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My Report on McCain/Palin at the Colorado Springs Rally

By Jeralyn, Section Elections 2008
Posted on Sun Sep 07, 2008 at 11:08:09 AM EST
Tags: John McCain, Sarah Palin (all tags)
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As I've mentioned, I covered the McCain/Palin rally in Colorado Springs yesterday for Salon.com. My report is now up on their site, McCain and Palin Go to Dobsonville. The gist:

Fresh from the GOP convention, John McCain brings his Christian fundamentalist running mate to Christian fundamentalist headquarters –- but doesn't mention abortion or gay marriage.

Not surprisingly, it focuses on aspects much of the mainstream media coverage missed or ignored. Until I saw this CBS report, I was beginning to wonder whether I had attended a different event.

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    My Report on McCain/Palin at the Colorado Springs Rally | 22 comments (22 topical)

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    Obviously the Republicans are soft-pedaling (5.00 / 0) (#2)
    by Don in Seattle on Sun Sep 07, 2008 at 11:27:18 AM EST
    Palin's extreme-right views on social issues, secure in the knowledge that the evangelical right-wing grapevine will get the good news out to all the faithful.

    If the McCain/Palin ticket is to be defeated, it is essential that her positions be well understood by the whole electorate. Thank you, Jeralyn, for doing your part.

    Obama would surrender (5.00 / 2) (#3)
    by Dadler on Sun Sep 07, 2008 at 11:29:00 AM EST
    That is such a wretched, filthy, disgusting lie it makes me want to punch something.  Obama ain't perfect, but the entire context of this continuing attack on his is what evangelical's would call the devil's work.  Evil to the core.  McCain lives in a deluded world inside his own addled head.  Iraq is a done deal.  Iran is her partner now, and always was going to be.  Only worthless phucking fools like these two sacks of horse manure could keep telling such Orwellian lies with a str8 face.  No matter how far Obama has fallen short on certain things, he has the human decency to not tell this kind of lie about something that has resulted in the murderous deaths of over a million Iraqis and four thousand Americans.  My contempt for these two people could not be higher.  They would lie about anything if they will lie about something so soaked in the blood of innocents.

    Stinking, fetid garbage.  That is all they are.

    it wasn't McCain or Palin who said that (none / 0) (#5)
    by Jeralyn on Sun Sep 07, 2008 at 11:32:27 AM EST
    It was their surrogate speakers who preceded them at the event.

    Among the speakers were right wing radio host Dan Caplis, Bob Schaffer (who is running for the Senate against Mark Udall) and Colorado Attorney General John Suthers.

    Parent

    Interesting (none / 0) (#9)
    by Jjc2008 on Sun Sep 07, 2008 at 11:48:46 AM EST
    I live here in Colorado Springs. I live in the downtown area which tends to be where most of the democratic folks live.  YES, there are some of us here.  I can tell you this.  Despite the heavy presence of evangelicals, Colorado Springs is MORE than just them.  Even the mainstream republicans here are tired of them being the face of the city.

    During a Congressional contest in 2006 (which we lost despite raising more money than any dem candidate had in 30 years), I learned a lot working for the democratic candidate.  The mainstream republicans were disgusted enough with the evangelicals that a few actually did fundraisers for the democratic candidate.

    During the causcuses this year, I was a precinct chair.  The last few caucuses I ran had four people.  This past one, had over fifty.  Despite being a Hillary supporter, I will give the Obama campaign credit for activating a hidden group of dems.  During the 2006 campaign, I literally had people tell me they were AFRAID to put democratic signs on their lawns.  Now there are/were a surprising amount of Obama or Hillary signs quite visible.

    I hope the activism of the primaries remain.  I think that this city and this county could surprise people.  At least I hope so.....

    Parent

    you are always so colorful dadler (none / 0) (#6)
    by bjorn on Sun Sep 07, 2008 at 11:36:16 AM EST


    Parent
    Nice report, and (none / 0) (#1)
    by scribe on Sun Sep 07, 2008 at 11:26:59 AM EST
    you hit the key point:  they don't have to mention their obeisance to the evangelicals, because the evangelicals know.  And, because they don't have to mention it, they won't because they know it will alienate the rest of the electorate.

    Question:  you mentioned the military presence in the crowd.  Any in uniform?

    Also, I suspect the response by the military in the crowd to a McSame speech might be just a bit different if he went to, say Killeen, Texas or Manhattan, Kansas to give it.  Or, for that matter, Fort Carson, Colorado.  No hit on the Air Force, but they have not done a lot of the fighting and dying in the wars where Bush and Cheney are carrying out the McCain/Lieberman policy.  It's a lot easier to be for a war (especially if you're in uniform and everyone's kissing every camo-covered butt in sight) when you're not the ones doing the fighting and dying.

    I didn't see anyone in uniform (none / 0) (#4)
    by Jeralyn on Sun Sep 07, 2008 at 11:30:55 AM EST
    except an older gentleman who looked like he was dressed in a VFW uniform. (Not an insult, just a description.)

    Parent
    Fort Carson is right outside (none / 0) (#11)
    by Jeralyn on Sun Sep 07, 2008 at 11:51:33 AM EST
    Colorado Springs. Yes, quite a number of soldiers from Fort Carson died in Iraq.

    Parent
    I just gotta wonder how many (none / 0) (#13)
    by scribe on Sun Sep 07, 2008 at 11:58:29 AM EST
    came over from Carson to the rally.

    Parent
    Thanks for your work, Jeralyn (none / 0) (#7)
    by glanton on Sun Sep 07, 2008 at 11:47:14 AM EST
    BTW, it doesn't bode well for their attempt to make Social Issues the "Sleeper" factor of this campaign, that even Fox seems unwilling to let the nature of her views stay underground.

    You pose the question (none / 0) (#8)
    by gentlyweepingguitar on Sun Sep 07, 2008 at 11:48:22 AM EST
    Are mainstream Americans ready to vote for another family values ticket?

    How much longer can Republicans push the "family values" angle. In their families they've got the very same adultery, drug addiction, teen pregnancy, homosexuality issues going on that Democrats do.

    I don't get it. I don't.

    Crazy like a Fox (none / 0) (#10)
    by barryluda on Sun Sep 07, 2008 at 11:51:20 AM EST
    I was hopeful in choosing Palin that McCain was making the mistake of pandering to the extreme christian conservative right.  Instead, as you make clear in your Salon article, McCain's strategy was to smartly choose a VP candidate who has surface appeal to everyone -- I even find it hard to not like her, even as I disagree with virtually all of her stated policies -- but she deeply appeals so much to the far-right constituency that McCain can now stay focused on the middle.

    It's getting scary that McCain/Palin might end up winning this thing.  I hope it's scary to enough to those who are lukewarm to Obama that he is able to pull this out.  I guess I no longer agree with BTD that Obama has this all but wrapped up.

    watch this video of her (none / 0) (#12)
    by Jeralyn on Sun Sep 07, 2008 at 11:54:36 AM EST
    speaking at her church and see how vice-presidential she sounds to you. I sure wouldn't want her speaking for the country. She actually was Governor at the time.

    Parent
    That's The Reason Why... (none / 0) (#14)
    by JimWash08 on Sun Sep 07, 2008 at 12:04:28 PM EST
    It's getting scary that McCain/Palin might end up winning this thing.

    ...the Left-wing blogs and some in the media are running around like chickens with their heads chopped off, trying to dig up whatever dirt they can, and cook up whatever smears they can think of to sling at her.

    I think the "slinging the kitchen sink" could be more appropriately used to describe these last 10 days than it was used to describe Hillary's campaign in the Primaries.

    I guess I no longer agree with BTD that Obama has this all but wrapped up.

    He never did. And neither did McCain. This election will be down to the wire, and I fear a reprise of 2000 over a dispute of vote counting.

    I urge everyone to watch the Sarah Palin special on FOX News tonight, hosted by Greta VanSustern. I watched it yesterday when it premiered, and tonight's a rebroadcast of it. It features interviews with family and friends, her opponents and never-before-seen video of Palin at home with her family (all filmed much before she was announced VP).

    CNN will be airing similar biographical features about Palin and Biden next weekend.

    Parent

    The Sarah Palin you see now (none / 0) (#15)
    by Jeralyn on Sun Sep 07, 2008 at 12:22:49 PM EST
    has already undergone a media makeover. I'd recommend watching past clips for a more accurate picture.

    Parent
    Question about the event: (none / 0) (#16)
    by txpolitico67 on Sun Sep 07, 2008 at 12:55:14 PM EST
    My friend that works for the Westword emailed me a clip depicting the crowds there in CO Springs holding flags that were allegedly found in dumpsters left by the DNC.  The McCain campaign passed them out telling the attendees about these discarded flags.

    Do you think that this may have any kind of impact outside of CO Springs?

    as I said in the article, that report has been (none / 0) (#17)
    by Jeralyn on Sun Sep 07, 2008 at 12:57:23 PM EST
    hotly denied by the Democratic party. The flags were being collected to be passed out at o