Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said Americans will support Duck Dynasty like they backed Chick-fil-A when liberals called for boycotts and attacked the popular restaurant chain when its CEO spoke out against gay marriage.
In an appearance on Fox News’s Hannity on Thursday, Palin, the politician that columnists have said most resonates with Duck Dynasty nation, said she “absolutely” thought the reaction in support of Duck Dynasty will be the same after A&E suspended patriarch Phil Robertson for comments to GQ that were supposedly “anti-gay.” When Chick-fil-A came under attack, the country had Chick-fil-A appreciation days that packed the already popular restaurants.
“You’re going to see people wearing their camo,” Palin, who was also clad in a Duck Dynasty camo, said. “You’re going to see people wearing their red, white and blue bandanas and be out there with their duck calls and everything else.”
Palin said the Duck Dynasty family is so “Americana” and praised the family for being “traditional and strong.” Palin emphasized that the Robertsons “circle the wagons when times are tough.”
“It’s patriotic. It’s beautiful. It’s part of the heart of America,” Palin said. “And we all need to be out there promoting and protecting the heart of America. We can do that by showing support for ‘Duck Dynasty.'”
Soon after A&E suspended Robertson, Palin was the first prominent politician to instinctively push back, saying on Wednesday night that “Free speech is an endangered species.
“Those ‘intolerants’ hatin’ and taking on the Duck Dynasty patriarch for voicing his personal opinion are taking on all of us,” she wrote on her Facebook page.