Year: 2008
Photos from the Obama Rally in Jacksonville
Obama’s rally in Jacksonville on Sept. 20, courtesy of eyewitness Jeanmarie
A big THANK YOU to Jeanmarie, who supplied these pix from the Obama rally in Jacksonville. The gray skies are evident, but so is the spirit. Here’s what Jean said:
The crowd booed the two planes that were flying McCain banners that kept circling the area. One said, “Florida is McCain-Palin Country”
My photos weren’t fabulous, but here’s the best of what I have. The crowd was incredibly excited by Obama’s appearance, and there were roars of approval during his opening comments about McCain’s recent efforts to paint Obama as the source of our recent dire financial troubles. Prior to Obama’s appearance (about an hour late), the crowd booed the two planes that were flying McCain banners that kept circling the area. One said, “Florida is McCain-Palin Country” and the other said, “Taxes are Not Patriotic.” I read some blog that suggested some “LONE PATRIOT” was responsible for sending up the planes; I suspect not.
Anyway, the crowd was quite inspiring. There was one very old black woman, whose daughter was intent on getting her through the crowd up to front. Most of us were pretty tired about the latecomers who kept trying to get closer to the stage, but no one begrudged this one women, quietly proceeding through the crowd with her cane, a place of prominence in the crowd. Pretty cool.
The whole event sounds pretty cool indeed. Thanks, Jean!
Are You Doing The Obama Dance?
We reported on the Obama rally in Jacksonville today. No word on whether this guy played any part.
Forgive us but Jacksonville’s own Bob Brown (not that one) seems at least as intent on scoring a hit as on Obama scoring. We’re just sayin’.
But hey, step to the left…
BTW, we’re told “N.I.C.” stands for “Next in Charge.” So, see, it wasn’t what you were thinking.
News Reports: Thousands Turned Away From Jacksonville Obama Rally
Obama speaks in Jacksonville on Sept. 20
It was only a week ago that John McCain was preparing to roll into Jacksonville, with the radio and TV stations announcing that due to the anticipated large crowds, the venue had been changed. Instead, when McCain, Gov. Charile Crist, Sen. Mel Martinez, Jeb Bush, and other Republican luminaries took the stage at Veterans’ Memorial Arena, the place was embarrassingly empty.
Today Barack Obama came to town.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has just announced that no more people will be allowed into the Barack Obama Rally at Metropolitan Park.
Officers say the park is at it’s (sic) 10,000 person capacity.
Thousands of people are being turned away.
I was unable to attend because I must earn a living (and you thought we were getting rich off Pensito Review) but my heart was there. Obama was due to speak at 2:30 EST but reportedly did not begin until 3:40. It is now 4:30. I’ll post an update as soon as possible.
Jon mentioned that Florida is, again, a battleground state. Demographically speaking, many of McCain’s old fuddy-duddy rich supporters might not turn out to hear him pontificate (especially since he only brought Cindy as eye candy, and not Palin), but they will still vote for him. And Obama’s more ambulatory, younger, less chauffeur-driven backers would be more likely to leave their domiciles to see him.
But still…It’s been raining since this morning. The Gators are playing in Tennessee as we speak. These folks could be dry and comfy in a sports bar somewhere doing 12-ounce curls and watching the game. Instead, they’re standing in the rain listening to Obama. That’s gotta count.
Update: Jacksonville’s First Coast News (the joint NBC and FOX affiliate) is reporting even bigger numbers.
Twenty thousand people came out to attend the rally Saturday afternoon, but a reported 8,000 were turned away at the gates after the park was at over capacity.
Wow. I am thrilled. Sounds like Obama was too.
The Democratic presidential nominee took the stage just over an hour later, saying, “What an unbelievable crowd.”
“Are there any [University of Florida] Gator fans in the house? It sounds like there might be some [University of Georgia] Bulldogs out here. I guess there’s one [Florida State] Seminole out here,” Obama said. “I’m amazed we got such a big crowd — I don’t know if ya’ll are aware there’s football today.”
Once the crowd settled, Obama turned serious, acknowledging the bombing in Pakistan that took many lives Saturday morning.
McCain Campaign Issues Non-Denial Denial on Palin Troopergate Lie
Monnegan interviewed by Rachel Maddow on Sept. 15,
Now that Sarah Palin’s husband, First Dude Todd, has failed to appear at a hearing on Sarah’s allegedly improper firing of Alaska Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan, it can be said that the Palins are officially stonewalling the Troopergate investigation.
Gov. Sarah Palin’s chief of staff authorized former Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan to travel to Washington, although the governor has cited that trip as a primary example of the insubordination that led to his firing.
Todd ignored the subpoena because the Palins claim that the motivations of the Republican-dominated investigative committee are “partisan.” Ignoring subpoenas has become a hallmark of the GOP in the Bush years, and Todd Palin’s failure to testify is a clear signal that this brazen disrespect for the law will continue under the next Republican regime if John McCain and Palin are elected.
Now a document has been produced that proves that Sarah Palin has, in fact, lied about at least one aspect of her story about Monegan’s dismissal:
Gov. Sarah Palin’s chief of staff authorized former Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan to travel to Washington, although the governor has cited that trip as a primary example of the insubordination that led to his firing.
Monegan is the central figure in the investigation into whether Palin abused her power when she fired him. Monegan alleges he was fired because he refused to terminate a state trooper who was involved in a bitter divorce with the governor’s sister. Palin says he was fired because of insubordination on budget issues.
Even before the document was produced, Palin’s version of events was hard to believe. Her principle beef against Monegan, she says, was that he spent too much money fighting sex crimes:
In One Florida Sample, Palin Pushes Undecideds to Obama
With the home stretch of the presidential race looming, few states are tighter than Florida:
The group has swung dramatically, if unenthusiastically, toward Democrat Obama. Most of them this week cited the same reason: Sarah Palin.
Five weeks ago, the St. Petersburg Times convened a group of Tampa Bay voters who were undecided about the presidential election. Their strong distrust of Barack Obama suggested it was a group ripe for John McCain to win over.
Not anymore. The group has swung dramatically, if unenthusiastically, toward Democrat Obama. Most of them this week cited the same reason: Sarah Palin.
“The one thing that frightens me more than anything else are the ideologues. We’ve seen too many,” said 80-year-old Air Force veteran Donn Spegal, a lifelong Republican from St. Petersburg, who sees McCain’s new running mate as the kind of “wedge issue” social conservative that has made him disenchanted with his party.
“I’m truly offended by Palin,” said Republican Philinia Lehr, 37, of Largo, a full-time mother with a nursing degree who voted for George Bush in 2004. Like Palin, she has five children and she doesn’t buy that the Alaska governor can adequately balance her family and the vice presidency.
“You’re somebody’s mom and what are you going to do, say, ‘Excuse me, country, hold on?’ … She’s preaching that she’s this mom of the year and taking that poor little baby all over everywhere. And, you know, what she’s doing to her 17-year-old daughter is just appalling.” Lehr said she’s bothered by the way Palin’s pregnant daughter has been brought into the national spotlight.
Of the 11 undecided voters participating in the discussion one recent evening at the Times — four Republicans, five Democrats, and two registered to no party — only two Republican men applauded the selection of Palin.
Nobody had finalized a choice, but seven of the panelists said that McCain’s running mate selection had made them more likely to vote for Obama, and in several cases much more likely.
Poll: Obama Leads Among Arab American Voters
Well of course Barack Hussein Obama leads among Arab American voters. Duh!
In a new Zogby poll conducted for the Arab American Institute, it was revealed that Democratic candidate Obama holds a substantial 21 point lead over Republican John McCain among Arab American voters. The poll also found that Obama’s 54 percent/33 percent lead over McCain dropped to 46 percent/32 percent when independent candidate Ralph Nader and Libertarian Bob Barr were included in survey questions.
Other key findings included:
- The most important issues for Arab American voters are jobs/economy (far and away the greatest area of concern), followed by the war in Iraq/peace/foreign affairs, and health care.
- Approval ratings given to the Bush Administration’s performance are low: 23 percent for overall performance, 19 percent for economic policy and 31 percent for foreign policy.
- The shift in party identification continues. The Democrat/Republican break in 2000 was 40/38; now it is 46/20.
Quote du Jour
It’s hard to prepare because I don’t know what she thinks.
— Sen. Joe Biden, in an interview to air on CBS News tonight, on how he’s getting ready to debate Gov. Sarah Palin next month
Palin Cancels High Profile Trip to California
California Republicans get no respect. Their numbers have dwindled to the point that no one from the hard core right can get elected to statewide office, and the Republican governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has revealed himself to be more liberal than a lot Democrats in the state.
Palin may have “electrified” California Republicans, but her presence on the ticket has done diddley squat for the GOP ticket in the state.
Now even their rock star candidate, vice presidential wannabe Sarah Palin, has dissed them. She has canceled a major trip to the state next week:
The change is a shocker, because Palin’s presence had electrified the GOP base in California. Party insiders were distributing 15,000 tickets to her Sept. 26 rally in Orange County — and fundraisers reported an almost instantaneous sell-out of her two $1,000-a-head Sept. 25 fundraising events in Orange County and Santa Clara.
Both fundraisers had generated such high ticket sales that the OC Lincoln Club event was moved to the Orange County Performing Arts Center, and the Bay Area event was moved from the Woodside home of Tom Siebel to the huge Santa Clara Convention Center.
Palin may have “electrified” California Republicans, but her presence on the ticket has done diddley squat for the GOP ticket in the state. A new Field Poll shows that Obama-Biden is leading McCain-Palin by a whopping 16 points hereabouts.
Still, it’s odd that she would cancel a fundraiser. Obama collected $9 million in a quick, one-day visit to Beverly Hills earlier this week.
What Does the Media Mean When It Quotes Sarah Palin?
If you think listening to VP candidate Sarah Palin speak is bad, it’s actually worse when it’s reproduced in phonics in writing by reporters in the MSM. I can’t remember a time when a politician’s annoying accent and pronunciation was so faithfully reproduced in the media. Well, there was Billy Carter’s colorful language punctuated by “ain’t.” But one is left to wonder about the intent of the media in reproducing the peculiar Alaska vernacular that is PalinTalk (hmmm, an anagram for “plain talk?”).
Here are a couple of examples from today’s Washington Post:
- “John? John?” Sarah Palin called to John McCain. “Can I add somethin’?”
- A woman wanted to give her the chance to address those who say Palin can’t be a mother and vice president. “Well, let’s prove ’em wrong,” Palin said to cheers.
- She talked about her role if the ticket is elected: “Let me tell you, I know a little bit about energy. That’s gonna be my baby when I get to Washington, D.C.”
My question is, would the Washington Post reproduce the phonics if Palin spoke like the cartoon character Sylvester the Cat or Elmer Fudd? They don’t reproduce every one of Barack Obama’s professorial ums or ers he inserts into sentences. Obama is also prone to dropping his Gs when he wants to sound less “elitist” or to make a homespun point, but I don’t recall seeing that phonically represented.
It’s either a) because it makes Palin sound like just “plain folks” or b) it makes her sound stupid and therefore unfit to be veep or c) because it’s all about accuracy in reporting, the foundation of our free press, and to hell with the English language.
I don’t know which it is, but I’m gonna start watching it in this here space. Oops! It’s infectious.
