Palin Paints Dark Picture of Obama’s Policies
By JEFF ZELENY
Published: February 5, 2011
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Sarah Palin opened a celebration of Ronald Reagan this weekend by declaring that the United States was lurching toward a “road to ruin,” saying the nation had become so weighed down by debt and excess government that a new direction was urgently needed in Washington.
She did not, however, provide any clues as to whether she would join the Republican primaries and seek to challenge President Obama or simply continue to offer commentary from the sidelines.
For Ms. Palin, a speech here Friday evening at the Reagan Ranch Center offered an opportunity to connect herself to the most iconic figure of the Republican Party. She used the appearance — one of the highest-profile Republican platforms in months — to rally conservatives by drawing parallels between government expansion under President Lyndon B. Johnson and the Obama administration.
“Reagan saw the dangers in L.B.J.’s Great Society,” Ms. Palin said. “He refused to sit down and be silent as our liberties were eroded by an out-of-control centralized government that overtaxed and overreached in utter disregard of constitutional limits.”
There is, of course, outsize curiosity surrounding Ms. Palin. And in recent weeks, there has been frustration from some Republican activists that she is not making more overtures.
Even though no prospective presidential contender has formally declared a candidacy, a robust amount of behind-the-scenes activity is under way, particularly in the courtship of advisers, supporters and contributors. Yet Ms. Palin stands alone in her approach, employing an unorthodox style that offers few hints as to whether she plans to enter the race.
The question for many Republicans is whether Ms. Palin is rewriting the rules of what it takes to run for president in an age of Facebook and Twitter — a world where, perhaps, there are few early visits to Iowa and New Hampshire, no need for policy speeches or press interviews — or whether this is part of an effort to keep herself in the public eye and to influence the primary.
Signs have emerged that her arms-length approach could be detrimental — or, at the very least, risky — if she ultimately decides to seek the nomination.
For weeks, many of her supporters held out hope that she would attend the Conservative Political Action Conference this week in Washington, but late last week she said a scheduling conflict would keep her from attending. It was the fourth straight year she has declined to speak at the conference, which is usually attended by every potential Republican candidate.
The Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary that open the Republican nominating season are still a year away, but the mechanical pieces of the campaigns that will begin falling into place over the next six weeks will show the seriousness of the candidates.
Steve Scheffler, president of the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition and one of the state’s leading Republican activists, said Ms. Palin and other prospective candidates did not have the luxury of waiting much longer to begin introducing themselves. He said he was skeptical that Ms. Palin — or any contender — could wait until summer or fall to enter the race.
“I don’t think she’s ever had a sit-down meeting with anyone,” Mr. Scheffler said in an interview. “Even with all of her star power, people who respect and like her will want to meet her in a small-group setting. That isn’t too much to expect.”
Ms. Palin, a former Alaska governor and the 2008 Republican vice-presidential nominee, spoke here on Friday night to about 200 people at a banquet of the Young America’s Foundation, a group that now owns Rancho del Cielo, which served as the Western White House in the Reagan administration. The foundation is not affiliated with the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, which is also holding tributes to the former president, who would have turned 100 on Sunday.
Several people at the dinner said they had come specifically to take measure of Ms. Palin. From his seat at a table near the front of the room, Roy Billings, a Reagan admirer, said that he liked Ms. Palin a great deal, but that he hoped she would not run for president in 2012.
“I think she’s a good person,” Mr. Billings said. “Maybe she’s got potential to be the president someday, but not now. There are too many people who don’t relate to her.”
In her 30-minute address, Ms. Palin reprised themes of Reagan’s 1964 speech “A Time for Choosing,” which he gave two years before being elected governor of California. She reminded her audience that he, too, was “mocked, ridiculed and criticized” before his conservative vision became accepted Republican doctrine. But she stopped short of casting herself explicitly as his heir.
“No, there isn’t one replacement for Reagan, but there are millions who believe in the great ideas that he espoused,” Ms. Palin said. “There’s a whole army of patriotic Davids out there, across this great country, ready to stand up and to speak out in defense of liberty.”
The dinner, which was at a far smaller venue than the big rallies Ms. Palin often attends, had tight security and rigid rules. She entered the room just before she spoke — forgoing the ritual of sitting through dinner and mingling with guests — and exited before the applause ended.
People were admonished to stay in their seats and not approach Ms. Palin as she walked through the room.
“We’d all like to jump up and give her a high-five, but please stay at your tables,” Kate Obenshain, vice president of the foundation, announced from the dais. “There will be no book signings or autographs.”
At the end of the evening, people were asked to put their own cameras away and retire to the second floor of the Reagan Ranch Center to have a professional photograph taken with Ms. Palin, which will be sent to them in the mail. |
