A little campaign action… or how I almost escorted John Edwards up Route 30!

No real bragging rights with this story, but it does make for an interesting tale.

Monday evenings are currently spent in the company of non-profit professionals at Villanova University. Moving in recent years from the for profit to non profit world this course is highly educational if not for the most part common sense. I digress!

Pennsylvania is a battleground state in the presidential election, both candidates and their running mates have visited the state and in particular the Philadelphia area frequently in recent weeks.

On traveling to Villanova on Monday afternoon the traffic news broke in that Route 30 around Haverford College was to be disrupted due to the visit by John Edwards, the democratic VP hopeful. “Phoey” was my initial reaction as my route up Route 30 took be past the college John Edwards was speaking at.

As I passed one of the entrances to the college I saw a couple of Kerry / Edwards supporters cheering hoping for a glimse of the candidate. To be honest I was somewhat surprised at the low numbers of well wishers. Except this was main line Philadelphia and strong Bush country (or so I thought).

Not a half a mile down the road, the police were directing all traffic away from Route 30, as I neared the junction the cars immediately ahead of me were allowed to continue down Route 30, a two lane high street with shops and roads on both sides. I was waved on down and followed as part of a convoy of only a couple of cars, with no other traffic in sight, nothing in the other direction and police cars preventing any turn off as we headed down to Villanova and the place I stop to eat on a Monday evening.

Within half-a mile the handful of Kerry / Edwards supporters swelled to hundreds all cheering as though these five or so cars were the VP candidate motorcade. I don’t know whether I was frightened to see so many enthusiastic democrats all waving and cheering at a driver who has a “GB” sign on the back of his car. (Someone pointed out it could be read to stand for George Bush” ) or whether they truly thought that John Edwards would be in a motorcade with a Saturn, two trucks and a station wagon! Or that they simply would cheer at anything that moved!!

Luckily the entrance to the car park of McDonalds, (there I admitted it) was open and within 30 seconds of getting off the road, witnessed a fast, loud motorcade with John Edwards heading towards the blue route to his next appointment.

The question I pose, is did the policeman who let us down Route 30 know that our presence probably held up John Edwards? Did our presence on Route 30 actually delay the motorcade for security reasons, it would be nice to think so!