Sarah visits Southern Indiana!

The “Straight Talk Express” paid a visit to Jeffersonville October 29, with Sarah Palin, the Republican nominee for VP of the United States. She spoke to a raucous crowd estimated at 20,000, along with statewide candidates, congressional candidate Mike Sodrel, and Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels.

photo credit: Jen

Hoosiers attending the event were also entertained by country music legend Hank Wlliams Jr.

The evening started with an brief address by Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels to the largely partisan crowd. Statewide candidates addressed the people, including Greater Clark County School Board Administrator Tony Bennet, who is running for State Schools superintendant for Indiana.

Local businessman and congressional candidate Mike Sodrel spoke about Freedom, liberty, and added a comment or two aimed at recent ads by his opponent and the Democratic National Campaign Committee. ” People have been trying to label me Millionaire Mike”, said Sodrel. “somethings wrong here. We take people who win the lottery and that’s great, a sports figure who gets a large contract. great….and maybe you go on “Who want’s to be a millionaire and answer all, the questions right, it’s a good thing…but if a guy works 60-80 hours a week for 30 years of his life…it becomes a political liability?”

Hank Williams Jr. entertained the crowd with renditions of his classic songs, and then Sarah Palin came in. The place went…well…nuts. Wildly popular among conservatives, she spoke on energy and economic policy and the differences between the tickets.

One of the more touching parts of the event was 20,000 people singing the national anthem, led by Hank Williams Jr.

This is the second VP candidate to visit Jeffersonville. The first was Democartic candidate Joe Biden last month who attracted about 2,000 people to Werder Park for a rally.

Southern Indiana Politics: Sodrel / Hill - A tale of two cities?

Aside from obvious Liberal vs Conservative differences between Congressional candidates Mike Sodrel and Baron Hill, there are some glaring geographic differences as well. And they could make the difference in the election.

Hill’s obvious base is in Bloomington and the surrounding area. Sodrel’s strength is in Jeffersonville, New Albany and in the Louisville metroplex. In fact Hill has made VERY little effort to campaign in this area. He is essentially relying on people voting “straight ticket” to carry him to victory by getting “just enough” from Sodrel here.

Do you think LOCAL matters? So what do you think? We want to hear from you! Below is a poll…let your voice be heard!