Paula Betlach prefaced each thought about Republican presidential candidate John McCain with respect.

“I respect him. I respect his military service. I respect his long record of not working just with his party,” she said. “I respect his support of decreasing corruption in government.”
Friday’s campaign rally in the La Crosse Center’s South Hall was Betlach’s second dose of McCain, who saw him when he held a town hall meeting here in February.

McCain promoted the negatives of pork barrel spending and the positives of his Homeownership Resurgence Plan during a 21-minute speech woven with jabs at his Democratic rival, Sen. Barack Obama.

But McCain backer and NRA enthusiast Norm Krause, 68, hoped the senator’s speech would go more for the jugular.

“I’d like to see him get more fight in the dog,” Krause said. “I want names and numbers.”

Laurie Rowley, 45, of Blue Mounds, Wis., said she trusts McCain to protect the nation, whereas, “Obama is like leaving a child home with a baby sitter that has no experience.”

McCain’s visit ignited a level of hostility absent from Obama’s stop in downtown La Crosse last week.

Theresa Carey, who said she came to the event as an independent, started yelling “Liar!” when McCain criticized Obama’s tax plan.

She was standing toward the back of the crowd of about 4,000, but for a few minutes, the attorney from Viroqua was the center of attention.

Her outburst was quickly drowned out with chants of “U-S-A!” before she was surrounded by campaign officials.

“I’ve been asked to leave,” Carey told the Tribune, saying she was told she’s not able to speak her mind, “even though it’s a public venue.”

The McCain campaign leased the facility, so it could decide who should — and shouldn’t — be there, said La Crosse police Capt. Gary Uting.

But before it could escalate, the speech ended, sending the audience outdoors, where a small group of protesters had assembled.

Delores Althoff of Bangor said the scuffle didn’t distract from McCain’s message.

“His honesty and integrity shined through. It couldn’t have been any better,” the 83-year-old said. “I liked the fact a man of his age has the stamina to fight for his country.”

McCain drew a rowdy applause in calling himself an “underdog” who would fool the pollsters and snag Wisconsin.

Andrea Ehrat said after the speech she, too, was convinced McCain could take the state’s 10 electoral votes.

“There was just a lot of energy, and that’s good,” said the 21-year-old Western Technical College student.

Ehrat’s sister-in-law, Anna Ehrat, said she has shifted her allegiance to McCain after supporting Gov. Mike Huckabee during the primaries.

She agrees with McCain’s anti-abortion stance and thinks “Obama is very socialist and wants to tax everything.”

Nancy Rhodes, 62, of Viroqua also knocked Obama, echoing McCain’s critique that his Democratic challenger evades answering questions.

Obama is not being “held to task,” Rhodes said. “McCain always answers.”

An undecided voter, Jacob Welti attended the rally as part of his effort to scope out both candidates.

“I thought it was good he talked about following through with the war,” Welti said of McCain’s vow that the country wouldn’t lose a war with him at the helm.

But any highs from the speech were quickly eclipsed by a chance to shake the candidate’s hand and score a photo with him as McCain stopped to thank supporters gathered on Jay Street.

“That was touching,” Welti said. “I’m shaking.”

Tribune reporters Autumn Grooms, Anne Jungen, Samantha Marcus and local news editor Scott Rada contributed to this report.

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