Jaman Matthews checks in from Verizon Arena in North Little Rock, where Sarah Palin entertained a Republican fund-raiser tonight:
 
If the world experiences a sudden shortage of red and blue dye, we can safely blame Sarah Palin.
 
The former vice-presidential candidate/former Alaska governor (/former Republican?) spoke Tuesday night at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock, a fund-raising event for the Arkansas Republican Party. The visual theme was never in question. American flags flapped on every visible screen. Red and white banners flanked the speakers’ dais. Each table—there was a pre-event dinner—was bedecked with red napkins and lit from overhead by blue lights. Red, white and blue bows were affixed to the serving trays on the buffet tables. Blue carpet covered the arena floor.
 
Here are the statistics for the event, by my count. (These are not official numbers. I did not do any event-wide polling, and no audio was allowed, so you’ll just have to trust me.)
 
Number of less expensive tables on the arena floor: 94.
Number of the more expensive tables (do not call them “elite”): 18.
 
Number of African-Americans in attendance: 4.
Number of full-length fur coats: 5.
 
Most popular cocktail: Scotch.
 
Mentions of President Obama: 1.
Of those, the number using simply the colloquial “Obama”: 1.
Mentions of Sarah Palin as “Governor Palin”: 5.
(This does not include the official event program, where she was also referred to as governor.)
 
Number of stars on the red-white-and-blue stage backdrop: 15.
(No word on which are the lucky 15 states.)
Number of stars on stage: 1.
 
Times Palin mentioned the Republican Party in her speech: 1.
Wal-Mart: 7.
 
The event itself was perfunctory: religious bluegrass, a patriotic medley, the Pledge of Allegiance, prayer. And Palin’s speech was equally perfunctory—a well-rehearsed mix of folksy stories about Wasilla; praise for real, everyday Americans and their counterparts, the hard-working Americans; and criticism of her usual, nebulous targets, including Washington and the “lame-stream” media.
 
The only real surprise of the night was that the sautéed chicken with mushroom white wine sauce outperformed the sliced prime rib.

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