By Lindsay Fiori
Journal Times | Posted: Thursday, July 31, 2008 12:00 am
RACINE - John McCain surprised three baristas Thursday when he had a meeting with a new supporter at Dunn Bros Coffee, 245 Main St.
The Republican presidential candidate stopped at the coffee shop for about 15 minutes before appearing at a town hall meeting at Memorial Hall, 72 Seventh St. McCain had coffee with Tichigan resident Debra Bartoshevich, who recently pledged her support to McCain after being removed as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention.
Bartoshevich was stripped of her delegate status last Friday after she violated party rules by not supporting the candidate chosen by the Democratic Party.
Bartoshevich's daughter and father also had coffee with McCain, who ordered a mocha, cappuccino, caramel mocha and French roast coffee from barista Neil Clark, 20 of Racine.
Clark said he and two other workers only had about 10 minutes notice that McCain was coming.
"Secret Service was walking around checking every nook and cranny. They were checking out the premises and wanting to know where every door went" he said. "At first I thought they were secret shoppers."
Clark said they moved tables to accommodate McCain and the "entourage surrounding him. Cameras and press were all behind the counter. It made it a little difficult to make coffee."
Clark said McCain was like any other customer and it didn't cross his mind that he may have served coffee to the next U.S. president.
"It's really an honor," said Dunn Bros owner Cathy Allison. "We always have the mayor and police chief stopping in, but (they're) not on that level. I was excited for my employees who were there and got to meet him and have that story to tell now."
Allison said she will watch the event on surveillance cameras later.
McCain acknowledged Bartoshevich at the beginning of his town hall meeting speech.
"Debra recently decided she would support my candidacy," McCain said. "It was a great act of courage since she happened to be a Democrat. Perhaps your reward will be in heaven, not here on Earth."
Bartoshevich did not return phone calls.
State Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine, a delegate to this month's Democratic National Convention, called the meeting between McCain and Bartoshevich "a clever political stunt" on the part of the McCain campaign.
"This is her 15 minutes of fame and she's enjoying it," Mason said. "My advice to her is if she likes McCain, Republicans and the Bush agenda, then she should go the Republican convention."
While Mason said Bartoshevich's flip-flop flew in the face of what Democratic delegates pledge to do when they are selected, both he and his legislative colleague, state Rep. Bob Turner, D-Racine, said that part of what makes America great is that it allows for individual freedoms.
"That's why we're all Americans, so that we have that choice," Turner said. "That's why we veterans fought in wars - so people would have that freedom of choice."
Journal Times staff writer Pete Wicklund contributed to this report