(CNN) – Sarah Palin will take a break from an increasingly bitter set of standoffs with state legislators Thursday to make her first public comments in the lower 48 states this year. Palin's appearance at a gathering of social conservatives will also increase speculation that she might be interested in running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.
Alaska's governor and last year's GOP vice presidential nominee will speak briefly at the Vanderburgh County Right to Life dinner in Evansville, Indiana tonight. She will follow Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, who is the keynote speaker at the sold-out event, which is billed as the nation's largest right to life banquet.
Tomorrow morning, Palin is scheduled to attend a breakfast with members of S.M.I.L.E., a non profit support organization for people with family members who have Down Syndrome. Palin's son, Trig, has Down Syndrome.
On Monday, Palin's office blasted Alaska state Democrats for criticizing her decision to leave the state and travel to the speaking appearances during the closing days of the legislative session. The governor has also come under fire from members of her own party for this trip. Palin has opted to skip several major conservative gatherings this year, citing state legislative demands.
Over the past few weeks, public faceoffs with lawmakers over her nominee for state attorney general, her reluctance to request all the stimulus funds available to the state, and a series of her picks to fill a Democratic legislative seat that have all been rejected by members of the party.
Palin's still considered a possible candidate for 2012 Republican presidential nomination. There is no clear frontrunner for the next GOP nomination battle, but in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation national poll of Republicans conducted in February, Palin won the support of 29 percent of those questioned, slightly ahead of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, both 2008 presidential contenders.
From CNN Politics
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Palin First, The People Second. That should be her slogan.
Her and Perry should go to another planet as far as im concerned.Two morons for one price.
Sarah please run in 2012 that way we are guaranteed to have BO another 4 years.....
Let me know if Texas succeeds because if Palin runs for President in 2012 and wins, I am moving to the new country Texas !
In my wildest dreams, I cannot imagine the Republican Party, as out of touch with the American people as they are, nominating Palin as their parties choice for President.
If that is the best that party has to offer, they are in very serious trouble.
increasingly bitter set of standoffs with the father (whose family's drug problems have not bessedly been in the news) of Palin's out of wedlock grandchild, and Palin's dad (who needs to change his Depends adult diaper – certainly why he is so grumpy)
no, that would be too good to be true, brace yourself for Palin to fire some more people as she is happy that she made it past April 15th with out paying her taxes again – in celebration of her own tax tea party
let Alaska's budget trouble get solved with out Palin, a solution will happen and Alaska will be better for Palin not sticking her troubles into the middle of it
please, please run for president so the USA can show you once and for all that we don't want you!!
God Bless President Obama, VP Biden, the First Families and "Bo"
I'm confused here. Is being an idiot a requirement to be nominated for president in the GOP? Aside from McCain, the list of candidates fielded last time in 2008 was an embarrassment to the entire country.
Well, between Michael Steele's hate rhetoric, and Palin's lack of intelligible syntax, it should be an interesting affair. Since when is it OK to legislate mortality anyway? And gee, Sarah, how's the abstinence teaching working out in Alaska? I understand you have the highest rate of illegitimate children in the country, as well as high teen birth rates. Maybe you ought to get that house in order before you come down to the lower 48 and start preaching values to us. And since you Alaskans pay no income tax, I think we'll start balancing the federal budget by cutting Alaska's huge share of the federal pie. Until you can start financing your own projects, you get no help from me and my tax dollars. That sounds fair.
Oh Sheesh, look at all the hateful liberals with torches and pitch forks.
SARAH! SARAH SARAH!
stay strong sarah!
First I will not criticize her for being responsive to S.M.I.L.E. I think they represent a wonderful cause. However, I do is nearing the end of it's legislative session.
Sounds like a recipe for GOP alienation of America
95% of these comments will probably be negative of Sarah Palin, and 5% of these comments will cry foul and say that those who oppose of Sarah must just be "afraid" of her. These Sarah Palin supporters are in as much denial as Sarah Palin is.
My main reason for not supporting Sarah Palin is because I believe in separation of Church & State. For a Republican to say they want the Federal Government to get out of our lives and stop taxing us, but at the same time for a Republican to want to tell me what to do with my body (regarding abortions) is just ridiculous.
Please stop talking about her. Maybe then she will go away!
The reason Palin's billed to speak "briefly" is because the organisers know she cannot speak "at length". She cannot construct even ONE grammatically coherent sentence! She is mentally impoverished.
sarah is awesome!
liberals just want the U.S. strong again after Bush dismantled our civil rights, the economy, launched two wars
the list just goes on and on
what a blow hard you are with a selective and short memory
Who wants this moroon for President??? She needs to go home and take care of her son and grandson. She might have more knowledge in the baby sitting department than on the affairs of this country.
Perry and his ilk with their "brand" of Christianity and patriotism won't be satisfied until the US resembles Iraq. They and bin laden have a lot in common.
I hope she runs. I want to see her debate other Republican candidates. I want to hear what she knows. She has not impressed me yet.
$100+ again expect Sarah's lower 48 stock to rise big time, and expect mit romney's stock to fall like a rock when the focus is not on economic woes, but on quirky things like his faith (etc)
right now Romney has the upper hand on sarah, because sarah's major issue ( energy ) is not a major issue right now.
you watch, when gas goes back up to 5$ a gal sarah's numbers will skyrocket in the lower 48.
when oil goes back up sarah wins big time.
when oil goes down sarah still has her huge charisma and other talants, but she is only half the canidate she can be, and that is why other Gop canidates are making some moves right now.
She tried to overshadow McCain in the campaign. Remember her signs that read "Palin Country"?
She is only seeking the spotlight- nothing else.
She will do and say anything to keep her name out there. Does she really think she has a chance? Pathetic.
The good news............her speech will be BRIEF!!!
I know a lot of the posters on CNN hate Palin because they don't agree with her politics. That's a shame. She is the closest thing we've had to a citizen political official on the national stage since the early days of our nation.
What an intelligent, well thoughtout idea! And when you need federal aid for natural disasters -work it out for yourself! Hey, you'll help decrease spending!!! Wahoo!!!