FAIRFAX, Va. — A crowd of 23,000 people gathered yesterday for a political rally for Republican presidential nominee John McCain and running mate Sarah Palin, making the Fairfax campaign stop McCain’s largest to date.
McCain and Palin said maintaining Virginia a Red state will not be easy, but they stressed the fact that they believe a Republican victory in the commonwealth is achievable and important to the overall election.
“The commonwealth of Virginia is a battleground state,” McCain said. “We must win it, and we will win it with your support.”
The Republican candidates, introduced by former Tennessee Republican Sen. Fred Thompson, sought the support of the audience by reinforcing their stances on economic, environmental and national security matters, among other topics, and by discrediting Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama’s ability to lead effectively and responsibly in office.
A major topic of discussion for both McCain and Palin was the controversial use of earmarks on bills. Palin said Obama, who campaigned in Virginia Tuesday, has requested nearly $1 billion worth of earmarks.
In a post-rally Democratic Party response held at another location, Del. Kris Amundson, D-Fairfax, State Senator Chap Petersen and Iraq war veteran Brian McGough refuted many of McCain’s and Palin’s claims. Amundson said Palin is guilty of the same earmarking she rebukes, adding that, in Palin’s 645 days as governor, she accumulated $750 million worth of earmarks.
In her speech, however, Palin detailed some of her actions as mayor and governor, describing how her financial responsibility would lead to dividends.
Palin stated that she passed surplus money on to Alaskans, and noted that if elected she and McCain would do the same nationally, providing “tax relief for all Americans.” Another major talking point was the need for alternative energy sources, such as wind and geothermal energy. In an effort to decrease the country’s foreign dependence on oil, McCain said America must utilize alternative fuel sources and said the untapped oil in Alaska must be explored.
“Drill, baby, drill,” McCain said, pointing to a sign with the same slogan. “We’ve got to do it right now.”
McCain showed this same enthusiasm in his discussion of the situation in Iraq. McCain’s son currently serves in Iraq, and Palin’s son is soon to be deployed there. Both said they believe the war is not a lost cause.
“I would much rather lose a campaign than to see our nation lose a war,” McCain said.
Amundson said the nominees ignored important issues during the rally and only touched on the topics they normally cover.
“It seems to me that what we heard just up the road was nothing but more of the same,” she said. “We didn’t hear about the kind of issues people call my office about every day — people worried about keeping their homes, problems with paying their bills. We didn’t hear any of that.”
Despite disagreeing on many issues, Petersen acknowledged the importance of candidates visiting the area and giving voters the opportunity to be informed before choosing a candidate.
“I’m glad [McCain’s] here,” Petersen said. “I’m glad Senator Obama was here too. This is where the voters are in this state.”
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