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Ian Yarett | Phoenix Staff

John McCain and Sarah Palin disembarked from the Straight Talk Express outside of the Delaware County Courthouse.

BY JEFF DAVIDSON

In print | Published September 25, 2008

Republican presidential nominee John McCain and vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin disembarked from the Straight Talk Express campaign bus Monday evening amidst the enthusiastic cheers of supporters outside of the Delaware County Courthouse in Media, Pa. The Secret Service estimated the crowd at 10,000, but GOP officials placed the figure closer to 15,000.

Area officials and community members alike opened the evening with speeches, songs and performances. Most speakers praised the great effects Palin will have upon the party and the upcoming election; even in a prayer for McCain and the Republicans, Father Ralph Chieffo of St. Mary Magdalen in Media said, “Thank you for your feminine gifts, Sarah Palin.”

The State Street Miracles, a collection of community members with Downs Syndrome and developmental disabilities, introduced themselves to the audience and sang two songs. Other locals continued entertaining the crowd for two hours until at 5:45 p.m. when the suspense music kicked in.
As the arrival of the Republican contenders neared, chants of “USA” spread through the streets. When the bus pulled up to the crowd and the group took the stage, the excitement grew exponentially. Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman, Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter and congressional candidate Craig Williams, who is challenging incumbent Democratic Representative Joe Sestak for his 7th District seat, were among those who spoke at the rally. McCain and Palin passed through Media just six days after Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden rallied in the same town.

Palin, backed by her family, took to the stage after Lieberman endorsed her as “a breath of fresh Alaska air.” Dressed in the customary red leather jacket, Palin addressed the “Sar-ah”-chanting crowd. Palin spoke of some of the strong desires of the McCain campaign — such as government reform and energy independence.

“John and I are the only people in this election with a track record of making change happen — not just talking about it, making it happen,” Palin said. With an particular intrest for students with special needs, Palin wants to fight for students and better education in the white house.
Next she turned her speech against Obama.

“Our opponent — he likes to point the finger of blame, but tell me has he ever lifted a finger to help?” Palin said. “Has he ever reached out a reformers hand to the other side of the aisle? In orders to get others to say yes to change, has he ever told his own party ‘no’? When it comes to reform, he likes to say ‘I will,’ but has he ever been able to say ‘we did’?”

Later she introduced Vietnam Veteran John Teutul and his two sons, Paul and John Jr., who manufacture customized motorcycles known as Orange County Choppers. The Teutuls presented McCain with a custom-made motorcycle designed to honor soldiers taken as prisoners of war and those missing in action.

Paul Teutul Jr., against a heavy metal backdrop, introduced McCain for the final talk of the night. In his opening remarks, McCain emphasized the energizing effects of Palin’s presence on the Republican ticket. “I can’t wait until I introduce her to Washington, D.C.,” McCain said. “We’re going to reform, we’re going to shake things up, we’re going to change the culture, my friends. Please note, she sparked a fire that’s going to sweep across this country and take us to the White House and change America, and that’s what it’s all about.”

McCain’s speech emphasized the key differences between his and Senator Barack Obama’s views. Referring explicitly to the recent convulsions on Wall Street, McCain noted that Obama, a week after the onset of the financial crisis, had not yet recommended a policy response. McCain also described healthcare coverage as a private matter that should remain in the hands of taxpayers, who he claimed should have the freedom to make their own decisions about the cost and extent of their personal coverage plans. The dominant theme of the speech was McCain’s desire for change and reform in the United States government.

“Let me offer a little advance warning to the big spending, greedy, do-nothings, me-first, country-second crowd in Washington and on Wall Street: change is coming, change is coming,” McCain said.

Thousands of supporters, many of them wearing red shirts at the McCain campaign’s behest, displayed vibrant signs bearing slogans such as “In McCain We Trust,” “Lipstick Power,” “Babies for Palin” and “NObama.” Congressional candidate Craig Williams said that the large turnout—indicative of a broader mobilization strategy in Delaware county and other contested regions of Pennsylvania—was crucial for McCain’s success in the upcoming election.

But not every supporter that showed up came in support of McCain. Four Swarthmore Students and one alum, dressed in blue, broke the sea of red shirts and made their way towards the center of the crowd where few other Obama supporters would go.

The protestors never interrupted speeches, but simply came out to voice their view. “Initially we were with Obama supporters, but they were staying on the peripheries — they weren’t going into the actual rally,” Sarah Noble ’10 said. “We were a little perplexed by this because we wanted to go in to hear what they wanted to say and to protest; we wanted it to have an effect.”

The Swarthmore Obama supporters were not met with favor at the event. Some Republican rally members told them to grow up or get jobs, while others were more forceful by covering the Obama supporter’s mouth or grabbing them.

As a swing state, Pennsylvania is vitally important to both party’s candidates as Nov. 4 approaches. “It breaks down like this: the national polls we get every day are interesting, but it doesn’t tell us the whole story,” Williams said in an interview just prior to the start of the rally. “What is important is the electoral map and Election Day … If John McCain wins Pennsylvania then the race is over.”

An earlier version of this article appeared online on Sept. 22, 2008.

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