Palin says voters 'irritated' by robocalls
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/10/18/art.swain.cnn.jpg caption="Palin discussed GOP robocalls and socialism on Sunday."]COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (CNN) - All of a sudden, Sarah Palin is eager to meet the press.
John McCain’s running mate took questions from her press corps for the second time in three days late Sunday after flying into Colorado Springs. But Palin was not completely on message.
Wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and standing on a breezy tarmac, Palin said that if she had her way, the McCain campaign and the Republican National Committee would not be flooding battleground states with automated phone calls tying Barack Obama to former radical William Ayers, as they have done over the last week.
Several top Republicans, including Senators Susan Collins and Norm Coleman, have condemned the tactic. Asked about those criticisms, Palin at first dismissed the matter as "inside baseball stuff" and said it's "some of the campaign top brass’s call on that."
But when asked if she would approve the use of robocalls if she were running the campaign, Palin said she’d probably chart a different course.
"If I called all the shots, and if I could wave a magic wand," Palin said, "I would be sitting at a kitchen table with more and more Americans, talking to them about our plan to get the economy back on track and winning the war, and not having to rely on the old conventional ways of campaigning that includes those robocalls, and includes spending so much money on the television ads that, I think, is kind of draining out there in terms of Americans' attention span.
"They get a bit irritated with just being inundated," she continued, "and you're seeing a lot of that of course with the huge amounts of money that Barack Obama is able to spend on his ads and his robocalls also."
Ultimately, the Alaska governor said she was not calling for an end to the automated calls, and she did not say if she had spoken to campaign officials at any point about the calls.
Palin was also asked if she and McCain believe that Barack Obama’s tax plan, which would raise taxes on Americans making over $250,000 and provide tax credits to middle and lower-income workers, is socialist. At a campaign rally in New Mexico earlier Sunday, Palin said Obama wants to "experiment with socialism."
"There are socialist principles to that, yes," Palin said of Obama's plan. "Taking more from a small business or small business owners or from a hard working family and then redistributing that money according to a politician’s priorities. There are hints of socialism in there."
Asked if she thinks the government’s plan to inject billions of taxpayer dollars directly into troubled banks amounts to socialism - a belief held by many conservative legislators, talk radio hosts and bloggers - Palin said, "No, I do not."
"I believe that there are those measures that had to be taken by congress to shore up not only the housing market but the credit markets also, to make sure that that’s not frozen, so that our small businesses have opportunities to borrow, and that was the purpose, of course, and that part of the bailout and the shoring of the banks," she said.
what a pathetic way to define Obama's platform. As a Canadian living in a "socialist" nation, all governments draw in a tax base and distribute the revenue to various programs and mandates. That's what governance is about ! And although red is our flag's colour, we don't live in a stalinesque world up here. I am so appaled at the way the Republicans portray Americans as ignorant manipulative people that run scared the minute you mention the word socialism. This campaign is running a message of fear, warmongering and Liberatarianism. Now that's scary !
I can't wait till Election Day so that we won't have to hear the garbage that comes out of this lady's mouth. She's so out of her league. Hasn't she learned her lesson yet? Nobody cares about what you have to say anymore and your strategy of thrash talking is not working on voters dummy!!
No, voters are "irritated" by fascists masquerading as "real Americans" while they carry water for proven war criminals.
http://michaelfury.wordpress.com/2008/10/16/confess/
Don't worry, today Senator McCain's team will spin Governor Palin's script so that she can use the logical remarks (in their strategy of "if it works for them, we can make it work for us") of General Powell's endorsement of Senator Obama. Or will he be declared an anti-American terrorist and socialist also?
Sarah Palin ought to be muzzled; she makes no sense and flip flops her points for the purpose of winning an argument. Does she know what socialism mean? She ought to stop talking because the more she says the more people come to view her as a highly UNintelligent white trash.
Socialism is about government control of the means of production (initially proposed as a transition to communism where 'the people' would be in control). Modern democracies have always redistributed wealth (some type of proportional tax dependent on income) – there is nothing remotely socialist about it. Palin/ McCain either don't understand these 101-course-level truths (Palin probably), or are being completely disingenuous about it (McCain most likely). Either way – pretty desperate stuff, and not remotely credible.
Regarding money, isn't anyone upset that why most Americans are trying to scrap along in these hard times while we see Senator Obama with obscene amounts of money being "donated" so he can "buy" the election – that money should be given to those in jeopardy of losing their homes – not being spend on thousands of commercials, mailings, etc., that most of us just plain ignore – where are his priorities???????????
Drneutrino, Rob, Todd, Donald, Rishi, K Williams Lucy, Rusell all deserve a round of applause!
I am from Indonesia but I felt the need to donate to Obama because he is a rational person who will fundamentally change the policies of this country!
I urge everyone who loves America and a peaceful world to donate to his campaign because it is not donating to his campaign but the donation goes to every American in this country!.
Give me a break!!!! She only comes out with clarifications, a long time after she says what she says, after she has been told what to say. If she can think for herself, why doesn't she go before Anderson, Wolf, Campbell, and some of the other tough journalists? Why are we not hearing from her before the elections? I guess the Republicans are afraid of what might come out of her mouth.
It appears this entire campaign can be reduced to a single equation:
McCain + Palin = McCarthyism
Since the republicans can't get their way, they are playing the fear, hate , racial, and socialist cards. At this point, it seems the Republicans have nothing to lose. They've thrown the kitchen sink, and Obama is still standing strong. Now the Republicans are throwing away their honor, reputation, and respectability (what little they may have left).
Did she just say Americans have short attention span? Hmm. She just an air head anyway.
Stew – boy you are so delusional it is pathetic. It is obvious the rethuglicans tell you how to think, but do they also tell you what to eat too? So the fact that you are obviously white and voting for the clueless pathological lying ticket of mccain/palin means you are voting for them cause they are white? It is people like you and the rethugs that have ruined this country. Powell gave an extremely well thought out speech of why he couldn't in good conscience vote for mccain. I am a WHITE woman and PROUDLY support Barack Obama!
mccain/palin = clueless pathological liars!
I smell someone who sees her impending defeat and is starting to worry about not only losing this election, but getting recalled as Governor back home. We may see more face-saving in the days to come. I'd expect McCain to follow suit, and start blaming everything on the nameless evil "higher-ups" at the RNC.
She's talking to her "base". And quite frankly, they all love the robocalls ... and every thing else they do.
It is a last ditch effort by McCain, nothing else is working for him......he can't win on the issues so he spends his time trashing Sen Obama.
America is looking for someone who can get this country back on track and right now that is Sen Obama.......McCain has made himself look so stupid with way he has run his campaign.
We don't need NASTY in the White House we need NEW......yes, a new fresh face with new ideas and someone who will restore America's standing in the world.
OBAMA/BIDEN 08
Lying robocalls are relics of the Atwater and Rove mentality.
Unfortunately, so is John McCain.
Palin is so stupid, that she speaks when only permitted. I can't figure out what anyone would see in this woman as a VP. She is a political JOKE!
Linda,
I have heard some bizarre comments by McCain, Palin, and the rest of the Republican party, but yours takes the cake. You want Sen. Obama to give the donated money to the people? Are you kidding me? So, what about McCain and Palin? I see, since you want a "has been" and a "never was" to win, they don't fall under the same guidelines. Individuals who are struggling are donating because they know they have a much better chance at economic survival with Obama. You didn't breed, did you?
We only pay taxes on our net earnings, not gross earnings. I would love to have net earnings of $250,000. Most small businesses would have to take in over one to 2 million to net $250,000.
Why are all of the supposedly "Christians" whining over spreading the wealth? Are we not our brothers' keeper? Don't you learn in Sunday school to give to the poor? They cloak themselves in Christianity, yet behave in such selfish ways.
I am disgusted with all of these sanctimonious Republicans.
Palin is so simple minded she only repeats what she is told to say. her story changes each new day. The poles show that the ATTACH ADDS are not working and now she is trying to sound like she is not sure what she is saying. JUST MORE STUPID.
It's rather funny hearing Obama supporters say Palin is repeating talking points when their chosen one had to learn how to talk without a teleprompter just ... Wait a minute, he hasn't learned that yet.
Palin seems to not realize her own verbal calls for hate, etc. The entire McCain/Palin ticket is a firm example of what America DOSENT need.
The RNC is playing bad cop and the McPalin ticket is playing good cop. They called and tried to scare my retired parents into voting for the only two who can save them. My father who is a Republican told me, how can we call our country free when we are led by fear? The phone call had the effect of changing there vote from red to blue.
Hoping the election will soon come that we can get rid of his woman.
She went off the reservation again. Now Johnny might have to come in and 'clarify' her message like he did with the last Couric interview.
What a piece of work these people are. And the idiots who said Obama's donations should be used to help people stay in their homes, what did you expect him to fight an election with? The taxpayers gave McCain $84 million but volunteered to give Obama more to win so he could enact programs to keep people in their homes. Besides if he took the donations and used it for that then it would violate election law and you McCain shills would call it socialism.