Washington (CNN) - Sarah Palin issued a warning to Mitt Romney Saturday, calling on the former Massachusetts governor to do a better job explaining his record to conservatives or risk dampening voter turnout in November if he wins the Republican presidential nomination.
In an interview with CNN and The New York Times before her speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, Palin said she was confused by Romney’s declaration here on Friday that he was a “severely conservative Republican.”
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“I wasn’t quite sure what the word 'severely' meant,” Palin said.
She said Romney and his two main rivals - Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich - should be given time to explain the flaws in their record until the Republican National Convention in August, when she said the nomination fight could ultimately be decided.
But Romney may have the hardest sale to make, she said, asking him to explain his “shifts in ideology” since he left the Massachusetts governorship.
“You have to have the tea party patriots enthused and energized in order to win this nomination, and more importantly in order to defeat Barack Obama,” Palin argued.
If conservatives are “dismissed and they are marginalized” by the Republican establishment, “they are going to be much less enthused and much less willing to put it all on the line for the GOP candidate in the general election.”
“We can’t afford to have low voter turnout in the general election, and that is all the more reason for Romney to really start connecting more with conservatives,” she said.
Though she has spoken warmly about both Gingrich and Santorum, she said she was still making up her mind about which candidate to support.
Her Fox News contract does not prohibit her from weighing in on the presidential race, she said.
Palin said she would not encourage any of the candidates to drop out of the race, saying it’s “not yet” time for Gingrich to step aside and allow Santorum to rally the conservative vote.
She also welcomed the possibility of a brokered convention in Tampa.
“I don’t think that it would be a negative for the party, a brokered convention,” she said. “And people who start screaming that a brokered convention is the worst thing for the GOP, they have an agenda. They have their own personal or political reasons for their own candidate, who they would like to see protected away from a brokered convention. That’s part of the competition, that’s part of the process. And it may happen.”
From CNN Politics
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....glad to know she is still in charge!
Palin giving advice and a "warning" about speeches? That's hysterical! I can't imagine what possessed this woman who can't put a coherent sentence together, to actually try to give that kind of advice. She's still good for plenty of laughs.
Hoooyaaaa! Sarah Palin is just like tweaking the establishment. I am loving it.
Anyone is better that Obama, heck even Jimmy Carter did not flip to countries to radical Islam and about destroyed the economy. Hopefully Obama quits giving his buddies billions and does something about his buddies like Jon Corzine stealing $1.6 Billion and his buddie Holder shipping guns to Drug Cartels thereby killing 100s in Mexico.
Keep it up Sarah, you betcha!
Palin is giving advice because she did so well as a national candidate.
The half term governor needs to fade into reality tv oblivion.
All 4 candidates should pray that she doesn't support them because that is like the " kiss of death ".
Why does she continue to wear fake glasses?
What a waste of breath / fresh air.
To have a chance in the general election, Romney will have to appeal to the moderates, NOT Sarah's wing-nuts.
There are a lot more NON-tea-party patriots than her "tea-party-patriots"; ask me, many of the tp-ers are definitely NOT patriots, they're dazed & confused like Sarah and motivated mainly by greed.
Sarah's so far out of it, why are you reporting on her spewage (that she's been handed to read)?
Palin 2016
Newt, Santorum, and Paul are all talk and no do. Romeny will save our families and country
I don't understand why anyone would care, even a tiny little bit, what the airhead from Wasilla would think.
Yeah, I'm sure Mittens will take advise from Madame Palin. Her endorsement of him would lose him votes among any rational human beings. She dragged McCain down in 2008 and she'd have the same affect on Romney. Yet, the Alaskan harpy still wants to make noise. Every time she opens her trap, she no doubt helps to ensure Obama's victory. Keep yapping, Sarah.
I'm so glad she has spoken...
I was afraid this would be over before she shot off her mouth.
Palin doesn't seem to understand that republican conservatives are a minority in this country.
Sarah, conservatives are "dismissed and marginalized" by independants already because of the "tea party" and thier agenda. I'm afraid that their refusal to compromise has lead to their demise in 2012. With a 10% approval rating you don't really expect to win anything, DO YOU???
Look who's talking!! The gal who made more convluted statements than anyone else. I admit "severely" conservative is strange.... If you read that someone was severely injured, that translates to badly injured..is MItt "badly" conservative?? Odd. Mitt Romney is just showing his true-not- too- intellegant self . The minute he gets off the scritpt he becomes a clueless, insensitive numbskull, Ten grand bets, pink slips (not funny! to someone who really has to worry about that) Caymen Island bank accounts, 23M. a year investment income with only 13% tax rate...He has no idea what it is to be a regular person! The more he talks the deeper he digs his hole.
Sarah Palin issued a warning ... This has got to be one of the dumbest things this "woman" has ever come up with. There should have been a warning right from the start of her worthless mere existence.
I know palin can show you how to loose Romney so you please listen to her, ask John McCain.
Yes. Get on your knees knave and purse those lips. The Conservatives demand total submission of your brain and soul before they deign to vote for you. Wow. Do the rest of us really want one of their own in the White House? It does not seem that they want the best candidate, just any fool who can beat President Obama. Want a sample of the how conservatives are losing their minds? Look at the stink they made over the Clint Eastwood car commercial. It was a commerical tauting the comeback spirit of this country and the conservatives howled because it seemed to endorse President Obama. Geez-O-Pete people. Get a grip. It stands to reason that SOMETHING President Obama does will yield positive results.
Why would anyone care what a quitter thinks?
My God, does she still think the American voters care what she thinks? And those that call this woman governor, when she's as half-baked as a raw slab of meat, are as crazy as she is.
Okay, who all wants to take political advise from the Alaskan Loser? Palin fails to realize the biggest detriment to the GOP is the Tea Party and its absolutely insane agenda of establishing an American Taliban government.
Great. Now all Romney has to do is build a time machine, go back to when he was Governor of Massachussets and undo every liberal/moderate undertaking of his.
It seems that Ms. Palin gets confused easily and about alot of issues especially those not scriopted for her.
As if Sarah Palin has anything to say that the world cares about. She made another of her dumb mistakes in endorsing Newt and now is realizing she bet on the wrong pig.