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May 29, 2011
Thank God For Rolling Thunder and For Sarah Palin BOTH Love America ( Videos and Photos )
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Todd was on a motorcycle himself & Sarah rode on one.
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Sarah is seen waving around 0:22 into video
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Rolling Thunder Riders Praise Sarah Palin's Participation in Rally
ABC News' Sheila Marikar [@sheilaym] reports: For the riders of Rolling Thunder, the news that Sarah Palin will participate in their national rally on Sunday came as a surprise. A welcome surprise.
“I think that’s wonderful,” said Gerri Tramel, president of one of Rolling Thunder’s Tennessee chapters. “Anybody that’s involved -- Republican, Democrat, independent, whatever -- if you’re involved with our veterans, I think that’s wonderful. Not just Sarah Palin -- anyone that’s a politician.”
For more than 20 years, as many as half a million motorcycle riders from across the country have descended on Washington, D.C., during Memorial Day weekend to raise awareness about prisoners of war and those missing in action. Rolling Thunder announced Thursday that Palin accepted an invitation to participate in its May 29 rally. She’ll kick off her One Nation Tour the same day, a bus trip along the northeast coast that aims “to educate and energize Americans about our nation's founding principles.”
Asked how Palin came to be involved with the rally, Rolling Thunder spokeswoman Nancy Regg said, “I honestly don’t know.”
“I’m not the person that invited her,” she said. “We send letters to people all the time and invite them. We invited her to ride, she has accepted and she and her husband have both agreed to ride for us.”
Regardless of Palin’s political agenda -- the “Will she or won’t she?” fervor over her potential presidential run reached new heights this week -- the members of Rolling Thunder agreed her participation is a boon.
“If she wants to support the troops, we’re all for it,” said Greg Benson, president of Rhode Island’s Rolling Thunder chapter.
“I certainly welcome any positive publicity surrounding our cause, anything to bring attention to POWs and MIAs,” said Jeffrey Stewart, who leads a Rolling Thunder chapter in New Hampshire, a state that will be crucial to Palin if she runs in 2012. “Whether it’s a celebrity or a politician-celebrity -- I’m not exactly sure what she is right now -- having Sarah Palin there means more people will be paying attention to our cause.”
Stewart considers himself a Republican. While he’s not gunning for Palin to run in 2012, he would like more politicians to recognize the country’s veterans, as she’ll do this weekend. Like many of Rolling Thunder’s members, he’s a veteran himself, having served in the Army during the 1980s.
“I’d love to see [President] Obama walk out and say, ‘Thank you,’” he said. “I’d love to see [Vice President Joe] Biden come out and say, ‘Thank you.’ Anyone who wants to be president, I'd love for them to come and acknowledge us.”
There are riders who worry that Palin’s presence might take away from the aim of the event.
“I don’t know if she’s using the veterans or the amount of people there for a political gain,” said Susan Bailey, whose husband, Winston Bailey, is the president of an Ohio chapter of Rolling Thunder. She has ridden with the national rally for 16 years in a row.
“As far as her running again, I don’t know, she seems kind of wishy-washy, quitting the government,” Bailey said, referring to Palin’s curtailed gubernatorial stint in Alaska. “Whether she’s really committed to it is my question.”
For now, pretty much all that’s certain about Palin is that she’ll ride with Rolling Thunder through the streets of Washington Sunday and ride in a bus up the northeast coast after that. (Specifics remain unclear; a Palin aide did not know what kind of motorcycle the former governor planned to cruise.) That’s good enough for some of Rolling Thunder’s members.
“In the long run, it’s probably a good thing,” Stewart said. “What’s that thing that celebrities say, ‘Any press is good press?’ I think that’s the case here.”
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Sarah Palin at the “Rolling Thunder” bike rally on Sunday.
Sarah Palin made a grand entrance at the Rolling Thunder biker rally on Sunday, wearing a black Harley-Davidson helmet and visibly enjoying herself as a crush of reporters and bikers swarmed her motorcycle.
Ms. Palin, the former governor of Alaska, was joined by her husband, Todd, who was wearing a matching helmet, and her daughters, Bristol and Piper. Their arrival at the Pentagon North parking lot turned the lazy Sunday morning into a celebrity affair.
Ms. Palin climbed aboard a chopper, assisted by a member of the Rolling Thunder staff, but was unable to move because there were so many members of the press snapping photos. Organizers eventually brought in police, also on motorcycles, to clear a path.
After moving just a few feet, Ms. Palin got off the bike to sign autographs and talk with the crowd. At one point she could be heard discussing “the missing,” a reference to the soldiers still missing in action — a key part of the Rolling Thunder cause.
Her plans for the day had been a closely guarded secret among those in her small circle of advisers. Rumors flew for most of the morning that she was on her way, and that she would ride a motorcycle with the Rolling Thunder bikers.
That’s exactly what she did. Ms. Palin rode on the back as another woman drove her motorcycle. Todd Palin drove another motorcycle, with Piper on the back, and Bristol rode on a third with another driver.
Organizers for the rally said the Palins would not be among the speakers during the Rolling Thunder rally on the National Mall later in the afternoon.
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Wild Thing's comment........
I love Rolling Thunder and Sarah too and I think this was a great thing today. There are still people that have had no clue about Rolling Thunder and what they do. By Sarah being there she brought attention to Rolling Thunder and she did it in a class act way. It was very clear she did not want to make it about her and to forcus on Memorial Day and what it means. I am saying that because there were some jerks that compalined about her even being there. Those that did that would not like anything she did imo and just used this day and event to once again bash Sarah.
Thank you Rolling Thunder and thank you Sarah Palin for all you do.
Posted by Wild Thing at May 29, 2011 05:47 PM
Comments
You think Obama will welcome Rolling Thunder to the White House like Bush did?
Posted by: BobF at May 29, 2011 09:54 PM
In the video "Sarah Palin At Rolling Thunder", the man on the bike at the 1:31 mark is Allen West. There's pictures of him riding here and you can tell by his pants and helmet.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/allenwestfl/sets/72157626695582197/show/
Posted by: BobF at May 29, 2011 09:59 PM
I so want to cast my vote for this woman.
Since I voted for Ronald Reagan for the first time have I not felt the same way.
Anybody else feel as I do ?
Posted by: Carlos at May 30, 2011 12:05 AM
Bob, thanks, I Love all those photos.
Carlos, I feel exactly the same way. I would be thrilled to vote for her. And I also agree, that I have not felt like that since Ronald Reagan.
Posted by: Wild Thing at May 30, 2011 03:00 AM
