UNM College Republicans didn't have signs at the Democratic rally in Albuquerque on Friday - they had flip-flops.
Midway through his speech, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry was interrupted when the Republicans began clapping flip-flops over their head chanting "flip-flop, flip-flop."
"We have some Republicans here who hate to listen," Kerry said. "They're scared of this ticket. We welcome them because John and I are going to give them a lesson in values."
Kerry and running mate John Edwards rallied thousands of supporters at the National Hispanic Cultural Center.
Edwards spoke about Kerry's integrity, concern for the working middle class and the soldiers Kerry served with in the Vietnam War.
"They will tell you that when their life was on the line 24 hours a day, seven days a week, they trusted and put their life in the hands of John Kerry," Edwards said. "He has strength, he has courage, he has leadership."
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Kerry focused half of his 20-minute speech on values he would bring to the presidency if elected.
"Values are creating and keeping good-paying jobs right here in the United States," he said, adding that health care is a right of all Americans.
State Chairman of the New Mexico Federation of College Republicans Scott Darnell and a few other campus Republicans planned and carried out the flip-flop disruption, which was meant to call attention to what they said were reversals in policy during Kerry's 20 years in the U.S. Senate.
"To hear John Kerry and John Edwards and their wives degrade the president, as they did, on his value system, we found to be offensive and disrespectful," Darnell said.
Marshall Martinez, co-chair of the UNM College Democrats, said he was not surprised when he saw the flip-flops clapping.
"While (Republicans) are wandering around demonstrating at Democratic events, young Democrats will be out knocking on doors and making phone calls and having an impact on this election," he said. "Anyone who's in a leadership position who's not willing to open their minds to the possibility that they might change at some point on policy issues is not a true leader."
Darnell said he disagrees with those who say Bush has reversed his policy positions.
"There are 37 issues that Kerry has flip-flopped on," Darnell said. "As far as President Bush is concerned, his strength has been the fact that he is a principled president. Whether you agree with his decision to go into Iraq or not, he had a vision for what he was going to do, and he simply did it."
Darnell said he was punched in the jaw as he made his way out of the crowd.
"We were appalled at how quickly the crowd around us turned violent," he said. "But we didn't expect it to be non-confrontational, that would have been naãve."
Terry Riley, a representative of Military Families Speak Out, a group advocating withdrawal from Iraq, said Kerry and Edwards support things he doesn't want a president to support, but said Kerry is a means to and end.
"There's a better chance of negotiating with Kerry after he's elected, and I'd much rather vote for somebody I think I can negotiate with," Riley said.
