deployment day 3: McCain

So, this probably goes without saying, but today is the most awesome day of campaigning yet (and it's only half over even though I've been awake for 8 hours already)!! I actually got to see Senator John McCain and (hopefully) the next President of the United States. It was an exhilarating, overwhelming experience. To see him after watching on TV for so long, and seeing pictures for so long...to actually be in the crowd and be so close, it was really cool! But don't worry, I'm not going to go all gushy like this Obama supporter and say that it was the most memorable moment of my life (it wasn't) and that I'm so glad this day has come, the govt is going to pay my mortgage and fill my gas tank (how could anyone possibly believe that?!)

Anyway, I digress!! Sorry. Everyone has been talking about that Obama supporter and just how crazy people are thinking now, they're not even looking at the issues.

I woke up at 4:30 am. Yeah, I haven't woken up that early since high school for a state literary meet. Haha. Drove on down to Raymond James Stadium. After some organizational issues & down time, finally went through the mags (where there was this really handsome Secret Service guy...), got my volunteer credential, and then did sign duty with a new volunteer friend. We had to confiscate any homemade signs, because they block the camera views of the stage when people hold them up.

Here's everyone going through the mags when the sun was starting to rise. I thought the sky looked really pretty.

After the mags, everyone was guided toward the stage area:

Check out all the remotes.

The stage starting to fill up...I was loving the huge American flag. We said the pledge of allegiance and everything :)


After doing that for about an hour, we switched to helping the caterer carry all the food in for the traveling press. And then I basically guarded the food from the local press (the traveling press pays for the food, so if it wasn't there when they arrived...they would not be happy). It was cool being in the press section for a while, not too crowded (until the traveling press arrived), and I got to watch them making their reports, taping, etc.

The main press riser:


The press area:

Once the traveling press arrived, that meant the Straight Talk Express was pulling in, and the crowd went wild!

After the bus pulled in, I made a beeline out of the press area toward the stage. I didn't want to be so far away! Call me a bad volunteer, hehe. I tried to get a good spot in the crowd. It was hard because I'm so short and am not good at pushing people around, but I tried my best! First, former Buccaneer Mike Alstott took the stage, got the crowd going:

Cindy is so beautiful! I hope I have the beauty & grace that she has when I grow up. Joe Lieberman, Lindsey Graham and FL Gov Charlie Crist also there.


Then McCain got the crowd so pumped up. And he doesn't look, sound, or act old at all! He seems so young & dynamic to me. I enjoyed hearing him speak and was encouraged by how much fight he had in him. This race is definitely not over.

Crowd cheers "Nobama! Nobama!" then "USA! USA!" Then McCain talks economy: "I'm going to make government work on a budget, just like you do."


"Obama's running for redistributionist-in-chief, I'm running for commander-in-chief ...I've been tested, I passed the test."


Closing remarks: "stand up & fight!"


Then the speech was over and McCain took on the rope line. I tried so very hard to shake his hand, but like I said, I'm not very big nor am I good at pushing.



And that was my morning. McCain's off to 6 more states today, I think. Congrats if you made it to the end of the post. I just ate some lunch, took a shower, and now I'm going to power nap before heading back to HQ for more phone calls and whatever else needs to be done!