McCain/Palin Rally in Cedarburg, WI.

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John McCain and Sarah Palin started their post convention campaigning in the small town of Cedarburg, Wisconsin. Since Cedarburg is just an hour away, so I made plans to be there. I talked to my wife and kids to see who could join me. This is one of the up sides to being retired at 45... Pam, Jared, and Justin couldn't go because they had to work. So it was Daddy Daughter day for us. I felt bad that the others couldn't go, but it was Jared missing it that hurt the most. He is the most political in the family and the most excited about getting to vote for his first time this year. He could have called in sick, or just not gone at all, but that is not who he is. I am very proud of him for that. Stevi and I should have gotten an earlier start, but things happen in the morning, so we didn't get to leave Sheboygan until around 7am. The website said the gates would open at 8, so we knew we'd be at the end of a long line when we got there. We weren't wrong. When we joined the line it we were 3 blocks from Main Street. It took us the first hour to move 2 blocks, but we moved on past the last block pretty quickly. The first thing we saw were the protestors, so I'll talk about them before I move on to the rally. Now, I have my political opinions and I know I get fired up about them at times. I also like a good protest rally... even if it is against my own side. I have volunteered to do medic support and security for protest marches and political rallies, why? One, to check them out, but also to support their right to hold their rallies. I even volunteered to do an ambulance standby at the Gore rally in Milwaukee back in 2000. That was even more fun because my partner that day was a big time democrat. ;~D Anyway, the protestors were lame. Not because I disagreed with them, but they were some of the most unmotivated protestors I've ever seen. They walked along the line in their little groups (from 3-10 people). The signs were almost all on regular sized paper, with the slogan hand written with a marker. Instead of holding them up, they held them in their hands down by their pantlegs as they walked. Some of them even looked embarrassed and turned away when I tried to read what was on the paper. After reading a few, I understood why they seemed embarrassed. No quirky or imaginative slogans, just lame things like, "McSame", or "A Vote for McCain is a Vote for Big Oil"... or just an Obama/Biden campaign poster. There were 3 notable exceptions. These weren't great, but they did make up the Top 3, so I'll give them credit for at least trying. The first group we saw were two guys in suits, one with a Bush mask, the other with a McCain mask. They were playing bluegrass music from a boom box, which was great for getting people's attention. The signs they carried said, "McSame" and "Big Oil". They didn't just walk along the line of people waiting to get in, they danced to the bluegrass. Except for the boring signs and the fact they didn't yell anything or talk to anyone, it was a decent effort. The next one we saw worth mentioning, 4 people with signs walking along the line. What they did worth mentioning was one of them was dressed up as a cow. They weren't protesting McCain/Palin as much as using the opportunity to promote their vegan cause. Again, decent effort, but no energy at all. The best protest wasn't so much a protest march, it was a couple of signs in the windows of some 2nd story offices on Main Street. Remember, the rally was in an intersection right on main street. These signs were a mere half a block from the microphone. Only in America! ;~D Ok, enough about the protestors, on to the main event.... We finally got up to the security tents where we dutifully raised our arms to be "wanded" by some private security rent a cops. The Secret Service guys were all over the place, but of course, they aren't the ones that are checking people at the door. In fact, by law, they can't... not many people know that. There were also snipers up on the roofs of two of the buildings. I guess a lot of people think that the snipers try to keep out of sight, and there might be a couple that do, but not the main ones. They want to be as omnipresent and intimidating as possible... and it works. The first two speakers were state politicians, who have nothing to do with my disctrict and I really didn't pay much attention to who they were or what they said. They did get the crowd going though, which of course, was their purpose there. They really didn't need to though, because from the first sighting of the police motorcycles escorting the "Straight Talk Express" the crowd lit up. The bus stopped at the closest corner to where the stage was, the driver opened the door, and there they were, smiling, shaking hands and thanking supporters as they slowly made their way to center stage. I'm no a big supporter of McCain, you all know that. I am excited about Sarah Palin, but I'm also waiting to see how she handles the pressure and firestorm that she stepped into by accepting the nomination. But there is just something about being there, just 20 feet from two people who could very well become the President and VP of the US in just a couple of months. A little side note here. Some people are disappointed when they meet celebrities. The screen makes them seem larger than life, and then there is the whole celebrity mystique. I've met more than my share of celebrities and VIPs, to me meeting them face to face often makes them even larger. Seeing they are just human beings doesn't spoil it for me, it enhances it. Of course, there are exceptions, some celebrities were too arrogant, to drunk or almost too stupid to breath... but then again we get over it when our heroes fall, don't we. ;~D Anyway, McCain was looking distinguished but friendly. The camera doesn't hide his gray hair, but man, the wrinkles on that guy's face! I expected some difference, but I have to admit, I wasn't prepared for the full effect. Sarah Palin, what can I say, the pictures don't do her justice. She is every bit the "mom next door" and "former beauty queen" that she seems. She walked among the crowd with confidence, but you can tell that she is still trying to get used to all this. Both looked people in the eye when shaking their hands and thanking them for all the support. The speeches were kind of a "best of" version of their Convention speaches. That is what I expected, but I guess some people were disappointed. After Palin delivered her "the difference between a community organizer and small town mayor" line, an older lady behind me said, "Someone needs to hand her a new line". :~D I'm not sure why anyone expected a brand new speech the day after the convention, but maybe I've just done these things enough to know what to expect. To most the crowd (and to myself and Stevi), having heard the speech before didn't detract from it. Whether it's a concert, ball game or whatever, there is an energy and excitement to being there, even if you've heard the song, or seen the players before. There were disappointments. Like I said, I've been to a few campaign rallies before, and this one didn't seem to have the energy I felt at some of the others. I mean, yeah, while McCain and Palin were speaking, the energy was through the roof (even without a roof), but before they showed up, it was there, but only "there". Where the protest signs were barely worth mentioning, some of the signs, pins and other things were pretty good. My daughter bought a pin that said, "Annoy a Liberal, Work Hard, Be Happy!" other signs and stuff worth mentioning were, "Hot Chicks vote Republican", "Another Democrat for McCain", "Obama for Prom King, Not President" and my personal favorite poster... "READ MY LIPSTICK!" The other disappointment was, I brought Pam's new digital camera, which I'm not as familiar with as my own, so the pics I did get weren't as good as I'd like... and I'm more used to rechargeable batteries than these battery packs, and learned the hard way that the factory battery pack doesn't last long on a charge. All in all though, a good time was had by Daddy and Daughter at the Cedarburg, WI, McCain/Palin rally.