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ABC News The Note:
MT. HOREB, WI, Sept. 27 -- As the Packers' kickoff neared in Wisconsin, a familiar scene set inside Mt. Horeb's Main Street Pub. Twenty-five locals gathered along one long bar, some lunching on the "best burger in town" and perhaps testing the $1 "crappy beer of the day" before settling on one of four taps or a favorite of the 18 bottled beer selections....
Kerry bellied up to the bar just in time for the Packers to tie the game at seven.... The Democratic nominee ordered a cheeseburger "with everything" which, according to the menu, set him back $3.25... Hoisting a 10-ounce Leinenkugel ("The Legend of the Northwoods") from tap, Kerry bought a round and took in the first quarter...
Outside, on Main Street itself, word spread through town and a large crowd gathered to catch a glimpse of the presidential contender.... One young man dipped his head out of his second story window directly above the pub and, Miller Lite in hand, shouted Packers score updates to the eager crowd who cheered or groaned accordingly. At one point, the young man challenged, "If Kerry can tell me the Packers score, he's got my vote."
Thirty-six minutes after his arrival, Kerry left the Main Street Pub and walked three doors down to Schubert's Old Fashioned Cafe Bakery.... Kerry ordered a signature chocolate milkshake and Jerry, the owner, gave the Senator a free round of lefse....
As the Senator approached the open door of his idling motorcade, the young man above the pub called out from above, "What's the Packers score?" Without missing a beat, Kerry relayed the score as he had last known it in the Main Street Pub. The young man nodded in concurrence, gave a thumbs-up, and confirmed, "You got my vote."
The adventure returned Kerry to the retail politics once commonplace in the fight for the Democratic nomination months ago.... Perhaps more importantly, however, free from the bonds of a podium or timed schedule, Kerry again looked like an engaged candidate, eager for a vote-by-vote contest, if necessary.