Sarah Palin focuses on limited government in speech to Oregon Republicans

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Sarah Palin's 40-minute speech to the Lane County GOP Friday night in central Oregon stressed the importance of electing candidates in November who will work for smaller government and free-market ideals:

"Only a limited government can provide the best path," she said.

[...]

She highlighted two issues specifically for conservatives to rally behind: repealing health-care reform and reforming energy policy.

“We have to make sure this ‘Obamacare’ is short-lived,” she said. “It felt so forced upon us. It was so forced upon us.”

Speaking about energy policy, she called for opening up all of America’s continental shelves to drilling.

“Production of our resources means security for Americans and jobs for American workers,” she said.

She also called for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and addressed head-on environmentalists against her plan. She argued America has more stringent environmental restrictions than many of the foreign governments we currently rely on for oil.

“So environmentalists are kind of hypocritical on this one,” she said. “I don’t know how environmentalists can sleep at night.”

[...]

Attendees paid $250 each to see Palin speak. The banquet hall at the Hilton seats about 800 people and was sold out. On top of that, many people paid $100 a head to watch a live video feed of Palin from a nearby room.

Seventy people paid $1,000 each for a meet and greet photo op with the former Alaska governor. That price also included a signed copy of Palin’s book, "Going Rogue".

More coverage from Assocated Press, KOHD, and the Register-Guard (here and here).

As was expected in such a liberal bastion, there were some protesters:


Ed Morrissey offers an observation:

"Maybe it’s just me, but does anyone else see the irony in the juxtaposition of these two protest signs outside of an appearance by Sarah Palin in Eugene, Oregon?"

- JP