Chief of Staff's visit draws protestors - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

Richard Essex/Eyewitness News

Bloomington - White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel made a visit to Indiana Saturday night. While Emanuel was in town to attend fundraisers for Congressman Baron Hill, others were there to have their say.

Rep. Hill and Emanuel started Saturday night at an invitation-only fundraiser at the home of a Bloomington doctor. Their next stop was a general reception at the Indiana University Memorial Union. The congressman's staff checked the names of attendees as they entered the room, but neither Rep. Hill nor Emanuel spoke outside the room.

Those waiting outside in the cold, however, had plenty to say.

"We are tired of Democrats acting like Republicans," said one protestor.

"To protest what is going on in the government. They are overrunning us, they are taking away our freedoms," said another.

"Our president is spending too much money, such as Afghanistan, nationalized health care and that is why most of these people are out here," said protestor Herb Snyder.

Some of the protestors came by chartered bus from Indianapolis. Others came by foot from campus, but they all came to be heard.

"All I see is this government turning their backs to us, calling us radicals, just because we want to speak our freedoms and speak what we think is right," said protestor Harold Grimes.

Phillip Swaim says he is a registered Democrat and a political activist who is disillusioned by the current state of his party.

"First of all, he has turned into this radical guy that has taken over the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party actually used to stand for the party of the people, used to stand for the rights of the people, used to be, actually, pretty conservative. Now, we have this radical left that has taken it over. Baron Hill kind of camouflages himself as that blue dog," Swaim said.

Indiana Democrats say the visit by the president's Chief of Staff indicates how important Indiana has become.