Record Turnout in Florida Heat

By WILLIAM MARCH The Tampa Tribune
Published: September 22, 2008

THE VILLAGES - Vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin repeated the McCain campaign's recent themes - mainly bashing Barack Obama on taxes and vowing more domestic oil drilling - in a speech Sunday to a huge crowd that sweltered in an outdoor square at this huge retirement complex.

"The most appropriate sign there - 'Sweatin' for Sarah,'" she said, opening her speech to a crowd security officials at the scene estimated at 25,000 or more. It may have been the largest crowd ever for a presidential campaign event in Florida.

George W. Bush was reported to have drawn about 20,000 in 2004 at The Villages, a complex with about 80,000 residents; Obama drew more than 15,000 in Tampa in May, the largest crowd for a campaign event in the city.
At The Villages, scores needed first aid or to be evacuated after fainting in the heat, which exceeded 90 degrees in the mostly unshaded square.

Many waited for up to three hours prior to the 4 p.m. speech, after working their way through an immense traffic jam outside the central square of the retirement complex, and in some cases walking a mile or more from parking areas.

Palin, though, played it safe in her first campaign visit to Florida since being picked by John McCain as his running mate.

She appeared in a strongly Republican area and delivered a speech that only sounded the campaign's general themes, avoiding details or any mention of foreign policy other than the Iraq war.

Among her most popular applause lines was a proposal for more oil drilling.
"We are going to drill now to make this nation energy independent," Palin said.
She said that as vice president, her work would focus on government reform, energy independence, and help for families with developmentally disabled children.

Palin also sounded the populist theme McCain began in a speech in Tampa after the financial meltdown last week.

"People in Florida are and should be outraged," she said. "Huge financial institutions going under because of their own bad practices and now asking the public to bail them out. ... reckless CEOs walking off with multimillion-dollar golden parachutes."

After last week's financial meltdown, she said, "John McCain took a clear stand and he offered his own recovery plan. Our opponent refused to even take a stand on the position."

Cont. here:

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/sep/22/na-florida-fans-break-sweat-at-palin-rally/