Palin goes after Reid in hometown rally

About 7,000 Tea Party activists descended on Searchlight, Nev., for the kickoff of a 42-city bus tour that is to end in Washington on the tax-filing deadline, April 15.

Jae C. Hong / AP

About 7,000 Tea Party activists descended on Searchlight, Nev., for the kickoff of a 42-city bus tour that is to end in Washington on the tax-filing deadline, April 15.

SEARCHLIGHT, Nev. - Sarah Palin told thousands of Tea Party activists assembled in the Nevada desert yesterday that Sen. Harry Reid will have to explain his votes when he comes back to his hometown to campaign.

The former Alaska governor told the cheering crowd that Mr. Reid (D., Nev.), who is fighting for re-election, is "gambling away our future."

"Someone needs to tell him this is not a crapshoot," Mrs. Palin said.

About 7,000 people streamed into tiny Searchlight, a former mining town 60 miles south of Las Vegas, bringing American flags, "Don't Tread on Me" signs, and outspoken anger toward Mr. Reid, President Obama, and the health-care overhaul.

Mrs. Palin told them the big-government, big-debt spending spree of the Senate majority leader, Mr. Obama, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is over.

"You're fired!" Mrs. Palin said.

Samuel Joseph 'Joe the Plumber' Wurzelbacher of Springfield Township was part of the crowd at the 'Showdown in Searchlight' rally in Nevada.

Polls show Mr. Reid is vulnerable in politically moderate Nevada after pushing Mr. Obama's agenda in Congress.

His standing has also been hurt by Nevada's double-digit unemployment and record foreclosure and bankruptcy rates.

Mr. Reid, a native of Searchlight, responded with sarcasm to the large crowd.

"I'm happy so many people came to see my hometown of Searchlight and spend their out-of-state money, especially in these tough economic times," Mr. Reid said in a statement released through his Senate campaign.

"This election will be decided by Nevadans, not people from other states who parachuted in for one day to have a tea party."

Traffic on a highway leading into the town was backed up more than two miles as people gathered for the rally, which kicks off a 42-city bus tour that ends in Washington on April 15, tax day.

The rally has been called a conservative Woodstock and takes place just days after the historic health-care vote that ushered in near-universal medical coverage and divided Congress and the nation.

The vote was followed by reports of threats and vandalism aimed at some Washington lawmakers, mostly Democrats who supported the new law.

Conservative columnist Andrew Breitbart disputed accounts that Tea Party activists in Washington shouted racial epithets at black members of Congress amid the health-care debate, although he didn't provide any evidence.

Mrs. Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, appeared after spending Friday and yesterday morning campaigning for Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican who led the 2008 ticket.

Now a Fox News analyst and potential 2012 presidential candidate, Mrs. Palin faced criticism after posting a map on her Facebook page that had circles and cross hairs over 20 Democratic districts. She also sent a tweet saying, "Don't Retreat, Instead RELOAD!"

She said she wasn't inciting violence, just trying to inspire people to get involved. "We're not going to sit down and shut up. Thank you for standing up," Mrs. Palin said.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department sent officers to patrol the crowd, but aside from a report of a fist fight that officers didn't see, the event appeared peaceful.

Officer Jay Rivera said there had been no arrests.

The Tea Party movement is a coalition of conservative groups angered by Washington's spending, rising taxes, and the growth and reach of government.