Young Republicans club attends Palin rally

On Monday, October 13, eight HHS students joined another Red Sea. Carrying McCain-Palin lawn signs and sporting lots of red, the Young Republicans attended one of the final Republican campaign rallies before the election on November 4. Among these eight were junior Adam Imeson and senior Tucker Obenshain. Obenshain is the president of the Young Republicans club at HHS and helped organize the trip to Richmond, Virginia. The rally was held at 2 P.M. at the Richmond International Speedway, with doors opening at 11 A.M.

                “There were tons of people and it was cool seeing Sarah Palin in person,” Obenshain said. “She did a really good job speaking.”

                While the rally attendees waited in line to enter the arena, there were attractions such as food kiosks and vendors selling Sarah Palin merchandise.

                “I was going to buy a pink ‘Team Sarah’ t-shirt,” Imeson said. “But I wasn’t sure if that would be in bad taste.”

                Alongside the t-shirts were buttons, hats, and posters, all sporting slogans supporting Palin and McCain. Many supporters arrived already dressed in Palin propaganda or with signs and bumper stickers. Part of the day’s events was encouragement to wear red in support for the Republican Party.

                “A lot of people were wearing their red,” Imeson said. “And some people were holding signs, like us, and waving them around during the speeches.”

                Speakers preceding Palin included [first names] Kilgore and Gilmore. When Palin finally arrived from her previous rally in Virginia Beach, Virginia, her fans went wild.

                “It was cool seeing everyone’s reaction when she finally got there,” Obenshain said. “They love her.”

Palin entered the arena with her husband, Todd Palin. She announced her guest artist performing the Star-Spangled Banner to be Hank Williams, Jr. Williams took the stage, sang the national anthem, and then went into “McCain-Palin Traditions”, a spin on his own tune “Family Traditions.” The lyrics lifted Palin and McCain onto pedestals over the American public, and suggested Palin as a “mama bear in Idaho.”

After shouts or approval from the crowd died down, Palin stood before the microphones and began her speech. She addressed such issues as the current state of American’s economy, McCain’s tax and healthcare policies, as well as his policies on oil and clean coal resources. She coined the phrase, “Mine, baby, mine!” to pair with the already popular, “Drill, baby, drill!”

“My favorite part of the speech was when [Palin] talked about being the shining city on a hill,” Imeson said. “That was my main thing because we talked a lot about that in my AP U.S. History class.”

The crowds at the rally reached numbers as high as 20,000. Many spectators were not able to enter the inner-arena, and had to stand outside around the fencing. As they lifted up a cheer for Palin, she mistook them for protestors.

                “A bunch of people in the back were yelling and she thought they were protestors,” Imeson said.

                “I felt bad for her because I probably would have done the same thing,” Obenshain said. “I don’t think she should be criticized for that.”

                Palin talked a lot about “keeping Virginia red” and making sure McCain wins Virginia. As both McCain and Obama tour Virginia in these last few weeks, polls and votes may or may not change.

                “I don’t really know if the rallies will affect the election,” Imeson said. “I feel like Obama will come to Virginia and that will definitely get a lot of people pumped.”

                “[McCain and Palin] really haven’t been spending much time here until now,” Obenshain said. “Virginia has been a red state for so long and I think if they just spend more time here it will stay that way.”