A reporter from the Greensboro News & Record was kicked following Sarah Palin’s speech Thursday. Read more about it here:
http://blog.news-record.com/staff/capblog/archives/2008/10/report_from_pal.shtml
Archive for the 'Sarah Palin' Category
16
Oct
08
Palin at Elon
A group of Palin supporters show their support in football stadium fashion. Photo by Shelley Russell.
Palin supporters have hit the university campus with their own sense of fashion. A sea of red shirts, blouses and ties doesn’t look too far awry from the Phoenix color palette — but they’re here for no football game. Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin spoke for 30 minutes under the 75 degree heat of a Carolina blue sky. She began her speech focusing on the economy, which is a given considering the Dow took about 700 point hit yesterday. She promised that if McCain and here were elected they would have a balanced budget by the end of the first term.
Next, Palin turned her attention to the war. She accused Obama of not having the drive to “win” the war, but being too concerned with pulling out. Noting John McCain’s extensive history in the military, she said that she would want him to be her Commander-in-Chief, not Obama.
In one of the most popular topics among the largely college-aged crowd, Palin spoke about what her and McCain would do to make college more affordable for all people to take part in. She didn’t linger on it too long though before transitioning into how to fix the 10 Trillion dollar national debt.
Energy has been a repeated talking point for Palin, and today was no exception. She spoke about responsible drilling and using more coal. She also mentioned having more nuclear facilities (and for the record, she pronounced nuclear correctly.)
Palin finished her speech on an issue that she says is very close to her heart — special needs children. We need to make them a priority. A few soundbites carried anti-aborition undertones as she stressed the importance of protecting our children and allowing them to flourish.
She concluded saying, “There is only one man in this race who has ever really fought for you … that man is John McCain.”
The crowd reacted well to Palin’s speech chanting things like “Sarah! Sarah! Sarah!” or “USA! USA! USA!” Country music blared from giant speakers when country star Hank Williams Jr. wasn’t singing. Viewers watched on with with dark blue and gold “Country First” signs in their hands. Disinterested children played football and tag in the backfield of the baseball stadium.
The Obama voice was lingering just outside of the gate in most cases. Rally attenders walked by a slew of Obama supporters who held signs as the entered the stadium. Elon College Democrats were not here today — they went instead to knock on doors and campaign for their candidate in nearby neighborhoods.
Kal Penn has visited Elon twice, once in May and once in September, to talk to students about the importance of voting. Photo by Alexa Milan.
Alexa Milan
A&E Editor
Actor Kal Penn took a break from filming “House” Wednesday to give a conference call encouraging college students and young voters to take advantage of One-Stop Early Voting opportunities in North Carolina.
Early voting will take place Oct. 16 – Nov. 1 at 368 one-stop voting sites throughout the state.
Penn has been an avid campaigner for Barack Obama and served as the floor manager for the Virginia delegation at the Democratic National Convention. Along with Jason Green, Obama’s national voter registration director, Penn emphasized North Carolina’s key role as a battleground state in this election. Penn said North Carolina’s 480,000 college students could very well decide which candidate gets North Carolina’s 15 electoral college votes.
“One stop early voting is essentially the best and most effective way to make sure that young people’s votes are counted,” Penn said.
Penn, a registered independent, said that One-Stop Early Voting is important because it allows voters to register and vote at the same time, no matter what party they are affiliated with.
“These are resources available to folks whether they are democrats, republicans or independents,” Penn said.
People can vote at any One-Stop Early Voting location in their county, and they can still register there even if they missed North Carolina’s Oct. 10 voter registration deadline. Voting at a One-Stop Early Voting site is the same thing as voting on election day, and Green said it is a great way to make sure everyone gets the chance to vote.
“Early voting is truly the best, most effective and easiest way to make sure your vote is counted,” Green said.
If voters have registered and voted before, they do not need to show an ID. If voters have registered but have not voted before, they need to bring a valid photo ID and a document showing their current residence. If voters have not registered, they need to bring a North Carolina driver’s license or student ID and a document stating their name and physical address in North Carolina.
For a complete list of documents to bring to the polls, students should visit www.nc.barackobama.com/ncstudents. Green said that information will be added to the Web site by early Oct. 16 at the latest. People can also call the One-Stop Early Voting hotline at 1-888-NCEARLY for more information.
“There’s this feeling and this understanding that if folks in positiosn of power, if they wanted us to have a fair shot at voting, then election day would be a national holiday and it’s not yet,” Penn said. “This is one step to make sure everyone’s votes are fairly cast and counted.”
Alamance County early voting locations:
Youth Service Building, 201 W. Elm St., Graham, N.C.
Oct. 16 – Nov. 1, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday Oct. 25, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Saturday Nov. 1, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
May Memorial Library, 342 S. Spring St., Burlington, N.C.
Oct. 16 – Nov. 1, Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Saturday Oct. 25, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Saturday Nov. 1, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Mebane Arts and Community Center, 622 Corrigidor Road, Mebane, N.C.
Oct. 20 – Nov. 1, Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday Oct. 25, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Saturday Nov. 1, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m
Related Links:
-Early Voting Information
Barack Obama’s Web site for North Carolina students will go live Oct. 16 with information about One-Stop Early Voting
-Vote for Change
The Vote for Change Web site will also have information about One-Stop Early Voting
The Vote for Change Web site will also have information about One-Stop Early Voting
Palin is set to speak at Elon University at noon today.
It’s 10:30 a.m. and Palin is currently giving a live speech in Maine, where she was scheduled to speak at 8 a.m. this morning. She still has a stop in Pennsylvania, which was set for 10 a.m. Many people have already begun arriving on campus and have made their way over towards the stadium to be first in line when the gates open at noon.
Dean of Students Smith Jackson said a limited number of tickets will be available today at the Athletics Box Office in the Koury Athletic Center from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The McCain-Palin campaign said due to overwhelming demand more tickets will be distributed at the gates this afternoon.
Ticket distribution started at moon on Tuesday, but students were lined up before opening to ensure their place at Palin
Andie Diemer
News Editor
Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and country star Hank Williams Jr., are scheduled to hold a “Road to Victory Rally” at 3 p.m. Thursday at Latham Park baseball stadium at Elon University, according to a statement from the McCain-Palin campaign.
Tickets will be distributed in Koury Athletics Center beginning at noon Tuesday and from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Wednesday. Can’t make it? Keep up with the pendulum Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/elonpendulum
Only students and Elon faculty and staff will be able to receive tickets at this location. They can be picked up starting at noon on Tuesday and are limited to one per person with a valid Phoenix card.
Gates will open at noon for the free, ticketed Palin speech.
Tickets for non-university members can be picked up at McCain-Palin “Victory” offices in Greensboro, High Point, Durham, Goldsboro, Greenville, Raleigh, Rocky Mount and Winston-Salem or more locations here.
They will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis and no bags or signs will be permitted inside the venue.
Parking will be available at Firehouse Field on Williamson Avenue.
Nick Ochsner, president of College Republicans, said he excited to have someone of Palin’s magnitude present on campus.
“It’s exciting to use this as an opportunity to invite people from all across the state to take part in the political process,” he said. “This will provide not only some good excuse for Elon but will also be a good experience for Elon community to interact together and really have a conversation about this election.”
Ochsner said volunteers were already being rounded up Sunday night to staff the event.
He said he expects the community to be eager to hear what the Alaska governor has to say, to listen to her plan for the future of the country and to experience such a big person on campus.
Student Government Association President Chase Rumley said Palin’s visit reflects very positively on Elon, especially considering former President Bill Clinton visited in the spring.
“It will be interesting to see if her speech is more student or community focused and who her message speaks to more,” he said. “I think everyone will be respectful.”
Palin will also speak on Thursday at 8 a.m. at Bangor International Airport in Bangor, Maine, and again at 10 a.m. at United Sports Training Center in Chester County, Pa.
Both events are open to the public and free.
She will also be making an appearance at an event in Greensboro later that evening.
Click HERE to see a slideshow of preparation for Palin’s visit.
Click HERE to see student reactions to Palin’s visit or watch below:
16
Oct
08
Palin visitors arrive early
Visitors were already arriving on campus before 9:30 a.m. and walking to Latham Park to reserve their spot for the 3 p.m. event. Photo by David Wells.
David Wells
Photo Editor
Before 9:30 a.m. visitors were parking their cars on the Firehouse Fields on Williamson Avenue and walking to Latham Park to reserve their spot in line for Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s afternoon speech.
Many of these early birds were wearing their patriotic colors to get in the spirit of the event. At the entrance to the field parking lot a variety of John McCain and Sarah Palin support buttons are being sold for $5 a piece.
Supporters of Republicans John McCain and Sarah Palin were selling buttons for $5 each at the entrance to Firehouse Field on Williamson Avenue, where visitors are told to park.
College Republicans create signs Wednesday night to prepare for Palin
Camille Demere
Multimedia Editor
The Elon University College Republicans geared up for Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin’s visit on Thursday by making signs.
Click HERE for video of the preparations or watch below:
Security measures are being kept confidential to protect Palin and the community. There will be metal detectors and screening at the gates. Photos by Rachel Cieri.
Laura Smith
Reporter
Attendance at Gov. Sarah Palin’s rally Thursday will be very high, but the university and campaign have taken this into account and have implemented several safety precautions to ensure safety, said Smith Jackson, dean of students, in a statement Wednesday.
Because of the immense interest in a vice presidential candidate coming to speak at Elon, not only will several roads be closed, but security will be heightened, Jackson said.
Dan Anderson, assistant vice president and director of university relations, is confident security will be well prepared and implemented for Palin’s visit.
“I think they have done everything they can for the event,” Anderson said.
Campus security, campus police and secret service have been planning the security for the rally for several days and installing measures that will control any problematic situation that may arise.
Anderson said police officers and secret security personnel are well prepared with plans to handle any array of security issues.
“The past two days they have been arranging the manpower for the event and deciding who will do what,” he said.
The McCain-Palin campaign brought in their own generators so they would not use any university electricity.
Anderson said there will be officers from several surrounding areas including county sheriffs and highway patrol.
Secret service will be patrolling the area as well.
Because of safety concerns, Chuck Gantos, director of campus safety and police, declined to comment.
According to Jackson’s letter, no folding chairs, bags, backpacks or signs will be allowed inside the gates. There will also be metal detectors located on Bank of America Drive to screen those entering the park.
“The presence of a vice presidential candidate on campus is a major event and will draw thousands of visitors and retain more of our students, faculty and staff on campus than is typical,” Jackson said.
Palin will speak to the community during a campaign rally, which will take place at 3 p.m. at Latham Park.
By Wednesday evening, Latham Park had begun to be transformed to accommodate Gov. Palin and the expected crowd on Thursday. Photos by Rachel Cieri.
Rachel Cieri
Reporter
For an event headlining with names as big as Sarah Palin and Hank Williams Jr., the Elon administration has undertaken very few preparations at Latham Park to prepare for Thursday’s event.
Director of Construction Management Neil Bromilow said his crews are entirely uninvolved with the preparations and Tom Flood, superintendent of landscaping and grounds, has supervised very minimal preparations.
Essentially, the McCain-Palin campaign is overseeing the entire event, they said.
“They have been excellent to work with,” Flood said of the campaign volunteers. “They’re very self-contained. They even have their own generator so they don’t use our power.”
The campaign has been using all of its own equipment and is paying for every expense, he said. The little money the university has invested is being tracked to be reimbursed by the campaign.
The McCain-Palin campaign declined to comment for security concerns.
The grounds workers have simply sprayed fungicide underneath the staging to prevent the growth of disease and have taken preventative measures in the access areas to protect the turf, Flood said.
The stage Hank Williams Jr. and Gov. Sarah Palin are set to appear later Thursday afternoon had already been constructed by Wednesday. Photo by Rachel Cieri.
Director of Physical Plant Robert Buchholz said the lights on the stadium needed to be adjusted so only a few would be lit during the event. The university is also providing some of the bus services from parking at Firehouse Field to Latham Park for special needs visitors.
Flood said their main role in the process is to provide information and discussion about the repairs that may be needed after the expected 10,000 to 15,000 people have crowded the park.
Buchholz and the physical plant have provided the campaign with basic maps of campus and the surrounding area. They have also helped to locate an area for restroom facilities and trash receptacles.
The campaign began setting up at 6 p.m. Tuesday, according to Buchholz.
By Wednesday evening volunteers had strategically placed massive signs proclaiming “Country First” and “Victory in North Carolina” near the stands at the field.
A platform with raised speakers had been placed near second base, facing toward the outfield.
As of Wednesday evening a majority of the equipment had yet to make its way onto the field, with two half-unloaded moving trucks sitting in an adjacent parking lot. A table saw, work bench and dozens of two-by-fours sat behind it.
Folding tables and chairs were still collapsed along the third-base side of the field while upbeat music blared through speakers that will project Palin’s voice Thursday.
Flood does not expect to do much to put the field back together after the event wraps up
“It will take a little work, but it won’t have a major impact,” he said.
Palin
Buchholz said the campaign will likely clean up after itself since they are taking care of more than 95 percent of the preparation, he estimates.
“We’ll just come in behind them and get everything up to Elon standards,” Buchholz said.
Grounds crews will oversee the field again following the event and the baseball team will return to practicing in Latham Park on Friday.
Hank Williams Jr. appeared at the GOP Convention in Philadelphia on July 31. He will open for Palin Thursday afternoon. Photo courtesy of George Reynolds/MCT Campus.
Bryce Little
Reporter
Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin will not be the only high-profile figure on campus Thursday afternoon. Hank Williams Jr. will also be at Elon to perform and show his support for the Alaska governor.Williams is known for his numerous country music hits and his name is synonymous with the Monday Night Football theme song. He has been with Palin on several of her campaign stops performing the song, “McCain-Palin Tradition.”
The song is a remake of his original song, “Family Tradition,” which portrays Williams as a man who enjoys hard whiskey and marijuana.
But the version created for McCain and Palin gives a new take on his old song, praising McCain and Palin as the candidates who can turn America around.
Having a well-known country star on stage with Palin could help her and the Republican party seem more accessible to the public, music professor Matthew Buckmaster said.
“It gives the Republican party a little more of grounding, a common folk feel to it,” Buckmaster said. “A danger always with the Republicans is that they can seem elitist and they are doing a great job with Hank Williams to counter act that.”
Williams is not alone in backing candidates with his music. Music has become a staple in this presidential election and artists from all over the country have picked sides and thrown benefits for both candidates.
“Music is one of the critical backbones of any nation’s patriotism,” Buckmaster said.
Groups like The Allman Brothers, Grateful Dead and Beastie Boys have all announced they will be performing concerts in several swing states to support Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.
