Sarah Palin: Tax Deal "Lousy," but Grateful for Obama's "Flip Flop"
Updated: 8:15AM ET
In a rare interview with ABC's "Good Morning America," former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin on Friday criticized the $858 billion tax cut bill that passed through Congress early this morning, calling the legislation "a lousy deal" that "creates a temporary economy with even more uncertainty for businesses and it does increase taxes."
"I think it's a lousy deal and we can do better for the American people," Palin told GMA's Robin Roberts, in an interview in her Alaska home.
The "new Congress is seated the first week of January," Palin continued. "It is better to wait until they are seated and get a good deal for the American public than to accept what I think is a lousy deal, because it creates a temporary economy with even more uncertainty for businesses and it does increase taxes."
Palin also said she was "grateful" to President Obama, who brokered the tax deal with Republican leadership, for compromising on his position that tax cuts for America's highest earners should not be extended.
"This is one case where I'm really thankful that the president flip flopped," she said. "I would say that it is a flip flop in his position on taxes because he was so adamant about not allowing the tax cut extension to take place for job creators, and then all of a sudden one day he was fine with it."
"He, you know, can term it compromise. I term it flip flop," she continued. "I was thankful that he did but it's still not good enough because our economy is ... at a breaking point and we are on a path towards insolvency if we do not start incentivizing businesses to start producing more in our own country."
Palin also lambasted a recently-abandoned $1.3 trillion Senate spending bill, which inspired criticism by some Republican leaders for the billions of dollars worth of earmarks it contained.
"You would think that the politicians in D.C. would have heard what the voters just said when they turned some things around in the midterm elections in November. But instead, they did fill up this bill with more pork," Palin said. "It's quite unfortunate, because we don't have the money. And we are gonna be beholden to foreign countries with this debt that we are incurring. And then we're handing the debt onto our children and our grandchildren, stealing opportunities from them, which I think is immoral."
When asked about recent emotional displays by incoming Republican House Speaker John Boehner, the former Alaska governor also spoke of what she perceives as a double-standard for women in politics. Noting that she respected the Ohio Republican for having "worn his feelings on his sleeve on things that are so important to him," Palin said she wasn't sure that, as a woman, she would be treated with an equal response in similar circumstances.
"But that's one of those things where a double standard certainly is applied," Palin said. "I'm sure if I got up there and did a speech and I started breaking down and cried about how important it is to me that our children and our grandchildren are provided great opportunities, I'm sure that I would be knocked a little bit for that.
Palin, who was on the show promoting her new memoir, "America By Heart," stayed mum on the issue of a possible presidential bid.
"It's a prayerful consideration," she said, of the decision. "My consideration is for my family, whether this would be good or not good for the family, whether it would be good or not good for the debate and the discourse in this country, and just trying to get the lay of the land and see who else is out there who would be willing to make those sacrifices."
"My decision won't be made before some months still," Palin said, before adding that, "if I were to participate in that contested primary -- you know, it -- I would be in it to win it."
