George Allen addressed the Staunton Tea Party from Gypsy Hill Park's bandstand stage."Hello, patriots all!" boomed George Allen at Thursday night's tea party event in Staunton. "Nowhere is it more patriotic than in the Shenandoah Valley!"
Over 500 residents stood and cheered for the still-popular former Virginia governor and U.S. senator, a crowd that was a mix of Republicans, tea party patriots, Constitution Party, libertarians, independents, and even some Democrats who dropped by to check out the event.
Allen was a few minutes late arriving from his previous appearance at the Harrisonburg tea party about 30 minutes away. The crowd waited and then cheered as he hurried onto the bandstand stage wearing khaki pants and a navy blazer, looking fit and in campaign shape. Rumors had been flying that he would challenge Jim Webb for the U.S. Senate seat in 2012 and, indeed, many in the crowd mentioned "rematch" and "we'll win this time."
His enthusiasm lit up the gathering. He reminded folks of Ronald Reagan's quote about government overreaching: "If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it." The crowd laughed and nodded their heads in agreement. Allen said that Reagan had turned things around with a tax cut, which brought applause, and he added that taxes needed to be lowered so citizens could compete.
"Americans are addicted to freedom!" he added ... and the crowd cheered.
He talked about how the U.S. is #1 in energy mainly because of our coal but instead of looking at those natural resources as a gift, our government looks at it as a bad thing and Americans, he said, are tired of that attitude. With oil and gas deposits off the Virginia coast, we should be able to drill and keep 37% of the royalties for Virginians.
The laws are not made by politicians, he boomed ... the laws are made by Americans who are We the People! In his trademark closing, his voice rising, he declared, "Always stand strong for freedom," and a roar rose from the crowd of patriots who were on their feet cheering and applauding someone many were clearly ready to support if he decided to run for public office again.
Since he was the last speaker of the evening, a relaxed George Allen talked afterwards with many locals who clustered around him for 45 minutes as they shared stories, had photos taken with him, and passed along bits of information. It was vintage George Allen and the central Shenandoah Valley appeared ready to see more from him in the future.
Bob Stuart covered the event for the Waynesboro News Virginian. Also coverage from NBC-29 and WHSV TV-3.
Cross-posted at The Washington Examiner
Cross-posted at GeorgeAllen.com
Cross-posted at Virginia Virtucon
Over 500 residents stood and cheered for the still-popular former Virginia governor and U.S. senator, a crowd that was a mix of Republicans, tea party patriots, Constitution Party, libertarians, independents, and even some Democrats who dropped by to check out the event.
Allen was a few minutes late arriving from his previous appearance at the Harrisonburg tea party about 30 minutes away. The crowd waited and then cheered as he hurried onto the bandstand stage wearing khaki pants and a navy blazer, looking fit and in campaign shape. Rumors had been flying that he would challenge Jim Webb for the U.S. Senate seat in 2012 and, indeed, many in the crowd mentioned "rematch" and "we'll win this time."
His enthusiasm lit up the gathering. He reminded folks of Ronald Reagan's quote about government overreaching: "If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it." The crowd laughed and nodded their heads in agreement. Allen said that Reagan had turned things around with a tax cut, which brought applause, and he added that taxes needed to be lowered so citizens could compete.
"Americans are addicted to freedom!" he added ... and the crowd cheered.
He talked about how the U.S. is #1 in energy mainly because of our coal but instead of looking at those natural resources as a gift, our government looks at it as a bad thing and Americans, he said, are tired of that attitude. With oil and gas deposits off the Virginia coast, we should be able to drill and keep 37% of the royalties for Virginians.
The laws are not made by politicians, he boomed ... the laws are made by Americans who are We the People! In his trademark closing, his voice rising, he declared, "Always stand strong for freedom," and a roar rose from the crowd of patriots who were on their feet cheering and applauding someone many were clearly ready to support if he decided to run for public office again.
Since he was the last speaker of the evening, a relaxed George Allen talked afterwards with many locals who clustered around him for 45 minutes as they shared stories, had photos taken with him, and passed along bits of information. It was vintage George Allen and the central Shenandoah Valley appeared ready to see more from him in the future.
Bob Stuart covered the event for the Waynesboro News Virginian. Also coverage from NBC-29 and WHSV TV-3.
Cross-posted at The Washington Examiner
Cross-posted at GeorgeAllen.com
Cross-posted at Virginia Virtucon
3 comments:
Allen: "Nowhere is it more patriotic than in the Shenandoah Valley!"
I wonder how much that line changes depending on where he makes his speech?
And it may have been some variation of that line ... I wrote from memory. Point being, he recognizes the patriotism of the locations where he visits and it's appreciated.
George Allen was a rock star Thursday night in Staunton ... and it was noted by many.
Point being, he recognizes the potential votes in the locations where he visits and knows how to play the game.
As he should be playing the game...
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