On what would have been Ronald Reagan's 99th birthday, Sarah Palin whipped up members of the burgeoning Tea Party movement gathered at their first-ever convention on Saturday night in a patriotic love-in that left little doubt about who most here would like to see on the ballot in 2012.
Chants of "Run, Sarah run" greeted the former Republican vice-presidential nominee after she delivered an hour-long address heavy on in-your-face conservatism that repeatedly drove Tea Partiers to their feet, waving American flags and copies of Going Rogue, the best-selling autobiography that has made Ms. Palin a millionaire.
"You gotta tell it like it is," Ms. Palin told the audience of 1,100, each of whom paid at least $349 (U.S.) to hear the former Alaska governor rip into President Barack Obama's administration for using euphemisms such as "overseas contingencies operations" and "man-made disaster" to describe the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and terrorism, respectively.
Ms. Palin drew the longest ovations for her attacks on Mr. Obama's decision to try the Christmas Day would-be-bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab in U.S. civilian court and failure to control government spending. The $3.8-trillion budget Mr. Obama tabled last week will make the United States "more beholden to foreign countries … it makes us less secure, it makes us less free. That should tick us off."
Regarding the treatment of Mr. Abdulmutallab, Ms. Palin delivered a blistering attack on Mr. Obama: "There are questions we would have liked this foreign terrorist to have answered before he [was]lawyered up and invoked our constitutional rights to remain silent. … Thanks to you, sir, we're going to bestow them on a terrorist who wants to destroy our Constitution."
The Tea Partiers ate it up as voraciously as they had dug into the filet mignon and jumbo shrimp that served as the appetizer to the evening's main course, Ms. Palin, who now hangs out her shingle as a commentator on the Fox News network and public speaker earning $100,000 a gig.
"I can think of two words right now that scares liberals: President Palin," convention organizer Judson Phillips cried as Ms. Palin prepared to exit the stage. The prospect of Ms. Palin as commander-in-chief is a fantasy Tea Partiers are willing to entertain, even if most readily concede it may not come to pass.
"I hope she revitalizes the Republican Party, period - whether she runs for president or not," chimed Susan Shipley, a self-proclaimed GOP - Girlfriend of Palin - from nearby Kingsport, Tenn. That acronym usually stands for Grand Old Party, a nickname for the Republican Party. But on this night, it's the Palin meaning first.
"She's real, she's not posed, and she's one of the people," added Lou Ann Zelenik, another enthusiastic GOP from Murfreesboro, Tenn., who is seeking the GOP nomination (the Republican one) to run for Congress in her district. She said she'd like to see her idol run for president in 2012 "with some more grooming."
What makes Ms. Palin so inspiring to the Tea Partiers is that she, like them, only seems emboldened by her depiction in the media as a right-wing extremist long on opinions but short on information.
"She was vetted more in three months than Barack Obama was in three years because of the liberal media in America," Ms. Zelenik insisted.
Janet Mixon, a citrus farmer from the Florida Gulf Coast, also cited Ms. Palin's resilience when asked what she likes most about her. "I think she's like a bulldog. They trash her every chance they get and the fact that she just keeps coming back just makes you feel good."
Ms. Mixon said she wasn't sure Ms. Palin would be her first pick for president. "But I definitely want her representing us in some way."
Eddie Thompson, an estate planner from Nashville, paid to hear Ms. Palin even though he didn't vote for her top-of-ticket running mate in 2008, John McCain. That's a choice he regrets, now.
"I was hoping Obama would make a change and reduce the division, deliver what he said he'd deliver. I believe he's failed. He's failed me," offered Mr. Thompson, who pointed to the massive deficits projected under Mr. Obama as the main source of his disillusionment. "I'm really concerned about the spending. I don't believe you can borrow your way to wealth."
Such sober sentiments were rare, however, amid the festive mood of the room. The Palinistas were not going to let the serious business of "taking back our country" - a oft-heard mantra among the Tea Partiers here - put a drag on a good old patriotic shin dig.
As the country singer who preceded Ms. Palin on stage sang: "Go on raise the flag/ I got stars in my eyes/ I'm in love with her/ And I won't apologize."
Konrad Yakabuski