Posted on 08/05/2008 12:40:08 AM PDT by SolidWood
STURGIS, S.D. - Thousands of motorcyclists greeted Republican presidential candidate John McCain with an approving roar Monday as he sought blue-collar and heartland support by visiting a giant motorcycle rally.
"As you may know, not long ago a couple hundred thousand Berliners made a lot of noise for my opponent. I'll take the roar of 50,000 Harleys any day," McCain said, referring to Democrat Barack Obama's recent visit to the German capital.
~snip
McCain played to a crowd that paused for a veterans salute. He criticized Obama for supporting a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq while opposing efforts to reduce record-high energy prices.
"My opponent wants to set a date to come home. I want us to come home with victory and honor so we will never go back again," the Arizona senator said.
McCain also criticized Congress for adjourning for a five-week recess without approving a new energy plan.
"Tell em' to come back and get to work," McCain said, yelling into the microphone. "When I'm president of the United States, I'm not going to let them go on vacation. They're gonna become energy independent."
~snip
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
CAMP TAJI (Staff Sgt. Jon Cupp serves with 1st BCT, 1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs.)
Soldiers from the 1st “Ironhorse” Brigade Combat Team (BCT), 1st Cavalry Division attended the Sturgis bike rally at Sturgis, S.D.
Well, not exactly.
But thanks to a live satellite feed and the ability to watch events at the rally via streaming video, the Ironhorse Soldiers had the next best thing to being at an extravaganza which draws more than a half a million motorcycle enthusiasts each year to the small burg of Sturgis—a town with a population of about 6,000 people.
The Aug. 6 live video feed allowed Soldiers the opportunity to see events happening in Sturgis. Through a satellite connection, bikers at the rally in Sturgis could see what the Soldiers were doing.
The event was sponsored by the Broken Spoke Saloon, which provided live entertainment for the troops in the form of a band along with motorcycle-themed events, which Soldiers on Camp Taji watched on a big screen.
The Soldiers who are bikers took the opportunity to give shout outs to fellow bikers in Sturgis as well as to send messages to their families.
The Ironhorse Brigade also provided some live entertainment to its troops in the form of a rock band that played for 30 minutes just prior to the events in Sturgis kicking off.
“This type of event brings peoples spirits up and their morale, giving us a little taste of home,” said Pfc. Valentin Alvarado, an infantryman, Headquarters Troop, 1st BCT, who hails from Roswell, N.M. “The fact that the folks in Sturgis took the time to set this up for us shows that they appreciate what we’re doing out here.”
“It feels nice to be a part of something like this. The only thing missing is some barbecue and it would feel exactly like home,” said Pfc. Thomas Gutierrez, also of Headquarters Troop and a Lockport, Ill., native.
Gutierrez and Alvarado, who although not motorcycle bikers, are part of a low-rider bicycle club on Camp Taji and they showed off their highly polished bikes via live video to the folks in Sturgis.
“We like to show off our bikes and we think it’s great for our bike club to be able to have the opportunity to participate in this,” said Gutierrez, who explained that the club takes great pride in its bikes in much the same way that motorcycle enthusiasts take pride in their machines.
“Being able to interact with folks (in Sturgis) makes us feel good, especially with us being out here in a combat zone,” said Sgt. Chris Delacruz of Company B, 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, who is also a member of the low-rider club. “It helps to break up the monotony of working eight to 12 hours a day with no days off and allows us to relieve a lot of stress.”
McCain PING
BRAVO !!!!
McCain gets taste of freedom at biker convention
“You are the heartland of America,” he told a crowd of thousands after a searing rendition of the U.S. national anthem played on electric guitar. “You are the heart and soul of America and I am honored to be in your company.
The bikers revved their engines in a deafening roar of approval.
McCain rallies bikers at Sturgis
STURGIS, SD — An extremely enthusiastic Sen. McCain stressed energy independence during brief remarks before more than 20,000 bikers Monday night at the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
“This is my first time here but I recognize that sound. It’s the sound of freedom and thank you for it,” McCain said as hundreds of bikers revved their engines at a Salute to Veterans rally on the Buffalo Chip campgrounds. “I thank you all very much for that unique Sturgis welcome.”
Overall, a good day for McCain.
There was some snark from LA Times but that was even mixed with grudging respect. My feeling is alot of guys on bikes appreciate the respect that McCain showed them in a forum where he could.
This was not a last minute thing but had been in the planning for 4 months.
Ping
someone needs to post that photo of obama on his bikewith the nerdy helmet
Not too many people here are thrilled with McCain, but what would you have us do?
I'd happily vote for any candidate who promised [yeah, I know...] that his first official act would be to open the files on VN POW & MIA.
Gasp!
Why don’t you go root for obama someplace else?
He’s made it clear. He wants hussein to win.
LOL
Have you heard of BDS?
You have a bad case of MDS. Real bad.
No I do not want any leftists or liberals to win. Obama has nothing to do with my lack of support of John McCain. He is a non factor. My objection to John McCain is bound up entirely in John McCain. It cannot be blamed on any other candidate, as far fetched is that. John McCain is the only one responsible for John McCain. And I am not voting for him. Obama is off topic, I have no use for him either.
What are YOU smoking?
You are totally illogical.
Your support of Obama on this forum is despicable, too.
That’s some leap of logic. I support McCain winning, therefore I support hussein.. yeah.. that’s it?
But with time and the trial of fire, McCain is looking better. He still has a ways to go but he is infinitely better than Obama or Hillary.
The Democrats that crossed to force McCain on the Republicans are really regretting this right now.
AiT may never be able to let go of the fury at some of the Maverick's past tricks, and I can understand. He still has to weigh the real cost of letting folks like Nancy Pelosi run this country. AmericaninTokyo is a patriot and he will make the right decision in the end even if that is just for himself.
If you are going to claim I support that shill, then you are going to get it right back in your face as well. You support him as much as I do.
Actually, the difference is you support McCain and oppose Obama.
I oppose both of these men. Got it now?
I do not get it. You *have* to support one or the other in this race. You spend all your time displaying MDS, but I don’t see ANY hussein negatives from you hardly, if any!
All you do is complain about McCain!
All that’ll do is promote the alternative, which is.. hussein.. Get that?
The decision is essentially made and it is down to about two or three options.
Unfortunately, for the Socialists (Obama) and the Liberals (McCain), the choice I am making in 2008 includes neither of those nitwits.
And to do otherwise, would make me into a liar. I won't have that. Thank you for respecting this position of non-support for both Osama and Scarface on my part, for whom they are and for what they both would do to the United States with their cabinet selections and administrations.
Can anyone picture Obama addressing this crowd? I can’t.
I plead for you to stop bashing McCain, thereby helping hussein. Please.. Stop.
I love the delicate way MS-LSD put it: “Thousands of motorcyclists greeted Republican presidential candidate”
Motorcyclists? Limp wristed.
i.e. arbitrarily support just one of two choices when there might actually be more than just two choices, perhaps three or four, who knows? Men in uniform, in case you might want to consider it, fought and died for a free electoral and ballot processes, that extends to any American political party which goes through the certified administrative procedures to stand for elections legally under our voting system. This was secured as much in Iwo Jima as it was in Khe San. Do you dispute this, fellow American?
If legally a party or person can get on a United States ballot and field a slate of electors for the Electoral College, that is a blood-shed right that I have guaranteed as a voter. You have a lot of nerve to dictate who I will vote for on my ballot, by limited legitmate choices. No one will dictate to me that "you will vote for "A" between "A" and "B", when there may well be "C", "D", and "E" there as well. Got it? Knew you would.
OK, I will stop—for this thread’s sake. I will argue this gladly on another thread with you. I dont want to get a reputation as a thread hijacker, so I am going to just let it lie right now. Take care. Enjoy your man and your campaign. Sorry if it got out of hand.
Seeing it best to realize only two choices are evident, show respect for McCain’s 2 sons who are currently serving. I’d Never let Obama get near being Commander and Chief with my vote or rhetoric. I’ll give McCain a break for now because it’s the right thing to do.
[ ]Obama=>LoseBothWars/Raise Taxes [X]McCain=>WinBothWars/CutPorkBarrelSpending
we can/will argue this elsewhere. take care.
On this you wish to hang McCain? Because he's realistic, rational and supremely well-informed with the personal experience to back it up? Because he's not inclined to fall for emotionally-driven wishful thinking?
This is McCain's strength, not his weakness. That you fault him for it speaks volumes to his credit and highlights your utter lack of any.
A beautiful sight.
I know you are rather new to FR, just in the last few months, but per my #37 just, I called a ceasefire so the thread is not hijacked, but I am more than happy to take this up on a new thread. Thanks for your input.
I cant believe they didn’t think to get video of this!
Not that big of Mccain fan but I really had no problem with that snippet of video maybe we need more.
AIT,
I truly understand where you are coming from. Understand that I am not trying to urge you to change your thinking, or, ask you to violate your principles in not voting for the bastard McCain.
Just showing my hard thought out reasoning on why I have gone down this road in (blowing huge chunks) throwing my vote his way...
I wrote the following in February after finding out he was to be the GOP nominee (I financially supported Duncan). For this to make sense, please replace Hitlery’s name with Obama’s:
JDoutrider 02/17/2008 7:06:31 AM PST
Just for discussion since we have quite the dustup concerning voting for McCain, or, as as many on the forum are now saying to give the socialists power for 4-8 years as a protest vote, which I find insane...
I must admit that I have a visceral hatred for McCain for what he did to our MIAs, some, my comrades in arms, and their Families. He essentially sentenced those brave Soldiers, Marines, and Airmen to die horrible, lonely deaths by closing those hearings when we still had numerous sighting information. His actions were, and, are unforgivable. His berating, overbearing , negative handling of the desperate families on this issue is far beyond the pale, and, in an earlier era, he most likely would have been challenged to many duels for his lack of integrity.
What is the alternative? Not vote? Write in mickey mouse? Do we truly want the Clinton Dixie mafia back in power? Some say they would… That after four years of a Hillary! Administration, we could easily waltz back into power to repair whatever damage she had done. Balderdash! If Hillary! gains the power of the Executive Branch again, she would fill the Judicial Branch with ultra liberal judges, including our Supreme Court. There would be no judgeship, from the very top, to the smallest slot in the federal bureaucracy, that Hillary! Wouldn’t fill with anti American progressives. That’s a fact.
Hillary! In four years, would cement that bureaucracy within the bureaucracy, with lifelong appointees that could, and would be the stepping stones to her dream of a Marxist socialist society that no way resembles our American way of a Representative Republic, and there would not be a damned thing you could do about it.
If you thought Slick Willy’s destructive, demoralizing, dismantling of our Armed Forces was a good idea, just wait and see how thorough Hillary! will be in her first term, and believe it, if she gets one term, she will get another…especially after she lavishes “bread and circuses” thickly onto the liberal, so called progressive masses.
One must remember, be it Hillary! Or Obamanation, whoever it is selected by the socialists, will come on board with both Houses of Congress already in the democrat majority, and on either one’s side in their quest to “change” America.
If you thought fighting for your rights, especially the Second Amendment, was hard under a left leaning Bush, You ain’t seen nothing yet when there is no power whatsoever on your side to fight against the old oak tree of Alinsky socialism.
McCain’s views on all other issues are contrary to this Conservative’s beliefs. Be it the Second Amendment, Illegal alien amnesty, global warming, or the host of co-sponsored bills with the liberals, All make my blood boil.
That is, with the exception of his view on the War, the military, and the support of our Troops fighting that conflict.
It is for that reason alone, that I will cast my Vote for that bastard. I believe that all others that support our Troops should do the same, regardless of all other issues. We could still fight the bastard’s insane, liberal views, with the congressional republicans that survive the coming slaughter in November.
There you go AIT, It is truly a mind numbing decision for me to make. Not being the drinking type, I fully intend to drive home after I vote, take a long hot shower, then drink that bottle of Patron I recieved as a Christmas gift just passed... UGH!
Taken completely put of context
You call that shocking and bad? The worst thing in this video were McCain's goofy glasses.
Well said.
"Taking back the microphone, McCain joked that he wanted her to enter the beauty contest held at the site, the Buffalo Chip campground on the edge of town."
"I told her with a little luck, she could be the only woman ever to serve as both the first lady and Miss Buffalo Chip," McCain quipped. "
...You hit the nail right on the head. I have some issues with McCain, but holy crapola, I can not and will not waste a vote for another candidate that has no hope of winning and takes away from McCain defeating the Obamanation. The damage this bigoted, left wing socialist and his hateful, racist wife can do to this country in four years is too much for me to stomach...We should never, ever let Obama get near being Commander and Chief.
McCain isn't looking better, because of McCain in my book. McCain is looking better, because as time goes on, and more truth comes out, Obama, and his followers are becoming an ever more clear and present danger to the country.
I am with AmericanInTokyo, I do not want to cast my vote for McCain; he is no Conservative, and his past actions in many instances turn my stomach. I've said for the last year that if McCain wants my vote, he has to come to me, not the other way around. BHO is beginning to scare me from a political, and religious stand point, though.
For reasons well beyond anything that McCain, and the GOP, has highlighted, I may have to vote for McCain, as the way lesser of two evils. I could stomach a Democrat in office along the lines of BJ Clinton, Al Bore, or even Hillary Clinton, for that matter; if I had to. Beyond their lust for power, I honestly don't think any of them wish to see out country destroyed. With the messianic following that BHO has gotten, along with political/economic views that would , IMO, cause the US to cease to exist as we know it, I fear that myself, and others like me, may have to cast our lots for McCain, simply to negate the votes of brained dead liberals; lest BHO attain the Whitehouse.
All that is missing from the Obambi pic is the pink bike basket with the plastic flowers on the side.
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