{"id":292,"date":"2016-11-02T13:30:23","date_gmt":"2016-11-02T17:30:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/?page_id=292"},"modified":"2016-11-04T12:38:18","modified_gmt":"2016-11-04T16:38:18","slug":"the-deplorables-of-scranton","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/scranton\/the-deplorables-of-scranton\/","title":{"rendered":"The Deplorables of Scranton"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Charles Rollet<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s 5 a.m. on a Saturday morning 10 days before the election and Scranton, PA trucking tycoon Bob Bolus is in Manhattan, coordinating what feels like a covert operation: helping to navigate two 18-wheelers covered with pro-Trump slogans to the Fox News headquarters on Sixth Avenue. The 74-year-old fervent Trump supporter curses profusely from the driver\u2019s seat of his SUV as he tails the two trucks, which keep getting separated by Manhattan\u2019s grid system.<\/p>\n

\u201cI need to get my head examined for doing this,\u201d Bolus says after running through a red light.<\/p>\n

But he shows no signs of stopping. Bolus has taken the trucks to the Big Apple from Pennsylvania\u2019s rustbelt three times already. On the first trip, \u201cIvanka saw the truck at Trump Tower and sent [a photo] to Donald, who tweeted it. So that was worth<\/em> something, know what I mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

Starting in March, Bolus and his team of volunteers have been crisscrossing the Eastern seaboard with the Trump 18-wheelers several times a week. In an impressive act of what some may call political trolling, they\u2019ve parked the trucks outside of rallies for Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz and even a Gloria Steinem meetup.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not bashful \u2013 we\u2019re trying to make a splash,\u201d Bolus said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot bashful\u201d is one way of putting it. While the trucks\u2019 all-caps font and poorly-cropped photos give them the look of a middle school class project, there\u2019s no denying their raw visual power. On the way to New York this Halloween weekend, the first truck touts THE DONALD FOR PRESIDENT along with slogans practically screaming BUILD THE WALL and KEEP MEXICAN DOPE IN MEXICO.<\/p>\n

Bolus is especially proud, though, of the second rig, which is his latest creation \u2013 \u201cthe Hillary truck.\u201d It\u2019s painted yellow — the color of cowards, he said — and is plastered with anti-Hillary Clinton attacks such as HILLARY FOR PRISON. The night before the New York City trip, Bolus added yet another that reads SHE\u2019S DEGRADING ALL WOMEN. The decal, Bob said, was a reaction to the media making Trump\u2019s treatment of women a central campaign issue.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Hillary] allowed [Bill Clinton] to go out and commit adultery and she sanctioned it,\u201d Bolus said. \u201cIf you support Hillary, don\u2019t bitch when your husband says I got laid last night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bolus isn\u2019t just bringing his message to New Yorkers. In a stab at maximum publicity, he is also trying to get the trucks to make an unsanctioned appearance on Fox & Friends<\/em>, which starts at 6 a.m. and has a live broadcast with city streets as a backdrop.<\/p>\n

The operation stumbles at first. Fox News security calls the police, who chase Bolus away from parking the Trump trucks by the Fox News building without permission and give him a $150 ticket for double-parking.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what you get for trying to do something for this country,\u201d Bolus said. \u201cF***ing rent-a-cop idiots.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bolus has had run-ins with police before. He was charged with purchasing stolen vehicles<\/a> in 1991 and insurance fraud in 2012, with the first case leaving him a convicted felon and the second in jail<\/a>. Bolus, who proclaims his innocence, said the episodes have left him believing the \u201csystem\u201d — whether in Washington, D.C. or Lackawanna County — is deeply corrupt.<\/p>\n

Bolus promises the NYPD officers they\u2019ll leave, but he has a trick up his sleeve. He orders the trucks to drive around the Fox News building at a snail\u2019s pace so they reappear on the live broadcast every few minutes.<\/p>\n

It works. Both freighters appear on Fox & Friends<\/em> \u2013 right at host Tucker Carlson\u2019s nose level \u2013 and the Trump supporters ardent enough to be watching Fox on an early Saturday morning tweet out images of the broadcast with glee.<\/p>\n

\"trump_tweet_final\"<\/p>\n

After about 20 runs around the building, the cops realize what he\u2019s doing and tell Bolus to scram. He finally departs for Trump Tower, where he double-parks his two trailers back-to-back in front of the building\u2019s gaudy entrance. The police at the tower are more amenable than the ones at Fox News and onlookers gather by the dozens to take pictures. Few seem upset by the trucks, even in famously liberal New York, which seem so out-of-place.<\/p>\n

\"The

The Hillary truck in front of Trump Tower. Photo by Charles Rollet<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Betsy Green, the head of a local Women for Trump group and a fellow traveler in the Trump convoy, is in awe of the truck in front of Trump Tower. \u201cThat\u2019s a beautiful thing,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Bolus, too, is pleased: he can\u2019t stop himself from pointing out almost every single person taking a picture or a selfie of the trucks. Coupled with the Fox News broadcast, the exposure must be massive, he surmises.<\/p>\n

\u201cThink of how many millions of people saw this,\u201d he says. By 9:30 a.m. the Trump Tower police tell Bolus to leave, and this time, he complies. Scranton awaits.<\/p>\n

On the way back I ride in the anti-Hillary rig with Tom Mazurick, a laconic, chain-smoking employee of Bolus\u2019 who takes part in the convoys. As the 550-horsepower Kenworth roars down the highway, I ask Mazurick who he\u2019s voting for on Nov. 8.<\/p>\n

No surprise: it\u2019s Trump, it turns out.<\/p>\n

\u201cBetter than a woman,\u201d he says. \u201cNo balls, so to speak.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Tom

Tom Mazurick drives the “Hillary Truck” back to Scranton after a successful trip to New York. Photo: Charles Rollet<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Deplorable Volunteer Center<\/strong><\/p>\n

The truck fleet, however, is only the most visible weapon in Bolus\u2019 pro-Trump arsenal. Entirely independent from the official Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee, Bolus has built an impressive get-out-the-vote operation in Scranton for Trump based in a church gym he owns. There, a motley cast of volunteers pound the pavement for The Donald, putting up signs and registering voters in the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re the Deplorable Volunteer Center and I\u2019m the Queen of Deplorables,\u201d says volunteer Barbara Scis.<\/p>\n

Scis is sitting in front of a single large cutout of Trump, Ronald Reagan, and John Wayne standing together and is surrounded by hundreds of Trump campaign signs. Like many others, Scis, has embraced the epithet Hillary Clinton used to describe Trump supporters in September with delight.<\/p>\n

\"Volunteers

Volunteers Aida Velez and Barbara Scis at the so-called “Deplorable Volunteer Center” created by Bob Bolus in Scranton, PA. Photo: Charles Rollet<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

But the \u201cDeplorable Volunteer Center\u201d has a fraught relationship with the official Trump campaign office in Clarks Summit, a town a few miles north of Scranton. Bolus and his volunteers accuse the Trump campaign of being overly bureaucratic and setting up in a small, distant town instead of Scranton itself.<\/p>\n

Effectively, the strong anti-establishment sentiment among Bolus and other Trump supporters has trickled down to Trump\u2019s own campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am Donald Trump\u2019s ground game,\u201d Bolus says. \u201cPeople were going to Clarks Summit and getting very frustrated. They weren\u2019t really successful at what they were doing, they weren\u2019t aggressive \u2013 they just wanted to sit back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Russ Sullivan, a freshman accounting major at the University of Scranton and Bolus volunteer, agrees.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re taking credit for how many people we register and how many signs we\u2019re putting up,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s indisputable is that Bolus\u2019 outfit has become a community center of sorts for Scranton\u2019s Trumpers. That includes Albert Ventura, a 93-year-old WW2 vet who is registering to vote for the first time in his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re in a hell of a mess, and if she gets in, it can\u2019t get any better,\u201d he tells me. \u201cThe rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. And when I go to the store I feel like a foreigner \u2013 they\u2019re all Chinese or Puerto Rican. My God, I gotta learn Mexican!\u201d<\/p>\n

A certain level of popular support for Trump in the Scranton area is unsurprising. Scranton, which was built on the coal and steel industry, has seen its population decline by half since 1930 to around 75,000 and has been wreaked by the globalization that Trump decries.<\/p>\n

Although Scranton is a traditional working class Democrat stronghold, many have switched from Democrat to Republican. According to the Scranton Times-Tribune, more than 2,500 Democrats have made the switch in Lackawanna County in the months leading up to the election, compared to less than 1,000 Republicans.<\/p>\n

On Saturday night, about three dozen people come to Bolus\u2019 Trump office for a Halloween party complete with an \u201cRIP Crooked Hillary\u201d cake in the shape of a coffin and a band playing the smash hit \u201cLet\u2019s Make America Great Again.\u201d Most sit down to watch Fox News in rapt attention as Donald Trump touted the FBI\u2019s latest investigation into Hillary\u2019s emails.<\/p>\n

\\<\/p>\n

\"


Trump supporters watch Fox News at a Halloween party in the “Deplorable Volunteer Center” in Scranton on the night of Saturday, Oct 29. Photo: Charles Rollet<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

All the Trump volunteers I speak with agree this is the most enthusiastic they\u2019ve ever been about an election. For them, this campaign is about getting rid of a corrupt political class that has never served the interests of hardscrabble places like Scranton. Trump\u2019s blusterous statements and behavior have only reinforced their perception of him as a non-politician who tells it like it really is.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t understand how anyone could vote for a criminal,\u201d says volunteer Maria Lewis, a former Democrat. \u201cIf the media is against [Trump], that means he\u2019s stopping the gravy train and all the special interests.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s like the saint that\u2019s going to save the world and get rid of the corruption,\u201d says volunteer Aida Velez, who calls herself the \u201cDeplorable Princess.\u201d<\/p>\n

An Improbable Political Reawakening <\/strong><\/p>\n

After observing Bolus\u2019 efforts on behalf of Donald Trump for two days, it became increasingly clear the man wasn\u2019t doing all this only because of his passion for Trump. Bolus has a natural ease seeking publicity and organizing a well-oiled campaign. He\u2019s a born politician.<\/p>\n

However, due to his criminal record, there is little chance he\u2019ll run for elected office. That\u2019s not for lack of trying. In 2001, Bolus ran for mayor of Scranton but was barred by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court<\/a> because of his 1991 felony conviction. Bolus\u2019 family hasn\u2019t been free of legal troubles either. His son Brian, who Bolus says he\u2019s disowned, pleaded guilty<\/a> to federal tax evasion this January.<\/p>\n

Bolus claims his legal saga is the product of repeated battles with local government and law enforcement, members of which he accused of overseeing various corrupt schemes in the trucking industry involving tolling fees and even drugs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you do what I do and speak out against the power and corruption you get screwed,\u201d he says. \u201cThe system is dirty and corrupt.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Thanks to Trump, Bolus has finally been given the opportunity to lead a political campaign. While he won\u2019t disclose how much he\u2019s spent on the effort, it\u2019s clearly substantial; the Trump trucks don\u2019t even carry freight during their runs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s my money, it\u2019s my time,\u201d Bolus says. \u201cThe last thing I want to see is Clinton president. I want to see her behind damn bars where she belongs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Bob

Bob Bolus stands in front of the “Hillary truck,” which was parked outside the “Deplorable Halloween” party in Scranton the night of Oct 29. Photo: Charles Rollet<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Charles Rollet It\u2019s 5 a.m. on a Saturday morning 10 days before the election and Scranton, PA trucking tycoon Bob Bolus is in Manhattan, coordinating what feels like a covert operation: helping to navigate two 18-wheelers covered with pro-Trump slogans to the Fox News headquarters on Sixth Avenue. The 74-year-old fervent Trump supporter curses […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":293,"parent":12,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Deplorables of Scranton - Election 2016: The State of Pennsylvania<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/scranton\/the-deplorables-of-scranton\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Deplorables of Scranton - Election 2016: The State of Pennsylvania\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"by Charles Rollet It\u2019s 5 a.m. on a Saturday morning 10 days before the election and Scranton, PA trucking tycoon Bob Bolus is in Manhattan, coordinating what feels like a covert operation: helping to navigate two 18-wheelers covered with pro-Trump slogans to the Fox News headquarters on Sixth Avenue. The 74-year-old fervent Trump supporter curses […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/scranton\/the-deplorables-of-scranton\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Election 2016: The State of Pennsylvania\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-11-04T16:38:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2016\/11\/30374245560_8acbcf81c0_z.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"428\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/scranton\/the-deplorables-of-scranton\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/scranton\/the-deplorables-of-scranton\/\",\"name\":\"The Deplorables of Scranton - Election 2016: The State of Pennsylvania\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-11-02T17:30:23+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-11-04T16:38:18+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/scranton\/the-deplorables-of-scranton\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/scranton\/the-deplorables-of-scranton\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/scranton\/the-deplorables-of-scranton\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Election 2016: Scranton\",\"item\":\"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/scranton\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"The Deplorables of Scranton\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/\",\"name\":\"Election 2016: The State of Pennsylvania\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Deplorables of Scranton - Election 2016: The State of Pennsylvania","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/scranton\/the-deplorables-of-scranton\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Deplorables of Scranton - Election 2016: The State of Pennsylvania","og_description":"by Charles Rollet It\u2019s 5 a.m. on a Saturday morning 10 days before the election and Scranton, PA trucking tycoon Bob Bolus is in Manhattan, coordinating what feels like a covert operation: helping to navigate two 18-wheelers covered with pro-Trump slogans to the Fox News headquarters on Sixth Avenue. The 74-year-old fervent Trump supporter curses […]","og_url":"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/scranton\/the-deplorables-of-scranton\/","og_site_name":"Election 2016: The State of Pennsylvania","article_modified_time":"2016-11-04T16:38:18+00:00","og_image":[{"width":640,"height":428,"url":"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2016\/11\/30374245560_8acbcf81c0_z.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"10 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/scranton\/the-deplorables-of-scranton\/","url":"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/scranton\/the-deplorables-of-scranton\/","name":"The Deplorables of Scranton - Election 2016: The State of Pennsylvania","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/#website"},"datePublished":"2016-11-02T17:30:23+00:00","dateModified":"2016-11-04T16:38:18+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/scranton\/the-deplorables-of-scranton\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/scranton\/the-deplorables-of-scranton\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/scranton\/the-deplorables-of-scranton\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Election 2016: Scranton","item":"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/scranton\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"The Deplorables of Scranton"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/#website","url":"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/","name":"Election 2016: The State of Pennsylvania","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/292"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=292"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/292\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":345,"href":"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/292\/revisions\/345"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/stateofpa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}