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McCain: Don't be fooled by Obama's call for change
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
LEBANON — The crowd broke out in spontaneous chants of "Sarah" and "John McCain" as the Republicans who would be America's next president and vice president made their case to southwest Ohio.
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin took the stage at 10:25 a.m. to cheers from the close to 10,000 clogging South Broadway Street in front of the Golden Lamb restaurant.
"It's going to be a tough battle here. We have to take this state," Palin said. "It's gonna be small town America getting us to where we need to be to plug in that reform that you all deserve and you all expect and we're committed to."
While a woman danced waving a sign that said "Ohio (hearts) Sarah and the first dude," Palin touched on familiar themes. She stuck with the campaign's recent adoption of the same message as their Democratic rival Illinois Sen. Barack Obama: Change.
Palin touted the reputation of her running mate Arizona Sen. John McCain as a maverick; her record in Alaska that she said was characterized by tax cuts; opposition to earmarks and energy independence.
McCain took the stage to chants of "USA," and introduced his ticket as "a team of mavericks."
While he has taken on his party numerous times, "and has the scars to prove it," McCain said Obama has never taken on his party.
While he has never asked for an earmark for his state, McCain said Obama has brought nearly $1 billion in pork barrel projects home to Illinois.
"That's change? My friends, don't be fooled," he said.
He talked about his proposed tax cuts and healthcare plan, the crowd responding with boos as he claimed Obama's plan would force businesses to cut jobs.
And he called for victory in Iraq.
"We have succeeded in Iraq and we are winning and our troops will come home with victory and honor," he said.
After the speech, John Kauffman worked through the crush of people angling for a glimpse of McCain or Palin on the rope line. The 82-year-old veteran of World War II and Korea is from Franklin, and said he hoped to meet the senator.
That didn't happen: but Kauffman still liked what he heard from the two. "I thought it was wonderful from what I could hear," he said. "He's got a lot of good points."
