Posted: 04/27/2010 at 5:57pm | IP Logged

"We need to bring America back to being the 'City on a Hill,' a place where people from around the world can come to find freedom, healing, and prosperity. Good can come from the low place we find ourselves today. People are waking up to the seriousness of what we face and the work it will take to restore our country. History will remember this time in America as a Great Awakening."

If it was anyone other than Sarah Palin, and anywhere other than Eugene, Oregon, the Lincoln Day fundraising dinner on Friday, April 23, at the Hilton Hotel would have been a media non-event. Combine the two—a city known as "Berkeley North," and a woman whose Christian witness and conservative views have made her one of America's most vilified politicians—and it provided the perfect storm for a story.

Mainstream reporting of Alaska's former governor has largely painted her as a brainless "hate-monger." They accuse her of being a polarizing figure (Palin would contend that truth, by nature, is polarizing), but Palin is quick to call the press to the carpet for coverage of her that she believes is biased. According to her, conservative activists are held to a double standard.

When Oregonians heard Sarah Palin was coming to Eugene, it generated a seismic reaction. Although Palin is no longer a politician, she is most definitely a celebrity; one who champions traditional family values. With Eugene being practically in my own "backyard," I couldn't pass up the opportunity to check her out myself. Other than suspicions there would be anti-Palin forces protesting her visit to Oregon, I really didn't know what to expect. (Photo: Teresa Neumann reporting for Breaking Christian News)

My camera-crew and I arrived at the Hilton about 3:30 p.m. to a smattering of pro-Palin supporters lining the street and swarms of security personnel and Eugene city police. There was also a heavy media presence. Only hotel guests and those with dinner passes were allowed to pass the barricades to enter the hotel.

After interviewing some of Oregon's gubernatorial candidates and some Christian politicians attending the dinner, we returned to the streets where a couple dozen anti-Palin demonstrators had appeared. Among them were some Code-Pink members engaged in "peaceful demonstrations to let the community know that Eugene is a hate-free zone and intolerance is not welcomed." One of the women was inviting people to take sections off a roll of toilet paper with Governor Palin's picture printed on it. Other protestors held signs with messages too vulgar to print.

Then it was on to the dinner and Palin's speech. To say she "wowed" the crowd would be an understatement. Despite a petite frame clothed in a simple two-piece business suit, Governor Palin's larger-than-life presence filled the room. Many attendants later voiced surprise at how refreshed she looked, how sharp her wit was, and how flawlessly she delivered her mostly off-the-cuff speech; considering she had, just that morning, been testifying in a federal court in Knoxville, Tennessee, against the man who had hacked into her e-mail account during the presidential campaign. (To watch the video report by Teresa Neumann, CLICK HERE)

The stress of jet lag, two major events in one day, the responsibility of having her children with her—one of them with special needs—and still, she looked and sounded as if she were completely rested, without a care in the world.

A miracle in most mothers' books; at least, in mine.

As I furiously started taking notes, a guard informed me it was forbidden. I had left my cell phone, camera crew, and all recording devices outside the venue, as I knew they hadn't been allowed into the dinner hall. I hadn't realized I would not be allowed to take notes either.

"I'm sorry," I said, quickly removing my press pass. I stuffed my notes into my briefcase. From that point on I engaged my memory as much as possible…and the palm of my hand, where I scribbled a few absolutely-cannot-forget phrases. (Ergo, quotes in this article are paraphrased to the best of my ability!)

Palin began the evening by addressing the "Elephant in the Room"—the fact that she was in Eugene, Oregon.

First, she commented on the "welcome committee" in front of the hotel: "You'll love to hear that my daughter Bristol saw all those pink ladies from our hotel window. She told my husband, 'Look at all the ladies in pink, Dad. They're here to see Mommy!' Todd had to tell her that they weren't quite here to see me."

"So, he took Bristol outside," said Palin. "They walked around awhile and mingled with the protestors in the street. I found out Bristol was just down there, saying, 'We really like your town. Thank you for letting us be here!'"

Then, Palin used a mobile device to read from an AP report entitled, "Sarah Palin Visits Liberal Oregon Stronghold."

The first two paragraphs read: "Sarah Palin could have hardly picked a more crunchy granola town to give a speech in than Eugene.

"Despite its pioneer and logging heritage, the town where Nike running shoes was born from a waffle iron is high on organic food, snobby about craft beers and tattoos, home to the University of Oregon and dependably votes Democratic. Last year, the mayor declared the first week in May as Medical Marijuana Awareness Week."

"I'm reading that," quipped Palin, "and I'm thinking, 'Ooh, I feel so culturally profiled.'"

"By the way, I love my Nikes," she said, noting that she enjoyed running and that Nike was a business she admired. "And, hey, I know who the Ducks are! I also eat granola. I actually eat a lot of organic, natural food."

Laughing, she added: "The only difference between me and Eugene's hippies, I guess, is that I catch or shoot a lot of my organic food before I eat it. I mean, here I am in Track Town USA and my kid's name is Track. How Eugene hippie can that be?"

"As far as tattoos go," she continued, her face reflecting a hint of disapproval, "Track, my oldest, who is serving his country in Iraq, has two tattoos. He got a patriotic tattoo on his arm and a Jesus, fish type of Christian symbol on his thigh. So, yeah, I know about tattoos."

Palin then dove into political issues: taxes, the national debt, healthcare, American exceptionalism, capitalism, and the increasing threat of nationalization of vital American industries.

Referring to the Oregon Children's Choir who performed before she took the stage, she said: "I looked at those young faces, so full of hope and potential, and I felt sick that we're robbing them of the promise we ourselves once enjoyed. The debt we have taken upon ourselves, much of it for expediency and our own selfish agendas, is really just generational theft."

Her message, nevertheless, was relentlessly upbeat and positive; her passion for America was reflected in nearly every aspect of her presentation.

"Never be ashamed to say 'no' to policies that hurt America," she advised, as she described the attributes of a patriot. "When we're told 'yes we can' (Palin said this in a tone impersonating a childish bully) and we know the future of our great country is at stake, we must say 'oh, no you don't!"

"We need to bring America back to being the 'City on a Hill,' a place where people from around the world can come to find freedom, healing, and prosperity," she said. "Good can come from the low place we find ourselves today. People are waking up to the seriousness of what we face and the work it will take to restore our country. History will remember this time in America as a Great Awakening."

At the end of her speech, Eugene City Councilwoman Jennifer Solomon interviewed Palin in a Question & Answer session.

"What are the two greatest dangers facing America today," asked Solomon.

Without skipping a beat, Palin replied, embellishing on each point: 1) Our national debt; it will bankrupt our country and, 2) A nuclear armed Iran or other rogue nations like North Korea, etc.

Solomon also asked, "How do you handle all the vilification heaped on you by the media and your detractors?"

Palin answered that she doesn't have time to sweat the "small stuff." Being a mom, she said, keeps her grounded on a daily basis as to what is really important. "Mothers," she contended, "know how to manage their time; how to eliminate the things that suck the life out of them and focus on the important things. Mom's know there's only so many hours in a day and know how to manage it."

"You can't be in politics," she added, "and survive, without a thick skin. I don't let what people say hurt me. With my family, however, it's a different thing…"

She ended the evening exhorting fellow conservatives not to "retreat, but to reload."

"That term is not a call to violence," she warned, "as much as the press wants people to believe that's what I mean by it." The expression, she explained, was used by her father when she was growing up to indicate regrouping.

"'Don't retreat, Sarah,' he would tell me when I encountered tough times and wanted to quit. 'Just reload.'"

About 8:45 p.m, Palin left the stage. A few post-dinner announcements followed. As the 850 attendants filed out of the Eugene Hilton's conference room, the air was filled with superlatives: "She was great! So articulate, so dynamic. Fearless. Classy. Brilliant…"

A Chance Meeting?
It was approximately 10:00 p.m when I finally headed down the back steps of the Hilton to the basement garage entrance where we had parked our cars. My camera crew, not allowed to park their car in the garage, had already left.

As I turned the corner into the small entrance to the garage, who stood before me but Todd Palin, dressed in a black baseball cap and a dark jacket. Next to him stood Sarah, unrecognizable at first, dressed in a non-descript t-shirt, Capri sweats and (Nike?) running shoes. Her hair was half-tied up and she was without her trademark Kawasaki glasses. They were having a relaxed chat with a couple of policemen, their conversation sounding as though they were talking about their kids, or the weather. By all appearances, Todd and Sarah Palin were a normal, average American couple staying at the hotel.

Security, as I said, had been intense. No reporter had been allowed anywhere near Sarah Palin the entire evening. So, taken completely by surprise, I stopped dead in my tracks and blurted the first thing that came to mind. "Thank you both so much for coming here," I said, kicking myself, even as my words tumbled out, for not saying something more profound. …Something more spiritual. "I really appreciate it."

They grinned, their smiles as big and beautiful as they look on television. "Sure, no problem," said Sarah, waving her hand.

Directly behind me on the stairwell was Jo Rae Perkins, Chairwoman of the Linn County Central Committee. She had met Palin before the dinner and exchanged hugs. Jo Rae stopped alongside of me and said to Sarah: "If I didn't have my hands full I'd give you another big hug, Sarah." (Photo: Teresa Neumann speaks with Jo Rae Perkins/Breaking Christian News)

"Eww, you wouldn't want to do that," replied Palin. "Todd and I just got back from a run and I'm sweating like crazy! Otherwise," she laughed, "I'd take you up on your offer!"

A run? Todd and Sarah Palin? In the streets of Eugene, Oregon? At night? Just after speaking at a conference for 850 people? After meeting and greeting and signing autographs all afternoon? After testifying in a federal court that very morning?

I was speechless. I'm sure if residents of Eugene had known that Sarah Palin was out jogging in their midst Friday night, between 9:00 p.m and 10:00 p.m, they would have been speechless also.

On second thought, maybe not; they'd probably have a lot to say.

Only one other reporter had the "good fortune" to run into Todd and Sarah at the Hilton. Writing for The Oregonian, Harry Esteve entitled his article: "A Reporter's Chance Meeting With Sarah Palin." In it, he claims he also ran into the Palins after their run at the entrance to the hotel garage.

Esteve writes that he introduced himself to Sarah as "one of those media people" that she has criticized in the past for misquoting her. "That's OK," she told Esteve. "Todd grinned and shook my hand, too, before they both hopped into the elevator."

While that reporter called his meeting with Sarah "chance," I know better. Mine was a divine opportunity for me to give a word of encouragement to a woman and her husband who are sacrificing far more than I could/would to spread a message they truly believe in: God's plan for America isn't over. Not by a long shot.

Follow the source link provided to watch the BCN Video Report.

Source: Breaking Christian News Video Report