My Sarah Experience...

For those of you who know me... I am not a person who likes to talk politics. I don't even like to think about politics. It confuses me, frustrates me, and hurts my head. Politics just really isn't my "cup of tea".

And, for those of you that know this about me... you also know that my husband LOVES to talk politics, especially with people who don't share his same opinion. (He's always interested in what other people think and why... and he'll never tell anyone that they're wrong or silly for thinking differently than him. He truly wants to "see the other side".)

So given what you already know about me and about Bob... you might be VERY surprised to learn that Bob and I attended the John McCain/Sarah Palin Rally in our hometown of Strongsville, Ohio yesterday afternoon (Oct. 8) because I wanted to go!

Yes, I did say that I wanted to go! It was MY idea to go!

I am a Sarah Palin fan.

There it is... I said it!

I admire her.

I admire where she is in life and how she got there. She wasn't born into the "right" family and fell into the political world because of her last name. She didn't marry the "right" person and used that last name to carry her political career. She didn't cheat or lie or take bribes or do what most other politicians do in order to get where she is today.

She's unique. She's different. She's a "breath of fresh air".

And yet... she's ordinary.

She has troubles and worries. Her life isn't perfect. Her kids aren't perfect. And, maybe she doesn't use the perfect words all the time. But, that's exactly why people CAN and DO relate to her. It's why people believe in her. It's why people see hope in her. It's why people are so excited about her.

Why should we want more of the same? More of the corruption? More of the lies? More of the confusion? We should EXPECT more. We should DEMAND more.

Sarah Palin has broken through the "elusive" glass ceiling.

It upsets me to hear women say, "I'm a feminist. I believe that a woman can do and should be able to do whatever a man can do. I believe in strong women. I believe in empowering women."

Then, these same women who call themselves "feminists" say mean and horrible things about Sarah Palin. They say that she's only on the ticket because she's a women. They say she's a "sympathy" vote. They say that she should be at home with her children. They say she shouldn't be running a state or running for the VP office.

Women who say they're feminists and aren't over joyed by Sarah Palin's success are not TRUE feminists. They are SELECTIVE feminists. They don't support women. They only support women who share their same beliefs... their same ideals... and their same political views. (You can take that however you'd like...)

Women who are strong and powerful through their own abilities, like Sarah Palin, scare these so called "feminists"!


I will step down from my soapbox, and talk about the rally........


How I ended up at the rally
On the way to work this past Monday, I heard that McCain and Palin would be visiting the City Commons in our hometown of Strongsville, Ohio. I felt a strong desire to go. I talked to Bob when I arrived at work, and asked if he'd be willing to go with me. So, I RSVP'd online for tickets.

(To make a long story short... the decision was made the day before the rally to move the location to the Strongsville Recreation Center due to the threat of storms on rally day... people needed tickets to get in and even though there was on option to RSVP online, you still needed a ticket. It appeared that we were out of luck with no tickets... however, thanks to some e-mails I wrote and a generous person (who shall remain nameless...) I was able to secure us TWO tickets!)

Doors were set to open at 2:15pm with the programming beginning at 4:15pm and the McCain/Palin arrival around 5pm. We arrived at the Strongsville Recreation Center around 1:30pm... to see a MASSIVE line of people that weaved in and out of the parking lots surrounding the center.

My heart sank!

I knew that there was no way that everyone would make it into the building. Figuring that they gave away more tickets than could fit into the building... we still proceeded to find the end of the line (about a half mile away). We figured that a pre-determined number of people would be in the rec's gym, and then another pre-determined number would be seated in the banquet center watching the rally on closed-circuit TV.

We decided that we were not going to stay if we couldn't be in the gym.


The LONG wait in line...

I have NEVER seen so many people gathered together like that. It was incredible!

At 2:15pm, the line started to move...

About halfway to the doors, we passed by some protesters. The Obama fans would shot jeers and the McCain fans would shot jeers right back. It was somewhat amusing...

Everyone waiting in line was upbeat and excited... despite the fact that the majority of us weren't sure if we'd even make it into the gym! (And, the dark and cloudy skies threatening to pour on us at any minute...)


We made it!

At 3:40pm, we walked into the Rec Center lobby and went through the metal detectors. Around 3:50pm, we entered the gym!!! As we walked through the doors, the fire marshall was talking to a rally organizer. The fire marshall said, "I'm at my comfort level for the number of people in this room." The organizer said, "I'm happy with the number we have in here, so we can stop at any time."

Bob and I were literally one of the last few people to enter the gym!!! This turned out to be a good thing because there weren't many people behind us, so we had a clear path to the exit and could feel the cooler air coming in.

For the next hour, we listened to local politicians talk about why we should vote for them. And, the crowd began to grow weary... wanting McCain and Palin to arrive.


Inspiration!

One of the most inspiring moments of the entire day was a local singer who performed "I'm Proud to be an American". I actually felt my eyes welling up with tears. It was unbelievably moving to be standing in a gym with at least 2,000 other individuals all singing together.

All wanting the same thing.

No matter what your political beliefs.

No matter who you're voting for.

No matter who was about to get up on that stage....... I believe the experience of waiting in the long line and standing in the sea of people was an extremely empowering and awe-inspiring experience.

I'm having difficulty finding the right words to describe how I felt. Maybe you just needed to be there...


THE ARRIVAL!

Around 5:40pm, John & Cindy McCain along with their daughter, Megan, and Sarah Palin arrived on stage to deafening cheers from the crowd.

Cindy McCain introduced Sarah Palin. The crowded cheered... SARAH, SARAH, SARAH... it was unbelievable!!

And, Sarah spoke... (I won't go into the particulars... because it's not important to my story.) She truly appeared genuine. (And definitely more stunning in person...)

















I kept thinking... here's this incredible woman from Alaska, of all places... and people in Strongsville, Ohio, of all places, are chanting her name!

How does she feel?

What is she thinking at this exact moment?

Does she ever wonder how she got to this point?

Does she ever stop to think about everything that's going on?

Does she realize what a role model she is?

A little girl across the room held up a pink sign that read... "When I grow up, I want to be Sarah Palin!" There were so many little girls in the room, straining to get a glimpse of her... standing on their tip toes... asking to sit on their father's shoulders... What a powerful and memorable experience for them! I thought about my 2-year old niece and what she has to look forward to as she grows up.

(I'll quickly get to the end... and the GOOD PART... following Sarah... she introduced Brady Quinn and Joe Thomas from the Cleveland Browns. Quinn introduced McCain, and McCain spoke.)


NOW... the GOOD part!

Unfortunately, Bob couldn't stay until the very end because he had to get to a boating class that he was teaching. So, he left shortly after 6pm. But, I stayed until the end.

Following the conclusion of McCain's speech, the four of them proceeded to follow along the edge of the stage (behind the barriers) and shake hands and sign autographs with the crowd. At some point, I realized that the number of people in the room had decreased, and I was able to move forward toward the stage. McCain, his wife and daughter, moved quickly around the perimeter of the stage and left the gym.

However, not Sarah!

She spent over 20 minutes greeting the supporters... shaking hands, signing autographs, kissing babies, and even signing babies butts!
































I stood there and watched as Sarah greeted people... polite and courteous. Her actions and words were very genuine. She truly appeared to appreciate everyone's out pouring of support... as if she was humbled by all the attention. She took the time to engage people in conversations. And, look beyond the people standing right in front of her to those standing further back. She didn't embody the "politician presence" that so many of them exhibit.


















She was standing there... right in front of me... and I was in awe.

At one point I realized that I was too busy snapping photos to realize that I could have reached my arm out and had her autograph my sign.


Soooooo close....

She moved to the back of the stage where the VIPs were sitting and I decided to start heading for the door. But, I realized that the barrier had been moved and people were walking into the area trying to meet Sarah.

So, I walked over and came sooooooo close to getting her autograph. I held out my sign in front of her. BUT... the secret service guy next to her, pushed my sign back... and the secret service guy behind me pulled my elbow back. Soon after, she had left the gym as well.


Final Thoughts...

I left the Strongsville Recreation Center knowing that I had experienced something special that day, something great.

I am a Sarah Palin fan.

She's an inspiration, not only to women but to men as well. She's a regular person who has risen to such a high position by working hard and fighting for what is right.

Whether you have the same political views as Sarah Palin or not is irrelevant. The fact that she is who is and has accomplished what she has is reason enough to admire her.

No one owes her anything. She does not ask for anything. She goes out there with a "matter of fact" attitude and gets the job done.

But most importantly:
(And these are words taken from someone I love and admire very much... you know who you are...)

She does not ASK for your respect or mine. She EARNS it on her own.

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I have to say that I'm quite impressed with myself for writing this blog entry. I think this is the most that I've ever "talked" politics. And, technically... I didn't "talk" politics. My admiration for Sarah Palin has nothing to do with government or political views or right vs. wrong... but, more to do with an ordinary woman doing extraordinary things. Sarah Palin has proven that women can and will continue to do extraordinary things.

I hope that little girl with the pink sign grows up to be just like Sarah Palin. Our world can use more ordinary women doing extraordinary things!