Posted on 12/01/2008 8:24:37 PM PST by fkabuckeyesrule
7 p.m.: Walked out of the Gwinnett auditorium with Tom Baxter, late of this page, who made this observation: That the thousands who attended the Sarah Palin/Saxby Chambliss rally were the most down-scale crowd he’s seen at a GOP event this year.
In other words, these were white, young blue-collar newcomers to the process.
“They’ve got no money,” Baxter noted. Three weeks ago, the Chambliss rally that featured John McCain in Cobb County drew a smaller and substantially different crowd — still white, but older and in business suits.
At the end of the 35-mile drive back to Atlanta, the Jim Martin rally at the state Capitol — featuring U.S. Rep. John Lewis and hip-hop star Ludacris — was just shutting down. Not as large a crowd as the Palin event, but close to a thousand, who gathered in the open on a cold, blustery night. So not a bad showing.
An emphasis on youth was the one thing both events had in common on Monday. We’ll see which side turns out.
4:50 p.m.: The biggest applause lines so far for Sarah Palin have been on abortion and the Second Amendment. She spoke about the remaking of the Republican party.
“”We recognize there was frustration, disappointment by the electorate,” Palin said. Palin promised a GOP that was both conservative and oriented to the American working class.
She just finished, with everyone again standing. All in all, the speech was very similar to the one she gave this morning. Palin goes from here to the National Governors Association meeting in Philadelphia, where the agenda includes a meeting with President-elect Barack Obama.
4:35 p.m.: Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska and former GOP nominee for vice president, just got an extended standing ovation from a crowd of several thousand in the Gwinnett Center.
Palin said re-electing Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss, and denying Democrats a 60th vote in the Senate, was essential to “maintaining the checks and balances needed for our democracy.”
She mentioned that she had been here once before — a politician always likes to say, “It’s good to be back” — when her oldest son graduated from boot camp at Fort Benning. “Georgia, you took care of my boy, now he’s taking care of you,” she said.
On Chambliss: “Saxby’s not going to be an easy yes vote, but he’s not going to be an automatic no vote,” Palin said.
4:25 p.m.: The preacher has given the invocation. Among the gathering’s sins, he proclaims, is the “political correctness” to which many Americans have succumbed.
“We have broken your laws and called it tolerance,” he said. The preacher thanked God for the nation’s biblical foundations, and for the refusal by some to “to bow to modern idols.”
State Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine led the Pledge of Allegiance. U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson is introducing Saxby Chambliss now.
Chambliss campaign people say 20,000 people have seen Sarah Palin — who hasn’t appeared yet — during the day. Chambliss’ re-election is necessary, Isakson said, “to stop a runaway train.”
4:10 p.m.: Still waiting on Sarah Palin and Saxby Chambliss. But close to 60 people have been standing on the dais waiting for 40 minutes or so. It’s very clear that Georgia’s Republican leadership doesn’t mind being seen with her. Quite the opposite.
You may think that strange, but quite a few Georgia Republicans were more than cautious when it came to being seen with John McCain. Even last month, after he lost.
3:46 p.m.: Just so you realize that very little is impromptu in any campaign, the Insider just spotted an aide passing out a hand-painted “Palin-Chambliss 2012” sign.
This event isn’t far from Ralph Reed’s office in Duluth. He’s here, too. Along with many state lawmakers from Cobb, north Fulton and Gwinnett counties, too. And Cobb County Sheriff Neil Warren.
More hand-crafted signs. “Read my lipstick. Vote Sax.” No porcine references.
3:35 p.m.: Runoff? What runoff?
Oh, the Saxby Chambliss signs are plentiful, but it’s clear even before you walk in that this is a Sarah Palin for President event, four years ahead of its time.
Several thousand people are already here at the Gwinnett Center, a majority grouped in front into one large mosh pit.
A decidedly younger crowd than Republicans usually draw to the events like this, and the music is less twangy as well. More rock than country, and many young ladies with tiaras and beauty contest ribbons.
A Chambliss spokeswoman says the press will have to be satisfied with the stump speech that the governor of Alaska will give here — no separate press availability, where news is more likely to be made.
Three previous speeches — in Augusta, Savannah and Perry — have all been similar. The main theme that Palin has used thus far: That the national GOP needs to be rebuilt, and this is the place to start.
Dozens of people are now packing the stage.
Lauren “Bubba” McDonald, a Public Service Commission candidate also in tomorrow’s runoff, has positioned himself so that any straight-on camera that captures Palin will include him in the background.
Absolutely. And it relates to the abortion issue, which is an issue that both sides largely buried. In His book "The Clash of Absolutes," Lawrence Tribe admits that the pro-choice vs. pro-life issue is an instance of class warfare. The upper classes have largely abandoned Christianity except for a minority who treat it as a philosophy--and neo-platonist than Christian. The Middle and "lower"classes, or many of them, still remain Christian in their "values." and visceral reactions to things. Palin's decision not to abort her down's syndrome child showed she belonged to the latter, and for this reason she is hated by the upper crust, because she gave lie to the notion that pro-life people will not put their money where their mouths are. For a person of her standing to do what she did literally puts her out of the pale, as opposed to phonies like Peggy Noonan, who talks a good game but will not play it.
That would be a great book. HOW TO HUNT, SHOOT, DRESS AND BAR-B-Q MOOSE IN ALASKA, or maybe HOW TO BE A REAL AMERICAN OUTSIDE OF SODOM INSIDE THE BELTWAY
It’s the economy.
Good point. One thing I think that younger conservatives/Republicans(ie those under 50 or so) don’t really get when it comes to Reagan is how much of his success was based on the miserable failure that was James Earl Carter.
They think all we need is a strong conservative and everything takes care of itself.
They all say we just need another Reagan and we’ll win big like he did.
And to that I say, sure, have the dems give us another Carter in office and then it will be easy t owin like Reagan did, jsut like it was easy for Obama to win this year.
Change the demographics back to a near 90% white electorate like Reagan had and we’ll do pretty good as well.
Be that as it may, if Obama gives us Carter II, Palin or Jindal or Romney or whoever will be sitting pretty in four years.
Another of McCain’s flaws was taking the SW Hispanic vote for granted, he just never really did much to garner votes from them, Obamao hit him with negative ads, and McCain never fought back or even bothered to fight back.
Hispanics is where the future will be, like it or not.
And I don’t care for it, not a bit, the Obamao will try and grant them amnesty, if he wins, 10 years from now will be ugly.
The backend of the ticket sold its soul to the Socialist Slick Willard.
I found it ironic especially that Springsteen supported Obama when Todd and Sarah Palin were probably the living embodiment of so many of his songs, certainly much more so than Barack and Michelle.
Look at The River:
I come from down in the valley where mister when you’re young, they bring you up to do like your daddy done
Me and Mary[Sarah]met in high school when she was just seventeen
Then I got Mary pregnant and man tat was all she wrote, and for my nineteenth birthday I got a union card and a wedding coat
We went down to the courthouse and the judge put it all to rest...
Based on what I’ve read, the song is almost a biography of them.
And I can certainly picture a Sarah Palin who gave her son his middle name so that it would be Van Palin to sound like Van Halen being more a Springsteen fan in the 80s than Obama. So much for loyalty.
But you got to my point. Thats what I was trying to get across
You make some very interesting and valid points. Although the establishment was very, very dismissive of Reagan and remained extremely disdainful of his policies, the society/media elites nonetheless were often rather drawn to his old-style Hollywood manner and connections. They had a certain begrudging fascination and acceptance of him, in between their condescending condemnations of his ideology and actions.
But, wow, the visceral hatred and unyielding scathingness towards Gov. Palin, her family, and her cultural backdrop, by these same media elites, has reached all-new heights. It’s really been something to behold (in a sickening way, of course).
astounding actually......
zero for all his advantage, nearly blew it.....if a few more had bothered to read about him, he would have been trounced....
Good observation....although I do believe that Matt Lauer should be excepted along with Greta Van Susteren. I’ve seen him discuss his visit and interview with Gov. Palin on several other shows, and he seems to have a genuine regard for her and her family.
Lauer did seem to be ok, although I wonder how much of that was genuine and how much of it was sympathy because it was the day after she lost and he was in her home and just trying to be a nice guy and actually show some manners. I still don’t know if I’d trust Lauer 100% going forward, but he’s certainly a cut above the usual crowd.
I also think that there may be a different effect once someone actually spends time with her as opposed to relying on a media filter.
Lauer was probably thinking to himself “hmm, she’s not at all like what Keith and Chris assured me she’d be like”
Also, once he had to fly out 9 hours or so from NY to Anchorage he was probably willing to give the benefit of the doubt and hospitality can go a long way.
Can someone explain Mr. Baxter’s gratuitous ‘downtrodden’ remark ?
Freakin media snobs.
they just seem that way with the passage of time
Reagan was good friends with Rock Hudson. I doubt many conservatives would consider him having class and morals.
Cary Grant slept with just about every woman in town, and a number of the men too, depending on what you read
Sinatra, Martin and some of the other ratpackers weren’t exactly the epitome of morals, especially in regards to alcohol, drugs, and women.
Liz Taylor and her 8 husbands wasn’t either.
40-50 years from now they’ll be saying why can’t they be like Brad and Angelina and George, and venerating them just like we do the older generation.
It was more of a social proof type deal. ie if Ronnie and Nancy were good enough for them, they’re ok by us.
There wasn’t anything close to the look down their noses thing that we saw even from the media and even from a number of erstwhile Republicans and conservatives.
I hope those Republicans and conservatives are happy with SecState Clinton and more liberals on the SC when Stevens or Ginsburg leave.
It couldn’t be issues or policy since McCain was always going to be in charge of that and they had no problem with him prior to Palin. It couldn’t be experience since Obama doesn’t have any of that. There was something else and I think it was cultural/social more than anything.
I believe that B. Hussein will screw things up so badly that by 2012, he will be defeated worse than Ron Reagan kicked Jimmy Carter’s butt.
I’m going to answer each of those....but you do make a decent point about Mccain...which had a lot to do with Palin being on the ticket....
Bush One got hit by Perot or he would have won, it’s an unfair precedent
Carter was a dead duck even though he led in early and mid election polls....horrible economy and poor national security
Ford had the Watergate albatross
Humphrey inherited Vietnam and student and black unrest from LBJ...Nixon looked to restore order to the vast majority who did not support leftism including most students and to find a decent way out of SE Asia
so, none of those comparisons really fit this time except the bad economy which is still so far not nearly as bad as 1980.
Obama got 4-5 times the margin of victory Bush did against Kerry. We lost a number of Southern states mainly due to non southern transplants and younger and black voters. We got clobbered in Congress. It was not a rout but rather a stern rebuke.
Oddly enough Tennessee here went GOP in the statehouse for the first time since Reconstruction.
I don’t feel we have any choice but to go back to the right in the GOP...if we go centrist we will be much like the Clinton Part Deux triangulation it looks so far the Messiah is aiming for.
for the record, I’m a hard right social and cultural militant and brook little tolerance for political correctness.
My only beef with Palin whom I broken glassed for is when she gets on the glass ceiling stump like with Greta...that I could please do without.
Middle aged white guys are her base....not kids and not enraptured fembots who now love the pro-life movement simply because she is a woman.
I hope she gets that.
I think it was more of a case of the democrats prefecting voter fraud, they got pretty close to doing it in 2000 so they screamed the republicans stole the election. with acorn and Venezuelan voting machines i would say the fix was in.
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