Palin, on Long Island, Answers Budget and Worldview Questions
Ozier Muhammad/The New York Times Sarah Palin spoke to the Long Island Association in Woodbury on Thursday.
WOODBURY, N.Y. — Sarah Palin urged Congressional Republicans on Thursday to stand against raising the nation’s debt ceiling when the issue is debated this spring, declaring, “It doesn’t necessarily have to result in a government shutdown.”
Ms. Palin said she believed that increasing the Treasury Department’s legal borrowing limit would simply “create the allowance for big spenders to get in there,” rather than save the country from defaulting on its financial burdens. She said that “the government receives so much revenue” every day that she doubted the money would run out to pay for critical operations.
In a luncheon appearance before the Long Island Association, which bills itself as the state’s largest business organization, Ms. Palin engaged in an animated exchange as she took questions about current affairs, her worldview and, of course, her political future. She said that she was still weighing whether to join the 2012 Republican presidential race, but said voters craved an unconventional candidate.
“People are ready for our governmental establishment to be shaken up,” Ms. Palin said, adding that if she decided to become a candidate, she would campaign aggressively face-to-face with voters, not simply from a distance. “In a heated primary, it allows for some great debate – very heated discourse – all those things we need in order for those voters to decide.”
At the conclusion of more than an hour of discussion, Ms. Palin did not offer a definitive answer about whether she would be a candidate:
I’m not saying it’s going to be me offering my name up in the name of service. There is so much to be considered, but I certainly believe that this is going to be an unconventional political cycle.
It was a rare public outing for Ms. Palin and unlike nearly any other public appearance that she has recently made. She did not deliver a prepared speech or simply offer her opinions on television through her role as an analyst on the Fox News Channel. Instead, Ms. Palin took a seat at the front of a country club ballroom and took questions from the president of the Long Island Association, Kevin Law.
The tone was friendly, but the length of the event offered at least a small and unscripted window into Ms. Palin, the former Alaska governor, that is seldom seen since she made her debut on the national political stage as Senator John McCain’s presidential running mate more than two years ago.
When asked why her approval rating had fallen in public opinion surveys, she said, “In a lot of those polls, yeah, I get my butt kicked.”
When asked why she opposed all types of gun control – with the moderator openly disagreeing with her – she said that the “bad guys” aren’t going to follow the laws, anyway.
And as she talked about the escalating price of gas and groceries, she said, “It’s no wonder Michelle Obama is telling everybody you better breast-feed your baby – yeah, you better – because the price of milk is so high right now!”
As the crowd broke into laughter, she added, “And may that not be the takeaway, please, of this speech.”
The Long Island Association invited Ms. Palin to speak about a month ago. She was paid for her appearance, but officials with the group declined to disclose details of the arrangement.
Ms. Palin arrived at the Crest Hollow Country Club late Thursday morning and appeared on a private photo line with members of the business association before taking her seat at the head table. Bristol Palin, who often accompanies her mother to speaking engagements, was also at the luncheon that drew nearly 1,000 paying guests [pdf].
Ms. Palin was the latest in a long string of political figures to appear before the annual meeting of the Long Island Association. As people ate a tomato salad and chicken breast lunch, a video played that featured highlights from a joint appearance by George W. Bush and George H. W. Bush, along with other political leaders like Newt Gingrich and Colin Powell.
View the original article here
This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.
Twitter
Facebook