[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/10/27/palin.12.jpg caption=" Palin was introduced by 'Tito the builder' at a rally in Virginia this morning."]
LEESBURG, Virginia (CNN) - Sarah Palin brought along one of her favorite working-class heroes to a campaign rally in northern Virginia on Monday: Tito Munoz, or as he’s better known to Palin and her audiences, “Tito the builder.”
Munoz, wearing a yellow hard hat with a McCain-Palin bumper sticker, introduced Palin at the outdoor rally in Loudoun County, a populous Washington exurb that broke for George W. Bush in 2004 but has gone Democratic in three consecutive statewide elections.
“Everything we stand for is in danger by higher taxes and less freedom,” Munoz said of Obama, earning chants of “Tito! Tito!” from the audience.
The McCain campaign took a shine to Munoz, who owns a construction business, two weekends ago in Woodbridge, Virginia when he was seen accusing a group of reporters of attacking Joe the Plumber for questioning Barack Obama’s tax plan. Palin has since cited Munoz in speech after speech as an example of a hard-worker who would have his dreams crushed by Obama’s plan to raise taxes on high income-earners.
When Palin took the stage, she cracked to Munoz that “not since the Jackson Five has the name Tito been used so often.”
The governor proceeded to deliver a mostly routine stump speech, lacking any of the improvisational riffs like the one she put forth in Tampa on Sunday, when she ad-libbed a four-minute diatribe on the “ridiculous” questions about her RNC-purchased wardrobe.
Instead, Palin stuck to the campaign script and accused Barack Obama of shifting his rhetoric on taxes.
“John and I have a very basic, fundamental disagreement with our opponents on this issue. Sen. Obama has an ideological commitment to higher taxes,” she said. “And though it seems that he adjusts his tax plan pronouncements almost daily now, kind of flip-flopping on what the details are. His commitment to higher taxes never changes, though.”
With Virginia teetering on the brink of falling into Democratic hands for the first time in 44 years, Palin is blitzing every corner of the commonwealth on Monday with four campaign stops and a series of local media interviews. A Washington Post poll released Monday showed Obama leading John McCain by eight points in Virginia, with one half of registered voters holding "strongly" or "somewhat" negative views of the GOP vice presidential candidate.
Well I guess Tito the builder has a lot of time on his hands these days to pall around with Palin.
TO: Listen to Our Children
Apparently you aren't listening to yours. The majority of the youth in this country is overwhelmingly wanting an Obama Presidency.
Maybe if you would listen you could actually hear them.
Would someone PLEASE enroll this woman in a basic English grammar course!!! She constantly uses the word "cause" when she means "because." Not only does it make her sound uneducated; it's driving English teachers around the country crazy!!!
that's right, and they are stealing the other half as we speak!
if you're not otraged,
you deserve to be the permanent slave to those criminal elites!
This morning again I see both McCain and Palin fixated in making speeches attributing stuff to Obama and then criticizing it. When they'll introduce their advantages? Do they have any to introduce? Is their logic now is that we should elect them just to avoid a single party? I don't buy it.
Watching Palin's rally it looked like a badly choreographed reality show. Even people at the rally show lack of enthusiasm or interest. Strange!
Joe the American.
Wow I feel like this is a stupid episode of Sesame Street, Joe the Plumber, Tito the builder, Sally the cook etc. And nice way to try to play the hispanic race. Too bad for Tito that Palin and McCain wants to kick his whole race out of the country and build a fenceso they can't get back in. Next Wed can't come fast enough so Palin can go back to the Iceberg and McCain can get back to being a real maverick.
Is there any way "Sarah the Cliche" can shut her "Mouth the Annoying" and "Go the Away"?
Sarah The Moose Hunter, John The Maverick and all their funny characters are just a joke!
Because CNN is too busy reporting the constant gaffes and girly infighting of the McCain camp. What Palin needs to is stop sabotaging the McCain ticket and stay on script instead of trying to be the star of the ticket. She seems to be looking out for Palin and forgetting that she's at the bottom of the ticket. If this is how they're gonna govern it's time to send her back to Alaska and pray she doesn't end up as V.P.
Tito probably doesn't have a license either. 🙂
Is it me, or is she talking to us like we are 3 YEARS OLD?!
. . . I have a three year-old. . .
and bringing in SIMPLIFIED COSTUMED CHARACTERS
is what we do to explain things to him.
maybe thats the only way she understands the issues. . .
They have nothing new to say, so they will exploit whoever they can to get attention. I feel sorry for these people who are being used. You don't see the Obama / Biden campaign parading people around like on a stage at a religious healing. Maybe she should start putting hands on and praying. She told us she has a direct line to "GOD".
Im not a Tido the builder guy, i Like Harry the Carpenter from my tonka toys playset the best.
Why the republicans in power did not care about Joe the whatever for 8 years?
OK – a comment about this article. The real question is – do Americans agree more with Joe the Plumber or Joe the Dumber (Biden).
Also, if you, your parents or your grandparents are planning to withdraw from their 401K or IRA – guess what? That is considered income and is taxed as income at the rate in effect when it is withdrawn. If the total is more than $250K, Obama's plan will result in a HIGHER TAX!! That means less for them to live on!! Thanks Obama.
It is very interesting that the largest newspaper in Alaska has said that she is not ready to be Vice President. Coming from her own state, that speaks volumes. Guess she won't be reading that paper from now on.
Why has CNN not covered the 2004 story of Obama's comments that he felt that the federal judges should step in and MANDATE that money should be taken from the rich and redistributed to the poor?
That sure sounds like Marxist / Socialist comments to me!!!!
It's foolish people like Tito who the Republicans use to peddle their wicked agenda of helping the rich to get richer and the poor to remain poorer.
Well, that is NOT the American Dream.
Doesa Tito know that the gap betwen the rich and the poor has widened enormously over the past 8 years?Is that what Tito really wants?
Is he peddling the keep the atatus quo where Mrs. Palin tgets 150 of people's political contributions to buy her clothes.Some clothes she would have boutght!
And is he peddling the stauts quo for McCain's vicoous-tongued trophy wife to show off at the Republican Convention and elsewhere seeking poor people's votes weariong 300 k outfits?
Poor Tito!
Sarah, let me introduce you... Barack The President!
Let's be real, Palin is a bimbo and Mcain is a buthead for picking her.
The McFailin' ticket can call on "Tito the Builder", "Joe the Plumber", "Deb the cabinet maker", "Tiffany the model", "Pauline the skier", "Jack the window installer", "Paul the mechanic" or "Susie the homemaker", IT WON'T CHANGE ANYTHING! "OBAMA THE CHANGER" AND "JOE BIDEN THE FIGHTER" GOT THIS!
FYI The cartoon show 'Bob the Builder' is also shown on the spanish television station Univision, only its known as "Tito the Arquitecto". So, Palin got it partially right, Tito the Builder is in fact Bob the Builder.
Plainly Palin can't manage on her own so now she has to bring Tito and whomever to do it for her. Taxes are going up unless we cut all our seniors from Social Security. The real issue is do we want brains in the White House or a hot head and an ignoramus?
I heard he looked absolutely fetching in Versace overalls, but his accessorized fashion week narrator was so last year. After all, though looking resplendid, with nary a hair out of place - and who wouldn't look great at those prices - she was spewing the same tired, thinly vieled lies her party as been trying to make work for the last 2 weeks. You see, if you never have believed in or tried to strengthen the little guy, how could you sound genuine trying to stand up for him now.
My favorite guy was the one dressed up like the Indian, followed closely by the guy dressed like a cop.