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“Raising taxes in a tough economy isn’t patriotic. It isn’t a badge of honor,” McCain said at a Republican rally in Green Bay. “It’s just plain dumb.”
The line elicited the loudest applause of the night for the McCain, who spoke to a crowd that nearly filled the 11,000-seat Resch Center.
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who spoke before McCain, took on Barack Obama, accusing him of perpetuating “the worst of politics.”
Palin pointed to comments Obama’s been making this week on the campaign trail, urging his supporters to argue with those who disagree and “get in their face.”
“That doesn’t sound like the politics of hope or the politics of change to me,” Palin said, referring to Obama’s campaign themes. “What that sounds like is the worst of politics.”
McCain backer Carl Handschke, 64, of Appleton attended Thursday’s rally and said he likes McCain because he’s pro-military, anti-abortion and will cut taxes.
He and others also heaped praise on Palin, the Alaska governor tabbed by McCain as his running mate.
“She’s what this country needs,” Handschke said. “She’s a person you could have a pizza and a beer with.”
Palin catered to the locals, saying it was nice to be in a state where people appreciate good hockey, hunting, fishing and “great football.”
“Here in Wisconsin I know I’m not alone,” she said. “I know I’m not the only hockey mom for McCain.”
Palin was introduced by Debra Bartoshevich, a former backer of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Bartoshevich said she thought Clinton would be the first woman in the White House, but now she thinks it will be Palin.
Bartoshevich was dumped as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention after she switched allegiances to McCain rather than support Obama as the Democrats’ presidential nominee.
McCain, a 26-year veteran of Congress, hit on his campaign themes of being a maverick who can bring change to Washington by taking on his own party and the Bush administration when necessary. He said Obama’s idea of reform was to do what his party leaders tell him to.
“That’s the kind of me-first, country-second politics that’s broken in Washington, D.C.,” McCain said. “Sen. Obama isn’t change. He’s part of the problem with Washington.”
McCain ended his speech by describing how he was given an envelope at the airport in Green Bay by Cheryl Lee Patrick of Ladysmith. Her son Army Staff Sgt. Patrick Lee Lybert was killed in 2006 in Afghanistan. McCain held up Lybert’s dog tags, which he said were inside the envelope.
“I know that I can make sure that his sacrifice was not in vain because I will always put my country first,” McCain said.
A small group of protesters, led by liberal advocacy group One Wisconsin Now, stood outside the stadium’s entrance. Once during Palin’s speech another small group of protesters began shouting toward the back of the arena but were quickly taken out by security.
Gov. Jim Doyle, a Democrat backing Obama, held a conference call Wednesday in advance of McCain’s visit to say the Republican nominee is tragically out of touch and does not have solutions to solve the economic problems facing the country.
Many in the crowd Thursday wore cheesehead hats with McCain stickers on them and waved pompoms in the green and gold colors of the Green Bay Packers. One sign said “Packers for Palin.”
They cheered wildly for Palin throughout her 10-minute speech. It was her first visit to Green Bay and her second to Wisconsin with McCain. The first was two weeks ago in Cedarburg, located near Milwaukee.
A poll released just hours before McCain and Palin’s appearance showed the race in Wisconsin was a dead heat. Obama held a double-digit lead in the summer.
Green Bay has been the epicenter of the presidential race for Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes this year. McCain planned to stay in Green Bay Thursday night and talk to the local Chamber of Commerce this morning.
Obama was to campaign in Green Bay on Monday. Biden was there two weeks ago.
In 2000 and 2004, Brown County, where Green Bay is located, voted for President Bush. But in 2006, the Republican candidate for governor narrowly edged out Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle by less than 2,000 votes in the county. U.S. Rep. Steve Kagen, a Democrat, won the county and a seat in Congress in 2006.
