Wilson and Palin, proud to be rednecks
By: Jeff Dufour and Kiki Ryan
Washington Examiner
05/05/09 6:08 PM EDT
She asked for her autograph on air, had her perform at her nomination acceptance speech and sang along to her songs at rallies, so we’re guessing Sarah Palin will be happy to know her love for country singer Gretchen Wilson is mutual.
“I love her. It was so heartbreaking [to see them lose],” Wilson told Yeas & Nays after testifying on the Hill – proving that although Palin’s not in office, Gretchen Wilson still has a passion for politics.
Wilson stumped for Palin several times during her campaign, but on Tuesday she was in Washington on behalf of adult literacy and the importance of a high school degree. Wilson received her GED in 2008.
After signing autographs on photos of her in a cap and gown holding her recent diploma, Wilson recalled to Yeas & Nays one of her favorite things about Palin – they are both rednecks.
Some of you may remember back in October Palin opened a rally telling the story about being called a redneck.
“Someone called me a redneck woman once and you know what I said back, I said, why, thank you,” Palin said, citing Wilson’s break-out hit song “Redneck Woman.”
“I just loved when she said that,” Wilson told us. “She changed the face and the name of being a redneck.”
And for those that may have missed that rally on TV, Palin also once asked a crowd in Asheville, N.C., days before the election, “We got any rednecks in here?” And Wilson, like Palin, doesn’t see the term as a negative.
“I don’t consider it a bad term," Wilson explained. "It’s not about being in the backwoods, it’s a way of life. It’s about being proud to be an American."
She also added she was very upset at the way Palin was depicted by the media.
“There’s nothing wrong with being a simple girl," she said. "If you want to marry your high school sweetheart, never work a day in your life, and drive a bug, if that’s what makes you happy, then you’re a winner.”
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