During a campaign rally in North Carolina on October 16, 2008, Republican then-Vice Presidential Candidate
Sarah Palin said, "We believe that the best of America is not all in Washington, D.C. We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America, being here with all of you hard working, very patriotic, um, very, um, pro-America areas of this great nation. This is where we find the kindness and the goodness and the courage of everyday Americans. Those who are running our factories and teaching our kids and growing our food and are fighting our wars for us. Those who are protecting us in uniform. Those who are protecting the virtues of freedom." Some, including the Obama/Biden campaign, took her statement to mean that she thought that urban areas of the country were less "pro-America" and patriotic. Jack's misguided assertions in this episode that people outside of cities represent "the real America" are spoofs of Palin's statements. "30 Rock" showrunner
Tina Fey won a 2009 Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for parodying Palin on
"Saturday Night Live" (1975).
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