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.
October 5th, 2008 at 12:00 am
W
October 5th, 2008 at 12:00 am
I would have loved to have been there. I’m in No. Cal. But, having Sarah in So. Cal. was a bit shocking given that the GOP gave up on the state even before the campaign began. I think that was a mistake. McCain could have been competitive here had he picked his VP sooner, but he waited till the convention, and there just wasn’t enough time.
Great as this rally was, and it was impressive, the Campaign’s getting hammered on CNN and NBC for pulling out of Michigan, which has turned out to be a really bad decision at the very least, p.r.-wise. McCain should counter that order and put the ads back on in Michigan.
October 5th, 2008 at 12:00 am
I’ve attended many a political rally in my time, and never have I been to one like the one yesterday with Governor Palin. The level of enthusiasm, energy, optimism, it was all absolutely electric, and contagious.
Never seen or felt anything like it. I hope she comes to town again soon!
October 5th, 2008 at 12:00 am
I was at at the rally yesterday and would like to share a funny moment about the pro-Obama protesters.
My friends and I were standing in line waiting to go through the security check with the rather loud protesters yelling their chants in favor of Obama – one with a bullhorn saying loudly – “hey, hey, ho, ho Sarah Palin’s got to go.” The protestors looked like a combination of 60’s era anti-war and ethnic minority protestors who joined together in their mutual hatred of America, McCain, Palin nad Republicans in general. Most of us just ignored them but I wondered out loud to my friends if the protesters were trying to provoke someone into starting a fight. But some very smart Republican in the crowd started chanting back “Reverend Wright, Reverend Wright, Reverend Wright” and so on. Soon almost all of us in line joined in and the protesters went completely silent! I don’t know if they did not expect our non-violent push back or they did not like us pointing out the truth about their Messiah’s poor choice of advisers but it shut them down cold.
After our chant winded down the protesters slowly started to get going again and we started chanting “William Ayers, William Ayers” and so on. Again the protestors went silent. This time even more muted. The third time we chanted “Acorn, Acorn” and so on. Once again the protestors went silent. By that time I was getting through the security check.
It was fun to shut down the protestors but more so with other highly motivated and energized Republican activists not willing to just leave the silly protesters unanswered.
Of course the highlight of the day was seeing and hearing Gov. Sarah Palin. She is a class act and not your normal above the crowd politician but someone who really connects with the middle class- i.e. those of us in the audience.
A great day indeed!