Palin: "Government Is The Problem, Doggone It!"

By: Scott Conroy
Topics: Sarah Palin

(CBS)

From CBS News' Scott Conroy:

(NEW PORT RICHEY, FLA.) - Sarah Palin pressed her argument that Barack Obama would move the country in a dramatically leftward direction.

"Our opponent's plan is just for more bigger government, and doggone it, government is the problem, not the solution," Palin said at a rally here.

"So, John and I, we just have the complete opposite approach in all of this, the opposite commitment which is so much better. Instead of taking more of your hard-earned money and then spreading that out according to a politician's priorities, we're gonna spread opportunity so you can create new wealth. That's equal opportunity."

Palin accused Obama of trying to "exploit the fear and worries" of senior citizens in Florida who are concerned about maintaining their Social Security and Medicare benefits, calling it "the oldest and cheapest kind of politics there is."

Later in the speech, she warned that Obama did not believe in gun rights, a charge the Democratic nominee has repeatedly denied.

"We believe in the forward movement of freedom, not in the constant expansion of government, and we believe that the virtues of freedom are still worth fighting for," Palin said. "And though Barack Obama disagrees with some of that freedom, it includes the full rights and liberties under the 2nd Amendment."

Scott Conroy
Scott Conroy is a National Political Reporter for RealClearPolitics and a contributor for CBS News.
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by intankinated November 2, 2008 6:52 PM EST: sharkteeth10...
Not everyone affected by the financial crisis is a deadbeat.

CRA was put in place by Jimmy Carter to stop banks from redlining QUALIFIED mortgage applicants in minority neighborhoods.

I wrote loans for years (retired since), and Bush was good to our industry - he gave us free money to lend, with few pesky regulations to hold us accountable. We loved less government. The more loans we sold, the more fees we collected. Any questionable loans were resold to someone else (at a profit of course). It was a vicious cycle that impacted people''s "adjustable rate"...and a few of us developed a conscience. My point is there has to be a balance of power or the consumer gets ripped off everytime.

Complete deregulation does not work, as we''ve seen long term. So has Big Government shrank as a result? I don''t know. But I sure don''t trust American Big Business to put consumers first anymore....those days are over.

Have you flown lately? Tried to cancel your phone without paying a $175 fee? Experience brown-out/ black-outs of power? Notice an increase in your credit card rate without cause? Been damaged by faulty consumer products?; Reply to this comment


by cfcarlos November 1, 2008 11:08 PM EDT: Given Sarah Palin%u2019s harping on the evils of higher taxes and government spending%u2014i.e. socialism-- I had assumed that her proposed $45 billion funding for special-needs children would be provided by the private sector or by donations from Christian charities. But no, if elected VP, she would pressure Congress into footing the bill. Either Governor Palin, like her equally uneducated hero, Joe the Plumber, is ignorant of the meaning of socialism, or else she%u2019s a bald-faced hypocrite.

Carlos the Carpenter (a real person); Reply to this comment


by sharkteeth10 November 1, 2008 10:26 PM EDT: I guess Obama paid bloggers are in full force today. Anyway, what could possibly be wrong with wanting less government control in your lives. This financial fiasco started in the late 70''s with government sticking their noses in the market. NO ONE disputes that. Millions of loans were given to people unqualified for those loans to support the legislation. ACORN and other groups stepped in and exploded the activity in the 90''s.

Now no one side is ever blameless but until we as citizens decide we want less gov''t, not more, we will forever be trapped by expanded policies and corrupt lobbyist.; Reply to this comment


by pogomcl November 1, 2008 9:44 PM EDT: Bill of Rights guarantees freedom of religion. McCain-Palin don''t.
Colin Powell put it straight: any Muslim kid should grow up with the dream of becoming an American President

the Constitution declares a separation of State from religion. Palin-McCain don''t respect it. Americans are free to live as Hindus, Muslims, Unitarians, Jews, atheists, Wiccan or Native American.

Nobody picks on Palin. Palin''s not fit for VP. She has several major ethics violations. She doesn''t know Constitutional law or Supreme Court issues; zit about Foreign Affairs. Kids speak and write better English than she does. Maybe Americans are very proud of their ignorance and illiteracy and love seeing their presidents look like *** on the world''s stage. If educated American are disgusted by Palin, you betcha Europeans are appalled. She doesn''t know Putin is retired and teaching judo. He''s rebuilding the Russian hockey league. The greatest threat Putin poses US is he won''t just get Jagr, but take back all those brilliant European hockey players to Russia and European leagues again.

that would wipe out the NHL. Strip it of its Czechs and Russians and you''re sitting in an empty arena.

Palin is a grafter, but McCain a carpet-bagger who made his political career off his wife and rich friends.

McCain doesn''t have guts to admit his inherent dishonesty. He''s not fit for office. McCain should be sued for character assassination.

Would he uphold the Bill of Rights for ALL AMERICANS?

Definitely not.; Reply to this comment


by birdyspice7 November 1, 2008 9:08 PM EDT: Yeah.. Sarah Palin only hates socialism and big gov''t until it foots the bill for all her kids to go to public school for free and provides for all those special needs programs she keeps talking about. Those special needs programs are in fact socialist. So, we get to call Sarah Palin a big, fat socialist and a liar-liar pants on fire.

lol; Reply to this comment


by lseaquist November 1, 2008 8:30 PM EDT: I''m in favor of helping special needs kids. But isn''t that growing government?

Would SP care about special needs kids if she didn''t have one?; Reply to this comment


by CelesteBlueDawn November 1, 2008 8:10 PM EDT: Remind me what religion she is a "christian" of again...; Reply to this comment


by akresident1 November 1, 2008 8:10 PM EDT: PNA Publishing just released a new hardback this month, %u201CSarah takes on Big Oil.
A fact-based book about Gov. Sarah Palin%u2019s stormy relationship with Alaska%u2019s %u2018Big 3%u2019 oil producers, %u201CSarah takes on Big Oil%u201D was written by Kay Cashman and Kristen Nelson, the longtime editors of Petroleum News, an Anchorage-based weekly newspaper and the state%u2019s only standalone oil and gas publication.
As people seek to learn more about Alaska%u2019s first woman governor, a recurring question emerges: How did she meet the challenge of balancing the interests of the people of Alaska against those of the state%u2019s major oil and gas companies?
Cashman and Nelson are the ideal team to deliver a three-dimensional portrait of the Palin administration and the unusual circumstances that have bracketed her leadership. Over and over, the authors are asked if they wrote the book on behalf of Palin.
%u201CWe wrote the book because it was timely and interesting. Our newspaper doesn%u2019t publish editorials, much less advocate for particular candidates,%u201D Cashman said. %u201CAnd the book is owned by the same company. We presented the Big 3 oil producers side of the story in the book, as well as that of the Palin administration.
This is a solid read. You%u2019ll not only learn a lot about Palin%u2019s qualifications, you%u2019ll learn a lot about the oil industry and how it operates.
For book excerpts visit: http://www.sarahtakesonbigoil.com; Reply to this comment


by obbcbs November 1, 2008 8:03 PM EDT: Sarah''''s been straight on this "less government is best". I always wonder why she slaps it out there so willingly, when it''''s a lack of government safeguards that led to the Wall Street crash? The safeguards that would have helped to prevent unsafe banking.

The answer is that her constituents bark to the tune she is singing. They dont know that it was ideology that brought down the mortgage house of cards. Like McCain, the uneducated GOP voter doesnt actually understand economics, or even think. They are a faith based constituency, and like Palin, they do what they are told. No abortion. Fine. The opponent is the anti-Christ. Fine. No thinking necessary.
So... sorry but the GOP uneducated voters dont really have a clue why the mortgage crisis happened. All they know is when Palin blows the dog-whistle, they bark. And they vote.

VOTE and save the Republic from the GOP.; Reply to this comment


by obbcbs November 1, 2008 7:39 PM EDT: Thanks Palin, why DO we have government, anyway? You and McSame wanna reduce the regulations on health insurance companies, dontcha know!!!; Reply to this comment