Republican vice presidential candidate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, and her husband Todd Palin arrive at a rally at the Virginia Beach Convention Center in Virginia Beach, Va., Monday, Oct. 13, 2008.
Republican Presidential Candidate, Sen. John McCain, center, and his wife, Cindy McCain, left, shake hands with their supporters as they leave the Virginia Beach Convention Center in Virginia Beach, Va., Monday, Oct. 13, 2008, after attending a campaign rally with vice presidential candidate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her husband, Todd Palin.
Republican Presidential Candidate, Sen. John McCain, center, flanked by his wife, Cindy McCain, left, and his vice presidential candidate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, are greeted with cheers and waving signs during a campaign rally at the Virginia Beach Convention Center in Virginia Beach, Va., on Monday, Oct. 13, 2008.
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Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, second from left, flanked by his wife, Cindy McCain, left, his vice presidential running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, second from right, and her husband, Todd Palin, right, addresses their supporters during a campaign rally at the Virginia Beach Convention Center in Virginia Beach, Va., on Monday, Oct. 13, 2008. (Yahoo news photos)
Palin mistakes fans for protesters at Va. rally
By Bob Lewis, 23 minutes ago
Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin mistook some of her own fans for hecklers Monday at a rally that drew thousands.
A massive crowd of at least 20,000 spread across the parking lot of Richmond International Raceway, and scores of people on the outer periphery more than 100 yards from the stage could not hear.
"Louder! Louder!" they began chanting, and the cry spread across the crowd to Palin's left. Some pointed skyward, urging that the volume be increased.
Palin stopped her remarks briefly and looked toward the commotion.
"I hope those protesters have the courage and honor to give veterans thanks for their right to protest," she said.
Some in the crowd tried to shout toward her what was really being said, but she couldn't hear them.
Some in the crowd had stood in place for more than three hours on a sunny day without shade. At least 25 people collapsed from heat-related illnesses and three were hospitalized, according to authorities with the Henrico County fire department.
Palin had campaigned earlier Monday with John McCain in Virginia Beach, only the second time the GOP ticket has campaigned in Virginia since June. Democrat Barack Obama or his running mate, Joe Biden, together have visited the state eight times over that span.
Virginia has been solidly Republican for 40 years but is now an electoral battleground with both sides locked in a very close race for the state's 13 electoral votes.
Addressing the crowd, Palin largely steered clear of her recent criticisms of Obama. Instead, she acknowledged the emotion that has built up on both sides, particularly since the financial collapse.
"There is a lot of anger. There is anger at the inside dealing and anger at lobbyists and anger at the greed on Wall Street. There is anger at the Washington elite and there is anger at voter fraud," she said.
She promised a spending freeze if she and McCain win, and evoked cheers of "Drill, Baby, Drill!" in calling for greater domestic mining and oil drilling. The crowd roared when she criticized Biden for remarks he made in Ohio that the United States had little interest in coal-fired electrical power.
The afternoon's loudest ovation came when country music star Hank Williams Jr. offered a rendition of his hit "Family Tradition" that opened by assailing "the left-wing liberal media."
Supporters hold up signs during a rally for Republican presidential candidate John McCain and his running mate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin at the Virginia Beach Convention Center October 13, 2008 in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Gov-Sarah-Palin-Richmond2C-Va-Richmond-International-Raceway-Alaska-Gov-Sarah-Palin-Billings/ss/events/pl
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