The Friday evening Romney-Ryan Rally in downtown Redlands was pure Americana.
American flags. Campaign signs. Well-groomed people. A beautiful setting. Nice weather. The setting at Ed Hales Park could have been a Norman Rockwell painting.
You should have been there. But if you weren't, 250 of your closest Republican friends from all of the Inland Empire were.
Had you have been there, you would have heard some persuasive speeches why Barack Hussein Obama has been a disaster as a president. You would have also heard just as many reasons why Willard Mitt Romney would make a good one.
I manned a table distributing yard signs and literature for genuine patriots and conservatives, including: Gary Miller, running for the US House from Redlands; Neil Derry, running for the San Bernardino County supervisor; Mike Morrell, running to represent Redlands in the state assembly; and Gregg Imus, running to represent Highland and Yucaipa in the US Congress.
Overall, I gave away about 40 yard signs. About 20 of them were for Elizabeth Emken, whom the media tells us, is an unknown who has no chance. But this crowd was eager for her signs.
I also handed out voter guides from the Redlands Tea Party Patriots. They were very popular. I gave away an entire stack. Many people strode up to my table to get a couple -- one for them and one for a friend.
And just to be a wag, I also made a sign with two of Obama's latest quotes, "You didn't build that," and, "The private sector is doing just fine."
(Note to media: A gaffe is when a politicians says something obviously dumb, such as Obama claiming to have visited all 57 states. Those two quotes? He was speaking from his heart, so they're not gaffes.)
I also gave away a stack of YES on 32, the ballot proposition that will free union members from forcibly contributing to political causes that conflict with their personal views. The measure also bans contributions from contract winners to the politicians who awarded them the contracts in the first place.YES on 32 was wildly popular.
I expected business owners to be enthusiastic, but to my surprise, several teachers wanted stacks of the fliers to they could give them to their fellow teachers. They resent, as one told me, how the unions coerce them to fork up $1,000 each year -- and even more if the union needs more money for political purposes.
There were a couple of liberals who walked up and disagreed with YES on 32. They were easy to spot beforehand because they were unshaven and had scowls on their faces.
The Romney-Ryan Rally in Redlands was an awesome event because it democracy in action. It should have been a painting.
