Palin Power
So Katie and I headed down 264 to Pirate country last night to see Sarah Palin. I'd never been to a political rally like this before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. All I knew was that this was an incredible opportunity, and that I'd kick myself for years to come if she came this close and I didn't go see her.
We arrived in Greenville and got ourselves into the longest line I'd ever seen. It curled and bent and wrapped around itself several times. It took us about half an hour to go from the end of the line to the door. While in line, we got to see some dirty hippies protesting. I mean, come on, if you're trying to sway someone's opinion, you might want to bathe and not look like a homeless person so that people won't think you're raving lunatic. Seriously.
Oooohhh...sniper on the roof...
We finally made it inside...only to find seats behind the stage. I figured there would some local politicians speaking before Governor Palin. What I didn't expect was for every big name Republican in the state to be there! That being said, I apologize for the following pictures of the backs of people's heads...
First up...Charlotte mayor and gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory. He really let Bev Purdue have it about all the wasteful spending and politics as usual going on in NC. He promised that as governor, he'd get the ball rolling on offshore drilling. This elicited the now famous "Drill, Baby, Drill" chant from the crowd.
Next up...your favorite senator and mine, Elizabeth Dole. She spoke on her warnings in 2003-4 about Fannie and Freddie, and how democrats did everything in their power to block her reform legislation in committee. She called out Chuck Schumer especially, whose name drew boos and hisses from the crowd.
Senator Richard Burr and his wife came out to introduce Governor Palin. He's not up for reelection this year, so he kept it brief. It was still great to see him, though!
Finally, the moment we'd all been waiting for! Governor Sarah Palin takes the stage. She's amazing.
She pretty much gave her usual stump speech, but this was what made the biggest impression on me: as she was praising the military, she asked for anyone who had served to raise their hands. She stopped speaking long enough to look around the room, make eye contact with everyone who had raised their hand, and thank them for their service. Incredible.
She finished her speech, hitting all the main campaign points.
Katie got a pretty good closeup of the governor when whe turned around. I'll have to get that from her and post it so you can see. She is just as beautiful in real life as she is on TV! I took the opportunity to pick up some souvenir campaign buttons. I will be wearing them (with my Sarah Palin t-shirt) on election day!
Here's WRAL's video if you'd like to see the speech:
Post Script...we headed out of the arena and started towards the car. The lot we parked in was empty. Turns out there was a no parking sign behind a bush that we (and the 50 other people who had parked there) didn't see. Fortunately, it was only a 2 block walk to the towing place, and it wasn't raining or miserable. $100 later, Katie gets her car back.
At this point, all we want is a burger and to get out of this God-forsaken town. We stopped to get something to eat and to use the restroom. The womens' room is out of order. Of course. Katie commandeers the mens' room.
We finally get our food and get back on 264 headed to Raleigh. Though I had an awesome time at the rally, there is no reason to ever go back to Greenville. As Katie so eloquently stated: Greenville totally sucks.
Labels: fun, politics, travels
posted by Carroll @ 9:17 AM
7 Comments:
I had a sneaking suspicion you'd be there last night. Good for you!
No, no! It's "Greenville sucks the big hoot!" :)
P.S. My boss emailed me this to give to you:
Carroll,
Katie's boss here. I'm an ECU alum from Greenville. Based on Katie’s "Greenville sucks" comments on your blog, now I'm forced to demote her to cleaning my office and filtering my e-mails. But, hey, at least we agree on one thing: Palin rocks!
David McCreary
Hahahahaha! :)
Hey Katie...can you ask Mr. McCreary if he knows any of those clowns at the towing company so we can get our $100 back?
Have fun cleaning and filtering...
Palin for Pres!! What an opportunity. Good for ya'll for taking it. Sorry about the towing thing though..... but it makes a great story.
I heard sarah interviewed by rush today. She is not afraid and always gives a positive vibe! Good for her!
Hey, thanks for the up-close-and-personal report on your opportunity to attend a Palin rally. I would love to do so, but would rather attend a speech by VP Palin. She is such an incredible person... a true breath of fresh air and sanity.
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