08.31.2008 4:53 pm

O’Fallon crowd cheers McCain, Palin

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

McCain rally

O’FALLON — John McCain presented his new vice-presidential running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, to thousands of cheering Missouri supporters at a sun-drenched Sunday afternoon rally at the home of St. Charles County’s minor league baseball team.

“I have found the right partner,” the Arizona senator said at T.R. Hughes Ballpark. “She’s exactly who I need. She’s exactly what the country needs to fight the same old Washington politics.

Many in the crowd, which the campaign estimated at 23,000, seemed to agree, breaking out at one point in a chant of “Sar-uh, Sar-uh.”

McCain recounted Palin’s election as governor in 2006 and how she took on a “corrupt” political culture in her home state that had become a national disgrace. He also pointed out that Palin had vetoed “one big pork-barrel bill after another.”

“If you’re sick and tired of the way Washington operates, you need to be patient,” McCain said. “Change is coming, change is coming, change is coming.”

Palin also spoke about her record and said she had fought special interests, lobbyists, oil companies and “the good-old boy network.”

She also said she had opposed the often-criticized “bridge to nowhere” that an Alaskan in Congress had pushed for in an appropriations bill.Ron Bauwens, 58, a retired teacher from Weldon Spring, said he was impressed with McCain’s new running mate.

“The biggest thing I got out of that was Sarah. I think she can really pull it in for him.”"She’s going to be a bulldog.”

Some Democrats have attacked Palin’s experience. But Kathy Pfeffer, 56, of Fenton, said was impressed with her record of ethics reform and reducing government spending.

“She’s proven she can do it just as good as a man, if not better,” she said.

—- Michele Munz of the Post-Dispatch staff contributed to this report.

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Blog Comments: Rules of the Road

Clark & DW - funny, haven’t seen any of this in the news about Biden:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/08/joe_bidens_mythical_bluecollar.html
or
http://leftwingnutjob.blogspot.com/2008/08/hunter-biden-is-big-pharma-lobbyist.html

Her brother in law was physically abusing her sister and her son, but I guess things like that don’t matter to lefties.

— A CENTRIST

9:33 pm August 31st, 2008

Yes, that is exactly what I am saying. Can you point to one instance where the McCain campaign has this kind of grass roots support. No, not just one ? That’s my point. Not a one.

— Richard

9:34 pm August 31st, 2008

Anyone who votes for this pair is an imbecile. McCain is 72 and statistically speaking should be dead within the next two years. Guess who becomes president then? Mrs. PTA herself, with all of her experience. Now, that’s a scary thought.

— A. Hole

9:34 pm August 31st, 2008

Apparently lefty men don’t like smart hot women who don’t wear pantsuits.
So you sexist dudes, you lose!

— A CENTRIST

9:37 pm August 31st, 2008

I wonder if anybody knows that two months ago she didn’t even know what duties the office of vice president was responsible for? I’m pretty sure that there wasn’t even one woman in the GOP Presidential race. Yup, none. Now that a woman who wants creationism taught in public schools has been hand picked to be Johnny Boy McCain’s running mate, she is officially a member of the ‘good old boys’ club. The separation of church and state was very deliberate. Here’s to the Republicans! Three cheers for undoing everything good about this country! Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray! Unqualified. Period. If you don’t know the duties of the job you are applying for, you certainly can’t be prepared to do them.

— Mark Lodes

9:37 pm August 31st, 2008

Once again, same as Bush, the republican candidate snubs the City of St. Louis. Seems to me everytime a republican candidate come to St. Louis, its only in St. Charles/St. Charles County or in Clayton. He has snubbed as the same way George Bush has repeatedly done!!

— Chris Thomas

9:37 pm August 31st, 2008

As a city-dwelling Republican, we can only hope that the dems hold up Slay as their poster boy for anything. Of course, if they are supporting an empty suit for president, why not one for the mayor’s office as well?

— mark

9:37 pm August 31st, 2008

Hey LODES - check the context in which Gov. Palin’s comments were said, and stop taking the typical drive-by attacks you libs like. Then you can take your water-wings off and tread into the deep end of the think tank.

— mark

9:42 pm August 31st, 2008

Upon hearing John McCain introduce Sarah Palin as his running mate…for the first time in my life I cried my eyelashes out I was so happy and proud!!!

— mcgee3

9:46 pm August 31st, 2008

As a 12-year Alaskan, I can tell you that Sarah Palin is the freshest, boldest face in our government in many years. In just 2 short years (actually just short of that), she has removed many of the problems the state has had (policies and personnel) and has turned a dream of the natural gas pipeline into a project that is finally moving forward. As far as “Trooper-gate” goes…the term “much ado about nothing” applies. It just seems the Anchorage Daily News and one of the local Anchorage talk show hosts seems to not like Sarah. What the heck…she is rocking the apple cart that they have been comfortable on for many years. As Alaskans we are proud of Sarah and feel she will surprise many people throughout the country once people get the opportunity to see and hear her. She’s not just a former beauty-queen…there is a lot of substance to her and I, for one, look forward to watching her in the next 66 days!

— alaskamuddog

9:46 pm August 31st, 2008

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O’Fallon crowd cheers McCain, Palin

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