Palin visits ECU on the "Road to Victory"

McCain-Palin enthusiasm hit a feverish pitch last night when 8,000 students, faculty, staff and members of Greenville and the surrounding areas gathered to watch the Republican vice-presidential nominee speak in Minges Coliseum on Tuesday night.

The rally, a part of the McCain campaign's "Road to Victory" campaign, featured a myriad of Republican politicians from around the state, including Senator Elizabeth Dole, state representative Louis Pate, Senator Jean Preston, mayor of Charlotte Pat McCrory and Senator Richard Burr. Each spoke before the much-anticipated arrival of Sarah Palin.

Palin took the stage at 7:29 p.m., with the Shania Twain hit, "She's Not Just a Pretty Face" playing in the background. Palin opened with words of praise for the Pirate football team.

"I understand your football season got off to quite a start this year," she said, eliciting cheers from the Minges crowd. "It sounds like Greenville knows a little something about how to turn an underdog into a victor. John McCain and I know that the people of Greenville are ready to shake things up in Washington."

Palin spoke about energy, taxes, the military, job creation, social security and her recent debate with Democratic vice-presidential nominee Joe Biden.

On the economy, Palin described concerns about the rise in gas and grocery prices and the "corruption" on Wall Street. She said that in a McCain-Palin administration, money would go into the pockets of Americans.

"We need to eliminate those things that are not working for you: the people of America," Palin told the audience. "We will help to confront the more than $10 trillion debt; if you don't want to be in a hole, what do you do? You stop digging. You can spend money better than government can spend it for you."

Palin also told the crowd of the McCain-Palin plan for energy independence, which includes offshore drilling and development of alternative energy sources such as wind and solar power. Palin described U.S. oil independence as a matter of "national security and economic prosperity, brought by American ingenuity and production by American workers."

Palin emphasized her campaign's goal of cutting taxes for small business in order to boost job availability.

"John and I will push forward and sign into law reforms that will bring tax relief for middle class Americans, so that you business owners can keep more of what you produce," Palin promised.

Palin spent much of her time focusing on the military and the importance of a victory in Iraq, pointing out McCain's service to the country and asking active and retired servicemen and women to stand up while the crowd applauded.

"I know, North Carolina, that you love our troops, and I appreciate that," she said. "Truthfully John McCain is the only man in this race who has ever really fought for you. He is the only man with the courage, experience and the determination to go on fighting for you."

Palin exited the stage right before 8 p.m., but took the time to interact with the crowd, signing autographs and taking pictures.

The night was full of country music, singing of the national anthem, a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer by a military chaplain. Both the McCain and Dole camps showed campaign videos, and there was tons of chanting by the crowd (frequently shouts of Sarah, followed by Palin, were heard similar to the purple-gold chants of ECU fans at football games).

The Palin rally at Minges took place during a busy week for the McCain camp-Palin traveled to Greenville directly from two separate rallies in Florida, while McCain was in Nashville, Tenn. Tuesday night to duel it out with Barack Obama for the second presidential debate.

This writer can be contacted at editor@theeastcarolinian.com.