
Wells, executive director of the Dayton-Miami Valley AFL-CIO Regional
Labor Council.

"I agree with Senator Barack Obama. It's time for change. Don't you
agree?" Wells said.

Keith Lander, 45, of Dayton came downtown to see the tour bus and hear
the speakers. Given the state of the economy, high gas prices and the
war in Iraq, Lander said he doesn't see how anyone could vote for
Republicans in the fall. Those that do are "setting themselves up for
their own demise," Lander said.

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/06/19/bush-bashing-bus-to-hit-the-roa
d/

June 19, 2008, 12:17 pm

Bush-Bashing Bus to Hit the Road (The Wall Street Journal)

Susan Davis reports on the presidential race.

Americans United for Change <http://americansunitedforchange.org/about/>
is part of the growing Democratic effort to tie Republican presidential
candidate John McCain to President Bush with the launch of their
national "Bush Legacy Bus Tour"
<http://presidentbushlegacy.com/bushlegacy> next Tuesday in Washington,
D.C.

The "Bush Legacy Bus" during construction. The Democratic group
Americans United For Change is launching a national bus tour to define
the Bush legacy. 

The bus (view a slideshow of its construction here
<http://picasaweb.google.com/Pneaville/BusPicsForSharing?authkey=eH6fL3c
F5Hk> is a "museum on wheels dedicated to chronicling the disastrous
legacy of President Bush and the conservative policies he and his allies
have pursued." The McCain tie-in is featured on the bus, where his
picture is displayed in an exhibit on the war in Iraq.

The bus hits the road June 24, and is scheduled to make about 150 stops
between now and Election Day, said Brad Woodhouse, the group's
president. The bus is scheduled to travel to some 41 states, and
Woodhouse estimates that as many as half the stops will be parking the
bus outside the house of Republican House and Senate members. 

"This bus is not about bashing Bush, it is about holding him and
everyone in Congress, including McCain, who voted for his agenda 90% of
the time or more accountable for the war, the economy, the health care
mess, etc.," Woodhouse said.

House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio and Senate Republican Leader
Mitch McConnell of Kentucky can expect a bus visit shortly after the
D.C. launch. It will also appear at the party conventions in late
summer, as well as swings through New Orleans and Crawford, Texas.

Permalink
<http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/06/19/bush-bashing-bus-to-hit-the-ro
ad/> | Trackback URL:
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icle.jsp?articleId=9813924&siteId=7

Bush-protesting tour bus stops in Norwalk (The Stamford Advocate) 

By Brian Lockhart
Staff Writer
Stamford Advocate

Article Launched:

NORWALK - Gail Wall, who spent 40 years in New Orleans until moving to
Connecticut, has a hard time finding polite, printable language to
describe the Bush administration's response to Hurricane Katrina. 

"It simply is unconscionable. We respond to countries in need, but we
could not respond to our own citizens and the Gulf Coast," said Wall,
who speaks bitterly about the friends she lost three years ago when the
New Orleans levees broke. 

Wall, a former Republican who now heads the Norwalk Democratic Town
Committee, was in the crowd gathered at the Silver Star Diner yesterday
afternoon to greet a new mobile display designed to discourage voters
from returning a Republican to the White House in November. 

The Bush Legacy Bus left Washington, D.C., in late June. Dubbed a
"rolling museum" by its sponsor group, Americans United for Change, the
45-foot-long, 28 ton, biodiesel-powered bus has scheduled 150 stops this
summer and fall, including the Republican and Democratic national
conventions. 

It rolled into Norwalk after 4 p.m. and left for Newark, N.J., two hours
later. 

The bus exterior is hard to miss, with a large portrait of the 43rd
president adorning its side, beside phrases including "economy in
crisis," "endless Iraq War," "Healthcare's a Mess" and "Record Gas
Prices." 

Inside the bus, visitors can look up what the Iraq war has cost their
state (an estimated $12.9 billion for Connecticut), view the boots, dog
tags and family photos of Army Sgt. Patrick McCaffrey, whose death in
2004 by Iraqis posing as friendly national guardsmen was initially
misreported to his family and listen to recorded testimonies from
citizens who have struggled with the health care system. 

They can also use a mock gasoline pump to determine how much fuel prices
have increased since Bush took office in 2001 and follow a detailed
timeline of the government's response to Hurricane Katrina, including
recorded news footage. 

"It's a very powerful display of everything we as Americans are facing
at this time," said Tom Swan, who ran Greenwich Democrat Ned Lamont's
insurgent 2006 campaign against U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, a
self-proclaimed independent Democrat. 

Swan also heads the Connecticut Citizen Action Group, which helped bring
the bus tour to town. 

The museum lost much of its potency yesterday when a faulty generator
left the interior dark and many of the displays inoperable. The bus also
was without air-conditioning. 

Julie Blust, an Americans United for Change spokeswoman, hoped the
generator would be working again by tomorrow when the bus makes its next
stop in Newark. 

The Advocate yesterday asked some prominent local Republicans to visit
the bus to share their thoughts, but House Minority Leader Lawrence
Cafero, R-Norwalk, was busy in Hartford and Norwalk GOP leader Art
Scialabba said he could not get away from work. 

Cafero called Bush's legacy "a very complex thing to analyze." 

President "Reagan . . . was known as the 'Great Communicator.' George
Bush is the opposite. He was a terrible communicator of his ideas and
polices, and he gave the impression of rigidness, arrogance and
nonflexiblity," Cafero said. "As a result of that - in allowing others
to report his policies and his actions being filtered through the press
- it has created a very negative sentiment toward the man." 

A recent Gallup Poll found Bush's job approval rating at 30 percent. 

Scialabba noted the Democrat-led Congress had an even lower rating - 19
percent, according to Gallup. 

He also believes the current president is getting a bum rap,
particularly on the Iraq war. 

"It was approved by Congress," Scialabba said. "It's cost us billions.
(But) so far over the last eight years, knock wood, we haven't been
attacked again. I think years from now his legacy will become clearer."

http://www.nj.com/news/times/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-13/1215662718
293710.xml&coll=5

'Bush Legacy Bus' rolls through Trenton (The Times of Trenton) 

Thursday, July 10, 2008 

BY LINDA STEIN

TRENTON -- A bit of political theater came to town yesterday in the form
of a big, blue bus with an anti-Bush, anti-Republican message. 

Dubbed the "Bush Legacy Bus," and run by Americans United for Change,
the bus parked in front of the State House for several hours yesterday
and offered exhibits about President Bush's policies on global warming,
education, health care, the economy, high oil prices, the gap between
the rich and the poor and the ongoing Iraq war. 

The exhibits inside the bus, which has the feel of a museum, include a
display on global warming highlighting Bush's failure to sign the Kyoto
treaty on climate change and his plans for oil drilling in the Arctic. 

A gas tank at the rear of the bus displays the logo "Bush & Cheney Oil"
around a large "W." 

Other displays include documentation of the income gap between the rich
and the poor, a large photographic depiction of the aftermath of
Hurricane Katrina and information about the war in Iraq, which includes
the boots of a fallen soldier. 

The Rev. Robert Moore, executive director of the Princeton-based
Coalition for Peace Action, spoke to reporters, saying the bus is "an
example of speaking truth to power." 

Bush's policies "have been nothing but disastrous. He has neo-conned us
into a war" that cost more than 4,000 American lives, an estimated 1.2
million Iraqi lives and billions of dollars, Moore said. 

Moore, whose group has more than 3,000 members, also blamed the New
Jersey Republicans in Congress for supporting Bush and approving funds
for the war. 

That was also the theme for La donna Blount, a spokesperson for New
Jersey Citizen Action, a group that also sponsored the bus visit to the
state. 

Julie Blust, with Americans United for Change, which calls it self an
"issue-advocacy group," said the bus, which is powered by bio- diesel,
will visit 41 states over the next five months and has made stops in six
states since hitting the road last month. The bus will appear at both
the Democratic and Republican conventions and will go to Crawford,
Texas, where Bush has a ranch. 

Today it moves on to Philadelphia and Baltimore. It will also stop at
the hometowns of Bush's congressional allies, Blust noted. 

"We want to hold accountable those who helped Bush," she said. "We
mustn't forget that Bush didn't do it alone." 

Andrew Coleman, a state worker who lives in Spring Lake Heights, checked
out bus yesterday. 

"It's great," he said. "It's very much needed." Coleman blamed the media
for ignoring a lot of Bush-related issues. 

"While Democrats continue to engage in their blame-game agenda, the
American people are still waiting for this Democrat-led Congress to
start putting the priorities of working Americans first, especially when
it comes to the sky rocketing cost of gasoline," said Ken Spain, the
press secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee,
when asked to comment about the bus. 

"After a year and a half of being in control of Congress, Democrats have
nothing to show for it other than record-low approval ratings," he said.

For more information about the Bush Legacy Bus, go to 
www.americansunitedforchange.org
<http://www.americansunitedforchange.org/> .

Tour bus protesting President Bush's term in office comes to Crawford
(KCEN-TV NBC)

http://www.kcentv.com/news/c-article.php?cid=1&nid=16248 
Watch Video
<http://www.kcentv.com/adsystem/adclick.php?bannerid=196&zoneid=&source=
&dest=http://www.kcentv.com/video/8-4/wed/bus0086.wmv> 

Updated: Aug 6, 2008 7:02pm
Another protest came through Crawford Wednesday anti-Bush protestors
brought in a bus that has been converted into a museum. 

Supporters say it's meant to call attention to the low points of the
Bush administration in the past 8 years. a 45 foot, 28 ton decorated
tour bus made its way through the streets of Crawford. but, there's no
celebrity to the dismay of some residents, it's meant to protest
Crawford's own President Bush. 

"We like our small town atmosphere and when all the people come in it
kind of ruins the vibe." Scott Dent said. but, the 'Americans United for
Change' group wheeled in and parked anyway. "We're taking aim at the
conservative policies that Bush and his allies have supported." Julie
Bluest with the Bush Legacy tour said. 

They call it the Bush Legacy Tour and as the slogans on the outside
state, they are not pleased the administration's approach to economy,
war, and gas. 

The inside of the bus can best be described as a museum on wheels, the
floor decorated with a timeline of Bush's time in office, the walls
decorated with different issues he's faced like the post Katrina
response time. 

Some who stopped by seemed pleased with the $1million interactive tour
that jabs the administration from just about every conceivable angle.
But at that price tag is some say it's not worth it. 

But, not everyone who stopped by was impressed some Crawford residents
came out to protest. Marcus Compton thinks it's silly to devote time and
money to an outgoing president. "Its unfair to everybody, I mean really,
nobody's interested." Compton said. 

The Bush Legacy Tour is scheduled to make 150 stops from coast to coast.
Organizers say the bus will be making stops in the hometowns of some
members of congress as well. after leaving Crawford the tour bus headed
to Fort Worth. 

Bush bashing bus in Basin

Visitors to the Bush Legacy Bus check out the exhibits at the bus' stop
Friday in Odessa. The bus, operated by Ameri-cans United for Change,
examines the president's legacy in a mobile format that tours the
country.

Mark Sterkel|Odessa American

The 'Bush Legacy Bus' - an anti-President Bush group - stopped at the
Ector County Courthouse Friday as part of its national tour to publicize
issues with the Bush presidency and its supporters.

Mark Sterkel|Odessa American

Bush bashing bus in Basin (Odessa American)

BY GEOFF FOLSOM <mailto:[email protected]> 

http://www.oaoa.com/news/bus_19856___article.html/legacy_bush.html 

August 8, 2008 - 12:32PM

A different kind of presidential museum rolled into town Friday. And
it's probably one President George W. Bush will want to skip.

The Bush Legacy Tour, featuring a 45-foot-long "museum on wheels,"
parked in front of Ector County Courthouse for a couple hours Friday.

Julie Blust, the tour's press secretary, said the bus aims to link
legislators like Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn with the outgoing
president. Both are Republican senators from Texas.

"These conservative folks want to run away from him," Blust said. "But
he's so unpopular in so much of the country right now that we want to
make sure he's held accountable."

The biodiesel-fueled bus tour was funded by Americans United for Change,
a group founded in 2005 to fight the privatization of Social Security.
It was also sponsored by labor unions, as well as groups like MoveOn.org
Political Action, VoteVets.org and Healthcare for America Now.

Exhibits on the bus included "The Road to Global Meltdown" which gave
information on Bush's environmental policies, as well as videos on the
Iraq War and Hurricane Katrina, complete with Bush telling former
Federal Emergency Management Agency director Michael Brown he's "doing a
heck of a job."

In the middle of the bus is a gas pump belonging to the "Grand Oil
Party."

Grady Henry of Odessa said he liked the information the exhibit provided
on the war and the economy. He agreed with its conclusions on Bush.

"I think our government's become too secretive," he said. "Our founding
fathers gave us an open government, and we need to get back to that."

Blust said the Odessa visit was added late because the group was on its
way to New Mexico and wanted to make a stop in the president's native
area. Any anger over the bus seemed to have more to do with its blocking
one lane of Grant Ave than its political message.

Although he said he wasn't familiar with the bus tour, U.S. Rep. Mike
Conaway, R-Midland, said Friday he took issue with its description of
Bush harming national security, ruining the economy and threatening
Social Security.

"I disagree with that laundry list," he said. "I think it's wrongheaded
and not based in fact."

Conaway said it's more important to focus on issues facing the country
in the future like energy independence and controlling government
spending.

"Bush is not running for re-election," he said. "We'll let history take
care of evaluating the Bush presidency."

But Blust said it doesn't matter that Bush won't be president past
January.

"That's a question I get a lot," she said. "Essentially what we're
trying to do is cement his legacy while he's still in office."

Anti-Bush bus rolls into Farmington; Republicans say stop the whining

By Alysa Landry - The Daily Times

Article Launched: 08/12/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT

http://www.daily-times.com/ci_10172026?IADID=Search-www.daily-times.com-
www.daily-times.com 

<http://www.daily-times.com/portlet/article/html/imageDisplay.jsp?conten
tItemRelationshipId=2055872> 

FARMINGTON - Few topics are more polarizing than politics.

That's why emotions are expected to run wild today when the National
Bush Legacy Bus Tour comes to Farmington.

The 45-foot, 28-ton museum on wheels will park at the Gateway Museum for
two hours beginning at 11 a.m. today while people tour interactive
exhibits that organizers claim demonstrate "eight years of failed
Bush/conservative policies."

Sponsored by the nonprofit, nonpartisan group Americans United for
Change, the bus is not part of an anti-Bush or anti-conservative
movement, spokeswoman Lauren Weiner said.

"The exhibits are designed to make people think," she said. "We're just
trying to educate Americans on what the Bush legacy has meant for the
country and what his conservative allies in Congress have done."

Organizers of the tour, which began June 24 in Washington, D.C., and
will continue through election day, plan to stop in 150 cities,
traveling 50,000 miles and reaching 100,000 voters.

The tour is funded through donations from labor organizations, veterans
groups and private individuals, Weiner said. 

The bus is full of interactive exhibits that allow patrons to calculate
the increase in fuel costs since Bush took office, watch videos about
the "mismanaged" Iraq War and "epic failure of leadership" in the
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and learn more about health care and
economic policies.

"A lot of people have visited the bus who are familiar with the
(issues)," Weiner said. "There's a lot of reflection going on when
people walk through the bus. They might have realized how some policies
work, but when you put everything together in one place, it makes people
stop and do a double-take. We're showing numbers and facts that don't
shine a positive light on the administration, but that's how it was."

Rod Montoya, chairman of the San Juan County Republican party, said the
museum exhibits contain some obvious flaws.

"Unfortunately, the obvious always seems to be missed," he said. "We
have not been attacked since Sept. 11 on our homeland. The purpose of
the military is to protect us, and they've done exactly that. I'd rather
be fighting overseas than on our streets."

On Hurricane Katrina, Montoya said the local government failed long
before it called for reinforcements from the Bush administration.

"People who want to blame Bush miss the fact that local government
completely failed the residents in New Orleans," he said. "The people
lived in a town that is below sea level, then a hurricane hits. It's
hard to blame the federal government for that."

Montoya further contended that Bush could only sign legislation
presented to him by Congress.

"People seem to forget that the president signs legislation, he doesn't
create legislation," he said. 

Despite its theme, the bus has attracted conservative voters, including
those who support Bush, Weiner said.

"We haven't had any protests or vandals yet," she said. "We're more than
happy to take the skeptics and walk them through the exhibits."

Montoya said the local Republican Party likely won't protest or visit
the bus.

"For the most part, the Democrats and the liberals are the ones who
cry," he said. "The Republicans are going to go to work every day and
leave the whining to the other side."

Because the bus will be parked on private property owned by a public
entity, tour organizers sought permission from the city. City Manager
Rob Mayes approved the request on the grounds of free speech, he said.

"Obviously we are supportive of free speech," he said. "As long as a
group is not causing a safety hazard or blocking a roadway, we're happy
to allow those kind of events regardless of political view or ideology."

Alysa Landry: [email protected]

Anti-Bush bus tour makes stop in Utah (KSL TV)
August 19, 2008

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=481&sid=4054632 

A national bus tour criticizing the Bush presidency made a stop in Utah
today. The museum on wheels takes direct aim at the policies and
decisions of George Bush and his administration. 

"Disastrous" is what the people behind the bus tour call the Bush
legacy. The president is more popular here than in most states, but a
stop here in Salt Lake drew plenty of folks who agree with the sentiment
behind the tour. 

In an election year, it's the perfect vehicle for public discontent. An
unpopular president, another tight election, and a group, this time
progressives with Americans United for Change, trumpeting what they see
as a list of failures from the party in charge. 

 <http://media.bonnint.net/slc/640/64066/6406654.jpg> 
<http://media.bonnint.net/slc/640/64066/6406654.jpg> 

Las Vegas resident Stacey Gray said, "I think it's a great way to put
the message across that Bush isn't as great as people think he was." 

President Bush is still very popular in Utah with a 55 percent approval
rating, that's higher than any other state. But this isn't all about
him. The $700,000 tour visiting 150 cities hopes to link Bush to McCain
to help Obama. 

Today it's mostly an exercise in preaching to the converted. Those
visiting the bus we spoke with already had strong negative views about
Bush's handling of the war, the economy and Katrina. 

 <http://media.bonnint.net/slc/640/64066/6406660.jpg> 
<http://media.bonnint.net/slc/640/64066/6406660.jpg> 

Bountiful resident Bill Ernest said, "It's seven years too late ... I
wish the people of Utah would have realized what was going on seven
years ago, maybe it would be different today." 

Salt Lake City resident Jimmy Valdez said, "This war was unnecessary.
The loss of lives was unnecessary. I mean, it was just stupid. Bush
should have never gone in the first place. It was because of oil, more
or less, you know. But of course they don't want to admit that, you
know." 

The president's fans would undoubtedly see this as pure Bush-bashing,
but tour organizers say there's more than enough blame to go around. 

Julie Blust, the press secretary of the Bush Legacy Tour, said, "We want
to make sure we look at the conservative policies that Bush has
supported, that his allies in Congress have supported, and where they've
gotten us. And this bus is the exemplification of where it's gotten us."

Sen. Orrin Hatch released this statement: "I always do what I believe is
right and in the best interest of our state and country. My positions
generally reflect the opinions of Utahns, and President Bush won Utah by
huge majorities in 2000 and 2004." 

We left messages with the White House, the state Republican party and
Sen. Bennett, but our calls were not returned this afternoon. 

E-mail: [email protected] 

Anti-Bush bus stops in Capital City before DNC (Wyoming Tribune-Eagle)

http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2008/08/24/local_news_updates/20loca
l_082408.txt 

By Jodi Rogstad
[email protected]

CHEYENNE -- Most of the men, women and children -- carrying bags of
peaches and potatoes and pulling wagons -- walked past the 45-foot long
blue partisan spectacle bearing the president's face with nary a glance.

The Bush Legacy Bus was parked on 15th Street, just east of the former
Union Pacific depot. With the Cheyenne Farmer's Market going on, foot
traffic would be heavy here.

Julie Blust, a pert 29-year-old staffer from Cincinnati, said the museum
on wheels was issue-focused, not personality-focused.

It was about Bush's policies, not his gaffes at the podium or personal
life.

The non-profit behind the tour, Americans United for Change, has
sponsors such as MoveOn.org, Health Care for America, and AFL-CIO.

Whatever the political leanings of Cheyenne Farmer's Market shoppers, it
was a conversation starter.

Some seemed irritated and alienated by the liberal bias. "It's
disrespectful," said a woman to a boy as she looked at the bus. "That's
why I don't belong to that party anymore."

Two grandmotherly women with plastic shopping bags in hand paused and
tilted their heads upward to read it.

"Why bother going in?" said one to the other. "It's just going to bash
Bush."

Others indicated that they felt they just wouldn't learn anything they
didn't already know.

A mother pushing a stroller was saying something about gas prices.

"It's ridiculous," she said to her companion, without slowing her pace.

The bus set off something just plain gleeful in Bunny Millan of
Connecticut -- in Cheyenne to visit her son.

Laughing and excited, she directed her husband, Tito, to take a family
photograph with Bush's giant face as a backdrop.

They also snapped photos of a poster with Sen. John McCain giving Bush a
hug, captioned with "McBush."

Tito has an old friend in Texas. The two are aligned on opposite sides
of the political spectrum, and they like to give each other a hard time.
Tito says it's time for change; the Texan is still a staunch Bush
supporter.

The Texan is about to turn 75, Tito said, "and I'm really going to let
him have it."

Inside, the exhibit had these topics and messages:

- Education -- Bush's proposed Head Start budget would cut 14,000 slots

- The economy -- productivity is up by 20 percent, but wages are flat

- Pollution -- one in three national parks has increased pollution
levels that exceed EPA health standards

- Gas prices n In 2000, it cost $13.70 to fill a tank of gas, in 2008,
it cost $40.70

- Hurricane Katrina -- 120,000 people still displaced, New Orleans'
Ninth Ward is still in runs

- The war in Iraq -- Bush's "shifting" rationales for the attack were
all disproved

Three pre-teen boys took a break from selling newspaper subscriptions at
the farmer's market to check out the museum.

They were watching a slide show of the damage caused by the flooding of
Hurricane Katrina, which was accompanied by slow, melancholy piano
music. The music paused for Bush's disastrous sound bite: "Brownie,
you're doing a heckuva job."

"So is this telling us that Bush is the bad guy here," asked Christian
Robinson, age 13.

"They should have pictures of Iowa," said Chris Shay to her husband,
Mike, referring to that state's flooding of the Mississippi earlier this
year. "I bet they have it all fixed up by now."

"It's sad seeing it all at once," she said of the museum. "It makes me
want to cry."

The health-care display hit a sore spot with one woman.

"That's right," she said, walking away, throwing up her arms.
"Everyone's got access to health care. Just go to the ER!"

She was referring to Bush's quote displayed on the wall.

She told Blust she had racked up $68,000 in medical bills over the past
two years because the emergency room was her only option.

Cheyenne is the bus' last stop before the big excitement.

Today, it drives to Denver for the Democratic National Convention. From
there, it's St. Paul, Minn., for the Republican National Convention.

A STOP AT COLEMAN'S DOOR (Star Tribune)

The Bush Legacy Tour made a stop Monday night in Sen. Norm Coleman's St.
Paul neighborhood. But it's unlikely the senator was cheering. 

Inside the motor coach are panels on the Bush administration's handling
of Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, the economy, education, health care and
labor. The conclusion: the president has been pretty much a failure. 

But the larger statement, said spokeswoman Julie Blust, "is about the
conservative ideology that he has governed with." The tour is sponsored
by Americans United for Change, a progressive nonprofit organization. It
will be at Harriet Island Regional Park today, Blust said.

http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/conventions/27838764.html?p
age=2&c=y 

'Bush Legacy Tour' stops in St. Joseph (St. Joseph News-Press)

by Ken Newton <http://www.stjoenews.net/staff/ken-newton/> 
Thursday, September 11, 2008 

http://www.stjoenews.net/news/2008/sep/11/bush-legacy-tour-stops-st-jose
ph/ 

 <http://www.stjoenews.net/photos/2008/sep/11/2272/> 

Photo by Todd Weddle <http://www.stjoenews.net/photos/todd-weddle> /
St. Joseph News-Press

Patrick Wilson of St. Joseph heads to the entrance of the Bush Legacy
Tour bus in Downtown St. Joseph Wednesday afternoon. The 45-foot-long
bus is a museum that is being led by Americans United for Change.

Sandy Vandever took in the exhibits but left the partisanship to others.
This rolling museum came stocked with an ample supply of politics.

Though the St. Joseph woman knew many of the facts on the wall, and even
the floor, of the Bush Legacy Tour bus, she left impressed Wednesday
after seeing them compiled in such tight quarters.

"I just wanted to see it," she said. "It's part of our history."

The "Bush Legacy" name, printed on the side of the 45-foot bus with a
picture of the current president, had an intent confusing to some. It
does not promote a future museum.

In fact, the legacy at issue proves one of a mishandled war, a sinking
economy and record gas prices, said Americans United for Change, a
Washington-based group sponsoring the national tour.

The bus also took aim at 6th District Congressman Sam Graves, who the
sponsors said voted for Mr. Bush's programs 77 percent of the time
during the Tarkio Republican's legislative tenure.

"It's not just about (Mr. Bush's) legacy but also who helped him along
the way," said Julie Blust, the tour's press secretary. "He wasn't able
to do it on his own. He had their help."

The bus parked near the corner of Eighth and Edmond streets, outside the
St. Joseph building where Mr. Graves has a district office.

Ms. Blust said the bus has visited 42 states since beginning its tour on
June 24. While the bus has made stops in districts represented by
Democrats in the U.S. House, she could name no Democrats targeted by the
tour.

The inside of the bus contained a timeline underfoot and walls filled
with data about the Bush administration's handling of the environment,
education, health care and Hurricane Katrina.

Among the exhibits was a gas pump with a computer in its midsection, for
tallying the difference in fuel prices from 2000 to present, and a glass
bulb on top with the words "Bush & Cheney Oil."

In a touch screen display under a sign reading "Those Who Marched Us to
War," a readout showed the Iraq conflict costing Missouri taxpayers
$5.26 billion.

The Graves campaign had no comment about the bus tour, which scheduled a
stop in Springfield, Mo., today.

A Buchanan County Republican, Matt Gerstner, dismissed the traveling
museum as "a poor gimmick" that distracted voters from real issues.

"People are looking for solutions on how best to move this country
forward," he said.

Ken Newton can be reached at [email protected].

`Bush Legacy' tour bus pleases, offends in LR (Arkansas
Democrat-Gazette)

September 13, 2008 Saturday

BY MATTHEW S.L. CATE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Strolling along the north side of Little Rock's River Market with her
family, Christian Noteboom spotted the giant Bush-bashing bus from afar.
As a supporter of the president, it got her dander up.

Funded primarily by labor groups, MoveOn.org and other left-leaning
organizations, the 45-foot-long tour bus has been trekking across the
country this summer to highlight what the groups call "two terms of
failed conservative policies." During its two-hour lunchtime stop in
Arkansas, it drew a few dozen visitors. Many, from state Attorney
General Dustin McDaniel to Mary Henry of North Little Rock, already were
convinced or were involved in the Little Rock-based effort to design the
exhibits.

"It's just speaking to the choir," said Henry, 58, who is a volunteer
for Barack Obama's presidential campaign in the state.

But as soon as Noteboom, 28, saw the blue, bio-diesel bus, she headed
over to watch one of two exterior widescreen TVs showing a video loop
criticizing the Bush administration. She stood with her arms crossed and
steamed.

"Everybody's entitled to their opinion. Even if it's wrong," Noteboom, a
Russellville preschool teacher, said. "We're better off in Iraq. The
economy is not in crisis. We're better off now than we were eight years
ago." After resisting at first, she went inside the bus to take a peek -
even as her mother, Doreen Roberts, worried: "I told my son-in-law to go
in there with her and keep her mouth shut." The crew was packing up, but
Noteboom's three-minute jaunt didn't slow anybody down.

"What a bunch of crap," Noteboom said, pointing out that the giant photo
of Bush on the side of the bus was "a good picture" of the president.
"About the most interesting thing in there was a picture of Abraham
Lincoln, bless his heart." The bus - which primarily focuses on the Bush
administration's handling of the economy, the Iraq war and Hurricane
Katrina - began its cross-country mission in late June and is scheduled
to appear in more than 100 cities before Election Day.

Its Iraq war feature comes complete with a dead soldier's boots and
family photos, lined up next to a flow chart of "Those Who Marched Us to
War ... and Kept Us There." The chart showed top Bush administration
officials and Republican congressional leaders. Not pictured were any of
the 110 congressional Democrats who voted to authorize the war.

The Katrina exhibit, which features a timeline of the administration's
response and a video montage that includes a photo of Bush playing
guitar with a country music singer, particularly touched John Paul
Bodiak of Little Rock.

Taking a lunch break with four colleagues from the JM Associates
production firm, the 29-year-old said the bus offered a good reminder of
what has happened since he first voted for Bush in 2000. It's a vote he
now regrets.

"A lot of people maybe kind of have forgotten," said Bodiak, who backed
John Kerry in 2004. "It definitely outlines how much of a blunder it
was." Said his co-worker, Jake Kelso, 26, of North Little Rock: "Nothing
I hadn't heard before. But it was very powerful." That's the reaction
Chris Minshall was hoping for. A Little Rock graphic designer, Minshall
worked the job with his wife, Maggie, on contract with Little Rock
consulting firm The Markham Group to flesh out the concept behind the
"Bush Legacy" tour bus.

After choosing the exhibits' photos and typefaces and designing their
overall layout, he'd seen the finished product online. But Friday gave
him his first chance to see his handiwork firsthand.

"It turned out way better than I thought it would," he said. 

This article was published 09/13/2008

Bush Legacy bus makes stop at Capitol (Nashville City Paper)

By: Nate Rau, [email protected]

http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/news.php?viewStory=62841 

Posted: Wednesday, September 17, 2008 12:44 am

The Bush Legacy Bus Tour rolled through Nashville on Tuesday, stopping
in front of the state Capitol to deride the president's record and to
tie that record to Sen. Lamar Alexander.

The tour, sponsored by Americans United for Change, parked for two hours
in front of the Capitol and allowed passersby to walk through a display
of what the organization called President George W. Bush's legacy.

Americans United for Change is funded by prominent national labor unions
and political action groups like MoveOn.org.

"The idea behind the tour is to look at Bush's legacy while he's still
in office," said the group's press secretary, Julie Blust. "While things
are still going on and things are still fresh in people's minds, we want
to submit his legacy in the history books right now."

The bus focuses on issues like the war in Iraq, Bush's economic record,
rising gas prices, the number of Americans without health insurance and
the federal government's response in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
three years ago.

"It's good to see all the facts lined up in one place," said Jamie
McClanahan, who walked through the tour bus. "I learned some new facts,
like the stuff about his environment record."

The object of the 42-state tour is also to tie Bush's legacy to members
of Congress who have supported him over the years. Blust said Alexander
has voted with the president 89 percent of the time.

Last modified: Wednesday, September 17, 2008 11:39 AM CDT

'Bush Legacy Tour' makes stop in BG (Bowling Green Daily News)

http://www.bgdailynews.com/articles/2008/09/17/news/news6.txt

By JUSTIN STORY, The Daily News, [email protected]

The dark blue charter bus pulled into Fountain Square across from the
Capitol Theatre on Tuesday afternoon with a message - President Bush's
policies have failed and we'll show you how.

Traveling from state to state as the Bush Legacy Tour, the bus is a
concept developed by Americans United for Change and is like a museum on
wheels, documenting the administration's policies and its various
effects on the country, including rising gas prices, environmental
deregulation and the federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina.

The bus has been on the road since June 23, leaving from in front of the
White House to embark on a 150-city, 42-state tour that will culminate
with a stop in Harrisonburg, Va., on Nov. 3, the day before Election
Day.

Bowling Green was the latest scheduled stop on the tour Tuesday after a
stint in Nashville.

Americans United for Change was established in 2005 to mount a campaign
against efforts to privatize Social Security. Since that successful
campaign, the Washington, D.C.-based progressive organization has worked
to build public and congressional support for action on other issues.

AUC spokeswoman Julie Blust said the Bush Legacy Tour came about several
months ago during brainstorming sessions about what a Bush presidential
library would look like if it documented ways in which the
administration's policies have adversely affected the country.

The result was a touring bus that features a timeline of administration
lowlights on its floor and several interactive displays, including a gas
tank that calculates how much more drivers have to pay to fill up their
gas tanks now compared to eight years ago and a monitor tracking how
much the war in Iraq is costing taxpayers in each state and several
selected cities.

The message is tailored to each stop, so in Bowling Green two signs were
displayed from behind the windshield connecting the president with the
Republican Senate minority leader from Kentucky - "Bush's failed policy
is your legacy, too, Mitch McConnell."

Michael Mason, 18, of Bowling Green said the bus caught his eye, leading
him to stop and check it out for himself.

"I know everyone is talking about it now, but the gas prices jumped out
at me," said Mason, who is studying history at Western Kentucky
University and who intends to vote for Sen. Barack Obama. "I forgot that
it only cost $15 to fill up eight years ago."

Blust said the bus has attracted the attention of a lot of curious
drivers at each stop, but there have not been many outwardly hostile
reactions toward the bus during its travels.

"I thought we would have at least one or two people who would try to
deface the bus, but generally people who don't agree with us have been
very respectful about it," Blust said.

September 21, 2008

Bush 'museum on wheels' visits B.C. (Battle Creek Enquirer)

Darby Prater
The Enquirer 

http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080921/N
EWS01/809210317/1002 

There were no anti-war cries from an angry mob, but the giant bus parked
downtown made a big enough statement itself.

"It's basically a museum on wheels that speaks to the failures of the
Bush administration," said Julie Blust, press secretary of The Bush
Legacy Tour.

The bus stopped in Battle Creek for two hours Saturday to highlight the
voting record of a local congressman whose views have aligned with Bush
throughout his term.

"Tim Walberg is our focus today," said Blust, 29. "... In the midst of
an election with so much personality politics, it's quite a leap to ask
the American people to not associate people like McCain and Walberg with
Bush."

She estimates that since it hit the road June 24, the bus has been to at
least 80 cities so far. Stops in Jackson and Lansing are planned for
Monday.

Darby Prater can be reached at 966-0589 or [email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]> .

Bush-bashing bus stops in Jackson (Jackson Citizen Patriot)

Posted by <http://blog.mlive.com/citpat/about.html> Craig Trudell |
Jackson Citizen Patriot <http://blog.mlive.com/citpat/about.html>
September 23, 2008 07:04AM

Categories: Elections Statewide
<http://blog.mlive.com/citpat/elections_statewide/> , Top Photos
<http://blog.mlive.com/citpat/top_photos/> 

http://blog.mlive.com/citpat/2008/09/bushbashing_bus_stops_in_jacks.html

Nick Dentamaro | Jackson Citizen Patriot The Bush Legacy Bus made a stop
in Jackson on Monday as part of its cross-country tour.

Juan Guerrero said a 10-foot-tall photo of President George W. Bush's
face caused him to lose his appetite for a few minutes Monday.

"I was driving by on my way to lunch when I saw it," said Guerrero of
Jackson. "I said to myself, 'Forget the lunch, I'm fed up with the Bush
administration.'"

Nick Dentamaro | Jackson Citizen Patriot Rachel Baily and Joshua Britt
view some of the exhibits in the Bush Legacy Bus.

The photo that stopped Guerrero was plastered on each side of the Bush
Legacy Bus, a 45-foot, 28-ton museum on wheels that made stops in
Jackson and Lansing on Monday as part of its cross-country campaign
criticizing the president and his policies.

The bus has zigzagged its way through 60 cities and 30 states since
June.

Americans United for Change, the advocacy group that rolled out the bus
four months ago, plans to make it to 150 cities by the Nov. 4 election,
spokeswoman Lauren Weiner said.

Before leaving Jackson, Weiner and two other members of the bus crew
took pictures at W. Franklin and Second streets, the locally designated
birthplace of the Republican Party.

The Rev. Ira Combs, a county Republican activist, criticized the bus
campaign, calling the group "partisan zealots pushing a propaganda
agenda."

He said the group has disregarded Bush's legacy of cutting taxes for
Americans and preventing domestic terrorist attacks since Sept. 11,
2001.

"That is the primary job of the president - to protect his country - and
he has answered that call," Combs said.

Americans United for Change is organized under the Internal Revenue
Service as a social welfare organization, which does not allow "direct
or indirect participation or intervention in political campaigns on
behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office."

The group disseminated fliers and aired short films on a television
screen outside the bus that linked Bush's policies to Republican
presidential hopeful John McCain and incumbent U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg,
R-Tipton, who is seeking re-election.

"We get people all the time who come up to us and say, 'Bush isn't
running again.' We understand that," Weiner said. 

"What we're saying is, here's what happened while he was in office, and
here are these people - like Tim Walberg - who voted in lockstep with
it. They are running again and are looking to the future."

Walberg spokesman Matt Lahr said that despite what his critics may say,
Walberg has been an "independent voice" and he "has not been beholden to
the president or to the Republican Party."

"From opposing No Child Left Behind and amnesty for illegal immigrants
to supporting unemployed Michigan workers, Congressman Walberg has stood
up to President Bush when necessary and been an independent voice for
the 7th District," Walberg campaign manager Justin Roebuck said in a
statement. 

Bush Presidency Criticized In Bus Tour (West Virginia Metro News)

Staff
Charleston

The Bush Legacy Tour pulled into Charleston Wednesday morning. Inside
the 45-foot, 28-ton museum on wheels is what Americans United for Change
call the president's failed policies and misdeeds. There are displays on
the environment, the economy, Hurricane Katrina, the War in Iraq and
Afghanistan and fuel prices. They are all things the group says the Bush
administration has mishandled. 

"This is not about Bush as a person," group spokesman Lauren Weiner
said. "This is about what his administration has done and what his
allies in Congress such as Shelley Moore Capito and John McCain have
done for this country going forward. "

West Virginia is the 32nd state the bus has visited and it was greeted
by a group of Bush supporters holding signs saying "We Love Bush."
Melody Potter, the Chair of the Kanawha County Republican Executive
Committee helped organize the opposition. "We want to show our support
of President Bush in contrast to the Bush haters and the anarchy that
seems to be taking place in our city this morning," Potter said. 

Weiner says this is one of the first times they've seen protesters come
out to picket the bus, but she adds it doesn't change the facts they
present inside the vehicle. "We understand George Bush is not running
again. We get that. What we want to say is here is what the past eight
years have done for the country. We don't want that to happen again,"
Weiner said. "We want a better option for Americans. We deserve
something better." When asked if that "something better" is Barack
Obama, Weiner stressed Americans United for Change is a non-partisan
group that does not support political candidates.

None of the protesters across the street boarded the bus to find out
what the displays inside said. Potter says it was unnecessary. "I've
already educated myself from their website because they pretty much have
on their website the information that's on the bus. So I would just
prefer to stay out here and support President Bush," Potter said. 

The Bush Legacy Tour will continue to travel across the country up until
the November election.

Group gets on the bus to blast Bush (Montgomery Advertiser) 

By Markeshia Ricks
[email protected] 

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081008/
NEWS01/810080343 

<http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?template=zoom
&Site=DS&Date=20081008&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=810080343&Ref=AR> 

The Bush Legacy Tour made a stop Tuesday in front of the state Capitol.
(Jenn Ireland)

Whether it's the ongoing war in Iraq or the current economic crisis,
Americans United for Change want people to know that President Bush's
legacy is one of failure.

And they believe Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain, and
U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Saks, have been his willing accomplices in that
failure.

That's the message the Washington-based organization brought to
Montgomery on Tuesday in the form of a 45-foot, 28-ton museum on wheels
known as the Bush Legacy Tour. The biodiesel powered tour bus, which
features interactive exhibits, pulled up to the state Capitol steps for
a few hours, one of the 150 stops it will make before the Nov. 4
election.

"The Bush Legacy leaves behind a disastrous misadventure in Iraq that
has cost over 4,100 Americans their lives -- including 67 from right
here in Alabama," said Julie Blust, spokeswoman for Americans United for
Change.

"This tragic and unnecessary war in Iraq is projected to cost our nation
at lest $3 trillion while this administration continues to shortchange
so many critical priorities here at home like education, infrastructure
and health care for our children and veterans."

The legacy tour bus might seem out of place in a state that hasn't been
carried by a Democratic presidential nominee since Jimmy Carter in 1976,
but Alabama Democratic Party Chairman Joe Turnham said it's fitting.

Turnham said the upcoming election is really a referendum on the
president, the last eight years and politicians such as Rogers who
enabled Bush administration policies by voting in favor of them 94
percent of the time.

Rogers is a three-term incumbent who represents the state's
congressional District 3, which covers much of east Alabama. Rogers, who
is facing Montgomery lawyer Josh Segall this year, narrowly defeated
Turnham in 2002 when Bob Riley, a Republican, vacated the District 3
seat to become governor.

"He beat me because George Bush came to Auburn, to Plainsman Park, and
told the people there 'Mike Rogers -- this is my man. This is who I need
in Washington with me,'" Turnham said. "Under Bush and Rogers, the
national deficit has doubled, the third district has lost thousands of
jobs and people have to drive more than 35 miles to find work."

Turnham said voters have to answer the question of whether they're
better off since Bush and Rogers took office.

Zayne Smith, 28, of Montgomery, said she's heard many of the indictments
against the Bush administration, but to see all of that information
compiled in one place is eye-opening.

"I think it puts it in black and white," she said. "It makes me want to
go and do more research and see what the two candidates believe about
these things."

Shay Farley, 32, of Montgomery said the exhibit makes a person realize
that a lot has transpired in the past eight years.

"It's a lot to stomach," she said. "Though this is called the Bush
Legacy Tour, you can't just blame one person. These things are the
result of failed leadership holistically."

Blust said that's exactly the message the tour is trying to convey even
as it winds its way through the Deep South that McCain is expected to
sweep. The bus will pull into Jackson, Miss., today as part of the
national tour.

"These are issues that are important to everyone," Blust said.

Bush legacy tour highlights failed policies (WLOX - ABC)

Posted: Oct 9, 2008 05:11 PM 

Updated: Oct 9, 2008 06:43 PM 

http://www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=9154677 

By Steve Phillips - bio
<http://www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=4974907&nav=menu40_10> | email
<mailto:[email protected]> 

GULFPORT, MS (WLOX) - A project called the "Bush Legacy Tour" wants
America to reflect on the policies of George W. Bush while he's still in
office. 

The group called "Americans United for Change" has transformed a large
bus into a rolling exhibit that's traveling the country. 

Fans of George W. Bush will find nothing to like onboard the bus. With a
series of clever, interactive exhibits the displays highlight what the
group says are Bush failures: the Iraq war, the economy, the Katrina
response and record gas prices among others. 

The Bush Legacy tour offers no apologies for its assessment: Two terms
of failed policies. 

"While Bush is still in office, we want to cement his legacy and we look
at the disasters that have happened over the last eight years," said
Julie Blust with the Bush Legacy Tour.

Interactive displays deliver the message.

"Exhibits that they can find out how much they are personally paying for
gas now versus when Bush took office. They can find out how much the
Iraq war is costing their community," said Blust

"He's done a lot of good, but he's also messed the economy up a lot,"
said Jamie Raffeo, who checked it out during his lunch hour. 

He says Americans should pay closer attention to the issues.

"Well, we have the election coming up soon and I just wanted to kind of,
open mind thing."

Teacher's union president Sue Hatem calls the exhibit a real eye opener.
She has strong feelings about the president's impact on education.

"No Child Left Behind has been under funded. Teachers are leaving the
field right and left due to all the pressures. Mississippi has imported
teachers to teach our children from India," Hatem said.

Despite its visible location on busy Pass Road, it seems not that many
people are willing to tour an exhibit highlighting the president's
failures. In the first half of its two hour visit, less than ten people
boarded the bus. 

Still, supporters say they're encouraged.

"Even in areas like Mississippi, we still get people to come out and
look around this museum and say, 'You know, I've lived this. I'm not
better off than when Bush took office and we need some serious change,'"
Blust said.

Americans United for Change is the group responsible for the Bush Legacy
tour. Labor unions like the AFL-CIO and the American Federation of
State, County and Municipal Employees are among the group's financial
sponsors. 

Bus carries message against Bush, McCain, Inhofe (AP)

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OK_ANTI_BUSH_TOUR_OKOL-?SITE=ILRO
R&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT 

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- A nationwide bus tour sponsored by a group
opposing the policies of President Bush pulled into the south parking
lot of the state Capitol on Wednesday.

Only a handful of people were on hand to greet "The Bush Legacy Bus,"
which featured interactive exhibits on Bush policies that Americans
United for Change say have weakened the U.S. economy and security
abroad.

"Unfortunately, a lot of our people have to work," said state AFL-CIO
president Jimmy C. Curry. The AFL-CIO is one of the sponsors of the
tour.

Curry said he hopes the exhibits on the tour lead people to make an
"informed decision" and realize what is at stake in the election and not
just vote based on "30-second sound bites."

Inhofe, who is being opposed for re-election by Democrat Andrew Rice,
was criticized in materials as part of the exhibit for voting with
President Bush more than 90 percent of the time and for supporting
privatizing the Social Security system.

Josh Kivett, Inhofe campaign manager, said Inhofe is "an independent,
conservative" voice for Oklahoma who proved with his vote against the
Wall Street bailout that he does not always agree with the president.

"Sen. Inhofe has always fought for Oklahoma's interests in Washington
without regard to party or politics," Kivett said.

Wichita, Kan., is the next stop on the bus tour.

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