Posted on 09/06/2008 8:41:08 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
The McCain Street USA rally in Cedarburg started early for me because I was determined to wear just the right shirt. DollyCali helped me get a logo ready, and I made shirts using my computer, my printer, my iron, and an iron-on transfer. This is the logo I chose:
The reason I did them myself is that we had such short notice about this Cedarburg rally that there was just no time to get shirts from the usual sources -- even with overnight delivery. So, the 2 days prior to the event were spent finding just the right base shirts and making the transfers. I ironed them on during McCain's acceptance speech. They were effective, and lots of people asked where I got them. After all, I learned that Sarah Palin had made her own pageant dress years ago for the Miss Wasilla contest. I'm not as talented as she is, but almost!
Someone I know very well is
extemporaneously explaining
the intricacies of the off shore
oil drilling business to a
captive audience while waiting
in line to get through security.
Note the shirt!
Smart vendors showed up with plenty of shirts and buttons to sell while we were waiting to get in, so I could have saved myself the trouble.
After leaving (about 5 minutes away) at 6:30 AM, we found a parking spot, and walked over to a local diner for breakfast. The diner had put out a sign welcoming Republicans, which was a nice touch.
After a nice breakfast and coffee, we headed to the line at one of the 2 security check points and found that there were already a couple of hundred people ahead of us even though it was only 7 AM. As it turned out, we waited nearly 2 hours in that line before we were let through security.
Protestors entertained us during our lengthy wait. They actually were pretty tame protesters because the police made them remove their masks, so they had to be on their best behavior. I took their pictures anyway. I hope they are embarrassed when their children ask someday why daddy was wearing a cow suit!
Why is this cute when Dr. Rauel
and Kristinn do it, and it
looks stupid when Democrats do it?
The local Republican Party required that we sign a registration sheet to get in (since there were no tickets). On that sheet we had ample opportunities to volunteer for the McCain campaign and to identify ourselves into various coalitions -- farmers, sportsmen, pro-life, Catholics, small business, etc. We did NOT have to volunteer, but we had to provide our names and addresses in order to get a sticker which allowed us through the security gates and metal detectors.
Once through security, volunteers handed out signs to wave; and we headed down the street to get as close as we could to the podium. I was positioned about 7 rows back, and I just couldn't wiggle any closer no matter how hard I tried. Those Cedarburg women are tough cookies and just don't give up their places easily! LOL. We stood there -- packed like sardines, elbowing each other -- until 11 AM when McCain's bus finally arrived. The podium was set up in front of the Chocolate Factory, which is one of several store fronts in the Washington House Inn -- an historic hotel, now operated as a bed and breakfast.
While we were waiting, the Cedarburg High School Band entertained, and several local politicians warmed us up with speeches. Greg Meyer, Mayor of Cedarburg, welcomed everybody and asked us to linger and do a little shopping afterward. I'm sure that the merchants took a heck of a hit for hosting this rally. Nobody had been able to conduct regular business in Cedarburg since Wednesday while the Secret Service and the Police conducted their security sweeps and set up the traffic blocks. Access to the center of town has been denied to all traffic since 10 AM Thursday morning. I called the City Hall to thank them for hosting the lovely event.
In the Mayor's remarks he pointed out that Cedarburg was one of Ronald Reagan's stops in his first campaign for President and they were hoping to replicate the occasion. Replicate? They expected 5000-8000 people. The State Police estimate 20,000 to 30,000 attended. The official count was 12,500 through security and thousands more on the streets surrounding and blocked from entering.
I'm surprised that so many people could fit in there, although I have been to street festivals that were alsmost that packed, so I imagine they know their numbers. The venue was a T where Columbia Road intersects Washington Avenue (Main Street), and the crowd could spill in 3 directions. Secret Service were everywhere, and so were police from several jurisdictions -- including the State Police. I was surprised about the State Police because our Dem Governor had refused to let them go to St. Paul to help with crowd control up there for the RNC Convetion. Of course, those protesters were much nastier than the Cedarburg variety.
Security on the roof tops
Thanks for the report. I’m looking forward to part two.
May i ask, what did you think of mccain’s speech at the rally, and also at the convention?
Have Dem relatives in Cedarburg. Just passed this on and I am so Glad to have clicked on this particular “ Vanity “! Been looking for a long 10 months now!
Everybody wanted a chance to see.
The Cedarburg Theater Marquee was changed to read
"Cedarburg Wisconsin Welcomes John McCain and Sarah Palin" for the occasion.
This little boy did NOT want to have his picture taken. Finally this first grader with the pigtails from St. Francis Borgia School (out of class for the historic occasion) persuaded him to pose. I told her that she would likely be President one day because she she was such a powerful persuader. Seeing that the little boy was disappointed -- I told them (much to the amusement of their elders) that the two of them would likely be President and Vice President some day. The little boy piped up at that point to say that HE would be the President because "Boys are the President." I corrected him to say, "Not any more, because Governor Palin has changed all that." Everybody laughed and agreed that the little girl in pigtails would likely run for President in about 2035 -- or be an attorney. She beamed like a Cheshire cat.
Representative James F. Sensenbrenner and his wife, Janet, wait for the program to start.
One of the most moving things that happened at the rally is when the Mayor showed us the gifts that would be presented to the Presidential ticket. The Mayor of Cedarburg had a hockey jersey made up from a local University -- Concordia -- that practices at the rink in Cedarburg and had Palin's name emblazoned on the back.
To top it off (and this part caused the crowd to choke back tears -- me anyway) he held up a letter and a medal from the son of an aging, Wisconsin, Medal of Honor recipient who is currently in a nursing home -- paralyzed from a stroke -- and he sent his father's Medal Of Honor to John Mc Cain. The mayor read the letter and showed those gifts to the crowd to great cheers, but we did not see him actually give these gifts to McCain and Palin. That was done privately. (And I'm glad for that.)
I'm sorry -- writing this has brought me nearly to tears again.
My State Rep, Mark Gottlieb, took over as Master of Ceremonies and told us that too many people had come and they couldn't fit everyone into the the crossroads of the town.Nice problem to have. He repeatedly asked some of us to move down the street in order to welcome the bus caravan when it arrived and make more room in the center of the intersection. Everybody glowered. (We couldn't have moved if we wanted to.) I had gotten there at 7 AM to secure my spot and the people in front of me had come into town at 5 AM. Nobody moved. We were packed in tight. I told you those Cedarburg ladies are tough!
After the rally, as we were dispersing, I ran into a woung woman who was practically jumping up and down as she loaded her toddler into her car. She was saying to nobody in particular, "He shook my hand. She hugged my baby" I stopped to talk to her for a minute and she told me that they could not get into the place where McCain and Palin spoke and the police had moved her down the steet. McCain stopped his bus and he and Palin got off and shook hands with everybody waiting there. She was over on Hanover, I think.
The NEXT time State Rep. Gottlieb, tells the crowd to move, perhaps they will because these folks got a rare opportunity.
At 10 AM the program started with the Pledge led by the Boy Scouts and the American Legion. That was followed by a local girl (now a student at UW Whitewater) leading us in the Star Spangled Banner. In our town -- everybody pledged and everybody sang. I was grateful that the young singer sang in a key that we could all handle.
Congressman Sensenbrenner spoke briefly, and then ---
11:00 o'clock came and a great roar rose from down the street -- way beyond my sight. Quickly enough, John McCain, Cindy McCain, and Sarah Palin were standing right in front of me -- with 6-7 rows of bobbing heads and waving signs in between.
Sarah Palin spoke first, leading off with her remarks about Obama's concession to O'Reilly Thursday night on the surge and then hit him with her zinger about that now that the surge has worked, he wants to pretend that NOBODY thought it would. Then she followed with the fact that John McCain thought it would -- KNEW it would work -- and she, as the mom of a soldier, wanted John McCain as Commander in Chief. The crowd went wild, and the crowd continued to go wild. It was really hard to get a picture because of all the signs waving in front of me.
I'll just post some pictures of The Ticket for America because, frankly, I can't remember too many details of the speeches. Most of it was recycled stump speech, and you heard a lot of it at the Convention. It was well received by the crowd, however. Many interruptions for cheers and chants.
Here are some shots of the Ticket for America:
Cindy McCain was wearing a hot pink cast on her wrist. I don't know what her problem is. Both speakers really had the crowd roaring and all three people looked fantastic -- even better looking in person than on camera, although that is hard to imagine.
They wrapped up the speeches right on time, and then they all shook hands with anyone they could reach. I grasped McCain's fingers, and so did my husband. I missed Palin's hand by a fraction of an inch because the crowd surged behind me -- even more anxious to get to her than to John McCain. The push shoved me forward and I missed her fingertips.
About that time someone behind me collapsed and they called for an ambulance. The EMTs brought in s little vehicle that looked like something you would use to rescue someone who had fallen through the ice. It was not much large than a Bobcat, but they mannaged to get rescue personnel through the crowd with it. I might add that it was VERY hot by then -- being almost noon -- and I had already shed 2 of my garments, although my husband was still wearing his rather heavy, fleece-lined, corduroy shirt jac over his 2 T shirts. I don't know why he didn't faint!
The EMTs administered First Aid to the man who had gone down and got him back on his feet. He was elderly and I noticed that he was wearing an EIB shirt -- Rush Limbaugh.com! I think he left under his own power after they had checked all his vitals, although they may have taken him to the hospital. We were clearing out about then and didn't stay to watch. I snapped a couple of pictures, although I'm not sure that he would like them on the Web.
We followed the kids from St. Francis Borgia School back to class. St. Francis is my Parish and I was thrilled that their co-principals required all the 4th - 8th graders to attend this event as a class project and released the younger ones to the care of their parents if they wanted to attend. St. Francis Borgia School is just down the street a couple of blocks from where the speeches were held.
The SFB kids are crossing the lawn heading back to class, while a man leaves the event with a handful of yard signs proclaiming "Another Democrat for McCain"
SFB student shows off her uniform at the end of the rally.
Then we headed for lunch (almost hobbling because of the 5 hours of standing) and my knees are still killing me, more than 24 hours later.
I thought it was terrific. You should have heard the crowd roar when he promised to veto any legislation that crossed his desk that contained pork barrel ear marks and to name names. "Everybody will know the names of the legilators who do this" (earmarks).
He was energized, and he looked great. He looks like has has shed 15 years overnight (or since he named Palin.) And Cindy McCain and Sarah Palin are both even more beautiful in person than they are on camera.
I would estimate that at least half (if not more) of the crowd was there to see Sarah Palin. The admire John McCain, but they LOVE Sarah Palin.
Oooops, I hope they weren't among the protestors whose pictures I published.
A lot of the women at the rally were holding up tubes of lipstick at Sarah Palin. She noticed and laughed and pointed at a few of them, nodding her head toward them in appreciation. I thought a woman a couple of rows ahead of me was going to faint at the recognition. She turned around, held up her tube of lipstick, and told everybody within earshot, “She pointed at me. Did you see that? She pointed at ME!”
Two simply beautiful and marvelous women, Sarah Palin and Cindy McCain. Thank you for posting all these pictures.
Updated 5:10 p.m.
By Kimberly Kindy and Robert Barnes (wash post)
Posted at 4:05 PM ET on Aug 13, 2008
Cindy McCain was rushed to the hospital Wednesday afternoon after an enthusiastic supporter shook her hand too hard, re-injuring a wrist that was broken and operated on many years ago, said McCain campaign staff.
"When the supporter shook her hand, knowing the problems that she has had in the past, she decided to have doctors look at it," said Laurye Blackford, McCain's communication director.
McCain was attending a fundraiser at the Shenandoah Banquet, Golf and Conference Center in West Bloomfield, Mich., when she was injured. She was taken to a nearby hospital in Royal Oak, where she received X-rays, according to the campaign, then was released in time to attend her husband's afternoon news conference.
Cindy McCain appeared at her husband's media availability with her right wrist and hand wrapped and wearing a blue sling decorated with a rhinestone pin.
"Many of you are wondering about Cindy's new attire," John McCain told the assembled press. "An individual shook her hand very vigorously at the last event we were at and she has a minor sprain,'' he said, adding now "she will not have to shake so many hands.''
"I'm fine,'' she added.
She later elaborated: "I'm absolutely fine. We had a great luncheon, fundraiser,and I shook hands with a very enthusiastic supporter and it got me the wrong way. But I'm absolutely great and this is a precautionary thing.''
John McCain communications director Jill Hazelbaker released a statement thanking people for their concern. "During the rope line an enthusiastic supporter shook Mrs. McCain's hand and exacerbated an existing condition," she said. "Out of an abundance of caution, she decided to leave the event and visit the local hospital for x-rays where she was treated for a minor sprain. We appreciate everyone's concern and she is back on the campaign trail now."
In June, 2004, Cindy McCain told the Associated Press that she broke her wrist while shaking hands on the campaign trail in 2000.
"I just thought it was sore, but I had stress fractures up my arm. It was broken, pinned and now it has fused," McCain said at the time. "So I guess there is a down side to campaigning."
That protestor in cow suit, did he fart a lot?
Wow...I actually wish I was back in WI now...but only to visit...:)
McCain stopped the Straight talk Express about 3 blocks from the location of the podium and they walked over, accompanied by the Secret Service and the Press to the cheers (and jeers for the press) of the onlookers. Thanks to 2 good hearted FReepers who helped me ost these. :)
McCain and Palin, accompanied by USSS, descend from the bus to the delight of the onlookers who couldn't get closer than 3 blocks away from the main event.
Palin hits the ground. Count the USS around the intersection. Hint: they wear black suits on hot days.
Cindy McCain in her pink cast. She has her own contingent of USSS.
Jon\hn & Cindy react to the appreciative crowd. Remember -- these are some of the folks who couldn't get in.
Sarah stoops to talk to some children on the curb right in front of my friend who was taking the pictures.
THe Straight Talk Express moves out to the cheers of the crowd. The crowd booed the Press buses.
It's all over except for some Cedarburg kids, obviously playing hooky and playing with "Another Democrat for McCain" signs. They haven't ripped them up -- most of those signs are the plastic bag variety that can be folded up and then placed on a wire when you get home.
Not sure, Recognize one I think. That’s okay, I love them all in spite of their ignorance. They are lovely people.
My wife and I came in the north gate and had a hard time getting in close enough. We stood near Hoffman's Meat and watched both speeches. Afterward, when McCain went into the crowd, we walked back toward Fiddleheads and west toward the Post Office, Then south to where we were parked. As we came up on Morton's, I noticed there were a bunch of motorcycles parked facing south. We stopped there hoping to see the bus pull away and to our surprise, as they turned south on Hanover, the bus stopped, McCain, Cindy and Sarah all jumped out and shook our hands. That was very cool. I have some photos of them across the street and fumbled as they approached us. Then as the bus pulled past us, I got a great shot of him in the bus giving a thumbs up.
We lined up opposite the Landmark building. We had protestors there too. There are pictures up in the thread. The number of Obama signs in Mequon and Cedarburg scare me. I’ve never seen that in 20 years. However, I notice that many of the signs are on the homes of teachers and retired teachers. I think I see a trend developing — a union trend.
I learned elsewhere that Cindy McCain is wearing a cast because she broke her arm shaking hands in August. With the fervor that people were reaching for the McCains and Palin on Friday, I can see how that can happen.
Huge thanks, AFTR, for posting pictures and your great report. I wanted to be there in the worst way, but couldn’t work it out.
The Kenosha contingent left at some God awful hour of the morning and managed to get in the front row - knowing them I’m not surprised. I believe the kids that Palin was talking with were Rep. Samantha Kerkman’s.
http://steppingrightup.blogspot.com/2008/09/guess-who-i-got-to-meet-today.html
Thanks again - can’t get enough of other’s pictures and videos. I’ve forgotten how beautiful Cedarburg is - will have to get up there around Christmas time. Take care.
That’s a great picture, but that must be a different set of kids. The picture I posted was taken over on Hanover street where she was talking to children who couldn’t get into the rally. Rep. Kerkman’s kids were on WAshington Ave. Same camera angle, but I know where the picture I posted came from (my friend).
Gov. Palin is certainly a beautiful woman, and the camera loves her. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bad picture of her.
I can’t imagine how early you would have to leave Kenosha to get in the front row. As I said, the folks in front of me came at 5 AM, but they lived only a couple of miles away. Yikes!
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