CHENEY'S PLANS FOR CAPE VISIT FIRM

Some Cape Girardeau Republicans think the nation will only see more irresponsible decision-making and moral decay unless George W. Bush and Dick Cheney take office.

They plan to be out in full force for a rally Thursday afternoon at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport when vice presidential candidate Cheney arrives for a visit.

Cheney should arrive at the airport before 1 p.m. to speak to a crowd of supporters about retirement savings. Doors open at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, and signs will direct people to the Lipps hangar where the event will be held.

Other plans are "up in the air," said Atalie Ebersole, campaign manager for U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson. Schedules are often cramped and campaigns have to be flexible, she said.

Cheney's campaign office in the Austin, Texas, area would not confirm details with a Southeast Missourian reporter Monday. Campaign schedules are released 48 hours in advance of a visit, a spokesperson said. However, representatives from the St. Louis office confirmed the details of the visit.

"I think people are excited about having secretary Cheney in town," Ebersole said.

Many of the state's other Republican candidates have been invited to the rally. Emerson might not be able to attend, however, because of a key budget vote in Congress this week.

There is little that would stop Glenda Crosno of Cape Girardeau from attending the rally. She learned of the visit Monday afternoon and quickly began talking about what needs to be done.

Calling herself a "right-wing, radical conservative," Crosno said she plans on calling several friends and talking to neighbors about attending. She made more than 150 telephone calls to voters prior to the August primary elections and has been passing out campaign yard signs.

If enough people know about the event, they can support the candidates and attend, she said. "If I have to I'll crawl to the polls" to vote for Bush and Cheney, she said.

A schedule conflict likely will keep Larry Dush from attending. But Dush, also of Cape Girardeau, wholeheartedly supports the Republican candidates. His yard is host to Bush-Cheney and Emerson campaign signs that starkly contrast to a neighbor's Democratic political signs.

Dush said his vote for Bush is really "more as a protest against Gore. I feel he will be a more honest person and will do a better job than Gore."

Dush said his support isn't about Bush having a father who had been president or his political backing. It was about his stance on tax cuts for working families and a better track record with voters.

And, in Dush's opinion, Cheney likely would have been a better presidential candidate than vice presidential candidate. But that vast political experience will work to Cheney's advantage should he ever be called upon to run the nation, Dush said.

"He's had the experience and has a good record," Dush said. Cheney served as White House chief of staff under President Gerald Ford and as secretary of defense under President George Bush.

Ebersole said that campaign volunteers likely will hold a sign-painting party Wednesday night so people can make signs and posters for Cheney's visit. "We want a huge crowd for this, especially if we get nationwide coverage."

Both Republican and Democratic candidates have been visiting Missouri, which is considered a pivotal state. Representatives from the Bush-Cheney campaign said the candidates likely will make a stop in the Midwest at least once each week, Ebersole said. "It's exciting to know they'll spend time here and woo their voters."

Anyone interested in more information about Cheney's visit may call the Team Emerson campaign office at 335-0033.