Posted on 10/06/2008 6:15:50 AM PDT by Gopher Broke
By Shawn Steel
CRP National Committeeman to the RNC
October 4, 2008
Not since Ronald Reagan's final campaign rally at Orange County's Mile Square Park on the eve of the 1984 election, have thousands of Californian Republicans gathered. Neither Bush could do it. None of last year's Republican presidential candidates could fill the Home Depot Tennis Center.
The Center has 13,000 court side seats. All those seats plus the suites were filled to capacity. Still thousands more were slowly streaming into the stadium quickly filled up the court yard. Thousands more found standing room around the rim of the stadium. Over 20,000 people were there to celebrate, shout and scream. It was a party. Lots of families, lots of color, and a whole lot of women. Yet, the clouds overhead were threatening with a little misty rain.
The crowd waited patiently for hours. The tickets were hard to get. Many people had to give several hours at local McCain/Palin HQ's to get inside. It was hard to imagine our side could fill a stadium, with a few days notice and no advertising in LA.
State CRP Chairman Ron Nehring, started the show by giving a cheerful talk inspiring the troops. Next Tony Strickland, in the state's most hard fought contest, Senate District 19, looked like a winner leading the masses for more cheers for the main speaker. Academy award winner, Jon Voight, former leftist, father of Angelina Jolie, got the crowd to shouting. [ See him in David Zucher's American Carol, this weekend]
Slowly the sun emerged. No hint of rain. The them moment came.
Shelly Mandell, the current President of Los Angeles National Organization for Women [NOW] --- in the Republican OC suite several of us were scratching our heads--- introduced Sarah Palin. It was an awkward introduction. . Mandell, stated she didn't agree with Sarah on everything, that she is a democrat, that she Mandell supported the failed Equal Rights Amendment campaign but the crowd exercised tolerance. Ms. Mandell will get a lot of angry calls from the hard left, but she embraced the moment and stood with Sarah Palin. When Palin took the mic, the people exploded. Everyone stood during her entire 30 minute address.
I counted over 37 TV cameras, plus at least 5 more on the side. Not even Arnold can get that attention. Sarah roused the rancorous multitude that California is still Reagan country. Cheers. Then Sarah warned that when she quotes Madeline Albright that there is a "special place in hell for women who don't support women." the press will somehow screw that up. More cheers.
Sarah Palin stirred the throng by asking Obama rhetorically "wouldn't it be nice, for Barack Obama, to say once that he wanted the US to win" in the Middle East?
I rushed out early to blog this report. All the few dozen Obama vagabonds disappeared.
Carson had more Republicans gathered in its city confines since its incorporation in 1968. This rally is a milestone. It proves that the Party can be vibrant, enthusiastic when presented with an articulate conservative. Sarah Palin attracted swarms of young people, Latinos, Asians and Pacific Islanders [ basically the demographics of Carson]. The lesson cannot be clearer. Give us Ronald Reagan optimism, quote Reagan like Sarah did , that "government is not the solution but the problem," - - -and they will come.
oh but we are down by 7 points right?
lol!!!!!!!
this is a MOVEMENT and we are going to peak at the right time.
That’s right, and we’re just begun to shift the balance to our side. Actually, I’m not sure it ever was in O’s favor because of the spin the poll takers put on who they poll. Ignore the MSM and the polls, put up those yard signs and work for a McCain/Palin win.
That’s encouraging. :)
I’M VOTING FOR SARAH.
Enthusiasm is important. Who knows, perhaps all this talk about McCain and mortality tables may be motivating conservatives to vote now that she is on the ticket.
What’s the latest in CA polls? (not that you can trust them-or is there one we can?)
Yes, the MacPalin campaign is floundering and headed for defeat, that is why Sarah is hauling in record crowds.
But, but, but... ABCNBCCBSCNNMSNBC is telling us that lots of republicans want Palin to stand aside!
/s
I hope these record crowds turn into real votes so that on election night the left gets hit so hard they wont know what happened.
Get Sarah out to the people and the people will come!
Not woodstock, bad image.
Best quote by Senator McCain on woodstock.
one million dollars on the Woodstock concert museum,” McCain says.
“Now my friends, I wasn’t there. I’m sure it was a cultural and pharmaceutical event,” he continues over footage of hippies at the 1969 cultural watershed.
“I was, I was tied up at the time,” he says as footage is shown of a bedridden McCain recovering from injuries at the “Hanoi Hilton.”
Where the hell is the live thread for Palin in FL...SHE IS KICKING OXAMA BUTT!!!!
My brother is here from Texas...we were talking about yard signs. Both had the same comment, "I wanted to put up a sign, but didn't want to become a target". What a commentary on the Obama supporters!
But, this time last election there were a lot of yard signs in my neighborhood...for NM being a "purple" state there is a definite lack of Obama signs in this area, and I remember a lot of Kerry signs in 2004!
Like your tag line.
Same here in Macomb County, Michigan. I picked up some McCain/Palin bumper stickers and couldn't find any friends willing to put them on their cars for that very reason.......
I have no illusions at McCain is not behind at this point. But, historians and analysts said the bigger crowds Truman got in 1948 were a sign that the conventional wisdom of the time was wrong. There was a feeling that Dewey was not as far ahead as the pundits assumed. Perhaps we are seeing that now. Unfortunately it looks as if McCain does not have the same fighting spirit that Truman had.
I saw pundits “assumed” Dewey would win. But in reality there were not many polls at that time. Gallup showed Dewey ahead by only 7 points in mid Sept. and that was their last poll, as I recall reading. So in retrospect, Truman’s victory should not have been that surprising.
Our neighborhood has a few McCain-Palin signs and NO Obama signs that I’ve seen.
We have 2 signs but my husband won’t put them in the yard because when he attended the McCain-Palin rally just after the convention people were saying not only were their signs defaced but their yards too. How sad it that?
If Obama wins this election it won’t be because Gov. Palin was afraid to call it like she sees it! We need Sen. McCain on board, taking the gloves off and getting that fighting spirit!
Gopher Broke,
Thanks for the very good report.
Good job.
Thanks..I saw that somewhere and stole it!
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