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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I still await a response from this list: how has any GOP President enriched your day-to-day life while he is in office? The rich got richer and the poor got rich?
playing to the Fox news ratings Sarah, you know that the conservatives won't vote for Romney because he's a Mormon! Don't waste the new medias time by implying if he were to explain his views, he'll get the conservative vote, you know he won't because he belongs to a cult who invoke the name of Jesus.
Who is Sarah Palin? The name sounds familiar... Didn't she lose an election a while ago? Nah, that couldn't be it. Why would CPAC close with a speech from a losing candidate?
Oh wait... Didn't she have a TV show for a while? Nah, that can't be it, either. The GOP despises people from Hollywood.
She looks familiar, though. Oh, wait! Wasn't she the governor of a state with 700,000 people in it? That's it! But her speech made it sound like she was speaking for millions. Maybe millions of dollars, but not millions of people. I don't know anyone who thinks like that, so it's gotta be a money grab. Good luck with that!
Maybe someone would ask Palin to explain why she left her job in the middle of the term. Palin is an idiot
Getting political advice from Sarah is like taking swimming lessons from Natalie Wood.
The more Romney moves to the right of the political spectrum the more difficult it will be for him to move back towards th center in the general election. This will bode well for President Obama because moderate and independent voters will not support a candidate with extreme social conservative positions.
So sayeth the woman who has been backing the non-conservative, good ol' boy ultra politician, corrupt Newt Gingrich. Why she still gets press time is beyond me.
The wingers chant "Sarah! Sarah!" like befuddled teenagers at a high school basketball game. She's the gal with the rack who let them get to second base then said she's saving herself for marriage. They were crushed when they heard she went all the way with the whole football team, but they know it just can't be true. She will remain the princess they dream about late at night, all alone.
Explain his record to conservatives? He was the originator of Obamacare!!!!! In his own state. That was the model. Are you all blind?
I cant believe people even care what this idiot even has to say, i mean come on people she is a fricken idiot. She is one of the dumbest woman i have ever seen. She has no clue about anything and the media and everyone else keeps posting what she thinks. Stay in Alaska....freeze to death for crying out loud.
@JimAR
"Why does she continue to wear fake glasses?"
Because it makes her look smarter.
Too bad it doesn't actually Make her smarter.
Is there any possibility that anyone in the media will not consider her to be relevant any longer? I find it very difficult to accept that someone in your professionwould quote her or find her statements to be believable.
Give us a break, please. Bury her once and for all.
don
Aw, Sarah, how sad and sorry can you be? You didn't have the guts to jump into this very race (mostly becuase it would have greatly affected your yearly INCOME – HAVING TO ACCOUNT FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR INCOME!) So go on and amass your millions on behalf of the sucker crowd you've taken in. Are you STILL considering getting into the 2012 Republican race? Naw, but you'll hint at it to keep the crowds – and the money flow – continuing on.
Hey, aren't strong family values supposedly important to the conservatives ?? and this woman supports Gingrich?? Sarah Palin is a loser, (2008) a quitter (Alaska Governor ) now a blatant hypocrite but more importantly, irrelevant! .
This "She Devil Klan", you've been warned!
Palin is obsessed with President Obama.
Palin is suggesting Romney pander to the right-wing by pretending to be as crazy as Santorum, Paul or Bachman. Fortunately, Romney can pretend to be whatever he chooses – liberal, moderate, conservative or even a really crazy Tea Party-type.
how does she know anything about winning a national election?
Palin's word carrying any weight is laughable. The fact CNN paid this dimbulb any attention is regrettable.
Great picture of Palin. She had nothing going for her except her looks. Now, she has nothing going for her, and she's still stupit, abrasive, and borderline insane.
Pretty sad when Sarah sounds more lucid than Mitt, but than she doesn't flip flop every other day lik ehe does, so she can stay on tract while good ole MItt forgets where he is and who he is talking to it seems.............maybe it is time for him to drop out Sarah ...canyou give him a nudge please.............
Limbaugh's support of Gingrich and Santorum is further proof that he is trying to get Obama re-elected. They are not electable in a national election. The things he does for ratings
What does palin understand??? give us a break Mitt will screw up on his own he doesn't need your help Sarah. Great comment RR. What a sorry mess the repo party is. we must not let them take office. this country will not survive under their leadership. Move forward not backward Obama/Biden 2012
Yeah, listen to the loser whack job Mitt. Her touch will most certainly be the death blow to your campaign. Obama's team is just waiting for you to make the connection.
I thought I would save my valuable
time by not reading the article and just skip straight to the Palin bashing. I mean, really, who are these people who actually care what she has to say? Oh, that's right... Reagan emptied the mental health facilities in the 80s.