Sarah Palin Coming To Asheville
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I can’t wait. The Moose Duchess Defender of our Northernmost Outpost is stumping to keep the west voting Republican. It will be beautiful to see who this brings out of the woodwork. I imagine wildeyed AC-T Topix Forum Republicans standing with Kathy Rhodarmer Republicans. I imagine the crowds getting out of church and heading down to the Civic Center to see what the fuss is all about. And the Asheville arts and politics crowd has just been provided with inspiration and opportunity like we’ve never had before.
AC-T: Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin will pay a visit to Asheville this weekend.
The Alaska governor is scheduled to appear Sunday at the Asheville Civic Center, local GOP leaders confirmed this evening.
Free tickets to the event will be available from 4-8 p.m. Friday at the local Victory 08 headquarters, 16 Regent Park Blvd, according to the Buncombe County GOP Web site.
There is a limit of two tickets per person.
[...]
“Details of Palin’s visit, including what time the event is scheduled to start, were not immediately available.”
You’re welcome in Asheville, Sarah Palin. I hope you’ll eat a good meal and have a minute to relax. Know that your visit lays the groundwork for some of the strangest theater Asheville has ever seen.
UPDATE: Ash says you can go here and print out your own ticket.
30 Comments
October 23rd, 2008 at 11:21 pm
I just realized that her visit coincides with the Zombie Walk. Oh please let the two scenes co-mingle in a absurd stew.
Official website of the Zombie Walk: “On October 26, in the year of our lord, two-thousand and eight, the streets will fill with the blood of those not alive, but not quite dead.”
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October 24th, 2008 at 12:14 am
I’m tempted to change my original idea for the zombie walk to be wandering the streets with a sign saying, “McBraaainsss”
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October 24th, 2008 at 1:59 am
I suspect it’s going to be a zoo at the Civic Center. I hope that Obama supporters are there and respectful of the McCainiacs. What would be interesting is if we could organize just a big silent wall of Obama supporters. Just decked out in gear, standing silently for everyone to see, not responding to anything they say. That would infuriate them.
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October 24th, 2008 at 8:56 am
Two quick points:
1) Half of the Civic Center parking deck will be closed this weekend for renovations. Between the “walking undead” and the Zombies – parking is going to be tight.
2) To Jason:
A useless idea that only works in made-for-tv movies. In the real world, someone would have to say something snarky – and that would provoke a reaction.
Obama supporters should stay the hell away from the Civic Center on Sunday. Instead, use the time to canvass or support progressive values.
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October 24th, 2008 at 9:14 am
Obama supporters could stay away…
But they won’t.
I’m hoping for some devastatingly creative street theater and an army of zombies.
Those who just want to pick a fight ought to stay home, but anyone who comes with the intent of demoralizing the Palinguists is doing the Lord’s work.
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October 24th, 2008 at 9:19 am
Anyone who isn’t demoralized by Palin at this point is beyond hope.
If someone must do something – refer the Palinistas to the Firestorm Cafe, where they can unwittingly spend their money on a worker-owned cooperative.
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October 24th, 2008 at 9:19 am
Ashvegas is practically apoplectic over the possibilities. Excerpt:
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October 24th, 2008 at 9:25 am
Great idea, but these evangelicals tend to have an aversion to fire and storm themed businesses unless brimstone is also mentioned. It’s going to be fun enough to see them standing in line in front of Malaprops.
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October 24th, 2008 at 9:59 am
Zombies, Palin supporters…. there is synergy….hhhmm….
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October 24th, 2008 at 10:00 am
Oh, please, please, have the zombies show up just when everyone is either entering or exiting the center. Probably Mumpower will ban zombies, like he did with backpacks at rock concerts.
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October 24th, 2008 at 10:40 am
Leave me out. Not in any way going to contribute to Palin’s “look at all my fans” thought process. But please, someone do me a favor and give The First Dude my best. Afterall I’m still holding my breath for his secession under the AIP.
-Andrew
P.S. Someone might also want to refresh Mrs. 150k Ice Princess on the actual job description for Vice-President.
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October 24th, 2008 at 11:27 am
I’m hoping that Obama volunteers who’ve planned to work for all on Sunday will do just that. Skip the opportunity to fuel the negative and feed the positive!
Word.
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October 24th, 2008 at 11:29 am
I really really hope that nothing stupid happens and gives any xenophobic idiot out there that Obama supporters are anything but decent people.
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October 24th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
I like Jason’s wall of supporters idea.
What about a whole line of Obama Supporters with our backs to the Republicans to show them that they are not even worth looking at, that we reject them and their hate.
Also, we need paper mache puppets in our street theater!!!
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October 24th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
I think ya’ll should go old school and throw rotten fruit and vegetables.
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October 24th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
I wonder if H.K. Edgerton is going to be outside with his Confederate uniform and flag?
My other thought: are people really going to come into Asheville from the deep-red hinterland on a Sunday just to see Palin? My wife works out in the rural parts of WNC, and it’s full of very conservative people who simply won’t go to Asheville.
Frankly, just give her her day in the area. My guess is that the strategists wouldn’t mind a provocation — they’re at that stage in the campaign — and that it’s considered necessary to send Palin out west is a good sign. No protests necessary.
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October 24th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
I really wanna go, but I’m also very afraid. I guess I’m a lurking voyeur type. I want to see, first hand, who will be there and how they’ll be. But I fear it will be way too surreal for me, at my age, with my delicate soul, now that my last acid trip is 10 years behind me. The experience might alter me in a very damaging way, and I’m already so on edge lately as it is.
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October 24th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
I have three tickets in my possession that I picked up at McCain HQ at 2 PM. I’ll be going to see what it’s like, and whether I get picked out of line (look! It’s a spy! Get him!).
I hope folks are respectful. This could be a trap by the Palin folks to bait the Asheville crazies and do something youtube-able, as a counterpart to the video that Gordon posted a few weeks ago of the McCain ragers.
So if you can’t keep your cool, stay away!
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October 24th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Don’t lie. You all want to go and you know it. I’m taking the whole damn family.
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October 24th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
I wonder if she has any idea what she’d getting into. Is this like Hillary coming to Asheville with her Big Pro-Military banner?
I suspect that she may drop out, if her handlers get a clue.
Palin supporters in asheville on a sunday? The lords day?
I think more people should go inside, dressed the part, to stir the pot a bit. Some folks in confedarate gear, with big Palin USA signs or someting.
I’m going as ‘Nam Vet’! It’s gonna be fun!
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October 24th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
The “wall of turned backs” idea has worked in the past – I’m pretty sure towns have used it against things like Klan marches, where there was pretty much consensus that the presence of the Klan was a terrible thing and something likely to sully the town’s reputation as a decent community.
But what worked was 75-100% of residents all standing together with their backs to a moving target. Protesting Sarah Palin at the Civic Center would be a few people representing 50-60% of the community standing with their backs to slow-moving lines of people going into a confined space to get riled up, and then coming back out again. Not a great setup.
Why not a clothing drive instead?
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October 24th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
Even assuming I could be bothered to come into town for anything, I certainly don’t think I’d want to be there when, at least according to our wonderful news source WLOS, all those people who got tickets today show up on the appointed day and find their seat all ready taken.
Apparently, those tickets are just for show and access to the event is first come, first serve. I can’t even begin to imagine what genius came up with this whole scheme. “Let’s have our VP come here to a free and non-ticketed event. Let’s pretend that there are tickets, so we can get extra news coverage before the event and, hey, maybe even after!” Oh, wait a minute, that is exactly the kind of logic that the McCain people have been following for weeks now.
Unless I heard it wrong on the news, that is. Which is possible, because I usually don’t pay full attention to WLOS. The last time I did that, I had to spend three days in full detox with a couple of people chanting in the next room. I’m not even sure they were chanting for me, really, but they were there. Bad scene. I digress…
Ah, anyway. Those good, God-Fearing Americans might just start their own riot out there. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised. This area almost never makes the national news for any good reasons.
But, whatever. In the end it’s all some kind of odd form of Situationist Comedy. Heh.
Hmm. Maybe I could crawl out of my hole for a few hours.
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October 25th, 2008 at 9:27 am
I like the idea of a clothing drive.
Anyone who has tickets (or printed out the PDF) will notice that there’s a handy form on the back for your name, phone number and home/e-mail addresses. This pretty much serves the same purpose as “RSVPing” for Barack Obama’s appearance at Asheville High did (building the campaign’s database of potential volunteers and/or donors), except it involved dead trees.
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October 25th, 2008 at 10:24 am
I wish the genius who invented the Hot Carl masks would produce a bunch of Hot Sarah masks.
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October 26th, 2008 at 7:32 am
We know where the Palin supporters will be on Sunday — at the Civic Center. As for the Obama supporters, they won’t be attending because those zombies will be doing the Zombie Walk.
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October 26th, 2008 at 9:34 am
I, too, like the idea of the clothing drive. I’m going through my closets now packing a bag of some nice used clothes to be charitably given in the name of Sarah Palin. Can we set up a table across the street?
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October 26th, 2008 at 10:06 am
randall,
Sarah masks are available online, but the geniuses who produced Hot Carl will not be making a repeat performance. After all that “I’m Joe The Plumber”, the last thing we need is giddy Palinites traipsing around the Civic Center emulating their newest invention.
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October 26th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
I went out to Maggie Valley today instead of downtown. I live in West Asheville. I knew that I could not be civil, I have a big mouth and I am so emotional about this right now. I gave my sister and her co-workers the idea to all dress like Sarah Palin the Obama supporter. Many are black gals so the visual was so funny to them they had to do it! I on the other hand got out of dodge and took my son to Ghost Town in the Sky. I wore my Obama pin and waited until after dark to return home. I look forward to hearing stories about how it went. I hope everyone had fun and had a sage day. I love you Asheville!
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October 26th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
I meant safe day but sage is nice too. BTW was Sarah Palin in the arena or Thomas Wolfe?
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October 27th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
I’m stoked to see people picking up on a thought I had. We had a great time on Saturday welcoming Gov. Palin to Des Moines and many of her supporters in line and driving by let us know that we are Number 1 through hand gestures. Glad to know we got to them! (What finger would Jesus use?)
I was in Asheville one year ago at this time for a friend’s wedding and hereby pass on good mojo from Iowa and the caucus campaign that got it all going.
Now let’s go out and wear out knuckle skin and fingertips knocking and dialing to GOTV!
Marc Wallace
Iowa Chair, Veterans for Obama
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