A large crowd waits to enter the Colorado Jet Center for a John McCain rally in Colorado Springs on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2008. (Chuck Bigger, Special to The Denver Post)Posted on 09/06/2008 12:19:46 PM PDT by GVnana
A large crowd waits to enter the Colorado Jet Center for a John McCain rally in Colorado Springs on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2008. (Chuck Bigger, Special to The Denver Post)
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. — In just the second day out on the campaign trail with running mate Sarah Palin, Republican Presidential candidate John McCain will get a rock star's welcome this morning at the Colorado Jet Center.
Campaign staff say more than 10,000 people are expected to crowd into and overflow out of an airplane hangar at the Colorado Springs airport. They began lining up as early as 5:30 a.m., even though doors for the event didn't open until 9 a.m.
Palin is scheduled to start speaking at 12:30 p.m., followed by McCain.
By the time doors did open, traffic jammed for miles around the airport and the line of people waiting to get in wound for several hundred yards around large hangars.
"We wanted to be here for this memorable day," explained Patricia Strawser, who left her Denver house with her husband, Tom, at 5 a.m.
They arrived at the airport at 6 a.m. and found 50 people already in line ahead of them.
"I've never done anything like this before," said Tom Strawser, who wore a cowboy hat adorned with little American flags. "Nothing."
The crowd was made up of both veterans of political rallies and first-timers. Patricia Strawser said she worked for Democrat Al Gore's campaign in 2000. Tom Strawser said McCain's pick of Palin, the quick-witted, charismatic and conservative Alaska governor, made all the difference.
"Sincerity," Tom Strawser summed it up. "She's very authentic. I've never been inspired by anyone else like this except Bobby Kennedy."
"It has energized the base," added Patricia Strawser, a naturalized citizen from Colombia who said she became a Republican because she feels it's the party of moral values. "And it shows how bright John McCain is. He knows how the game is played. It is game on now."
Other people in the crowd said Palin has brought an enthusiasm level to the McCain campaign that now rivals that of Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama's famously devoted supporters.
"Military moms means what they say," Cathi Judy, a 52-year-old woman from Penrose whose husband is serving in the Army in Iraq and who has two children serving in the military, said in reference to Palin and her son, who is also in the military.
Radio show host Dan Caplis stirred up the crowd by pointing out several Republican women who hold elected office in the state.
"It just seems funny to hear Barack Obama say that he's for equal opportunity for women," Caplis said. "Tell that to Hillary Clinton."
He then led the crowd in chants of "Palin power!"
Sitting high up in the bleachers adjacent to the stage, Lorena Mitchell said she thought McCain would have received a rousing reception in Colorado Springs regardless of whom he chose as his running mate.
"This is typical El Paso County," said Mitchell, a Colorado Springs resident who is a lifelong Republican who has served as a party precinct chair for several years.
She said she has attended rallies for five presidents and several presidential candidates but has never seen McCain speak in-person.
"I thought, 'Gosh, if he's this close, I ought to come see him and show people I support him,'" she said.
But sitting down in the crowd, Mitchell's brother, George Mitchell, said he wasn't so sure. Mitchell, a Democrat, said he came with his sister and his girlfriend, who is also a Republican, to the rally. He held a sign reading "Maverick" over his head, but he said that was to block the intense morning sun.
"I'm still undecided," he said. "I came here to see what he looks like. Obama scares me too."
And, as for Palin, he was equally skeptical.
"I have nothing against hockey moms, don't get me wrong," he said invoking Palin's oft-quoted self characterization. "But c'mon, you've got to have a little more experience than that."
Lorena Mitchell was chuckled at her brother's skepticism.
"I think this will change his mind," she said.
Her son’s also leaving for Iraq on 9/11.
I also think that in choosing her, he must have had some inkling that she would be the more popular one on the ticket, but he chose her anyway. I think he realized whoever he picked would be thrust into the political arena, possibly for years to come. He didn’t pick a runner up. He pick someone he knew would probably stand on his shoulders someday.
If he did nothing for our country other than give Palin a chance at the next Presidency, he would have already done quite a bit.
Maybe another bombshell, like globull warming died 7 years ago.
McCain was gutsy and shrewed, and had the confidence he could carry the day. Quite remarkable, when you think about it.
McCain's new cast of thousands, all unknown Boston Globe - Posted by Sasha Issenberg September 6, 2008 02:51 PM
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Since setting out from St. Paul Thursday night with his new running mate Sarah Palin, John McCain is for the first time being regularly welcomed by Obama-style crowds.
A midday rally Saturday at an airport hangar here seems to have pulled McCain's third straight showing of over 10,000 attendees; until recently, it was remarkable for McCain to speak to one-tenth of that. Although they long ago booked such large venues, McCain aides claim that they are surprised by the turnout. Staff had projected only 1,000 to show up yesterday for a morning rally in a Milwaukee suburb, they said, while an estimated 12,000 ended up flooding Cedarbury's small-town streets.
But unlike Barack Obama's campaign, McCain's doesn't know who any of them are. From the outset of his candidacy, Obama has required attendees to pre-register for tickets to his events, an innovation in data collection that has given the campaign reams of new information on potential supporters that can be used for later contact and persuasion.
McCain has no immediate plans to require the growing throngs at his events to register, according to adviser Charlie Black, who cited the demands such a program would place on campaign labor and technology.
Obama would show those pesky RINO's wouldn't he?
It sure would feel good to those frustrated conservatives while our country is fed into a shredder however.
An overflow crowd turned out for a rally featuring Sen. John McCain and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2008. (RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post)
With or without teleprompters?
Bartow County, GA; has it’s share of DemocRats, but nearly all of them bitterly conservative an tote their guns to church.
I predict Zero gets about 150 vote from this county.
It appears that he's already standing on HER shoulders! But, I get your point, and I believe that this is tacitly understood by everyone, from McCain, down to the voters.
Did you hear the numbers — just announced on Fox?
McCain-Palin had 10,000 in Colorado Springs.
Obama had 800 wherever he was.
Bhwhahahahahahahaha
exactly... Palin is the future... but some people on here are so bitter, nothing will move them to vote for McCain/Palin... they kind of remind me of the old guy in Cacoon--the one who would not allow his wife to go into the swimming pool... he changed his mind in end, but it was too late...
It was McCain, not Palin, who was burning the barn today.
Nolan Ryan pretty much used the same fastball every game.
It was impressive on TV.
It was even more impressive when you were in the ballpark and witnessed it.
It was down right awesome when you stood inches away from where it just blazed by your body and made an unforgettable sound in the catcher's mitt.
Sarah is throwing high hard ones.
And the crowd loves the sound.
Because it's what they want to hear.
Oh put your pitchfork down. I’m sure others here have thought that too.
Maybe it’s because we’re news junkies and especially attentive to her speeches so we notice repeat lines.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
it’s okay to be a news junkie so am I.
it is my opinion to be a good conservative news junkie, we have to be careful what we say and how we say it. Remember, others are reading what you say and how you say it.
I don’t want to spend the next four years on this website directing my comments towards a zero Obama. So shape up ship out the right message. This message is from McCain
ha ha
*We will be uploading the entire rally, that KKTV.com carried live Saturday, to our Web site. Because of the length of the video it may take time to upload to our site. Thank you for your patience."
(Geez, FReepers. From your lips...!)
This should leave a mark.
Bitter contempt in the face of loss of personal freedom only leads to loss of freedom but apparently is a feel good promoter for some.
Just about all campaign speeches are the same.
Dubya have the same speech in the 2000 campaign cycle and every single time you could feel the electricity and energy from the crowd.
That’s the way it’s done, like it or not. Not everyone watches TV so the crowd is hearing the candidates in person is the most important thing for them.
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