Country singer Gretchen Wilson, whose big hit was the song “Redneck Woman,” is proud to be a redneck and proud that “2008 Enlightened Redneck of the Year” Sarah Palin is part of the good-ol’-girl sisterhood.

While in Washington today, Wilson shared her own views on what it means to be a redneck and reflected on Palin’s similar views. From the Washington Examiner gossip columnists:

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.” … 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. … There’s nothing wrong with being a simple girl. 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.”