Posted on 09/11/2008 4:54:42 AM PDT by BufordP
Republican presidential running mates John McCain and Sarah Palin roared into Virginia yesterday in their first appearance together in this vital battleground state. Sans their opponent’s usual big-name band opening act to pull in crowds, the McCain-Palin rally drew an estimated 23,000 or more from across Virginia. Crowds packed into a hot and humid Van Dyke Park in Fairfax City to cheer for their candidates. According to the campaign press office, this was the largest McCain-Palin rally to date.
Sen. Fred Thompson fired up the crowd as the lead-in to the main event with red meat jabs at the media, calling the swarm of tabloid press and reporters currently invading Alaska "scandal-mongerers."
In the candidates' speeches, both made reference to the stark contrast between McCain-Palin and their opponents. Palin said while Sen. Barak Obama during his tenure in the Senate was requesting as a "senatorial privilege" $1 billion in earmarks, she, as Governor of Alaska, "was vetoing a half billion dollars as an executive responsibility."
McCain guaranteed the enthusiastic audience that he would use his veto pen on every pork-laden bill that came across his desk and expose those who try to hide the earmarks in these bills. "You will know their names and we’ll make them famous," he said.
The circus continued as McCain-Palin '08 also launched a new web ad yesterday responding to Obama's "lipstick on a pig" remarks in Virginia on Tuesday. Within hours, YouTube pulled the "Lipstick" ad citing a copyright violation complaint from CBS. A clip of Katie Couric appears in the ad, found here.
Also launched today was the new McCain-Palin "Fact Check" television ad admonishing the "mini-army" of Obama lawyers, investigators and opposition researchers dispatched to Alaska...
(Excerpt) Read more at humanevents.com ...
Memories.....been a long time since she left us. Does she ever get back here? Lurking?
I am soooo jealous of you two! I can only hope that they will come close to my part of TX! This is so exciting, and I know Connie is in her element!
No band concerts...just the usual introductions of political representatives at all levels on a perfect sound system. We clearly heard speeches and booming “Eye of the Tiger” music as Thompson and then McCain/Palin entered. It was repeated as a great ending...the ground vibrated!
For the hours before the rally speeches began, people stood and chatted with all the folks surrounding them and were just happy to be there for something they thought...HISTORIC...for many reasons. No one complained about the traffic, parking, security searches or the LONG walks from parking or bus drop off points!
Hundreds of people remained after the event to take pictures in front of the banner...Country First.
Check post 23 for some more “feelings” about the rally.
Congrats on writing for Human Events!
Thanks for the ping/post! It was good seeing you and Angelwood yesterday!
This was probably one of the smartest moves that McCain could have made. His selection is turning the tide for those who were floundering on the choices we had in this election. I now feel much better about voting.
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Same here. And I know of 5 conservatives just in my family who feel exactly the same.
So many people I talk to are on her bandwagon.
23,000 - and no bands!
Intereting.
Welcome back CAL. You’ve been missed.
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