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McCain Sustains Market Plant City Market Tradition

Orlando Sentinel photo by JOE BURBANK

GOP presidential candidate Sen. John McCain leans through a window at the order counter at Parkesdale Farm Market roadside stand, for some strawberry shortcake in Plant City Thursday.

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By GEORGE WILKENS

gwilkens@tampatrib.com

Published: October 24, 2008

Updated: 10/24/2008 02:22 am

PLANT CITY - Nearly three months after Democrat Barack Obama visited Parkesdale Farm Market, Republican John McCain made a stop of his own at the landmark famous for its shortcake and its spot on the campaign trail.

McCain stopped about 2:30 p.m. Thursday to partake of Parkesdale's famous dessert and mingle with customers and supporters.

Traveling between rallies on Florida's two coasts, McCain spent less than an hour at the roadside market near the Florida Strawberry Festival grounds.

The "surprise" visit by McCain was a poorly kept secret in Plant City, attracting about 200 supporters. For security, all but a handful were kept in the parking lot behind a makeshift barrier of plastic bunting.

"Mom, he shook my hand," Southeastern University student Tara Parker exclaimed into her cell phone as McCain moved along the line of people jammed six deep.

The market has long been a political whistle-stop. Former Gov. Jeb Bush and both President Bushes are among those whose campaign trails to higher office included stops at Parkesdale, where their photographs are proudly displayed by owner Jim Meeks. Reportedly every major politician who has stopped there has won.

After pressing the flesh for several minutes, McCain entered the market, followed by a casually dressed Gov. Charlie Crist. McCain's wife, Cindy, was also part of the entourage.

The owner of Sample Plumbing in Tampa was among select business owners invited to join McCain for a sit-down meeting and strawberry shortcake.

Wearing a hard hat bearing a McCain bumper sticker, Sample dubbed himself "Stew the Plumber," a reference to what McCain is dubbing his "Joe the Plumber" bus tour, meant to discredit Obama's economic ideas.

The Plant City stop was part of a long day for McCain on Thursday as he stumped across the state on a route covering the vote-rich Interstate 4 corridor through Orlando. Although President Bush won Florida in 2000 and 2004, Obama is threatening to seize the state, despite a strong GOP machine and the Arizona senator's endorsement by Gov. Charlie Crist.

In Sarasota, lines outside Robarts Arena stretched for more than a block and thousands of supporters were turned away before McCain's speech to a crowd of about 3,000.

McCain said he won't make the economic mistakes Obama would and instead would lower taxes, create millions of jobs and help small businesses thrive. The crowd erupted when he compared the Illinois senator's ideas to those that led to the Great Depression.

"Senator Obama wants to raise taxes and restrict trade," McCain said. "The last time America did that in a bad economy it led to the Great Depression."

McCain repeatedly said during his 31-minute speech that Obama and Democrats in Washington will put too much of a tax burden on working Americans.

Obama has said he would raise taxes only on the top income earners in the nation. But McCain questioned that logic, saying Obama's definition of rich could hurt working-class families making just $45,000 a year.

While most of the speech was greeted with a loud response, the reaction from the crowd was toned down considerably when McCain called for more oil drilling off Florida's Gulf Coast.

Sarasota historically should be safe territory for McCain because of two critical demographics that have been trending his way: veterans and seniors.

But McCain is struggling to hold on to the Sarasota area, a county that hasn't voted for a Democrat to be president since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944.

Information from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and Associated Press was used in this report. Reporter George Wilkens can be reached at (813) 865-4433.

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