Posted on 08/05/2008 6:00:25 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
STURGIS - Politicians are used to hearing the roar of the crowd, but Sen. John McCain heard an entirely different roar Monday night at The Buffalo Chip.
Motorcycles pounded out a welcome to the Republican presidential candidate at the campground in Sturgis, as he made a campaign appearance.
“This is my first time here but I enjoyed the sound,” McCain said. “It's the sound of freedom.”
He noted that his Democratic opponent, Sen. Barack Obama, had received a loud ovation in Berlin during a European tour last week. “I'll take the roar of 50,000 Harleys any day,” McCain said.
Thousands of bikers, most clad in black T-shirts and leather, cheered for McCain. He appeared with his wife, Cindy McCain, Sen. John Thune and Gov. Mike Rounds during a salute to veterans and people currently serving in the military. The tribute was followed by a concert featuring Kellie Pickler and Kid Rock.
McCain brought a group of national reporters with him to The Buffalo Chip and they were agape as they snapped photos of girls dancing on stripper poles, muscular bikers strolling around and the general air of freewheeling frivolity at the campground.
McCain took the opportunity to blast Congress for taking an August recess in a time of economic peril. “Tell 'em to come back and get back to work,” McCain said.
He said the country needs to “drill offshore and drill now” to alleviate high gas prices.
He also said he would ensure a “respectable closure” to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
McCain discussed several national issues during a half-hour interview on the Straight Talk Express, his famed campaign bus.
He said Thune, whose name has been mentioned as a possible running mate, was a highly accomplished senator but he declined to say if he was under serious consideration for the Vice President slot.
“He (Thune) has made a name for himself in the Senate,” McCain said. “He has led on a variety of issues.”
But he said his campaign team had to “get through the process” before he could discuss potential running mates.
Thune said he doubted he would be chosen, said he feels a governor or senator from a bigger state would be best choice.
McCain also had kind words for Obama, at least as a person.
“I admire him, I respect him, he's one of the most eloquent speakers to come along in a long time,” McCain said. “(But) we've got sharp differences.”
Among them are the war in Iraq, where McCain has long called for an increase in troops and a change in strategy. Obama had called for a quick pullout of troops but has since tempered his stance.
McCain said his consistent approach is one reason his message is getting out and he is gaining support. A national poll released Monday showed him with a narrow lead.
“An overwhelming, whopping one-point lead,” McCain said with a smile.
“We'll take it,” Cindy McCain interjected.
On the stage, Sen. McCain joked that he noticed there was a beauty contest at the campground and he asked his wife if she would enter. She would have the rare opportunity to serve both as first lady and Miss Buffalo Chip.
The crowd cheered and both McCains smiled.
“We've got to have a little humor in the campaign,” Sen. McCain had said earlier during the bus ride. He said the controversial TV commercial that compared Obama to Paris Hilton and Brittany Spears was simply that.
But he had serious comments on health care, saying dramatic changes are needed to prevent the poorest people from getting the least care. That's also the issue with fuel prices, McCain said, since the poorest people with the oldest cars have the hardest time paying for $4 a gallon fuel.
That's why he supports expanded drilling for oil.
McCain said he was also concerned about health care for veterans and service members. Some veterans and the South Dakota Democratic Party staged a rally in Sturgis Monday to criticize McCain for supposedly “rationing” health care for veterans and service members, but McCain said they were distorting his words. He said he wanted to send uniformed personnel to regular health care facilities with “a plastic card” to cover the costs while Veterans Administration facilities focus on veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and wounds from improvised explosive devices.
“I'd love to have that debate with Democrats and that group,” he said.
McCain, who was a prisoner of war from 1967-73, said he didn't suffer from PTSD. “I never had a problem, believe it or not,” he said, attributing much of that to his age, since he was nearly 30 while many current service members are a decade younger. “It took me 15 minutes to readjust.”
He said the current wars are extremely violent and bloody. “That's tough,” McCain said.
He didn't have much knowledge on the proposed Deep Underground Science and Engineering Lab (DUSEL) at the former Homestake Gold Mine in Lead. “I'm sure it's a worthwhile project,” McCain said.
But he said he didn't support congressional earmarks, which helped to fund the proposed national science lab.
“It breeds corruption,” McCain said, pointing to former congressman Duke Cunningham, who was sent to prison after taking bribes, and Sen. Ted Stevens, the long-serving Republican from Alaska who is under fire for accepting gifts.
“Just let it compete with everything else,” McCain said of items set aside the earmarks. “I just want them to compete fairly.”
Most of the people in the crowd seemed in support of the Arizona senator.
Steve Mitchell of Great Bend, Kan., and Kim Briggs of Oklahoma City said they are McCain backers.
“We just like what he stands for,” Mitchell said.
“I like what he stands for,” Briggs echoed. “I don't want my hard-earned money to be given away. People here are hard workers, conservative.”
Mitchell and Briggs said they were proud of McCain coming to the Rally, which they have attended five or six times.
“I thought it was great,” Mitchell said.
McCain said he feels the campaign is turning his way and he is finally getting a chance to speak to the American people.
“I think we're starting to get the penetration on the issues that are important,” he said.
You’ve been all over the place pushing that website. I’m a little leary is clicking on the link, whats it about.
It’s legit.
"It sounds like .... V-I-C-T-O-R-Y!"
Link to a related thread and to live web cam:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2056744/posts
“McCain may have done well at Sturgis,” Obama said, “but let’s see how he does at Burning Man. I can’t wait until I make that thing carbon-neutral!”
Was Obambi talking about making the Sturgis event carbon neutral or burning man...because quite frankly, that is a stupid thing to say to either constituency...damn barrack another Rookie move...
I have a great Sturgis story. An acquaintance of mine a few years back told this story. Years ago, when she was a young woman, she got in her VW bug and decided to drive around the country to look things over. She ended up camping in Sturgis just as the bikers began coming into town. Being from New Jersey and being basically an Eastern elite Jewish girl, she didn’t even know that such a thing as Sturgis existed. She decided that she had to leave the next morning but had paid for one last night in the rapidly filling camp ground. As she lay there trying to fall asleep, she heard someone making his way through the camp ground, stopping at each tent and asking, “Any Jews in there?” Although she was not an observant Jew, she decided that she could not deny her faith, her race, her religion. So, when the biker stuck his head in her tent and asked whether she was a Jew, she said yes. His response? “Good, we need a tenth for a minyon.”
For those who don’t know what a minyon is or why he would be looking for one - I’m assuming that they had arrived, discovered that a Jewish biker had died during the year and were going to sit shiva. They had to have ten Jews. She assumed that they were going to torture her or something.
Probably not the best thread to post this, but wanted to get it out there - ya’ll should’ve heard David Brooks, a (rare) conservative columnist for the NY Times, speaking at the Young America’s Foundation conference, about McCain and his character. VERY good. Brooks is well respected, and cut his teeth at the feet of William F. Buckley, Jr. who took him under his wing and into his world.
He also spoke at some length about the real virtues of GW. The difference between McCain and b. hussein obama as far as character, humility, integrity, leadership and courage is day and night.
You’re welcome! bttt
I am reminded of the saying, " You have a Republic......if you can keep it." One of our founding fathers.
The Obamites will reek their emotional fury on America at his loss of the election.We should be getting ready now as should President Bush and John McCain.
"I really love my Hog, and I couldn't do without my Motorcycle Mama, Michelle."
Anyway, cool experience and story for McCain. I suppose he's been to Wall Drug by now :_P
I had the pleasure of attending a townhall in Greendale WI
He is interesting to listen to
Glad to see he is hammering away on the drilling and calling congress back
I just read the AP (Anti-American Pravda) story in the local soon to be extinct lib newsrag here in the DPRNJ....somebody is lying.
It was like they were at two separate events. This was not the AP spin.
Golly gee willikers, how could that be?
And sounds like the bikers I've known through my life.
Caveat: The days of the Gypsy Jokers and the Hells Angels were something else, however.
Please tell me you are kidding. I’ve seen burning man. It’s an orgy filled drug fest and that’s putting it mildly. Mind you this was at a time that I was being stupid and using drugs and even I thought that place was way too much.
The fact that he would even mention that event boggles my mind.
“It breeds corruption,” McCain said, pointing to former congressman Duke Cunningham, who was sent to prison after taking bribes, and Sen. Ted Stevens, the long-serving Republican from Alaska who is under fire for accepting gifts.
Tom Lawrence, I call foul! I doubt that Senator McCain was only thinking of two Republicans in Congress when he made this caution regarding corruption. Another case of Mainstream Media drive by reporting.
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