SarahPAC - Sarah Palin's Official PAC

These photos were taken by Piper Palin as the One Nation Tour traveled through Illinois on Saturday, August 13th.

Thanks, Piper!

We had a wonderful morning touring the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois. About a year ago, I was honored to give a speech before the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. for the Restoring Honor Rally. Standing in the shadow of that massive monument to the Great Emancipator might make one forget that this heroic leader came from very humble beginnings in what was considered at the time a very remote part of the country. In fact, the east coast establishment long dismissed Lincoln as just a frontier political figure, and he never really won over that establishment. But it was as a "prairie lawyer" in Springfield that Lincoln honed the oratory and debate skills he used to persuade and inspire his fellow Americans in freeing the slaves and preserving our Union. These heartland roots are what made him who he was.

It was truly inspiring to learn more about this great man from those who tend to his legacy with such devotion. We learned a wealth of information about the Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation, and Lincoln’s life. Many thanks to the professional staff, volunteers, and historians at the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum for all they do to preserve this important aspect of American history and educate future generations.

- Sarah Palin

Good morning from Springfield, Illinois!

We had another great day yesterday traveling through the Midwest. We stopped to walk in the footsteps of Ronald Wilson Reagan at his alma mater Eureka College, enjoyed fried chicken at a local restaurant that “Dutch” frequented, and crossed on a few dirt roads following field after field of corn and soybeans.

Our country is an extraordinarily beautiful place.  But the people here are everything.  As Reagan said, “The most valuable lesson I learned at Eureka is that every individual makes a difference.” Individuals can make a difference. We have to.

The gritty, humble strength of America’s heartland is on display in the places we’ve visited the last few days, where individuals work together to pull resource and bounty from our land. We’ve met so many great people who are committed to their community and united by strong values and love of country.  

Thank you Eureka, Dixon, and all the places we stopped at yesterday.  This trip continues to inspire at every turn.

- Sarah Palin

P.S.  Congratulations to all those who participated in Ames yesterday. 

Ronald Reagan once said, “While I take inspiration from the past, like most Americans, I live for the future.” It’s because I believe in America's future that I take such inspiration from our past. We just visited Ronald Reagan’s childhood home in Dixon, Illinois. This beautiful small town along the Rock River is where Reagan learned the values that shaped him – the same values that have historically made America strong – thrift, hard work, fortitude, optimism, and courage in the face of adversity.

As a nation, we must reconnect with those values if we’re to truly restore all that is good and strong about the USA. Meeting the fine Americans in this small town on the river where Reagan saved 77 lives brought all this home for me.

Thanks to the wonderful volunteers who keep Reagan's memory alive. The restoration and tours of our beloved President's home are significant. Thank you, Dixon!

- Sarah Palin

P.S.: Allow me to share below the piece I wrote for USA Today’s special commemorative edition on President Reagan’s Centennial:

I had the privilege of coming of age during the era of Ronald Reagan. I like to think of him as America's lifeguard. As a teenager, Ronald Reagan saved 77 lives as a lifeguard on the Rock River, which ran through his hometown of Dixon, Ill. The day he was inaugurated in 1981, a local radio announcer famously declared, "The Rock River flows for you tonight, Mr. President."

The image of the lifeguard seems to represent what Reagan was to America and to the freedom-loving people of the world. He lifted our country up at a time when we were in the depths of economic, cultural and spiritual malaise. We were told that we must accept that the era of American greatness was over; but with his optimism and common sense, President Reagan held up a mirror to the American soul to remind us of our exceptionalism.

Reagan showed us that despite a deep recession, there could still be morning in America. He could speak to the economic troubles facing ordinary Americans because he understood what it was like to live through a Great Depression where families scraped to get by. And yet, he saw us recover from our Great Depression, and under his leadership we experienced the greatest peacetime economic boom in our history. He could speak to our fears that our years as a superpower were over, because he understood what it was like to see America at war and really fear that we might lose. And yet, he saw us win two world wars, and under his leadership we won the Cold War without firing a single shot. Reagan's belief in American greatness was rooted in historic fact, not blind optimism. He was a sunny optimist because he knew that our best days are yet to come.

Today, when we hear the worry in the voices of Americans wondering where the jobs will be for our children and grandchildren and wondering if the world will be safe and prosperous in the years to come, we should remember Reagan's faith in our inherent heroism and greatness. When we see people around the globe looking to the White House for leadership, we should remember Reagan's steel spine. He understood America's purpose in this world and what we need to do to secure liberty. As Margaret Thatcher said of him, "He sought to mend America's wounded spirit, to restore the strength of the free world, and to free the slaves of communism." He sought those things and he succeeded.

This year, as we celebrate the centennial of Reagan's birth, let's remember the lifeguard from the Rock River who rescued us with his optimism and common sense. We need more lifeguards like him.

Sarah Palin poses for a photo with a gentleman who placed in the FFA Market Swine Competition at the Iowa State Fair on Friday, August 12, 2011, in Des Moines, Iowa.  Palin, with husband Todd, and daughter, Piper, toured the livestock areas during a visit to fairgrounds while on the "One Nation Tour".  Photo by Shealah Craighead/SarahPAC

It was wonderful to be back in Iowa today to visit the historic Iowa State Fair! Thank you for the invitation and tremendous hospitality, Iowa friends. We had the opportunity to meet more great Americans from the heartland and talk about the issues confronting our country today and the sort of leadership we need to move forward. Iowans have big hearts and a great deal of common sense, which makes visiting here all the more inspiring and insightful. Like the majority of Americans across the nation, the good folks here know that our country is in need of a restoration of the free market and constitutional principles that have made us strong and free and will make us that again as we get our country back on the right track.

The work ethic shown here by these farm families is so encouraging. The kids involved in healthy activities like 4-H and FFA are proud, strong young Americans who’ll grow up to help feed the country and run the nation’s economic engine – our small businesses. Keep up the great work, farmers!

What an inspiring day with great Americans. Oh, and the butter cow really is amazing... as is the fried butter-on-a-stick, the fried twinkie, the pork chops, etc.!

- Sarah Palin

We are very happy to jump back on the bus for another leg of our "One Nation Tour"! We accept with gratefulness an invitation to meet folks at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines this week. The heartland is perfect territory for more of the One Nation Tour as we put forth efforts to revitalize the fundamental restoration of America by highlighting our nation's heart, history, and founding principles.

In a grossly weakened economy - especially when recovery is thwarted by today's Obamanomics - prudent Americans make sensible decisions to live within their means. This includes seeking affordable participation in more community events, local patriotic parades, and traditional all-American venues like state fairs. State fairs hold a special place in our nation's history and heritage, so my family is honored to highlight one of them on one stop along the One Nation Tour route - America's historic Iowa State Fair! (I'm also excited to try some of that famous fried butter-on-a-stick, fried cheesecake-on-a-stick, fried twinkies, etc. I'll enjoy them in honor of those who'd rather make us just "eat our peas"!)

Unlike next week's Obama Bus Tour, taxpayers aren't funding our tour, which is why we so appreciate your support in allowing us to be out there on the open road to visit with you to highlight small towns, big-hearted people, and the important role they play in our most exceptional nation.

You can participate with support for the "One Nation Tour" through SarahPAC.com and following virtually by bookmarking the SarahPAC website. We'll have updates from the road as our Constitution-draped bus travels to shine a spotlight on more of our nation's fine history. Watch this video and let the American road inspire you!

Thank you for your continued support of SarahPAC. Let's stay committed to the worthy cause - restoring all that is good and strong and free in America!

Thank you sincerely,

Sarah Palin