It must’ve been the music.
Conservatives from across California crowded into a ballroom in Anaheim Saturday afternoon, entertained by a rousing rock band, a stirring patriotic anthem in the middle of the program, and even an original song from Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, but the sweetest sound for the gathered faithful was hearing Sarah Palin predict “soon, we’ll all be dancing.”
The former vice presidential candidate was greeted with a cheer that was heard as far away as 
Nancy Pelosi’s house and she responded with another stemwinder of a speech in front of more than 2,000 supporters at a Republican National Committee rally at the Anaheim Marriott, one of two “Sprint to the Finish” events scheduled with Ms. Palin in the final weeks of the 2010 midterm campaign.
As if she weren’t already beloved by the thousands present, Ms. Palin opened her speech by referring to a familiar image on California’s state flag. “There’s no way I’m not going to love a state and when you… look up at your state flag and you see emblazoned on that a mama grizzly — at least I think it’s a mama grizzly."
With a who’s who of California Republicans seated behind her, Ms. Palin rallied against higher taxes and government spending, and urged the boisterous crowd to go beyond their comfort levels over the next two weeks and commit to spending every free moment to help get Republicans elected throughout California.
"The momentum is with us but now is not the time to let up, now is not the time to celebrate — not quite yet," Ms. Palin told them. "We can’t be thinking that it’s over yet and we’ve got it in the bag. As Yogi (Berra) would’ve said, ‘It ain’t over till it’s over.’"
The former Alaska governor kept the rally attendees amused with her folksy, plain-spoken style as they roared their approval with every attack on the absurdity of the liberal agenda. “How about the priorities of Barbara Boxer?” Ms. Palin asked. “She’d rather protect that two-inch fish than the water supply. You call it a two-inch fish. Where I come from, we call that bait.”
Ms. Palin also took aim at the mainstream media, saying, “And for the press, yes, I shall be invoking Reagan’s name again and again and again.” Ironically, her presence in Orange County brought out several national media heavyweights, with Maureen Dowd and Adam Nagourney of the New York Times, Time Magazine’s Mark Halperin, and Jonathan Martin of Politico in attendance, in addition to CNN, FOX News and television reporters from as far away as Italy and Japan.
(Palin is pictured left with State Senator Dennis Hollingsworth, Assemblyman Jim Silva and Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle – photo credit/OC Weekly)
Andrew Breitbart, another crowd favorite, echoed the anti-media theme throughout his five-minute address and got thundering applause when he went straight after the press corps, warning them that after the election "you will not divide us again." He also proclaimed that "we can play this game, too," yelling to the crowd: "Show them your cameras!" It was vintage Breitbart and a highlight of the afternoon’s program.
On the stage with the other many GOP luminaries was none other than Assemblyman Van Tran who is locked in a heated battle to unseat liberal Democrat Loretta Sanchez (in the photo Tran is greeting Palin). A just-released survey from Public Opinion Strategies shows the race tied at 39%-39%!
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele also fired up the ballroom, focusing his message on the importance of turnout and indicating that November’s election would begin to restore the American dream for the hardworking people of California. Another strong performance was turned in by California Republican Party Chairman Ron Nehring, who warmed up the audience with an impressive combination of red-meat rhetoric and political humor that set the table perfectly for Palin’s entrance.
In the end, however, the star of the RNC rally was Sarah Palin and, judging by the popular response, she claimed California as the capital of Palin Country.
See some excerpts from Palin’s speech below… Watch her entire remarks here.