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Protesters Greet Obama, Cuomo In Cooperstown

Lucas Willard
/
WAMC

Hours before President Obama spoke at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown on Thursday, area residents lined up along Main Street to send their own message.

In the morning, Cooperstown was busy preparing for the arrival of the president. Shop owners were out sweeping the sidewalk, police were standing by and setting up barricades in front of the Hall of Fame, and American flags were already popping up about town.

In a few hours, the president would arrive to talk about the importance of tourism in the home of baseball, and while many were hoping to catch a glimpse of the motorcade, some were sending their own message.

Both pro- and anti-hydrofracking activists were holding up signs, hoping to reach both the president and Governor Cuomo, scheduled to arrive later in the day.

While fracking supporters held signs pushing for the jobs the industry could bring to Central New York, others said the region’s tourism economy would be undercut by the gas-drilling technique, on hold in New York under a de facto moratorium. John Armstrong is with Frack Action, one of the several groups protesting fracking.

‘It would undermine the local breweries and wineries, and many, many local businesses because it destroys the character of the town, it destroys the quality of life in the area, and nobody for example is going to come and get married next to a frack site,” said Armstrong.

Donna Beach of Endicott was one of many wearing green t-shirts that read “Cuomo’s Gotta Go.”

“What is it? Two-for-one! Cuomo and Obama were here, and I’m particularly afraid of where the country’s going under Obama,” said Beach.

Also wearing a pin against New York’s SAFE Act gun control law, Beach held a sign calling for the president’s impeachment, and listed a number of “failures” including Obamacare, Operation Fast and Furious…

“And then of course there’s Benghazi and you can say all you want to about ‘What difference does it make?’ but it makes a big difference,” said Beach.

After the president spoke, New York Assemblyman Anthony Brandisi, a Democrat, praised him for putting the national spotlight on tourism in the region.

“It’s rare that we see a president here in Central New York and he’s here promoting one of our most important industries which is tourism, and I thought he did a great job bringing some attention to our area,” said Brandisi.

Connie Haney, a co-owner of the Cooperstown Bat Company, said she was excited to have the president kick off the summer season on Memorial Day weekend.

“I’m very honored that he chose Cooperstown to come to, and there’s definitely been an air of excitement in the village,” said Haney.

Haney said her business sees customers from both local and international families and baseball teams. However, Haney was slightly disappointed that she did not get to present the president with a special stars and stripes baseball bat, engraved with his signature.

“Now we weren’t able to give it to him personally so we’ll be sending it to him,” said Haney.

Lucas Willard is a news reporter and host at WAMC Northeast Public Radio, which he joined in 2011. He produces and hosts The Best of Our Knowledge and WAMC Listening Party.
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