Touchdown Pence, Polk County, Lakeland Patriot Rally
By: Salvatore Ambrosino
Tags: Politics, Mike Pence, Lakeland, Florida, 2020 Presidential Race

“This is the county of Grady Judd for God’s sake,” Senate candidate Danny Burgess said. “People should look to Polk for guidence.”

LAKELAND — Dual rallies were hosted at Lakeland’s Linder International Airport (LAL) and Lake Mirror, featuring a rotation of conservative speakers on Oct. 24.

Vice President Mike Pence’s touchdown address at LAL was part of the GOP’s greater hit-and-run reprisal to win over the battleground state of Florida for presidential incumbent Donald Trump. Pence’s more aggressive campaign style, which his chief-of-staff stated includes rallying up to three times a day, preceded the Presidential Election by only a week and a half.

“In this election, it’s not going to be whether America ends up more republican or democrat, more conservative or more liberal, more red or more blue,” Pence said to roughly 1,000 supporters at LAL. “I think the choice is whether America remains America.”

The half-hour pitch by Pence focused on confronting the Biden administration. The Vice President mainly concerned his audience with the Trump administration’s route to reopening State economies, slashing adversarial policy, defending the President’s conservative judicial appointments and SCOTUS justice nominee Amy Coney Barett.

“I really believe it’s between a Trump recovery and a Biden depression,” Pence said, emboldening the administration’s fiscal COVID-19 recovery.

Pence cited a Stanford economic study, which found that Biden’s economic policy would cost 4.9 million American jobs and reduce the average household’s income by $6,500.

“Over the next ten days, you got to ask your family members and neighbors, and your friends this question,” Pence said. “Who do you really think can bring this economy all the way back?”

Recalling a two-year-old Court of Appeals confirmation, Pence criticized a comment made by Dianne Feinsein of California, the leading Democrat on the senate Judiciary committee, calling Barret’s Catholic faith into question.

“She said, and I quote, ‘the dogma lives loudly within you,’ and Hollywood elites have already criticized Judge Barrett’s faith and her convictions,” Pence said. “I got news for democrats and their friends in Hollywood. That dogma lives loudly in me.”

Before boarding Air Force 2 to Tallahassee, Pence urged supporters in Lakeland to vote.

“First and foremost, I need you to vote, Florida,” Pence said. “Vote to re-elect President Donald Trump.”

Pence recognized and proceeded incumbent speaker Greg Steube of congressional district 17, endorsing House candidate Scott Franklin and Senate candidate Danny Burgess.

“We are Americans and we are at our absolute best when we are face-to-face with the absolute worst every single time,” Burgess said.

Burgess, along with the other candidates running for either election or re-election praised resident President Donald Trump and his bid for re-election in the state of Florida.

“We know the silent majority is going to come out strong,” congressional district 15 candidate Franklin said.

The congressmen also praised Polk County’s leadership in the heat of the race for House and Senate majority.

“This is the county of Grady Judd for God’s sake,” Burgess said, appraising the County Sheriff. “People should look to Polk for guidence.”

A tangential gathering across the way in Lakeland’s downtown platformed a diverse rotation of conservative speakers on Lake Mirror.

The event was organized by The Angry Viking, whose personnel guarded what they called a “patriot rally.” Protected also by a Lakeland Police Department watchtower, the private event reserved the Lake Mirror lakefront as a venue and was seen by pedestrians from the sidewalks.

Guest speakers were brought on to give testimonials endorsing conservative values and President Trump’s re-election.

Gary Lamb, a popular YouTube commentator of around 70k subscribers gave his life story and how conservatism positively impacted his life, even preventing suicide, he said.

“I felt invisible,” Lamb said. “I was being challenged. That’s why I’m here today. I’m fighting back.”

Long time member of the Angry Viking community, Tim Roberts hailed from Georgia.

“After this plandemic- and that’s exactly what I’m going to call it- I believe in my heart that this was a test, and socially we’ve failed it miserably,” Roberts said.

Roberts testified on the behalf of his fellow conservative supporters.

“Now that we’ve worked past that and the election’s coming up, I think many of us are tired of seeing our country burn around us,” Roberts said.