Perhaps both.
Sarah Palin headed right to the scene where protests at the State Capitol pitted Democrats against tea-party inspired Republicans in a political drama followed across the country and delivered a strong campaign-like speech at the tea party’s annual tax day rally in Madison, Wisconsin. Palin not only stood firm against protestors and harsh weather conditions, she delved into a variety of issues, praising Scott Walker for his leadership and fiscal discipline, calling out the GOP for failing to fulfill campaign promises and ripping into Barack Obama by comparing his 2008 campaign promises to his time as president.
“I’m in Madison because this is where real courage and real solidarity can be found,” Palin shouted. “You saw these violent rent-a-mobs trash your capital and vandalize businesses. You held your ground. Your governor did the same thing. And you won.”
Palin had quite the backdrop to deliver a strong message to the GOP.
“We didn’t elect you just to re-arrange the deck chairs on a sinking Titanic,” Palin said. “We didn’t elect you to just stand back and watch Obama re-distribute those deck chairs. What we need is for you to stand up, GOP, and fight. Maybe I should ask some of the Badger women’s hockey team—those champions—maybe I should ask them if we should be suggesting to GOP leaders they need to learn how to fight like a girl!”
Palin was referencing the new batch of conservatives elected in November, who were voted in to head to Washington and fight. However, they caved on one of their biggest election promises– cutting the budget. As Palin pointed out, the supposed $38 billion in cuts deal, which mounted to only $300 million in actual cuts, was a betrayal to most of what the GOP promised it would do.
Palin stressed, “That is not courage; that’s capitulation!”
After taking on the GOP, Palin then took on Obama, not mincing words in the rest of her 16-minute speech.
Palin called his financial stimulus package “useless” and several of his initiatives “cockamamie and harebrained.”
“We’re flat broke and he thinks these solar shingles and really fast trains will magically save us. So now he’s shouting ‘all aboard’ his bullet train to bankruptcy. Win the future? WTF is about right,” Palin said.
As Palin “fought like a girl” and ripped into Obama, one can’t help but wonder, will she run?
She mentioned 2012 repeatedly, at one point saying, “The 2012 election begins here” and perhaps she answered the question on everyone’s mind at the end of her speech…
“It starts here! It starts now!” Palin said. “What better place than the state that hosts the Super Bowl champs to call out the liberal left and let them know: Mr. President, game on!”
Read the full transcript of Palin’s speech here.
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As published on Examiner.com