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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Crowd somewhat diminished at second pro-Trump rally

The organizers of March’s successful pro-Trump “Spirit of America” rally tried to duplicate their success Saturday at the Greyhound Park in Post Falls, but to the mild disappointment of organizers the crowd only numbered about 200 at its peak.

The good weather, the Ironman race or Hoopfest might have kept people away, but Idaho state Rep. Heather Scott said that didn’t matter. She repeated the popular refrain – widely dismissed by modern scholarship – that only 3 percent of the population fought in the Revolutionary War.

“All we need is a committed minority,” Scott said.

The gathering was once again hosted by Northwest Grassroots, a former tea party group that became disillusioned with their party after it endorsed Ted Cruz for president. The crowd was smaller and the atmosphere was also notably less festive and raucous than in March, though slogans like “Drain the swamp” and “Lock her up” were still met with cheers.

Leslie Haskell and Donna O’Leary, calling themselves “Pearl and Satin,” sat down on stage for a freewheeling session on modern politics. They singled out several individuals for scorn, holding up their photos as the crowd booed.

First on the metaphorical chopping block was former FBI Director James Comey, fired by President Trump earlier this year, who Haskell said didn’t support law enforcement.

“You fricking media leaker piece of crap,” she said as she ripped his picture up and tossed the pieces over her shoulder.

In addition to pillorying Hillary Clinton, the two also held up a picture of Republican Sen. John McCain. Haskell said she respects McCain’s military service but said he was one of the Republicans in the swamp that needs to be drained.

“He’s too stupid because he’s too old,” she said as she ripped up his photo. “Bye, John. Go retire.”

Haskell spoke in favor of building a wall along the border with Mexico and against sanctuary cities.

“I’m happy with where he’s at,” she said of Trump. “The guy gets it, right? He just gets it. He relates to us.”

Her husband, Spokane County Prosecutor Larry Haskell, also took the stage. He was one of several elected officials who faced a backlash from some community groups after speaking at the last “Spirit of America” rally in March.

“Apparently I didn’t learn my lesson, if there was one to learn, because here I am again,” he said.

He was also one of several speakers who praised Trump for his attempts to greatly increase the military budget, and spoke about how divided the country is right now. He pointed out that the Democrats recently lost a House of Representatives seat in a special election in Georgia, despite spending heavily there.

“They have a message of hate,” he said. “Hate won’t fix streets, hate won’t build schools. Hate hurts each and every one of us. Fortunately for all of us, hate doesn’t carry the day.”

Washington state Rep. Matt Shea talked about the changes Trump is making in the government.

“I have been told there’s a major restructuring in the offing with the EPA and – this is really good for us in northeast Washington and northern Idaho – the Department of Agriculture and the Forest Service,” he said. “That’s why the left is so petrified. He’s creating jobs in the private sector. They may have to go get one.”

Shea urged people to get involved in their communities and run for public office. He also said they could help Trump by retweeting his tweets and posting his tweets on their Facebook pages. “Become the media,” he said. “We don’t need them anymore.”

He ended by calling for unity. “Effective leadership like Donald Trump is giving us a point of unity,” he said. “When we unite, we win. This slow death of compromise that has been happening? We no longer can afford that luxury.”