Palin Brings The Energy To Indiana

This was the moment Indiana Republicans have been anxiously awaiting for weeks. Gov. Sarah Palin delivered in a big way at this afternoon's campaign rally at the Verizon Music Center in Noblesville. A crowd of more than 25,000 packed the outdoor venue with all the enthusiasm and energy of a Hoosier high school pep rally before the big Friday night football game. Without her husband or other family members at her side, Gov. Palin confidently strolled onto the stage after country music performer Aaron Tippin with his timely hit "Drill Here, Drill Now"warmed up the crowd and Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman delivered a fiery introduction.

The small-town girl quickly identified with this red state crowd. She used a little self-deprecating humor to poke fun at the good material she had provided to SNL's Tina Fey after a couple of bad interviews. But she got one thing right in one of those interviews. Her favorite movie: "Hoosiers!" That brought the crowd to their feet.

With "Country First" placards waving throughout the crowd, Palin emphasized how Sen. John McCain has always put his country first. She contrasted him with politicians who put their faith in government instead of the people and support higher taxes over lower taxes. Capitalizing on Joe the Plumber's recent exchange with Sen. Barack Obama during a campaign stop in Ohio, she praised Obama for finally sharing his true beliefs with the American people. "Spread the wealth" Palin reminded the crowd were the words Obama used to describe his economic plan, or socialism by another name.

Palin touched on Obama's troubling associations with the likes of William Ayers and the radical ACORN organization that has become the subject of wide scale voter fraud activities in recent weeks. Palin told the crowd the American people were entitled to answers about these troubling associations before election day. "We need a leader who will not tolerate voter fraud," Palin said.

Palin urged supporters to keep the faith. "As the home of the Indianapolis 500, you know a lot about close races and how to sprint to the finish line." Palin's 7-year-old daughter, Piper, has the middle name "Indy" Palin noted to the crowd, although the inspiration for the middle name was a snowmobile and not the Indy 500.

As she often does, Palin hit Obama hard on his position on the Iraq War. He never uses the word "victory" when discussing war Palin said. Obama never says he wants America to win the war she lamented. Palin paid tribute to our troops. She asked all veterans in the crowd to stand and recognized a special guest on the stage with her, the first female to obtain three-star general status, Marine Lt. Gen. Carol A. Mutter of Brownsburg.

Palin assured the crowd a McCain-Palin administration would be the better choice to get our economy back on track and combat the government's $10 trillion national debt. We've go to "stop digging the [debt] hole and return to balanced budgets, a promise she said would be achieved by the end of the first term of a McCain-Palin administration. When it comes to reforming government, you want a team that has been "walking the walk" she said. As a mayor, Palin said she did away with personal property taxes, and as governor, she sent taxpayers large rebates.

In a McCain-Palin administration, Palin said her focus would be in three areas: energy, government reform and children with special needs. She criticized Obama-Biden's opposition to offshore drilling, clean-coal burning power plants and nuclear energy, all supported by she and McCain.

Palin said she and McCain believe in the same ideas of former President Ronald Reagan: forward movement of freedom; the best of America lies in places like Indiana and not in Washington, D.C.; and America is not the problem but rather the solution.

The faithful on this October Friday evening liked what they heard. And Indiana's GOP got the shot in the arm it desperately needed going into the final weeks of the campaign.