Palin s book tour inspires supporters in Midwest

November 20, 2009

A big crowd awaited former Gov. Sarah Palin in Fort Wayne, Ind. (Eric Sowl/KTUU-DT)

by John Carpenter
Thursday, November 19, 2009

FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- Former Gov. Sarah Palin is onto her next stop in central Indiana for her whirlwind tour to promote her best-selling book "Going Rogue."

The line formed early at Meier's Variety Store here. Palin's book tour is coming to town, and the cool morning weather is not deterring fans of Alaska's former governor, or the media following the story.

"We want to see Sarah Palin. She's amazing. She's my idol," said one woman waiting in line.

People are coming here not only to have Palin sign their copy of her autobiography, but to lay eyes on the person they believe will lead a conservative revival in the United States.

"She's brought inspiration to a lot of people's lives. She's got good Christian values and she believes in our country and I believe she'll be a wonderful president," said another woman.

Shortly before noon Palin's bus arrived, and the signing frenzy began. By the time the event was over, Palin had autographed well over 1,000 copies of "Going Rogue," a process she likens to running a marathon.

"You think you're going to hit the wall physically because it could be very, very tiring, exhausting at the end of this long tour. But the great reward is at the end of the line, for me, the great reward is meeting with some absolutely amazing, awesome people all over the country so, it's worth it," Palin said.

Palin says the people are the purpose of this book tour, and their response to her and the ideals she champions is inspirational.

"It's fun, it's awesome, it's invigorating. I love this freedom to get to do this," Palin said.

For Palin's fans, the feeling is mutual. The chance for just a couple of seconds of interaction with their hero was more than enough to send folks home happy and hopeful.

"She said she liked my necklace," said one woman.

"I told her that I served with John McCain on the Forrestal. She thanked me for my service," said another man. "We said next time you see us there, you'll be our president. She said, ‘I don't know about that."

Palin was reluctant to discuss her plans for 2012, but she did sit down with Channel 2 News to talk about a variety of topics including her book tour, AGIA, why she resigned and her future plans. That interview will air on Channel 2 on Monday.

Contact John Carpenter at jcarpenter@ktuu.com

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