Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Ok, now that we’re getting to be old hands at visits by top politicians, let’s imagine what Sunday’s Sarah Palin rally at the Asheville Civic Center will be like:
-Bring the noise: Country star Gretchen “I’m a Redneck Woman” Wilson is expected to perform as the opening act at the rally. She’ll get all the back-country boys riled up, then unleash Smart-Girl-Glasses on the bunch.
-Special entertainment: When Barack Obama came to Asheville, he stayed a couple of days to prepare for a debate. The Citizen-Times’ entertainment guru, Tony Kiss, wrote a front-page story giving Obama advice on what to do for some fun while in town. You know, drink a beer, go to the drum circle, blah, blah, blah. So what will the local newspaper advise Palin to do on Sunday? Go take a hike? See the pretty leaves? Play a little paintball? Oh, and don’t forget the endless photos of people standing with a cardboard cut-out of Palin. The Citizen-Times has taken the art of people posing with an inanimate object to a whole new level this year.
-The food: Also speaking of Obama — he got his protein fix at Asheville’s world-famous 12 Bones barbecue joint. Where will Sarah Palin eat? Most everything’s closed on Sunday. Some enterprising restaurant should cater the Palin rally. I’m thinking The Hot Dog King.
-The local GOPers: I can see Nathan Ramsey, who is running for re-election as chairman on the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners huggin’ up on Palin. I imagine local GOP Chairman Timothy Johnson, the first African-American chairman of the local GOP ever, will do his best “I’m no Barack Obama” for Palin. Every other Republican from across Western North Carolina will want to get in on this, I would think. Should be interesting to see who shows.
-Clash of the Mavericks: And then there’s our own Carl Mumpower, the Asheville City Council member who is trying to beat U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler. Mumpower has run the most unorthodox of campaigns — little money to spend, suspending his campaign before it was cool to suspend campaigns, and running as WNC’s “maverick” long before Palin took up the mantle. It will be the Clash of the Mavericks. Can Asheville handle two mavericks in the Civic Center at one time?
-The protests: It’s no secret that one of the most fun things to do at a Sarah Palin or John McCain rally is bash the “liberal media.” So there will be plenty of tension going on inside the Civic Center. But what about outside? Surely there will be Palin protesters here in Asheville. She’s a gun-totin’, moose-dressin’ baby-makin’ machine. Asheville’s liberals won’t be able to stay away.
O, the joy of it all. I’m just going to sit back for a moment now and let that all wash over me. Asheville will never be the same.
Yes, it was hard but I finally did figure this blobbing thing out. You demwhits really invented a cool thing. And YOU are really way cool, too! I’m up late most nites alone entertaining such exercises in futility because I work late nites. My "faith praxis" is the care of the dementia and others at various stages of mind lose as a male nurse… and not by my original choice. But now marked by God for the later years of my life. I tried hard to be a Marxist but it was way to depressing and I was sixteen and had just started to college. Now im 57 and fear we are about to repeat history. No, not the 60s. The Lenin/Stalinist disasters in which millions, lest we forget, were murdered. I fear for this generation, with their history and self worth robbed. Im afraid im becoming cynical and hardened with such hopeless foolishness nurtured by this culture. RonT artist
What happened to all those first-time blog-posters who sounded-off the day after their downtown McPalin Party?
RP, McCain4president, Skeet, hannahbeth and RonT visited Ashvegas just once, then disappeared. I kind of miss them already and had hoped they’d spew hate-filled, Right Wing anger and ignorance here more regularly. It really was quite entertaining, in a pathetic way.
Maybe they’ve calmed down a bit after that big overdose of Sarah and are simply seeing the light. That being the fact that they’ll soon have to accept President Barack Obama as their Commander In Chief.
Wow, Ash! You’ve hit quite a political nerve here. We’ve never seen so much Right Wing "wisdom" on Ashvegas. Looks like West Buncombites and those from some of the other outer McPalin enclaves actually read your blog. And they’ve even figured-out how to post! Way to go, MeeMaw and Papaw! If you hate Asheville’s edgy hipness and social awareness so much, why even come into Sodom & Gomorrah? Oh, I forgot. You had to see Caribou Barbie. Well, look fast, folks. McPalin’s 15 minutes of infamy are just about up. Obama/Biden `08!
WOW! What a time warp! I thought I was back in the 60s again… and again… and again… but then it was 2008 Asheville and just a bunch of deadbeat hippy want-a-be’s… vile, ugly and hateful. I had to get my 7 year old grandson out of there. And yes, I did study Karl Marx… Then, thank God, some of us grew up and "came to Jesus" Some people got left behind in this 60s thing. To bad. I so so sorry. RonT
about campaigning on Sunday. God knows her heart and her intentions, going to church every sunday dosn’t make you a christian. its a heart change.
my question to you is how can real christians be for Obama knowing he is for full term abortion? i don’t think you can judge some for not going to church one sunday when your going to support someone who believes in killing God’s creation. Jeremiah 1:5 " before i formed you in your mothers womb i knew you…"
You guys are all so funny. Represent your town and your candidate well pink leotard zombie cross dresser…. Socialism has a new mascot…. Mr. Hussein Obama will be proud of you, I’m sure.
McCain supporters in Asheville should cheer Palin as loud as possible and laugh at all of the idiots outside who are stupid enough to support Obama.
Now why didn’t the Palin supporters think of something that cute? I’ve gotta laugh at you guys. I saw an Asheville T-shirt that said "Asheville – No room for Hate". So when are the liberals moving out? You are the only ones I hear running your mouth. It was absent when Obama was in town. Liberals, always intolerant of other views. You’re proving it in this blog. Keep it up.
Obama supporters in Asheville should all get tickets to this event and, when Palin begins to speak, all walk out.
I got an idea for what Sarah Palin can do while in Asheville…she can go visit all the Hockey Moms in town.
"Anyone who plans to protest would do well to imagine how they’ll look on national television."
Anyone who plans to protest would do well to remember they represent their candidate.
Real Christians dont campaign on the lords day.
yes…we’ll see if we can swing the zombies by to say hi to Sarah on sunday.
i’ll bet the hot dog king is closed … a maverick like her should dine at Razcals. They are open on Sundays.
What a freaking town!
how could i forget the zombies?!
Don’t forget the zombies!!! It’s the same day as the walk!
Anyone who plans to protest would do well to imagine how they’ll look on national television.
bob,
I’m with you.
I have a sign that says "MOOSE MURDERER" on one side, and "MCCAIN-PALIN ROAD TO DEFEAT RALLY".
This is going to be sooooooo much fun!
I might even cross-dress for the fun of it, in a pink leotard.
I’m bringin a lawn chair and some cheetos. Should be good fun.
hehe I say bring it all on! I’m ready!
What to do?! Can a wannabe citizen journalist handle that energy?!
I had planned to canvass…