Trip to Verizon to see Sarah Palin

Picture slide show from my trip to Verizon to see Sarah Palin

Ok, this isn't really a post from Gizmo. This is really Gizmo's dad. Gizmo said I could use his blog, because I promised some friends that I would write a review of my trip to see Sarah Palin at Verizon, and Gizmo didn't think we needed two blogs in the family. So, I will use his just this once.

So, I was holding out some hope of having some company on the trip to the rally. But, I couldn't bribe any co-workers of going with me, and my daughter apparently got a better offer and couldn't make it either. So, I had to make the trip by myself.

I had heard on the radio that they were moving up the time the gates opened, and heard that the security was going to be tight, and it was going to be slow getting in, blah, blah, blah... so, I decided I better get there early. I was in the parking lot by 1:15pm for the 4:30 pm speech. There was already a pretty big line, but the parking lot didn't look crowded, and the traffic was pretty light to get in at that time.















I got in the back of the line, and it was moving along pretty slow. But, there were a lot of vendors selling buttons, shirts, playing cards ("McCain/Palin playing cards where Obama is the Joker"), and other knick knacks. It was mildly entertaining watching the vendors work the crowd. I overheard a vendor selling buttons ask one selling t-shirts if they had even earned lunch money yet. To which the t-shirt guy said, he was doing "very well".

Finally after about an hour and 15 minutes in line I made it up to the security check. It was almost like going through the airport. Metal detectors, all metal out of your pockets, all bags and electronics hand checked.















Finally I'm inside, I met a guy in line that warned me since we just had regular tickets, we had no choice but to sit in the lawn. The pavilion was reserved for VIPs. Sure enough we were pretty much guided right into the lawn. The pavilion looked like it was only about 20% full at that time, and the lawn maybe about the same. It sure seemed like a lot more people had been in line ahead of me. The lawn only had one small entrance to get in for the entire lawn, and the entire front of the lawn was sectioned off with a 4ft high plastic chicken wire fence. Since I was alone I buffalo-ed my way to just about center stage near the front of the lawn. It was about 3:00 by the time I settled in my spot on the lawn. I was surprised that just an hour and half before the show was supposed to start the place didn't really look very crowded to me.

There were a lot of State Police walking around, and every once in a while they would catch someone trying to go over, or under the fence that was sectioning off the lawn people. They would chase them back over to the lawn. A woman near me got the attention of one of the police man, and started grilling him about why we were fenced in, and why there was only one entrance, and on and on and on... which sometimes when people do something like that I find it annoying, but this time I was actually grateful, because I was quite bored sitting there, and found it interesting, when the policeman basically just said it was set up like this because it was the "governments" decision to do it that way. The secret service thought it would be easier to control things with fewer entrances and exits.















So, as time marched on closer to 4:30, the place did start filling up. By 4:15 the lawn was more than 1/2 full, and the pavilion was filled except for an area of about 300 seats right at the back of the center section. This section was behind a platform that had a bunch of reporters and cameras on it. Probably the thinking was that those seats had obstructed view.

I'm not really sure what happened next. Either my section of the lawn was invited, or some hostile Republican near me just took his own initiative, but the section of fence in front of me was lowered and "my lawn gang" and I charged over the downed fence and we claimed the back section of the center pavilion seats. The whole thing only took seconds. I'm still not positive what happened. I heard some people saying the ushers were trying to keep us out, but I think I walked right past one, and they didn't seem to care. But, one way or another I got an upgrade from the lawn to about 10 rows in from the back of the pavilion center stage. Not too shabby.

The first speakers came out right at 4:30 There were a bunch of people on stage, behind the podium. Some I think were invited out of the audience. The first speaker was the head of the Republican party of Indiana, other speakers were the head of the state department of instruction , and the state attorney general. Might have been another person or two in there, they all gave short speeches, 5 minutes max. All fine... nothing too exciting... c'mon lets get on with the show. I noticed by now that the lawn is almost full, and the pavilion is 100% full.

A woman that they said was the highest ranking female military officer ever, a 3 star general, came out to lead the pledge of allegiance. Then that was followed immediately by the singing of the National Anthem. Then, a woman came out and sang "God Bless America". I was really struck that the singer was unusually good. Then, Aaron Tippin came out, now I have to admit, I have no clue who Aaron Tippin is. Apparently, he is a some what well known country singer. Turns out the woman that sang "God Bless America" was his wife, and is in his band, and he said that now we all knew that she was really the singer in the family. Aaron Tippin sang 3 or 4 songs he dedicated one called "Kiss This" to Obama. He explained that he was trying to get a kiss from his wife once when she wasn't happy with him, and she told him if he wanted a kiss, he could "Kiss This". His last song was called "Drill Here, Drill Now". Again. I must confess. I've never heard of any of these songs, or him. But, it looked like some people knew him and the songs, and were singing along.















Well, when he was done it was about 5:30. And... then we had a loooong wait... nothing was happening... songs were playing on the PA... people were singing along... sometimes people would chant things... I think there was a "Maverick" chant... a few variations of "Sarah" chants... but, then it would be quiet again...

About 6:15pm Indiana Lt. Governor Becky Skillman walked out and gave about a 15 minute speech. She recapped Mitch Daniels accomplishments. Some magazine or something picked Mitch Daniels as the best Governor in the US. Who knew? Well, at the end of her speech she introduces Sarah Palin.

Sarah walked on stage to big applause. Everyone was on their feet and cheering. She spent a few moments shaking hand with people. Before going to the podium. I was snapping pictures like mad at this point, only to discover latter that I'm not much of a photographer. Maybe 1 picture survived from her trip around the stage were you could kind of tell it was Sarah Palin sort of...

Palin's speech was fine. Nothing too exciting if you follow the news I would say it was pretty standard stuff. The crowd loved it. She criticized Obama and Biden both a lot, said a lot of good things about McCain. She tossed out the work Maverick at least once. She did a recap of some of the things she did in Alaska. She did have one line I hadn't heard before when she was talking about how she had taken on corruption in Alaska, she said she didn't go into politics to win "Miss Congeniality". Then she said she won that over 20 years ago, and didn't need to do it again. A reference to being in the Miss Alaska contest, where I think she did win Miss Congeniality.

After her speech she got a nice round of applause. And then she hopped down off the stage and started signing autographs. They had an area in front of the stage barricaded off where she walk around with the secret service close by and sign autographs.















It took me awhile but, I worked my way down to near the front of the stage. I might have got to within about 30 yards of her at the closest. But, I couldn't make to an autograph. But, from what I could see she looked like she was having a blast. She was autographing everything in sight. I noticed that people were constantly trying to hand her things like, babies and cell phones. She held several babies. She would hold them for quite a while, while at the same time autographing with her free hand. When she got a cell phone, she would just start talking into it. It looked like she was having actual conversations with the people on the other end. She was smiling and autographing, and just seemed in her element. All the while surrounded by stern men in suits.

After 30 - 45 minutes of autographing she hopped back on the stage. Shook a few more hands... signed a few more autographs with the people in the stands behind the stage... turned around waved to the few hundred of us still there, and then she was gone.