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Folk icon stumps for Kerry in Frisco

JULIE SUTOR
Summit Daily/Brad Odekirk Music legend Carole King stumps for Senator John Kerry and the Democratic ticket at th Butterhorn Cafe in Frisco Friday morning.
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FRISCO – Many who came of age in the 1960s and 1970s know music icon Carole King for songs like “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” “(You make me feel like a) natural woman” and “Will you love me tomorrow.”But lately, King has been singing a different tune, as she criss-crosses rural Colorado to stump for presidential candidate John Kerry. The singer/songwriter made a stop in Frisco Friday at the Butterhorn Bakery & Cafe to speak to a standing-room-only crowd of about 80 enthusiastic voters and fans.”Having lived in a small town in Idaho, I wanted to go around Colorado and be places John Kerry couldn’t,” King said. “It’s rural economies that are being the most hurt by Bush’s policies, but they have a social habit of voting Republican. I want to ask people to think beyond that habit.”King spoke on a variety of topics – national security, the environment, women’s issues, the federal deficit and taxes – and insisted that Kerry would better serve America on all fronts.

“Ken Lay and his ilk are the ones who have benefited from Bush’s tax cut. John Kerry will not raise taxes on the middle class. If you don’t make over $200,000 per year, your taxes will not go up,” King said.King assailed President Bush for his environmental record.”On every level, George Bush is destroying the environment and calling it by the opposite name, like ‘Healthy Forests’ or ‘Clear Skies.’ It’s Orwellian,” King said.Mesa Cortina resident Susan Hill attended the rally as part of her newfound political activism.

“I’m so impressed that (King) would take the time to come here,” Hill said. “This is the first campaign I’ve ever been involved in, and I’d recommend it to anyone. I’ve been putting up signs, knocking on doors, writing letters to the editor, making phone calls – I think this election is crucial to the future of our country.”Keystone resident Kathy Rogg appreciated the extra momentum she felt King’s visit brought to her work on the Kerry campaign.”I think it’s great she’s going around to some of the smaller towns to generate excitement for Kerry in the female demographic,” Rogg said. “I’ve seen polls that say the undecided voters are predominantly female.”King urged women to think critically and independently about their votes.



“You don’t have to vote the way of your husband, your brother, your boyfriend or your father. You have a mind of your own, and it’s a secret ballot. Women could not have a better advocate than John Kerry,” King said.At the conclusion of her stumping, King led the crowd in a spirited rendition of one of her most popular songs, “You’ve got a friend,” and the sea of Kerry/Edwards signs and buttons made it clear no one was singing about George W. Bush.Julie Sutor can be reached at (970) 668-3998, ext. 203, or at jsutor@summitdaily.com.


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