Palin derides Obama in tour of three Va. cities
(AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)
Republican vice presidential candidate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, addresses supporters during a McCain-Palin campaign rally in Hershey, Pa, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008.
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By REX BOWMAN AND JIM NOLAN
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITERS
Published: October 28, 2008
Gov. Sarah Palin dashed to rallies in three Virginia cities yesterday, deriding Sen. Barack Obama as “Barack the wealth-spreader.“
Eight days before the presidential election, Sen. John McCain’s running mate appeared before enthusiastic crowds in Leesburg, Fredericksburg and Salem, hoping to taper Obama’s margins in Northern Virginia and build McCain’s lead in Southwest Virginia.
Obama is to return to Virginia today for rallies in Harrisonburg and Norfolk in another sign of the tenacious fight for Virginia’s 13 electoral votes.
In Fredericksburg during a rainy midday rally, Palin took aim at Obama’s comments to “Joe the Plumber” in Ohio that “when you spread the wealth around,“ it’s good for everybody.
“Now is not the time to experiment with socialism,“ Palin told a crowd of 5,000.
Palin kicked off the last full week of campaigning in Leesburg, talking taxes with “Tito the Builder” at her side.
Tito Munoz, a Colombian immigrant who rose to own a construction company in Prince William County, fired up that audience estimated at 8,000 in forested J.R.‘s Festival Lakes.
“Everything we stand for is in danger by higher taxes and less freedom,“ Munoz said.
After contrasting the tax plans of Obama with those of McCain, Palin said the choice for voters should be clear.
“You can either do the math or go with your gut,“ she said, “either way you draw the same conclusion, and that’s that Barack Obama is on the side of bigger, more controlling government.“
The crowd chanted, “Use your brain, vote McCain.“
Obama has proposed raising taxes on Americans earning more than $250,000 a year and cutting capital-gains taxes for small business.
Del. Kristen J. Amundson, D-Fairfax, said in a statement from the Obama campaign, “Governor Palin again proved she’s good at distorting Barack Obama’s positions, but what she didn’t do today is provide an explanation for how John McCain’s economic policies would be any different than George Bush’s.“
Palin’s message resonated with voters such as Claudia Hinger of Purcellville, who said her vote comes down to the economy. Hinger works in a grocery and wants to be assured she’ll keep more of her paycheck under a new president.
“I’m scared; my family’s scared. I don’t want to be in a 12-year Depression,“ Hinger said. “I feel if Obama became president, we’ll be in trouble.“
When the crowd started chanting “I am Joe,“ Palin remarked, “That’s good, you betcha.“
At midday, Mother Nature rained on Palin’s rally in Hurkamp Park in downtown Fredericksburg, soaking the faithful to the skin, but not dampening their enthusiasm for their candidate.
“This election is going to be close. It’s going to come down to the wire,“ Palin told the crowd.
“Virginia, are you ready to help us carry this state to victory?“ she said to enthusiastic applause.
Signs in the crowd included: “Change is Coming,“ “No Redistribution, “Sarahcuda rocks,“ “Keep Virginia Red” and “Dudes 4 Sarah.“
Former Gov. Jim Gilmore, the GOP candidate for the U.S. Senate, addressed the crowd, appealing to an underdog spirit that he well understands.
“John McCain has been written off in this election many times, and here he stands and he’s going to win,“ Gilmore said.
As blustery winds and a biting cold settled in under gray skies, Palin promised that she and McCain would “shake things up in Washington,“ cut taxes, win the war in Iraq and get the economy back on track.
“By the way, I love this weather, because it reminds me of home,“ the Alaska governor said.
Palin capped her swing through Virginia last night with a third outdoor rally, before 12,000 bundled-up supporters at Salem Stadium.
In this election “it’s the choice between a politician who puts his faith in government and a leader who puts his faith in you,“ she said.
“If you don’t want your dreams dashed by the Obama tax increase,“ Palin said, “then you are Joe the Plumber, too, and we are all in this together, Virginia.“
Contact Rex Bowman at (540) 344-3612 or
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Contact Jim Nolan at (804) 649-6061 or .
Staff writer Tyler Whitley and Neil H. Simon of Media General News Service contributed to this report.
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Posted by ( jpills ) on October 28, 2008 at 5:37 pm
I think American’s are still very generous, and yes many of us truly are our brother’s keeper. People in America give til it hurts, and thousands give blood for our freedom. It is that precious. Let us freely give to charities, give to the poor, give to our local economy, and give to our National defense. This is the Christian message. But as soon as you force people to give grudgingly for Government to control the Social redistribution, that is socialism. Socialism takes the FREE Will from the people, and has always Failed, has stopped growth at best, or worse resulted in the oppression of the very people it was meant to help.
History Speaks loudly, Joe the Plumber speaks, let the people speak on Nov 4th: CHANGE WE DON’T NEED.
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Posted by ( peony ) on October 28, 2008 at 5:28 pm
jpills - did you look up the comparison?
A progressive tax has been in place for a very long time, but under McCain it would be more regressive, taking proportionately more from the incomes of the low-wage earners. So it is McCain who would take from the hard-working who are not fortunate enough to be in one of those high-paying jobs, and give more to those who need it the least. Perhaps in your world hard work is always rewarded with a wheelbarrow full of money, but that’s not the way it is in the trenches. Don’t insult good people who work hard for little pay performing the services you take for granted by calling them lazy. Unemployment is escalating in this global financial crisis. May you be among the fortunate who doesn’t feel it’s effects.
Just read the comparison. If you still hold to your views, so be it.
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Posted by ( mprzyuski ) on October 28, 2008 at 5:20 pm
How on earth do people interpret “middle class tax brake” as “giving to the lazy and not working?“ And does it stand to reason that every one who isn’t working is necessarily lazy? Does anyone see the contradiction in call this a “Christian” nation and then act so resentfully toward the notion that we are our brother’s keeper? I Jesus hadn’t “shared the wealth” there would have been a lot of hungry people after the sermon on the mount. How did we become so selfish in this land of plenty? It’s shameful.
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Posted by ( jpills ) on October 28, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Joe the Plumber made a simple observation that unclogged the Obama message. The majority of the wealth has been controlled by the minority of the people in this country for a long time. Obama is not going to really change that. He is just going to take from the hard-working and the wealthy and give to the lazy and the not working.
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Posted by ( peony ) on October 28, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Come on, Virginia. Palin and McCain are insulting your intelligence. Make the effort to compare the Obama and McCain tax proposals side by side. Just type “compare Obama and McCain tax plans” into Google and read an objective comparison (or seveal). The Republican team is shamelessly lying to folks like Claudia Hinger. Unless that grocery she works for is paying her a heck of a lot more than I think it is, she’ll be seeing more money, possibly substantially more, left in her paycheck under Obama’s plan. Now if she’s the CEO of the grocery chain, she may have a little bit to worry about.
Wake up, Virginia, think for yourselves.
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Posted by ( mprzyuski ) on October 28, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Is Joe the Plumber getting royalties every time these jokers drag his name into a campaign rally? If so, he’s going to have to pay a lot of income taxes no matter who wins the election. Also, can we really elect people to the presidency who don’t know what “socialism” means?
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