Palin: Abortion 'essential' issue in midterm elections
Houston, Texas (CNN) - Sarah Palin starkly framed the midterm elections on Tuesday as a choice between political candidates who favor a "culture of life" and those on the opposite side of the issue wanting to implement "a culture of death."
Palin, delivering a paid speech to an anti-abortion group in Texas, claimed that President Barack Obama oversaw "the biggest advance of the abortion industry in America" by signing landmark health care reform legislation that, she said, allows for taxpayer-funded abortions.
"That's why it's essential that we use the 2010 midterms to elect a Congress that will make undoing the damage of Obamacare its first priority," she told an audience of more than 2,500 gathered at First Baptist Church of Houston, a megachurch on the city's west side.
The former vice presidential candidate was speaking at an event sponsored by Heroic Media, an organization that runs ad campaigns urging women with unexpected pregnancies to seek counseling instead of abortions.
The evening's focus was squarely on the topic of abortion, but Palin couldn't resist veering into political territory several times during her nearly hour-long appearance.
She praised Texas' Republican Gov. Rick Perry for his ferocious opposition to all things Washington and called Obama "the most pro-abortion president to ever occupy the White House," reprising a line from similar speeches she has delivered across the country this year - sometimes for as much as $100,000 a pop.
Also on the agenda: a heavy dose of media bashing.
The event was open to reporters and television cameras - which were only allowed to film the first few minutes of her appearance - but Palin warned that "embeds" might be lurking in the church, planning to secretly record her speech and distort her remarks the following day on the internet.
Palin talked up her friendship with Fox News host Glenn Beck and accused media organizations of misrepresenting his August "Restoring Honor" rally in Washington, which she said drew "hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people" to the National Mall.
The media, she asserted, "didn't want you to believe that" and estimated the crowd to be much smaller.
"They didn't want you to believe your own eyes," she said. "It was almost Orwellian to consider what we read after the rally, how the media was trying to portray what had gone on there."
Though the political right has largely been energized this year by fiscal issues and backlash against the Obama administration's handling of the economy, the speech was a reminder of Palin's deeply held conservative views on social issues.
Describing the Beck rally and its overtly revivalist tenor, Palin explained that "the answer to the challenges in our country are to restore honor and to rededicate our country to God and to serve our father God."
"that, she said, allows for taxpayer-funded abortions" Oh, really? And how can she back up this statement? She can't!!! Because it is not totally true. The Department of Health and Human Services says the only abortions covered will be those in cases of rape, incest or when the mother’s life is endangered. She is slimy. That's all there is to it...it's this kind of divisiveness that is her forte. How pathetic.
Why is it that the Far Right are strong opponents of a woman's right to choose, but are also strong proponents of the Death Penalty? If life is sacred enough for it not to be stopped while in the womb, why is it no longer sacred enough to be stopped later in life? Given that in most states (except for Texas) the time between sentencing and carrying out the execution can be over 20 years including the costs for all the reviews, appeals, etc., eliminating the death penalty and changing it to Life Without Parole will probably save money in the long run.
If they must continue with the death penalty, no longer carry it out in secret. Make it a public display! Force everyone who claims to be in favor if the penalty to witness at least one execution per year. Also, lets get rid of the execution by lethal injection. Look at the problems Ohio had getting the chemicals needed. Let's go back to hanging, firing squad or electrocution. Being forced to witness at least one execution in these manners should be enough to convert any pro-death penalty individual to a Life Without Parole advocate.
And the lies go on. Nothing in the health care bill changes the fact that the US government does not fund abortions...and actually, the language in the bill even tightens the restrictions. I would assume Death panel Sarah hasn't actually read the bill, of course, her approach is sensationalism and fear, not reality.
Actually Mrs. Palin, when the Healthcare bill was signed 6 months ago, the President signed an executive order banning the use of Federal funds for abortions. Also, abortion is like the 11th most important issue in the midterms this year.