TURLOCK, Calif. — Amid tight security and protests, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin made a highly anticipated fundraising appearance Friday at California State, Stanislaus, where she was given a standing ovation by a sold-out audience of about 370 who paid $500 a plate to hear her speak.
In her 40-minute speech, Palin joked about the controversy surrounding her visit, including demands in her speaking contract for plenty of water and bendable straws.
“Glad I got some of thosecontractual demands out of the way,” she said as she surveyed the lectern.
She called out state Attorney General Jerry Brown for investigating the finances of the campus foundation that invited her, including whether the university illegally sought to discard documents pertaining to her contract.
“Come on, this is California. Don’t you have anything better to do?” Palin said to applause. “There’s not a whole lot of controversy here. There’s no ‘there’ there. I’m just happy you stuck with me and didn’tcancel on me.”
Palin also addressed the topic of teaching the next generation the civic lessons of protecting freedom and defending the American idea of liberty.
“We’re not educating our youth about the exceptional nature of America,” she said. “For America to survive, we’ve got to pass that on to the next generation.”
About 150 students and members of the liberal group Valley Progressives marched from a park to the campus in protest of Palin’s visit.
Front Section, Pages 3 on 06/27/2010