I had the fabulous honor of being in the presence of Greatness and Courage today when Sen. Max Cleland was rallying the Democrats to GOTV for Chris Carney for the US House and for Bob Casey for US Senate. He was " on fire" and the crowd went wild with cheers!
Georgia may have rejected him but we will take him here in PA anytime. He was welcomed with a great ovation and many thanks for his service to this country.
It was the backroom of a restaurant in Rural , small town, Central PA. We had probably 3 dozen people present. Now for us, that is big because Republicans outnumber Democrats 3-1 in Snyder County. But as PA trends more and more blue, so do the numbers in our county change. Many of the Republicans here are older Eisenhower Republicans. We are gaining a few of them who feel their party has deserted them. We had a larger rally this summer which attracted a hundred people or more but it was more widely advertised. For not having much notice, we pulled together a pretty decent rally for such a small, rural area. We are the smallest county in PA.
It thrilled my soul that the most enthusiastic of the bunch was a Group of Senior Citizens. One woman about 80 years old had A Huge Dinner Bell, One had a Big Horn she kept blowing and Max loved her, the rest had whistles, horns and such. One elderly woman was dressed as Uncle Sam with a shirt that read, " Democrats Unite for Change".
There were many older Veterans present as well who led the cheer when Senator Cleland came into the room. Thunderous applause followed and we made a lot of noise for about 50 people. Max was telling a few jokes:
* He said , I was not wounded in Vietnam. I went on a hunting trip with Dick Cheney.
* Hunting is as close as Cheney ever got to combat.
* President Kennedy said it was no wonder that the symbol for the Republican party is the Elephant. They are easily led around , they follow each other in a circle, and they leave a mess wherever they go.
* The elephant said to the donkey, " My wife and I never slept together till we were married. Those are family values, can You say the same? The Donkey replied, " , I don't know....what is your wife's maiden name?"
Then he talked about how the Republicans brag about their religion and values yet they pour millions into campaigns for candidates under investigation and for Don Sherwood who had to pay off his mistress to keep her quiet during the election. Having a wife and a mistress is not a family value, he said. And choking a mistress is certainly not a family value to brag about. The crowd cheered, the Seniors blew their bells and whistles.
Then he introduced Chris Carney. Chris actually serves in the military and worked in Intelligence at the Pentagon after 9-11. Max said, " we need some people with real intelligence in Washington, because there is none of that in the White House or the Pentagon these days.
The crowd chanted, " Rumsfeld must resign".
I was very impressed with Carney. He is so intelligent and articulate and I will be proud to have him represent me in the US House of Representatives. And then afterwards, to meet Max Cleland was quite an honor. He went through the crowd, posing for pictures and he said " God Bless you " to everyone there. He has a way of looking you in the eye with a warmth and sincerity that you will never forget. I just adore that man. And boy, can he energize a crowd!
I wanted to share my fabulous experience of meeting a War Hero and a Great American. Senator Cleland has really worked hard and travelled all over this country for Veterans running for office.
And those who served in the military were asked to stand and received applause. Then we were asked to stand if we had family serving in Iraq or Afghanistan . That is where I stood and I felt tears well in my eyes as I thought of my nephew somewhere in Iraq today.
I truly hope in a Democratic Administration, Max Cleland can be part of the Cabinet or other important position. A man of his character is such an American Treasure.
These events refuel me to get back to GOTV and as we were reminded, less than 2 days now. And in 2 days, Change is Coming and Hope Lives.