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Estimated 16,000 attend Palin rally in Jeffersonville
Speaking in front of an estimated 16,000 supporters at a rally in Jeffersonville Wednesday night, Republican vice presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin said she and Sen. John McCain would “clean up corruption and greed on Wall Street.”
With only six days remaining until the election, Palin focused on energy and taxes and was clearly on the offensive.
Palin accused Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama of “flip-flopping” on his tax plan, while saying he has an “ideological commitment to higher taxes.”
She also said he has committed to nearly a trillion dollars in new government spending, and that he will need to raise taxes to pay for it. Palin also promised the crowd she and McCain would balance the budget by the end of their first term.
Palin praised Joe Wurzelbacher, better known as “Joe the Plumber,” for getting Obama to say he wanted to “spread the wealth” and for calling Obama a “socialist.” She had met up with Wuzelbacher earlier in the day at a rally in Toledo, Ohio.
“Sen. Obama says that he wants to spread the wealth. What’s that mean? It’s government taking your money and doling it out however a politician sees fit,” Palin said.
Calling Obama “Barack the Wealth Spreader,” she accused her opponent of trying to expand government and raise taxes.
She went even further in saying that redistributing the wealth would “discourage productivity and that work ethic we’re trying to teach our children” and “stifle the entrepreneurial spirit that made this country the greatest country in the world.”
Palin also spoke about the need for energy independence, which drew chants of “drill, baby, drill” from the crowd. Palin said government needs an “all of the above” approach in dealing with energy independence. She said that approach would include more drilling for oil as well as other new technology.
Palin also warned the crowd about the dangers of her and McCain being defeated by Obama and running-mate Sen. Joe Biden. She said that if Democrats control the House of Representatives, the Senate and the White House, that it could “erode” America’s strong work ethic.
A fire marshal told reporters that about 16,000 people made it inside the Capstone Realty Inc.’s warehouse for the rally. It appeared hundreds more were still stuck outside in traffic as Palin arrived in the “Straight Talk Express” bus.
The crowd was dressed mostly in red as requested by the McCain-Palin campaign to show that Republicans would maintain control of Indiana. No Democratic presidential candidate has won Indiana since 1964, but polls show a tight race.
The crowd frequently chanted “Sarah” and “USA,” and one group stood in the bleachers with signs that spelled out “Hoosiers for Sarah.”
Palin supporters came in from around the region to attend the rally. Joyce Spencer of Evansville heard of the event hours before it began and rushed to Jeffersonville to see it. She said the speech was “inspiring.”
“I think she’s amazing,” Lisa Shields of Louisville said. “She has a way of speaking to you. She represents so many of us.”
The Palin camp is hoping to attract more people like Dale Mills of Borden who happens to be brother of Floyd County Sheriff Darrell Mills. He is a registered Democrat who plans to switch party lines to vote for McCain.
“I wanted to see her in person because you never know what you hear in the media,” he said. “But she’s all that.”
Leanne Henderson of Charlestown volunteered to help at the rally. She said she was never involved in politics before this year.
“I feel like this year, it’s not just an election. It’s about so much more,” she said, citing economic problems.
Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels also addressed the crowd before Palin arrived, although he had previously said he would not because of a previous commitment. Hank Williams Jr. sang the National Anthem and a song blaming former President Bill Clinton for the subprime mortgage crisis.
Palin was also joined by her husband, Todd Palin.
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