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Red Baiting In Red Leather At The Sarah Palin Rally
In Colorado Springs, crowds vow to resist Obama's 'socialism', amid an underlying sense of doom
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado - Heading east on a windy Interstate 70, we've entered the Great
Plains of Kansas, leaving the behind the Rocky mountains, where our
visit to Colorado Springs gave us the opportunity to attend one of the
now-famous Sarah Palin rallies. Colorado Springs is definitely what
Palin would describe as one of the "pro-America areas of the nation,"
home to some of its most powerful conservative evangelical
institutions. When we arrived at the city's minor league baseball
stadium on Monday at 6am for an 8am rally, there were already plenty of
Palin's supporters lined up in the pre-dawn darkness, many of them
dressed in red to demonstrate fealty to their candidate.
Watch the video.
Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin makes her second of three stops at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, Colorado. Obama's tax plan, Palin warned her audience, would drive the country into the socialist camp. (Photo by Dennis Schroeder) Two
hours later, they had filled the centre of the 8,500-seat stadium
(though there were still empty seats in the stands) and were kept
stamping their feet in the damp cold - first to a Christian rock group
and then to Hank Williams, Jr, who sang one populist tune after
another, some of them tailored to the current election.
In the original version of his song, Family Tradition, Williams defended his hereditary penchant for drinking Jim Beam and smoking dope. But rewritten as "McCain-Palin Tradition," the song encourages voters to ignore the "leftwing liberal media" and support the Republican ticket "cuz they're just like you and ol' Hank".
He goes on to explain the causes of the financial crisis: "The bankers didn't want to make all those bad loans / But Bill Clinton said 'you got to!' / Now they want to bail out, what I'm talking about / Is a Democrat liberal hoodoo!"
Williams's tribute in song to Sarah Palin compared her to a mama bear" who could be counted upon to "protect your family's condition" because "If you mess with her cubs, shes gonna take off the gloves, / Thats an American female tradition". It ended with a musical question to the vice-presidential candidate: "How can you be so smart and be such a good lookin' dish?"
After Williams exited to the sound of Johnny Cash's Walk the Line, the mama bear herself appeared sporting a red leather jacket, producing a roar from her followers. Palin has pulled back from her riff about Barack Obama not being "a man who sees America like you and I see America," after accusations of coded racism from the media, and shouted death threats againt Obama from her crowds. Now she is instead offering up another American bogeyman: The Red Menace.
Obama's tax plan, Palin warned her audience, would drive the country into the socialist camp: "Obama calls it spreading the wealth," she said. "Now is not the time to experiment with socialism. Distributing the wealth will stifle entrepreneurial spirit."
In fact, the only person who is promoting any kind of socialism these days isn't Obama but George Bush, who has basically nationalised the banking system - ensuring, at the same time, that his brand of corporate socialism will benefit the rich, while leaving the proletariat to twist in the wind. Nevertheless, Palin's use of the s-word drew a raucous response from the crowd.
While the crowd at the rally was totally behind their lady in red, there was nonetheless a sense of something being not quite right among Palin's fans. Beneath the cheers and applause, there was a lingering mood of defeat - a sense that it was all over, and that as much as anything, this was a goodbye rally for the woman who just months ago had so energised social conservatives.
Pressing a blue "Country First" placard into my hands, a middle-aged woman with intense sparkling eyes told me that she thought there still was a chance - that the polling figures were showing a slight up-tick for McCain. She didn't seem all that convinced herself, but she pointed a finger towards heaven and smiled resolutely. The decision, she said, was in the hands of God. "But, what if you lose?'' I asked. "We will just have to wait until he decides," she said, again nodding towards heaven. "That might be a pretty long wait," I said. She laughed and agreed.
- Posted in
43 Comments so far
Show AllHow could anyone so sexy be so vile?! (Rhetorical question.)
This woman is a threat, a danger, and an odds on favorite to be Prez if McVain steals the election.
Kiss your families, your bank account, your peace of mind, and your country goodbye.
"Crack open a cynic and you will find an angry idealist!"
If it's "Prez McVain" we should all head for the hills and set up our communes. Of course that would give them a good excuse, I suppose, to label us a terrorist camp, so they could dump a 600 ton bomb on us.
FINALLY a beauty queen who doesn't want world peace.
They're using Johnny Cash songs? The Man In Black must be rolling in his grave.
So is Hank rolling over!!! What will they choose next...driving up in a NASCAR racer? Go get that Redneck vote, (whoops another reference to being "Red")
But what can you expect from Colorado Spgs. the home of several christian right wing headquarters.
Palin's a fraud!!!
Is it true Sarah Palin has been given $150,000 worth of clothing (and make-up artists and hair stylists) during this campaign so far? I've heard it was taxpayer money. If so, how can Republicans continue getting away with stuff like this?
Republicans redistribute the wealth and spread it around among the super rich by stealing from the middle-class. 1% of people control 23% of the money in the USA.
It appears Sarah never got grew out of her spoiled little girl's pout of sticking her bottom lip out. And her supporters think she's "smart?"
Oh, and I'll never listen to or buy Hank Williams CDs after this.
No, it was not taxpayer money. From the NYT:
"The money for the clothing came out of the budget of the Republican National Committee’s co-ordinated campaign fund, not the McCain campaign, an important legal distinction, said Kenneth Gross, a campaign finance expert at Skadden Arps in Washington."
If she keeps everything it'll have to be taxed as income; but supposedly it will all be given to charity at the end.
I secretly suspect she wears all that red so when she starts to foam at the mouth about gays and Arabs, and the lipstick smears, it won't show.
^^hyperbole ftw ;)
I can't hate her, she's hilarious
Now thats a sensible comment!
Sarah Palin makes Dan Quayle look like a Magna Cum Laude.
Any comment to this would end up in a tirade of exposition of the mental illness that some of those people have since birth, other have befallen by it through incessantly propaganda of the fascists. If it talks like a fascist, if it acts like a fascist, it must be a fascist.
So let me just focus on one fact here. The stupidity of those people. Not that stupidity per se would be a problem, but in this cocktail of racism and delusional accusations it has catastrophic consequences. Did it ever occur to anybody that the colors of COMMUNISM ARE RED? All Socialist Nations on Earth show a RED FLAG. Communist China = RED, Communist USSR = RED, Vietnam = RED. Socialist countries have a larger RED content than 'democratic' countries.
So what does that tell You about those people flocking around painful John and RED Palin? That's right, they are too stupid to follow any intelligent statement. For them it has to be Demagogy, nothing else will work.
The questions is, when do they start to wear the color that suits their mind sets, BROWN?
May all Beings be blessed. Specifically the weak and ill minded.
Yeah, good point.
Did you see the picture this am (on Huff Po) of Palin wearing a red/white & blue scarf with donkeys all over it? It said VOTE, too.
The poor women doesn't even know that the Repub animal is an elephant!!
Kinda sad.
Dag nabbit ! Now where are those Paling "defenders" when ya' need 'em. Come on out ya' darn varmits and take some spankins' !
"Now is not the time to experiment with socialism. Distributing the wealth will stifle entrepreneurial spirit."
Ok, let's concentrate the wealth instead so we can have more entrepreneurial innovations, e.g. derivatives and swaps in the finance sector. But the contempt for socialism in that crowd will not dissipate with Demoks in power. With Demoks in power, the Repuk snakes retain a latent power in the shadows, to inflame hatreds again tomorrow. It's much better to let the Repuk snakes have the oval orifice another term right now. Let them finally achieve their self-destruction so the crowd may find socialism sooner. It is the elite masters of both the Demoks/Repuks that the crowd really despises, much more than socialism. If you want to help them find socialism, so that all the people may finally unite to extinguish oppression, then vote third party.
"The decision, she said, was in the hands of God."
Well, then do us all a favor you ignorant f**king nutjobs and don't vote. Why bother, since God's makin the final call anyway?
Gee, I had no idea Hank Williams was such and asshole! As for his music: boring!
Hank's "political" stuff is even worse doggerel than his regular brain-dead lyrics.
That the crazies from the evangelical wingnut side of the Rethuglican party met at the "Budweiser Events Center" just might seem a wee bit hypocritical. At least they're consistent...
I've never liked Hank Williams Jr. I think his MNF theme song stinks - I wish they wouldn't use it. Now that he's come out on the side of the fascistas, I dislike him even more.
And what's the deal with these religious fanatics thinking "god" is on their side all the time? If "god" gave a crap about anyone, there would never be an innocent child blown to pieces by a bomb like the ones McCain dropped in VietNam.
If McLame is elected it will not be because of God, it'll be crooked voting
machines, purged voter rolls and other little "tricks" used by the Thugs of
the Republican party. The same thing that put Ohio in the "W" camp in 2004.
"The bankers didn't want to make all those bad loans, but Bill Clinton said 'You got to.....'"
Oh sure.
The global financial meltdown and recent $700 billion Wall Street bailout is all the fault of the Community Reinvestment Act, which enabled ACORN to recruit mobs of angry renters and homeless people who then stormed into the lobby of your local bank, pressuring the beleagured staff there into giving them adjustable rate mortgages with no down payment on a McMansion despite having lousy credit scores.....
If you're gullible enough to believe the fairy tale contained in those lyrics (or to even find humor within such facile blame shifting), then let me now tell you the ones - literally - about how the Clinton administration coddled and emboldened Osama bin Laden, and the world got created in just seven days.
Bill from Saginaw
If Senator Dodd recieved some Six Million Dollars [$6,000,000] from the
Finance Industry during his move out of Conn and to Iowa, was this money
Taxable? It was a livng expense after all. Based on this situation, the Dems
cannot complain if Sarah Palin is getting free clothing.
I would love for some reporter to actually ask Miss Sarah why she's so opposed to "socialism" - but first I'd like to hear her define socialism and the many
different strains there are, and how it differs from communism, or neo-liberalism, or neo-con conservatism, or compassionate conservatism.!! Might be fun to ask all those people in the crowd the same questions.
That being said, poor Miss Sarah doesn't seem to know that technically, the Wall Street bailout her buddy John just voted on and the cash infusion for the banks/mortgage holders, etc., is kinda' also socialistic.
But even worse, I've heard Miss Sarah taking credit for and congratulating herself for that wonderful arrangement she put in place in Alaska - you know where she took the money from the Capitalist oil/gas companies and sent checks to each and every citizen of Alaska!!
Is that not "distributing the wealth" in again also a sorta socialist kinda' way???? yew betcha! And, she uses that as an example of one of the MAIN accomplishments of her admin. in Alaska and something she wants ot do once she becomes presid...sorry, vice-president. What an imbecile...
There was an old guy in that video who said: "We don't want socialism in this country." hahaha what an asshole hillbilly that backward old man is, i will buy a T shirt with Che Guevara after Obama takes power, to harass some bourgeouis hillbilly baptists who live around here
Budweiser center is a good place for McPalin to visit. Drinking lots of beer is the only way you can tolerate Republican politicians.
The McClone campaign is getting desperate when they invite an entertainer with a long legacy of felony convictions to a Sarah Barracuda rally. Has Hank Williams Jr. taken the Dubya route and replaced drugs and alcohol with Christain fundamental extremism ?
Dafoe
Palin sexy, rubbish. She is the look don't touch gal so familiar to american dive inhabitants, all gloss and no substance. I have been with women who weren't good looking in the Palin way but were truly sexy.
This is the bait and switch routine, what you see is not what you are going to get and that is the muck underneath the so called good looks. She is semi litererate, the product of a poor education system and too much TV . The repugnants are showing the desert of their pastures.
But my guess is there will be many would be hill billies voting for them because, by golly, they are "just like us".
I'm so glad the Democrats are different, and that they'd never vote for a candidate just because he has dark skin, or maybe back in the primaries, just because she's a woman.
----------------------------
"To know, and not to do, is not to know"
Yo Samson...You know there's some pillars with your name on them.
Give it a try, whydontcha?
I wish to death that Obama actually was a socialist. I doubt the guy will do anything at all to promote worker's power if he becomes president.
Please stop paying attention to this Governor of 600,000 people.
I hear they offer every one in the state the Governor job at least once every couple of years.
Can we put this in perspective, Alaska has a total population of 600,000 people.
I bet that many people ride the subway in New York city every day. Can she run a subway system????
There are at least a dozen mayors of city's with more than a million people that warrant way more attention.
OOps I forgot , real American Patriots don't live in the city's, that's why anyone that can run a city can not be measured against this beauty queens standards.
Can someone show her how to use an egg timer, her two minuets of Patriotic glory are done.
BornFreeMen
The red leather was obviously chosen to match the VP-wannabe's neck--and those of most of the audience. She's toned down her evangelical big hairdo, and now shops at high-end stores courtesy of the GOP, but she's still a mean-spirited redneck. A self-proclaimed fiscal conservative (about as credible as her claim that she's an intellectual), she left a tiny town $20 million in debt for a little-used hockey rink, supported the bridge to nowhere till it was clear the bill was going nowhere, jet-setted her brood around the country first-class at Alaskan taxpayers' expense, and now spends more on clothes in one campaign than the average American earns in 4 years. Michelle Obama manages to look fabulous at a fraction of the cost, and at her own expense. Maybe stylish Sarah needs some shopping lessons from Michelle.
Alex
Why is it that Palin cannot speak English?
She has lived in the backwoods in an isolated state. Having a good vocabulary and being articulate is not one of the strong points of such a place.
Yikes. I hope that remark is a joke? If not, it so happens I'm originally from a rural area near Springfield, Oregon, which I'm sure you'll agree is not much less rural than Alaska. I went to small, public, Oregonian schools -- even my university was public, the U of O -- and I speak Russian, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, and Finnish (after living in Finland for two years). I've lived in France for nine years now, and have worked as a professional writer (in English and French) and translator (into English) for ten years.
Care to revise your judgement of the vocabulary and articulateness of people who lived in isolated areas? If just one person isn't enough, I know quite a few more from the "backwoods" who grew up very articulate. Some are even from Alaska.
Sarah Palin is incurious because she's incurious, not because of her origins. She's responsible for her uninformed, lazy speech -- her state is not.
Yes, you always see a lot of very bigoted and nasty comments on CD just like the one you reference.
I just take it as amusing that one set of nasty bigoted people are attacking another set of nasty bigoted people. Pretty much sums up an American election.
From the guy who grew up in East Tennessee ....
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"To know, and not to do, is not to know"
I got it.
InbRED!
May all Beings be blessed. Specifically the weak and ill minded.
What's really wrong with socialism anyway? In it's true form socialism is about unity, and there are several variations of socialism too. Let's all help keep American jobs in America, or affordable health care. When did caring about America, the place where we live, become such a negative idea. Lets keep Palin and McCain from sending OUR jobs over seas, lets not buy into their negative rhetoric, we are Americans and they don't have the right to define who is and who isn't.
Democrats and Republicans both got together to tilt the financial system to the bankers.
Democrats and Republicans both got together to pass the bailout that gave $800 billion of our money to the bankers.
So, its pretty damn funny to see them both acting like its the other sides fault.
And, I almost fell out of my chair laughing the other day when I saw a Joe Biden clip talking about wanting a bankruptcy reform bill to make it more fair to homeowners and debtors. Someone could only take this seriously if they don't know Joe Biden was a big sponser and promoter of the last bankruptcy reform bill a few years ago that tilted the whole think in favor of the banks. Too bad he wasn't more worried then about homeowners and consumers as his role as the Senator from MasterCard.
----------------------------
"To know, and not to do, is not to know"
I was going to go out and buy some red shirts because Hugo Chavez looks so good in red. But I just changed my mind.
Whether you believe in Socialism, Communism, Fascism or any other kind of ism, what you really have is what McCain and Palin decry as the redistribution of wealth either up or down. The wealthy,oligarchy,love it the way it is now and fear any change to what they call Socialism. Both McCain,Obama and the majoriry in Congress just voted for a socialistic, bailout of the wealthy,elite. So I guess the socialistic redistribution of wealth is fine with our Government as long as it supports the Oligarchy! In other words, redistribution of the wealth from the bottom up is good government; the redistribution of the wealth from top down is bad government and is called by some perjorative, ism. What we have is the rich robbing the poor and calling it good,like a reverse Robinhood.
It is interesting that 'talking head' ex-sports announcer Sarah Palin, ex beauty queen
and millionaire, is not paying for her own "clothing and make up make-over". And
that as much money as she has, she still soaks the taxpayers for plane rides and
expensive hotel rooms for her children on her trips. It's not as if she can't afford
to pay; she seems to have an "I'm Entitled" aura that Bush, McCain (also a privileged
spoiled son of a top Admiral) excrete with every movement of their body, with every
word they speak...they act as if they will never have to pay a consequence for the
damage they do, for their free-loading attitudes (McCain's Savings and Loan still
leaves a stench).
Sarah is beautiful to look at; I believe that is why she was chosen. She's a practiced
television actor/sports announcer, a practised 'performer' (beauty queen) her whole
life. But where is her substance? The accent is phoney just as phoney as George Bush's
Texas drawl and grammar mistakes. The Republican outright cynical almost 'sneering'
downtalk about "Main Street" (none of THEM live on a Main Street) and their cardboard
mascot "Joe the Plumber" is grating on the nerves to those of us who only wish they
could earn as much as a plumber. The working people should be able
to see through this Repubrhetoric pretension and smugness; the working people
are being ridiculed. McCain and Palin couldn't care less about "Joe" or "Main Street" and
how I hate these catch phrases, so mean and so snobbish.
McNasty is really outdoing himself these days. Palin seems to be stirring up racist
ire and hatred with her remarks; this is remarkable since it has been said her mother
is Jewish. Palin should know better but maybe she never read history.
"Beautiful to look at"?! Since when is beauty a function of cheek bones, coiffure, and thousand dollar outfits? Since when is beauty divorced from the interior of the person male or female? Ugly is as ugly does. Appealing to fear is ugly. Inciting hatred is ugly. Studied stupidity and condescension is ugly. This person is ugly and I don't give a flying f in a rolling hoop whether she is male or female.