Palin: Tea Partiers "Have to Pick a Party"
In front of a crowd of Republican Party activists and the tea-party movement's rank and file here on Tuesday night, former Alaska governor Sarah Palin seemed to put a damper on speculation that she might consider running for president in 2012 as a third-party candidate.
Asked what her advice would be to conservatives as the November elections approach, Palin first lavished praise on the Tea Party movement, calling it "a grand movement" and adding, "I love it because it's all about the people."
But she quickly pivoted to the broader question of whether the Tea Party movement might successfully field its own candidates in national elections, and on that point she sounded far from convinced.
"Now the smart thing will be for independents who are such a part of this Tea Party movement to, I guess, kind of start picking a party," Palin said. "Which party reflects how that smaller, smarter government steps to be taken? Which party will best fit you? And then because the Tea Party movement is not a party, and we have a two-party system, they're going to have to pick a party and run one or the other: 'R' or 'D'."
Palin said that the Republican platform best meshed with the Tea Party's creed. However, she mentioned that her husband Todd was not a registered Republican and that the party should be open to embracing independents.
Palin used her 45-minute speech and the Q&A session that featured pre-selected questions from the crowd to sound off on everything from what she called the "snake-oil science" of global warming to politicians who are "addicted to 'O-P-M'-other people's money."
Many of her remarks were revived directly from the 2008 vice presidential stump, including her repeated invocations of former president Ronald Reagan.
But there was one element that Palin had to contend with on Tuesday that she rarely (if ever) did on the campaign trail: empty seats. Though the Arkansas Republican Party sold differently priced upper-level and lower-level tickets to the event at the 18,000-seat Verizon Arena, less than half of the seats in the lower bowl were occupied, and the entire upper level was shrouded by black drapes.
In the hours before the Palin event began, the Arkansas GOP was advertising on its web site a heavily discounted "$20 ticket special." The dining tables that had been set up on arena's floor, however, were full with donors who had contributed $175.
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Those who were on hand were at their most animated during Palin's remarks on national security.
The former Republican vice presidential nominee earned her first standing ovation of the evening when she asked, "how dare a terrorist who hates America and hates our Constitution be given those same rights" that are granted to her son Track and other U.S. servicemen.
Her second standing ovation came seconds later when she added, "We need to spend more time lifting up America instead of apologizing for the greatest country on earth."
Palin spent much of the evening railing against some of her favorite targets, including "elites" in Washington and the media.
When she was asked what she believed was the number one threat to America today, several audience members shouted, "Obama!"
Arkansas Republican Party Chairman Doyle Webb, who moderated the Q&A session, responded by adding, "Besides Obama."
Palin then chimed in as many in the crowd laughed.
"See, they said that, I didn't," she said. "Just you watch now, too, because somebody will be here with their little Twittering thing, and it's going to be on the Internet any minute now."
Palin then said that a nuclear weapon in the hands of a regime or terrorist group was the biggest threat to the country, specifically mentioning Iran, and added that she believed the country's debt also negatively affected national security.
Copyright 2010 CBS. All rights reserved. Asked what her advice would be to conservatives as the November elections approach, Palin first lavished praise on the Tea Party movement, calling it "a grand movement" and adding, "I love it because it's all about the people."
But she quickly pivoted to the broader question of whether the Tea Party movement might successfully field its own candidates in national elections, and on that point she sounded far from convinced.
"Now the smart thing will be for independents who are such a part of this Tea Party movement to, I guess, kind of start picking a party," Palin said. "Which party reflects how that smaller, smarter government steps to be taken? Which party will best fit you? And then because the Tea Party movement is not a party, and we have a two-party system, they're going to have to pick a party and run one or the other: 'R' or 'D'."
Palin said that the Republican platform best meshed with the Tea Party's creed. However, she mentioned that her husband Todd was not a registered Republican and that the party should be open to embracing independents.
Palin used her 45-minute speech and the Q&A session that featured pre-selected questions from the crowd to sound off on everything from what she called the "snake-oil science" of global warming to politicians who are "addicted to 'O-P-M'-other people's money."
Many of her remarks were revived directly from the 2008 vice presidential stump, including her repeated invocations of former president Ronald Reagan.
But there was one element that Palin had to contend with on Tuesday that she rarely (if ever) did on the campaign trail: empty seats. Though the Arkansas Republican Party sold differently priced upper-level and lower-level tickets to the event at the 18,000-seat Verizon Arena, less than half of the seats in the lower bowl were occupied, and the entire upper level was shrouded by black drapes.
In the hours before the Palin event began, the Arkansas GOP was advertising on its web site a heavily discounted "$20 ticket special." The dining tables that had been set up on arena's floor, however, were full with donors who had contributed $175.
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Those who were on hand were at their most animated during Palin's remarks on national security.
The former Republican vice presidential nominee earned her first standing ovation of the evening when she asked, "how dare a terrorist who hates America and hates our Constitution be given those same rights" that are granted to her son Track and other U.S. servicemen.
Her second standing ovation came seconds later when she added, "We need to spend more time lifting up America instead of apologizing for the greatest country on earth."
Palin spent much of the evening railing against some of her favorite targets, including "elites" in Washington and the media.
When she was asked what she believed was the number one threat to America today, several audience members shouted, "Obama!"
Arkansas Republican Party Chairman Doyle Webb, who moderated the Q&A session, responded by adding, "Besides Obama."
Palin then chimed in as many in the crowd laughed.
"See, they said that, I didn't," she said. "Just you watch now, too, because somebody will be here with their little Twittering thing, and it's going to be on the Internet any minute now."
Palin then said that a nuclear weapon in the hands of a regime or terrorist group was the biggest threat to the country, specifically mentioning Iran, and added that she believed the country's debt also negatively affected national security.
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Find out why: The Palin Conspiracy-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rSNGnYvF8k
You make the average scammer look like a saint....
mary-miami, your ignorance is astounding! If you would do proper research, you would find that the tea party consists of a few extremists from both ends of the political spectrum; but by far consists of ordinary people, who previously had zero interest in politics. That is, they had zero interest before they became utterly fed up with the incompetence of our gov't officials. In addition, you are blind as a bat or in complete denial if you can't see the current destruction going on by the Dems who now have absolute control...the Dems have spent more money in one year (not counting the bailout funds) than all the presidents combined since the U.S. was founded!
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The Tea-Baggers are largely a group of undereducated lower and lower-middle
class people who are grasping at straws. They are willing to believe
anything that you zealots are willing to say. Take, for example, your
LIE about the Democrats spending more money in one year than ......
That is a bold faced lie. The one thing that mystifies me about
you and your lowlife minions is your willingness to lie about things
that are easy to verify. It is simply AMAZING.
She's been a babe since she was born.
Don't sniff at her with such disdain
Because she hasn't got a brain.
Try to love her girlish chatter,
With her looks that shouldn't matter.
Perhaps some intellect she lacks,
But what a wit! Such wise-cracks!
Don't let her air-head patter getcha.
Palin for President? You betcha!
Don't vote for party vote for the right people! The parties don't care about us they care about the power and money!!! We are the only ones that can give them power and we can take it away, they need to realize that!!!