Palin Takes Tea Party Patriot Movement To Texas Gov. Perry Race

By Susan Thompson on February 10, 2010, 11:56 am

Sarah Palin once again proved her clout among the Republican faithful at a rally for Texas Governor Rick Perry on Super Bowl Sunday. Thousands attended, many of whom waited in the cold for hours just to see Palin; numerous attendees told reporters that they wouldn’t be there if not for her.

Perry’s Primary Race

Perry, hoping to become the longest-serving Governor in Texas, is in a race for the Republican nomination for Governor with Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. Perry has framed the contest as Texas vs. DC. He told the crowd that he thought the country would be better off if they did things the Texas way, criticizing Hutchison without naming her. Perry spoke first, keeping his comments brief, and then he handed it off to Palin. She had come from the first tea party convention in Nashville, where she called that movement the future of politics.

Palin Praises Texas’ Example

While Perry was impassioned, it was Palin who really impressed the crowd. Palin continued with Perry’s Texas vs. DC framing, saying that Washington was doing it wrong; Texas had the right ideas. She compared Texas to Alaska, her home state, lauding both. She specifically praised Texas for its business-friendly atmosphere and its rejection of federal aid – and with them federal requirements that would limit Texas’ ability to set its own course.

 

Some observers noted that Perry seemed to play second fiddle at his own rally, where Palin was clearly the draw. Others point out the irony that the day before, she had used her tea party speech to praise the challenging of incumbents. None of this seemed to matter to Perry or the crowd, who delighted in Palin’s presence. Perry even made Palin an honorary Texan. The rigidly scheduled rally ended about 90 minutes before the Super Bowl kickoff, ensuring that rally attendees would still be able to watch the game.

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