Conservatives 4 Palin reports:
Palin says it's time to "reload for America"
Credit: Jill Nance/The News & Advance
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Published: October 08, 2011
Updated: October 08, 2011 - 9:33 PM
Published: October 08, 2011
Updated: October 08, 2011 - 9:33 PM
During a speech focusing on faith and family, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin called for the “restoration of America” during the Extraordinary Women Conference at Liberty University in Lynchburg Saturday.
Palin’s 90-minute speech veered from stories about moose hunting to Tea Party politics to the challenge of raising a son with Down syndrome. Her message centered on the importance of having faith in God and steering America “back on the right track.”
“Now isn’t the time to retreat, now is the time to reload with truth so we can fight for this country and reload for America,” she said to more than 10,000 Christian women who traveled from across the country to hear her speak.
The theme for the evangelical Christian women’s conference was “extraordinary hope,” and Palin quipped:
“I’m talking about real hope, not that hopey changey stuff that some politicians try to get you go believe in.”
The visit was Palin’s first to Liberty, and hotels across the region sold out for the event.
Liberty chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. introduced Palin, and presented the self-described “hockey mom” with an LU hockey jersey.
“We met her at a Glenn Beck event in Washington last year and we just have watched her make such a difference in our country and we appreciate everything she does,” Falwell said.
The appearance was among Palin’s first public appearances after announcing Wednesday her decision not to run for president. Palin referenced that decision just once in her speech, when she described disappointment with the contingent of supporters who voiced outrage over the decision.
“They got mad and they would send some pretty mean emails and messages, and I thought ‘Oh come on, you’re going to trust me to be the leader of the free world but you don’t trust me to make the decision that God led me to make at this time,” she said.
“It was prayerful consideration. It was prayerful.”
Weaving intimate stories about her family with humor from her time on the campaign trail, Palin roused multiple standing ovations from the audience.
She recounted the day she was saved at a Bible camp in Alaska and her high school romance with longtime husband, Todd Palin. She said becoming a mother was the best day of her life, and provided updates on her five children: Bristol, Piper, Track, Willow and Trig.
Palin shared intimate details of her life, including the pain of experiencing two miscarriages and the fear she felt upon learning she was pregnant with a son with Down syndrome. Today, her son Trig is a source of joy for Palin’s family with an “obvious appetite for life.”
An “unapologetic pro-lifer,” Palin recounted the challenge of running for vice president while dealing with the unplanned pregnancy of her 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, who had the baby and later appeared as a contestant on the hit TV show, “Dancing with the Stars.”
“We all have battles,” Palin said. “Mine just sometimes happen to be played out on the front page of the national tabloids.”
Palin’s magnetism and celebrity appeal was palpable in Liberty’s Vine Center. Throughout her speech, throngs of spectators crowded the stage, shooting snapshots of the stiletto-clad Palin with their digital cameras and cell phones.
For the most part, Palin stayed away from overt political ideology, focusing instead on her experiences as the first governor of Alaska and the vice presidential candidate for John McCain in 2008. However, she took time to praise the Tea Party for its “core, commonsense conservative beliefs.”
“They’re crying out for leaders to pick up the United States Constitution again and start playing by the rule book,” she said.
In another glint of politics, Palin asserted that the United States should strive to be “energy secure” by drilling for oil in Alaska rather than buying it from the Middle East, highlighting legislation that she passed to that end while governor of Alaska.
She also mounted a lighthearted defense of some faux pas she made on the vice presidential campaign trail, including the highly-publicized comment she made to Katie Couric that Russia’s proximity to Alaska gave her foreign policy experience.
“And yes, you can see Russia from Alaska,” Palin insisted to the crowd at Liberty University. “You really can.”
Underlying Palin’s speech was a rallying cry for Christians across America to take a stand in their communities.
“This country was founded on Biblical principles …” she said. “You don’t need a title or an office to make a difference in this country.”
After the conference, many of the women who attended were buzzing with enthusiasm for Palin’s speech.
“I thought it was awesome, very inspiring,” said Michelle Collins of Blackstone, adding that she is disappointed Palin is not running for president.
Jessica Hobbs, a Liberty University student from Lynchburg, said she was impressed by Palin’s speech and respected her decision not to run.
“She did really well with just almost empowering all the women with politics,” Hobbs said. “I understand her decision, but I do like her in government, so she should try and stay there.”
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