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Thousands flock to Boston Common for Palin and Tea Party Express rally

Thousands converged on the Boston Common Wednesday morning to protest big government and catch a glimpse of former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin speaking at a Tea Party Express rally.

A Boston Park Ranger estimated that the crowd of tea partiers and protesters peaked at about 10,000 at the time of Palin’s speech.

“Boston, if anyone knows how to throw a tea party, it is you,” Palin said. “You’re sounding the warning bell just like what happened in that midnight ride.”

In her 20-minute speech, Palin attacked the Obama administration for what she said was excessive spending that is making the United States beholden to foreign countries.

“I’m not calling anyone un-American, but the unintended consequences of the results is un-American,” she said. “Is that what their change is all about?”

Palin and other speakers at the event urged the crowd to protest Democratic policies.

“Boston, it’s our turn to stand up and speak out,” Palin said. “From now until November, when they say “yes we can,’ we’re gonna say “oh no you don’t.'”

Palin also hit on the issue of energy in her address, using a familiar catch phrase.
“Energy in America is security for America, so yeah, let’s drill baby, drill,” she said. “We can be energy independent, all we need is the political will.”

Tea Party Express Grassroots and Coalitions Director Amy Kremer tried to convince the crowd of its own influence.

“The reason [the media] are all here is because of the power of this movement,” she said. “We’ve had several great victories, number one is [Sen.] Scott Brown.”

Both Brown and Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker were not present at the rally.

Boston Police Department spokesman Joe Zanoli said that the event was “peaceful” and no arrests were made.

Susan Richter, a nurse from Wakefield, came to the event because she said she doesn’t like the direction in which the country is headed.

“I’m very frustrated, like a lot of people,” she said.

Richter said she was excited to see Palin speak.

“She’s down to Earth, I just like her,” Richter said.

University of Maine Farmington sophomore Rebecca Harper held sign that read “Don’t mortgage my future.” She said that it is hard to express her political feelings at a college with a liberal environment.

“I didn’t advertise that I was coming here because I’d thought I’d get a lot of attention,” she said.

One of the protesters against the tea party movement was Walter Chapin of Cambridge, a 74-year-old computer programmer and registered Democrat. He carried a sign that said

“Obama = Uniter, Palin = Divider.” Many tea party supporters stopped to argue with Chapin’s message.

“She is a negative speaker, she has no positive solutions that I’ve heard,” Chapin said. As for the tea partiers, Chapin said “they have understandable anger, but I think their anger gets a little irrational at times.”

Lorraine DeSalvo of Plaistow, N.H., said the media often unfairly characterizes tea party members. She owns a sign business, and her homemade sign read “Just because I don’t agree doesn’t mean I’m racist.”

DeSalvo said she thought Palin’s speech was great, but said the former governor of Alaska would not make a good president, at least not yet.

“But she’d make a better president than what we have,” she said.

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