I Saw Sarah Palin Today in Kissimmee (LOTS of Pictures)

Vanity | 10/26/2008 | RightFighter

[RightFighter]

I just want to share my memories of the Sarah Palin rally today in Kissimmee, Florida. My mom and dad and I left Daytona Beach today around 9AM and made our way to the event, where we were joined by my friend Olga. The weather was beautiful outside while we waited to get int, and we could not have enjoyed ourselves more. It was the most worthwhile experience possible.

Here are my pictures:

The Ticket:

The Venue - the Silver Spurs Rodeo Arena in Kissimmee, FL:

Always good to see the old girl flying high:

And also good to see the young girls raised right:

Just one of many "Joes" that were there:

RightFighterDad and RightFighterMom before the event:

Perhaps not your "typical" McCain/Palin supporter. You'll see her again:

This one's a cutie:

More Joes:

This woman was cheered loudly wherever she went in the arena. Read her sign:

I told you you'd see this girl again. She sat on the platform behind the candidate:

One of Sarah Palin's biggest fans. This girl caught Sarah's eye, and Sarah not only blew her a kiss from the podium. She also stopped and talked to this girl and her family for probably five minutes once the event had ended:

I wasn't sure if this baby was special needs or not, but when Sarah was working the crowd after she spoke, she reached over and took this baby and held him for a minute. It was very sweet:

The firefighter honor guard. Check out the cool axes:

Some of the crowd:

RightFighterDad and RightFighterMom during the event:

My friend Olga - a Russian immigrant and huge McCain/Palin supporter:

Notice how loosely his jacket fits. I told Olga that I was sure he had an automatic weapon under the jacket:

Senator Mel Martinez:

Florida Governor Charlie Crist:

Sean Hannity was well received:

Sarah enters the venue:

She was given a warm reception, to say the least:

Elisabeth Hasselbeck is beautiful, and she did a great job introducing Sarah:

Pretty in Pink - Sarah wowed the crowd:

More Sarah:

More Elisabeth:

The future second (and one day first) couple:

One more of Elisabeth:

Sarah thanks Elisabeth for the introduction:

Sarah on the stump:

More of Elisabeth as she watched Sarah:

I think the other side of this sign said "Fred the Filmmaker". Sarah read it to the crowd, and then when she saw this "Union Member" text, she told the guy he should watch out, he might be about to get the same treatment Joe the Plumber did. She apologized to him for making him famous:

She read this sign to us too:

This man loves his wife and it shows in the way he looks at her:

Sarah leaves the stage to work the crowd:

Autographs - Todd Palin (left) and Sarah Palin (right):

Sarah and Todd right after RightFighter's placard was autographed:

What a beautiful couple:

The world's most gorgeous (and promising) politician:

At this point, Olga yelled out "I love Todd", which was funny because RightFighter's name is Todd. I yelled "Todd - you rock!", and he turned and looked at me and said "YOU rock, man."

Sean Hannity interviews Elisabeth Hasselbeck:

Sean Hannity works the crowd:

Barack Obama attended the event. Who knew?

Just before Sarah left the venue:

RightFighter and Olga after the event. Notice the shirts - they are my design which I sell in my store at www.isupportsarah.com:

I saw no protesters at this event - only Democrats for McCain:

[RightFighter]

I hope you've enjoyed my pictures. I was happy to share them with you.

RightFighter

[RightFighter]

I thought you might want to see these. It was nice to meet you today.

[Kimmers]

Thank you for sharing those great pictures......it must have been a wonderful time......

[FlingWingFlyer]

Thank you for posting those. They are great!

[Tuxedo]

Good work!!

[GOP_Lady]

OUSTANDING, OUTSTADING PICS!

THANKS SO MUCH FOR SHARING WITH US.

I felt as if I was right there with you. :-)

[NYC_BULLMOOSE]

NICE PIX !

Thanks for sharing them!

[AmericanGirlRising]

Hi RF -

My husband is from Kissimmee and I’d like to post one of your photos to my blog. May I?

http://redgirlrising.blogdns.net/

[mylife]

GREAT JOB!

Turn out looks light though. Was it well attended?

[jwalsh07]

I certainly did enjoy them. Thanks!

[RightFighter]

Sure - post away.

[2ndDivisionVet]

"Notice how loosely his jacket fits. I told Olga that I was sure he had an automatic weapon under the jacket.."

IIRC, they carry an Uzi submachine gun on a spring holster.

[Dinah Lord]

Great pics!

Thank you.

[AprilfromTexas]

Great photos!! Looks like you were close to the stage! Thanks for sharing them with us.

[RightFighter]

Very well attended. The arena holds 10,500 in the seats. There were probably a total of maybe 1,500 seats or so empty in the two “end zones”, but there were 3,000 people or so down on the floor where I was.

[SERKIT]

Nice to see firefighters come out for Sarah (color guard) since the IAFF endorsed Barry! They might find dead fish in their bunker boots!

[Boiling Pots]

Awesome picts!

We were going to make the trip from Miami, but decided not too...wish we could have gone, but ended up posting about 75 signs after the Dolphin game.

Make a simple sign on your computer...”Socialism isn’t change” and print it. Make copies and paste them to lampposts at busy intersections.

Thousands will see it everyday.

[quantim]

Just outstanding! Thanks!

[mylife]

I was hoping it was the “endzone” thing.

Once again. GREAT JOB!

[scooby321]

Great Pictures.

[RightFighter]

I was 15 feet or so from Sarah while she was talking. Close enough to shake Todd’s hand and get the autographs pictured above. I couldn’t get to Sarah’s hand to shake it, but I was happy anyway.

[Battle Axe]

Thanks for the great tour of your day.

I was at an event in 200? where Bush came to view the tornado damage in Missouri. Yes, those boys with the ill fitting suits are probably heavily armed. I notice a particular Asian guy with earpiece and a gold lapel pin made like a whale. I saw him the day before in the building where Bush spoke. I suspected at the time that he was SS and he was around Bush when he was there. You would not believe the parade of black SUV/lots of antennas etc they had parked out front. Bush flew in by chopper, but these SUVs met him there. Must have been FBI or something.

Also saw Ari Fleisher just 7 days before he announced he was quitting. I shook his hand!!! I have a pic of Bush with another guy with gold specks on his glasses.

Those guys are something else.

BA

[mojo114]

Great pictures of a wonderful time. Thanks!!

[Bearshouse]

Wonderful pictures. Thanks for posting.

[Baynative]

I enjoyed the pictures and the "feeling" I got from seeing them. I hope you enjoy the following:

This is from Prioleau Alexander, who is a former US Marine, KA at Auburn, published author, teaches The Alpha Course and takes annual mission trips assisting with medical and dental care to the desperately poor people in the Ukraine from St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Charleston . He writes with humor and insight in the current situation.

The Abyss Between Us...
by Prioleau Alexander

The 2007/2008 War for the White House. There are those that say it's the worst race ever, and those that say it's the tightest race ever, and those, like me, who say it's pretty much politics as usual: My Guy, Yea! Your Guy, Boo!

There is, however, one new phenomenon in this year's race that baffles me— And I can say with confidence it's new phenomenon in American politics. I'm speaking of the left's searing hatred of a vice-presidential pick, Governor Sarah Palin.

Where does this come from? What is it about her that inspires such white-knuckled rage? I'm a conservative, and I think Barrack, Joe Biden, and runner-up Hillary have goofy political ideas, but I don't hate them. I'm happy to admit, in fact, that they are all smart, ambitious, inspiring to their followers, and savvy. I also admit to finding them to be elitist, affected, racist, and narcissistic, but I don't hate them… it takes a lot to inspire that emotion in me.

But Governor Palin? If you have access to the Internet, you already know what I'm talking about-- there is fury amongst tens of millions of Americans at the mere mention of her name. According to these haters, she's not just "dumb," she's "an embarrassment." She's not just "unqualified," she's "proof that John McCain is an idiot." She's not just a "deeply religious," she's a "close-minded, hateful bigot."
You betcha, to coin a phrase. A bigot married to an Eskimo. Happens all the time.

So why the hate? Poor Dan Quayle was the butt of a billion jokes, but people didn't hate him. What are the reasons Governor Palin inspires such an emotion? Let's explore a few ideas that come to mind:

She's beautiful. No two ways about it, she's " America 's hottest governor from America 's coldest state." Not only is she beautiful, but she's just had a fifth kid and still retains a body that would bode well in a bikini. I think her beauty is most horrifying to the grim-n-grumpy feminists on left, who are far more comfortable with female politicos that angrily eschew things like "looks" and "fitness": Madelyn Albright, Janet Reno, and yes—Hillary. "Pretty girls" are the butt of these "smart" women's jokes, because "pretty girls" have it all handed to them on a silver platter, right? Now don't get me wrong… there are plenty of beautiful women who hate Sarah Palin, but it's for a different reason. They hate her for her stunning, meteoric success—that she rose to become Governor in a male-dominated state, while remaining married to her blue-collar husband, while raising five children, while being involved in church and athletics—and now she's potentially one heart-beat away from being President! Beautiful women just don't do that… because they don't have to, of course. Maybe marriage, a career, and school board-- but not that level of success. For a beautiful woman to see another beautiful woman put in such hard work—ugh. It's hateful to be reminded of one's decision to take the bench early, I guess..

She's married to a man's man. For the last forty years, the hard left has sought to recreate American men and American women as American human beings, as if we are somehow differentiated only by reproductive organs. Men should cry more. Women shouldn't cry at all. Men should be sensitive. Women should be tough. Men should get manicures. Women should compete harder in sports. The destination is a mushy, gushy middle, where everyone is equal, and equally unattractive to the opposite sex. And you know what? There's been a lot of success in this area. Grim-n-grumpy feminists wake up in the morning with the Pilsbury Doughboy next to them. (Boy, that's a turn-on). The Pilsbury Doughboy looks in the mirror and sees—surprise, surprise—what he's become: Effete and helpless. Then comes Todd Plain . He works the nightshift. In the oil industry. In Alaska . He races snow mobiles. He's got a flat belly. And he'd kick your ass in a bar fight. He's everything the Grim-n-grumpies strangled out of their husbands, and both parties in the bed know it. That's cause for a lot of hate.

She's apparently happy. The twenty-year marriage, five kids, started life without a trust fund, didn't marry money, works sixty hours a week—just two of these horrifying afflictions would have the hysterics on the left on meds and in therapy. And yet, Sarah Palin is not only surviving… she's thriving. She seems to be happy. She talks about her husband as "still my guy." She looks like she's having fun when she gives speeches. What's not to hate?

She's low-maintenance. Sarah Palin can stalk, shoot, and field-dress a moose. She lives above the Arctic Circle . She snowmobiles with "her guy." She ran against her own party to become Governor in an uber-macho state and maintains 80%+ approval ratings. She and her husband pulled themselves up by their bootstraps. They work as a team. She is, quite literally, the polar-opposite of Hillary Clinton. She seems to offer evidence that you don't have to be a "bitch" to make it. She seems to demonstrate that a sham marriage is not a pre-requisite to making it big. She is hardest, meanest dose of reality a Hillary supporter could ever be forced to see… and the result is hate.

She makes clear the inexperience of Senator Obama. Barrack Obama has less that 200 days service in the United States Senate. He has zero executive-level experience. None. In fact, at one point he pointed to "his campaign" as his executive experience, as if running for President makes you qualified to be President. Personally, I have no problem with Obama's lack of experience. Hell, I think I could be President, sipping on martinis and taking advice from my hand-picked advisors. But the problem with Sarah is this—A leftist cannot rub her face in the dirt of experience without stuffing Barrack's in there too. She has executive experience as a mayor and a Governor, and he has none. Zero. And the fact that Obama supporters are put in a position where they have no choice but to sound stupid and hypocritical in discussing Obama's superior qualifications… well, hatred is the only viable emotion.

She is one of us. This, I think, is the thing that inspires the deepest hatred. You see, Americans love their champions and leaders up on a pedestal—invincible and removed. We like our sports heroes to embarrass and crush the challengers. We like our movie stars nothing less than perfect. We like our politicians to members of mensa, or brilliant orators, or war heroes, or fabulously wealthy aristocrats who've never worked. Why? Because we love our "stars" not for the light they shine down on us, but how far away from us they are. Sarah Palin reminds us of how little most of us have achieved—that 99% of us are mere scrappers, vying for 10,000th place. She is the American success story of a woman who took what she was given, and multiplied it one-hundred fold.

And for that, I love Sarah Palin. And even if she fades into political obscurity in the next two months, I will always remember 2008 as the year I was, probably for the last time, inspired by an American politician.

Prioleau Alexander is the author of YOU WANT FRIES WITH THAT? A White-Collar Burnout Experiences Life at Minimum Wage. ( Arcade , 2008)

www.SouthernFriedWriter.com

[proudmilitarymrs]

Great report! Thanks for sharing!

mrs

[Malesherbes]

Thanks for the wonderful pictures! It has been a pleasure for me to follow Sarah through this campaign with the help of Freepers who generously share their pictures.

I still have hope for a victory next month - that inside the privacy of the voting booth the American people will exercise common sense. Yet whatever the outcome, there will be be no keeping Sarah Palin down. She has walked over hot coals without flinching and with a smile on her face.

[weston]

Thank you for sharing those wonderful pics! I enjoyed every one of them and your comments.
Keep Hope Alive...Vote for SARAH!

[golfisnr1]

I saw that same Secret Service agent at a rally in St Charles Mo.

[Miss Didi]

Tears of joy! Thanks so much for sharing.

[Frantzie]

Great pics. Just keep RINOs Crist and Mel Martinez away.
:-) Sorry - I am in SE FL and I am no fan of Charlie or Mel. I was going to drive up but it is about 2 1/2 hours one way.

I wonder how many people were in the crowd? Looks like a great time plus Hannity was there too.

[BlessedBeGod]

I especially love that last picture! I hope they’re representative of many more out there across the country!

[Christian4Bush]

bump

[AmericanGirlRising]

thanks!

[shield]

Thank you...they were grand. ;o)

[since1868]

BTT

[Edgewood Pilot]

Thank you Todd and Sarah Palin and Family.

I will never forget what you are doing and sacrificing for America during this election season.

[South40]

Introduce me to Olga. :-)

[TASMANIANRED]

Many thanks.

[My Favorite Headache]

Wish I had known you were going...went with my mother to the rally...we were 3rd row on the floor. Had a good time...nice crowd for Palin. Crist talks like a used car salesman who is on TV. Not believable at all.

[Paul_B]

Great pics. Thanks.
p.

[upsdriver]

Great pics, thanks for sharing!

[MiddleEarth]

Amazing pics! Thanks!

[Yardstick]

*Bump!*

[RightFighter]

She’s MINE!

[lonestar]

I loved the pics!...especially the one of her holding the baby.

[SFConservative]

Thanks for these spectacular pictures! Amazing camera work in what looks like an elbow-to-elbow moving crowd!

[HokieMom]

Awesome! I watched it on streaming. Your photos are wonderful. Thanks for posting and captioning them!

[4Godsoloved..Hegave]

Thanks for sharing the pictures.

[gopsue]

Your pictures are AWESOME!!!!