People Await the Opening of Ballroom #1

This is a View of About 2/3 of Ballroom #1

“Don’t Tread on Me”

The launch yesterday of Glenn Beck’s “We Surround Them” project was a HUGE success. Glenn’s program was inspiring, especially if you were among the thousands that gathered for one of the many live viewing events across the country. I was at the Cincinnati event, and was very impressed by the program that Glenn put together, the great job done by local organizers (ordinary people), and by the size of the crowd and enthusiasm of the people that attended.

The Cincinnati “We Surround Them” (WST) event drew a crowd of well over 1,000 people. The event was held at a Crown Plaza Hotel, and was originally scheduled to take place in a large ballroom with seating for about 500. Long before the doors opened at 4 pm it was obvious that another ballroom would have to be pressed into service. The organizers had wisely put that room on hold in case it was needed. Before the show began both halls were filled with standing room audiences, and the lounge and large lobby area were also filled. I have not heard the official estimate, but the total attendance was well over 1,000.

As expected, the local news media ignored the event, even after prodding from event organizers and many calls by others in the week prior. Tomorrow there is going to be a Tea Party Event on Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati with over 6,000 confirmed and an expected turnout of over 7,500. I will be there!

John McCain will be in Dayton, Ohio on August 29^th for a large rally that is expected to draw over 10,000 people. The campaign is touting this as a major event leading into the convention, and there is much speculation that he will use this appearance to introduce his Vice Presidential nominee.

One name that was mentioned often in VP rumors early on was that of former U.S. Budget Director and former Congressman from Ohio, Rob Portman. Portman’s name has faded into the background lately while recent theories are forwarded of a liberal choice such as Ridge or Lieberman. It is my belief, and my hope, that these are chaff sent out by the campaign to throw the opposition and the media off track. After the wide media attention of these rumors, the forwarding of a true conservative selection could energize the party base that has been yearning for a reason to support the Republican ticket.

Rob Portman is the type of running mate that would really catch on with the conservative voters. He has solid credentials and experience, and complements McCain in the area of budget and economics that is McCain’s weak suit. Portman is a dedicated family man that has a squeaky clean personal history and reputation. He is strong pro life and is a fiscal conservative. He has built his career and reputation on a strong pro growth and pro business philosophy.

The only drawback that I can think of for Rob Portman is political only, in that the left will try to brand him as a “Bush” man because of his service as U.S. Trade Representative and then as Budget Director under President Bush. I really do not view this as a negative, because the left will always demonize their opposition no matter who it is. We cannot let the left influence our decisions.

It is my sincere hope that this major rally is being held in Dayton, Ohio to introduce Ohio’s own Rob Portman as the VP nominee of the Republican Party. If this is the case, I will finally have the incentive to put my “John McCain 2008” bumper sticker right next to my “Fred ‘08” sticker.

You can find some more information about Rob Portman and his views by visiting Ohio’s Future P.A.C., at http://ohiosfuture.com/ . This is a PAC that was formed under the direction of Rob Portman, and on which he now serves as the honorary chair. The goal of the PAC is to support and promote pro growth conservative candidates throughout the state of Ohio, and work towards solving the economic challenges facing the State. This link provides a little background info on Congressman Portman. http://ohiosfuture.com/leadership.htm

Tags: McCain, Ohio, Portman, speculation, VP