This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Oct. 20, 2008 - McCain told the crowd in St. Charles "I am an American, and I choose to fight." Sen. John McCain's "straight talk express'' pulled into New Town at St. Charles Monday morning, with the candidate telling about 3,000 enthusiastic supporters not to give up hope and to keep fighting with him, even though the national media have written off his campaign.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, introduced the Republican presidential nominee to the crowd, assembled on the community's town square, calling on them to reject Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama's liberalism and to support McCain, a proven leader.
"Missouri, show South Carolina and the rest of America what to do on Nov. 4. Lead the way," Graham said to loud applause.
McCain thanked the crowd for coming and told them he needed their help to win the election that is just 15 days away.
"The national media (have) written us off, as they have several times in the past. Just the other day Sen. Obama's campaign announced he's choosing his Cabinet. He's measuring the drapes and planning with (House) Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi and Sen. (Harry) Reid to raise taxes and increase spending and concede defeat in Iraq. My friends, I won't ever concede defeat. I will bring us home in honor and victory.''
McCain talked about "Joe the Plumber,'' an Ohio man he made famous during last week's debate. McCain praised the man who he said had gotten a straight answer out of Obama about his tax plan.
"The fact is we finally learned what Sen. Obama's economic goal is; as he told Joe, he wants to 'spread the wealth around,' '' McCain said to the jeering crowd. "He believes in redistributing wealth, not in policies that grow our economy and create jobs and opportunities for all Americans. Sen. Obama is more interested in controlling who gets your piece of the pie than in growing the pie.''
McCain said Obama's plan for a tax cut for 95 percent of Americans amounts to a government giveaway that liberals have been trying to push on America for a long time. He said the plan would harm small businesses and cut jobs.
"Since you can't reduce income taxes on those who pay zero, the government will write them all a check, called a tax credit, and the Treasury will cover those checks by taxing other people, including a lot of folks just like Joe," McCain said, as the crowd booed.
McCain reiterated that he is not President George Bush and vowed to shake up Washington, if elected. He also pushed his plan to have the federal government purchase failed mortgages from lenders and then renegotiate the terms with the homeowners.
McCain said he has fought for America most of his life, and he isn't stopping now. He urged the crowd to stand and fight with him to turn around the economy and protect the nation from its enemies.
"I am an American, and I choose to fight. Don't give up hope. Be strong. Have courage and fight. Fight for a new direction for our country. Fight for what's right for America,'' he urged the crowd.
"We never give up. We never quit. We never hide from history. We make history. Now, let's go win this election and get this country moving again," he said in summation.
But the real tough talk was provided by an array of prominent Missouri Republicans who warmed up the crowd, including gubernatorial candidate Kenny Hulshof and Mike Gibbons, who is running for attorney general. Hulshof got things rolling, taking Obama to task for his comments about taxes made to "Joe the Plumber.''
"Ladies and gentlemen, you can spread butter on toast, you can spread fertilizer in your yard, you can even spread the love. But spread the wealth means you take from and give to,'' Hulshoff said.
Gibbons spoke of McCain's strength. "One thing we know about John McCain,'' Gibbons said. "He will never, never, never give up."
U.S. Rep. Todd Akin of west St. Louis County warned of a creeping cloud of socialism that he said threatens freedom. "It's a lie that big government can protect us from poor choices. That's the lie of socialism,'' Akins said.
Akin called the election a referendum on socialism. "Are we going to choose freedom?'' Akin asked the crowd.
Akin and several speakers lashed out at ACORN, an organization accused of voter fraud. Former U.S Sen. Jack Danforth, who was introduced to loud cheers and applause, also slammed ACORN.
"Well, it's come down to this: It's either McCain or ACORN -- who's it going to be?'' Danforth said. "We're going to win this election no matter how badly they try to steal it from us."
Danforth said the election is a clear choice - and voters should be wary when Obama talks about "change."
"He means not just change from the last eight years -- the Bush years -- but history-making change because Obama would lead America in a direction we have never gone before," Danforth said. "The key to it was when he said to Joe the Plumber - here is a guy who says, 'Are you going to raise my taxes?' and Obama's quote is this, 'When you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody.' ''
Danforth warned that Obama wants to raise taxes while calling for trade protectionism, the wrong thing to do during a recession. Similar actions in 1929, he said, led to the Great Depression.
"Our economy is in the ditch, and this guy's coming after us with a couple of backhoes," Danforth said, as the crowd hooted.
Danforth also warned that the nation would not be well served by an Obama presidency, unchecked by a Democratic-controlled Congress.
"The choice before us is very clear. Government can and should encourage economic growth. Government can and should encourage job creation. The Obama program is to penalize those who would create economic growth and penalize those who would create jobs. That is the choice before us in this election,'' Danforth said.
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U.S. Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond said with all of the challenges facing the nation, McCain is a proven leader who puts partisan politics aside.
"We have two very different candidates -- a show horse and a work horse,'' Bond said.
"When Bill Ayers was bombing the United States Pentagon, John McCain was bravely enduring his fourth year as a prisoner of war,'' Bond said. He also criticized Obama's work as a community organizer and his ties to ACORN.
"You know what they do. You've seen the ballot stuffing,'' he said.
Bond said that people know about ACORN'S misdeeds, and he accused the group of pressuring banks to make bad loans to people who couldn't afford them.
"Now that poison has spread through our system. But now at least we know what a community organizer does, and we don't need one that liberal," Bond said.
Among those at the rally were Ann and Chad Jones and their four children who recently moved to New Town. The couple said they kept their second-grader and kindergartner home from school to attend the event.
The Joneses said they originally supported Mitt Romney but now were solidly behind McCain.
"Ultimately, it's about the taxes and small government,'' Chad Jones said.
