NORFOLK -- Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin headlined a boisterous rally Sunday night of conservative politicians, broadcasters and religious leaders who one by one blasted the policies of President Barack Obama.
Freedom Fest 2010, held in Old Dominion University's Ted Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk, was billed as a salute to the military and public-safety workers.
The audience filled less than one-third of the arena, but many who showed up said they were looking for something to cheer.
"We've been registered Democrats for 30 years," said Ronnie Cooper, who drove up with his wife from Currituck County, N.C. "The party has lost its way. It's been taken over by a bunch of left-leaning, socialist ideologues. Sarah Palin and the tea party look like the answer."
Palin, who was the last of eight speakers to take the stage, got a standing ovation as she was introduced.
Her fast-paced speech was filled with many lines for which she has been known since gaining national prominence with her failed 2008 vice presidential bid.
"Don't retreat. Don't retreat," she said. "Just reload. That's what we've got to do."
There's a marked difference in Obama's view of the country from her own, she said.
"He sees a country that has to be apologized for around the world, especially to dictators," the former Alaska governor said. "We want to be a dominant superpower. It's in America's best interest and the world's that we are."
Before Palin's remarks, the audience heard former U.S. Sen. George Allen, R-Va., say America needs to be more assertive.
"We're sick and tired of being jerked around" by foreign dictators in order to get their oil, Allen said.
One-time Senate candidate and retired Marine Oliver North, now a broadcaster and author, followed the same theme in his speech, saying, "America has nothing to apologize for."
Unlike more traditional political rallies, Sunday's event was not free.
Audience members paid between $33 and $133 for seats in the arena; a few ponied up $1,000 to $1,200 for VIP tickets that allowed them to pose for photos with Palin and North.
Palin's Norfolk appearance was one of three paid appearances in a few days. On Saturday, she spoke at The Oil Palace arena in Tyler, Texas, and she is scheduled to appear today in the Gwinnett Center arena in suburban Atlanta.
The event in Norfolk also had financial support from Regent University and Freedom Automotive, which is owned by Scott Rigell, a Republican taking on U.S. Rep. Glenn Nye, a Democrat, in the 2nd Congressional District this fall.
Despite the public's willingness to compensate Palin and other political figures to hear their thoughts, Quentin Kidd, a political-science professor at Christopher Newport University, said he's not enthused about the practice.
"In the old days, when a political cause or a campaign held a rally, the attendees could feel pretty confident that they were all motivated by the same cause," he said.
But when the political faithful are buying tickets to hear speakers at a for-profit event, it can be hard to tell "if the organization or speaker was motivated by the same cause or if they're simply motivated by a paycheck," Kidd said. "It's a pretty important and significant shift away from the normal political event."
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