Nevadamedic
Senior Member
By Margot Sanger-Katz
Monitor staff
Dec 6, 2007
Bill Tauro, the publisher of the Somerville News in Massachusetts, drove about an hour last night for a John McCain campaign event. And while McCain was part of the draw, he had to admit that he was really in Manchester to see the Arizona senator's guest last night, Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling.
"I've seen Schilling last year with George Bush, and I'm seeing him with McCain. He knows how to pick them," Tauro said. "You know like the divining stick for water. Schilling is like the divining rod."
At a wide-ranging conversation at The Derryfield School last night, Schilling drew as much applause, and nearly as many questions, as the Republican presidential candidate he came to endorse. He also drew a crowd. The 300-seat auditorium was filled last night, as were the school's parking lots, where police officers were directing drivers off the property before the event began.
"Curt, between us, what planet is Manny really from?" asked one attendee, who also called the pitcher "Sen. Schilling."
"I don't know," Schilling responded. "The planet World Series champions come from?"
McCain and Schilling go back to Schilling's days as an Arizona Diamondback, McCain explained, and the two have worked together on veterans issues.
"Nobody does more for the men and women serving today and our veterans than Curt Schilling," McCain said in his introduction. "He inspires a lot of us with his courage."
McCain took several questions about veterans, promising to expand the health care opportunities beyond the Veterans Administration hospitals and to make access to health care and disability benefits less difficult.
He also spoke about the war in Iraq, stressing that the current strategy is showing results and that the consequences of failure could be disastrous.
"It's not the money that you and I care about nearly as much as the young Americans who have served and sacrificed," McCain said to a young woman who asked him how he planned to pay for the war.
To a man dressed in a Red Sox windbreaker and cap, who said health insurance was costing him 40 percent of his family income, McCain promised to reduce the costs of health care.
"That's the problem with health care is the skyrocketing cost of it," McCain said, offering a number of policy proposals, including a $5,000 tax credit to buy insurance, medical malpractice reform and programs to improve physical fitness among children. "You've got to make it affordable and available and keep the quality."
Schilling, for his part, answered questions about his own political ambitions (he declined an offer to run for John Kerry's senate seat in Massachusetts), the legacy of Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez and his impressions of Diamondbacks pitcher Randy Johnson.
"He's a different animal," Schilling explained.
He also told the crowd why he was there last night. He may not agree with McCain on every issue, he said, but he respects McCain's honesty and judgment.
"I understand at the end of the day that he'll do what's right for us," Schilling said. "I think this election is going to come down to something that's been absent for far too long and that's character and integrity."
As the event wound down, McCain inquired about a costumed guest at the back of the hall.
"How about - is that a chicken?"
"No, it's a snowman. It's New Hampshire," said Charlie Sherman, a radio host and former WMUR sports director, who moderated the event.
"Can we hear from the snowman?" McCain asked.
"No."
But McCain did succeed in offering the event's last question to the snowman, who carried a placard with the web address for the League of Conservation Voters and asked about personal energy conservation.
The question was for Schilling.
http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/...o=712060400&SectionCat=NEWS&Template=printart
Monitor staff
Dec 6, 2007
Bill Tauro, the publisher of the Somerville News in Massachusetts, drove about an hour last night for a John McCain campaign event. And while McCain was part of the draw, he had to admit that he was really in Manchester to see the Arizona senator's guest last night, Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling.
"I've seen Schilling last year with George Bush, and I'm seeing him with McCain. He knows how to pick them," Tauro said. "You know like the divining stick for water. Schilling is like the divining rod."
At a wide-ranging conversation at The Derryfield School last night, Schilling drew as much applause, and nearly as many questions, as the Republican presidential candidate he came to endorse. He also drew a crowd. The 300-seat auditorium was filled last night, as were the school's parking lots, where police officers were directing drivers off the property before the event began.
"Curt, between us, what planet is Manny really from?" asked one attendee, who also called the pitcher "Sen. Schilling."
"I don't know," Schilling responded. "The planet World Series champions come from?"
McCain and Schilling go back to Schilling's days as an Arizona Diamondback, McCain explained, and the two have worked together on veterans issues.
"Nobody does more for the men and women serving today and our veterans than Curt Schilling," McCain said in his introduction. "He inspires a lot of us with his courage."
McCain took several questions about veterans, promising to expand the health care opportunities beyond the Veterans Administration hospitals and to make access to health care and disability benefits less difficult.
He also spoke about the war in Iraq, stressing that the current strategy is showing results and that the consequences of failure could be disastrous.
"It's not the money that you and I care about nearly as much as the young Americans who have served and sacrificed," McCain said to a young woman who asked him how he planned to pay for the war.
To a man dressed in a Red Sox windbreaker and cap, who said health insurance was costing him 40 percent of his family income, McCain promised to reduce the costs of health care.
"That's the problem with health care is the skyrocketing cost of it," McCain said, offering a number of policy proposals, including a $5,000 tax credit to buy insurance, medical malpractice reform and programs to improve physical fitness among children. "You've got to make it affordable and available and keep the quality."
Schilling, for his part, answered questions about his own political ambitions (he declined an offer to run for John Kerry's senate seat in Massachusetts), the legacy of Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez and his impressions of Diamondbacks pitcher Randy Johnson.
"He's a different animal," Schilling explained.
He also told the crowd why he was there last night. He may not agree with McCain on every issue, he said, but he respects McCain's honesty and judgment.
"I understand at the end of the day that he'll do what's right for us," Schilling said. "I think this election is going to come down to something that's been absent for far too long and that's character and integrity."
As the event wound down, McCain inquired about a costumed guest at the back of the hall.
"How about - is that a chicken?"
"No, it's a snowman. It's New Hampshire," said Charlie Sherman, a radio host and former WMUR sports director, who moderated the event.
"Can we hear from the snowman?" McCain asked.
"No."
But McCain did succeed in offering the event's last question to the snowman, who carried a placard with the web address for the League of Conservation Voters and asked about personal energy conservation.
The question was for Schilling.
http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/...o=712060400&SectionCat=NEWS&Template=printart
