Palin's passionate followers

NY Times:

When tickets to see Sarah Palin in Michigan ran out, people drove to her appearance here (Fort Wayne, Ind.), three hours away.

Thousands had lined up overnight, starting nearly 24 hours before she was to begin signing books, camping out in 39-degree weather for a moment with the woman many see as the great conservative hope, a role model, “one of us.”

They brought their sleeping bags, their children, homemade chocolate Cheerios bars, and balloons to twist into animal shapes and hats for the crowd. And they brought their anger — about bailouts, jobs and health care.

If Sarah Palin was the star attraction, Barack Obama was a constant presence in the clutches of conversation along the lines snaking to meet her.

“It may not be this year, it may not be next year, but we’re going to take our country back,” said Sherry Haner, 54, who was standing in the cold on Wednesday outside a mall in Grand Rapids, Mich., hoping to make it into the overflow crowd after failing to get one of the 1,000 bracelets Barnes & Noble had handed out as tickets to the signing.

...

“He isn’t governing, he’s still campaigning,” said Joe Miller, a lab technician who had taken a vacation day to wait in line Thursday at a Meijer superstore in Fort Wayne. “He’s trying to convince us that he’s doing a good job. He hasn’t done anything, except spend money.”

Kevin Witzigreuter, 38, a Fort Wayne firefighter waiting in line next to Mr. Miller, chimed in: “And he can’t even make a simple decision about what to do in Afghanistan. We’ve got men and women fighting overseas. Either man up and fight the war to win it, or get out.”

...

But mostly, people were upset about ballooning budget deficits and health care.

“I was willing to give Barack Obama the benefit of the doubt, but the spending is out of control,” said Gloria Taylor, 54, as she waited in line in Grand Rapids. “It’s going to be our downfall.”

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This is one of the reasons liberals hate her, conservatives love her. What liberals really hate is conservatism and the people who believe in it. Palin's positions on the issues are pretty much center right conservatism and many on the left are invested in demonizing that and anyone who espouses it.

But, with liberalism failing to deal with joblessness and with liberals trying to cram down an unpopular control freak health care plan, conservatives are energized. What Palin would do differently is cut taxes and cut spending which is what these voters want.