Former Gov. Sarah Palin whipped up thousands of the faithful this weekend, as the closing speaker of the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, near Washington, D.C.
Palin’s 45-minute speech was part rallying cry, part stand-up comedy as she landed one zinger after another.
“I love coming back here because there are always so many young people, or, as you’re know by the folks across the river, ‘ObamaCare suckers,’” she said.
She scoffed at Democrats and President Obama, but she also lobbed harsh words at the mainstream Republicans in Congress. She says they betrayed the Tea Party voters who won them seats in 2010. She also says she’s optimistic about the election this fall.
“In this awakening, eyes are open, we’re stronger now, we’re wiser now, and God knows, we are hungry and there aren’t enough low-information voters in the country to save the other side this time, if we don’t retreat,” she said.
Palin isn’t just a political figure these days but also a reality show celebrity. To the audience at this conference, her star never fell. When she referred to the 2016 presidential race, the crowd started chanting.
“I should have, I didn’t get to run this morning, I was so busy man. I did some hot yoga,” Palin said as the crowd shouted, “Run, Sarah, run.”
Her new show starts next month on the Sportsman Channel. It’s called “Amazing America,” a name she teased into her speech.
Liz Ruskin is the Washington, D.C., correspondent at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at lruskin@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Liz here.
