Sarah Palin returns her fee to Ohio RTL after Friday's speech

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"Sarah Palin stuns the Ohio Right to Life fundraisers" is the Headline for Examiner Cynthia Graham's take on Sarah Palin's speech to Ohio Right to Life Friday night:

Sarah Palin was greeted by a standing ovation and a welcoming crowd. She joked about the criticism by the press to her propensity for writing notes on the palm of her hand. She mentioned that it was a lower cost version of a teleprompter, which elicited a roar of laughter from the crowd. Tonight she had a money sign written on her palm, but before discussing her motivation for the note, she spoke with empathy and honesty about her feelings, when she was confronted with an unexpected pregnancy and realized that she would not only have a fifth child later in life, but one who would need special care. She, like the Spielman's, admitted to an understanding that all life was sacred and each child, as well as the elderly, deserved the right to life. She warned everyone to be watchful of those in power who do not hold the view of the sanctity of life, and recounted the blessings that her son Trig has brought to her family.

The money sign on the palm of Palin's hand was a reminder that she did not want to forget to challenge the audience to dig deep in their pockets to support the Ohio Right to Life. Not only was she determined to encourage supporters, she decided to lead by example. After a last minute call home today to make sure her family was in agreement, she stunned the Ohio Right to Life, and the audience, by explaining that she was returning her speaking fee to the cause of the voiceless unborn children.

We seriously doubt, however, than anyone in the crowd was more stunned by the revelation than the media types in the audience who had to purchase a ticket like everyone else. They can't seem to write an article about her these days without mentioning her "six-figure" speaker's fee. Strange, when they report on Bill Clinton's or Al Gore's speeches, the media slugs never seem to feel the need to mention the ample speaker fees the former president and vice president get paid. 

The Columbus Dispatch's Joe Hallett wrote that the 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate's address was less about politics than it was about how her personal experiences led her to firm her commitment to the pro-life cause:

Palin was focused on energizing anti-abortion advocates, saying groups like Ohio Right to Life "absolutely transformed, changed my life" by supporting her through trying times.

"The truest measure of a society," she said, "is how we treat those who are unable to defend or speak for themselves."

Viewed as a leading contender for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination, Palin only briefly delved into politics, criticizing President Barack Obama for proposing a new version of health-care reform that would fund community groups without restricting whether they use money for abortions.

Referring to it as "Obamacare," Palin said, "For me, it was the last straw."

The focus of the article by Laura Bischoff in the Springfield Sun, however, was on the politics angle:

Officially, the Ohio Right to Life rally on Friday, March 5, was billed as a nonpartisan event, but that didn’t stop many of Sarah Palin’s 4,000 fans in attendance from wearing Palin 2012 buttons and McCain-Palin T-shirts.

Kimberly Mohr Christman, sporting a Palin 2012 button and a personally designed Palin T-shirt, called the former Alaska governor an inspirational leader for women.

“If Sarah Palin comes to Perry County, I’ll be right there to help her,” Mohr Christman said.

Palin couldn’t have found a more welcoming crowd.

“I used to not want a woman president but since Sarah came along, I do. Because of her moral convictions,” said Elizabeth Branson of Grove City.

Just before the rally, Palin attended a private $1,000 per ticket reception with donors, including Republicans such as Ohio GOP Chairman Kevin DeWine, state Sen. Jon Husted and former U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine.

Ohio Right to Life declined to disclose Palin’s speaking fee — reported to be in the neighborhood of $100,000 — but at the end of her 45-minute speech Palin promised to donate it back to the nonprofit.

Palin urged the crowd to action on abortion issues in Congress and the Statehouse, and trashed the media for criticizing her for putting notes on her hands.

- JP