I was a little busy yesterday so I missed the Wictory Wednesday post. Does that mean this is a Thicktory Thursday post?
Yesterday I got the chance to go see the President. Actually there were a few other people there as well. It was a capacity crowd at the Excel Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. If they tell you the Republican base is suffering from "campaign fatigue" it's a lie.
I saw Blogger extraordinaire Captain Ed from Captains Quarters. Ed is one of 13 bloggers nation-wide who have been credentialed to cover the Republican National Convention. He had a VIP ticket and got to stand in what he called the "mosh pit." At first I was envious of his location, but after the whole thing was over I wasn't sure I'd have liked standing for that long. I hope Ed's feet don't hurt too bad.
Laura Ingraham emceed and got the crowd roaring. The Democratic mayor of St. Paul, Randy Kelly, was received with great enthusiasm when he endorsed the president. I doubt he has been treated so well by a Republican crowd before. He came back later to introduce Mr. Bush.
The warmer-uppers included several excellent speakers, notably Colonel Joe Repya, who gave a no-nonsense speech about the difference between George Bush and John Kerry on defense.
There were several Minnesota Republicans leaders there. Senator Norm Coleman who I have spoken with by chance on several different occasions, gave an excellent speech outlining his top ten reasons for voting for four more years. (Update: Captain Ed has a transcript of the ten reasons.)
The president arrived very dramatically when his bus pulled right into the arena.
It took a long time for the crowd to quiet down. Kelly made a couple of abortive attempts to begin his introduction then turned to the President and threw up his arms. Mr. Bush patted him on the back in consolation and then turned to the crowd and waved. This of course set everyone off again. George (I will call him that this time because I think we all were feeling personal affection for the man) felt a little overwhelmed, I think. He looked genuinely touched at the response of the crowd.
When he finally got a chance to speak he was very effective. If the Dem's are expecting to face an ungainly public speaker they are in for a shock. He was remarkably at ease. His personality shone through and his ideas as well. It makes me think that the press has to hunt pretty hard for the less than graceful moments they generally show us. (Update: Here is a transcript)
When he was done he took quite a bit of time to shake hands and hold babies. It was good to be able to see him in person for a period of time. I got the sense that he was a person it would be good to spend time with. I don't get that from many politicians.
Below is my favorite from the photos I took yesterday. I think it shows how people felt about the President.
Update: Oops. I forgot this part:
I encourage you to do what you can to help President Bush get re-elected. If you're a blogger, you can join Wictory Wednesday simply by putting up a post like this every Wednesday, asking your readers to volunteer and/or donate to the president's re-election campaign. E-mail Polipundit so that he can add you to the Wictory Wednesday blogroll, which will be part of the Wictory Wednesday post on all participating blogs (mine is on the right menu).
