Posted on 09/30/2008 3:35:13 PM PDT by BigEdLB
HH: Governor Sarah Palin, welcome to the Hugh Hewitt Show. Great to have you.
SP: Hey, thank you so much. Nice to hear your voice.
HH: Governor, your candidacy has ignited extreme hostility, even some hatred on the left and in some parts of the media. Are you surprised? And what do you attribute this reaction to?
SP: Oh, I think they’re just not used to someone coming in from the outside saying you know what? It’s time that normal Joe six-pack American is finally represented in the position of vice presidency, and I think that that’s kind of taken some people off guard, and they’re out of sorts, and they’re ticked off about it, but it’s motivation for John McCain and I to work that much harder to make sure that our ticket is victorious, and we put government back on the side of the people of Joe six-pack like me, and we start doing those things that are expected of our government, and we get rid of corruption, and we commit to the reform that is not only desired, but is deserved by Americans.
HH: Now Governor, the Gibson and the Couric interview struck many as sort of pop quizzes designed to embarrass you as opposed to interviews. Do you share that opinion?
SP: Well, I have a degree in journalism also, so it surprises me that so much has changed since I received my education in journalistic ethics all those years ago. But I’m not going to pick a fight with those who buy ink by the barrelful. I’m going to take those shots and those pop quizzes and just say that’s okay, those are good testing grounds. And they can continue on in that mode. That’s good. That makes somebody work even harder. It makes somebody be even clearer and more articulate in their positions. So really I don’t fight it. I invite it.
HH: Have you followed the attacks on you, say, via Drudge or the blogs? Some of them are just made up and out of left field, others are just mocking. Do you follow those?
SP: No, I sure don’t, and thank God I don’t have time to follow those. You know, I think that those shots, too, though, no matter what we’re taking and receiving, it’s nothing compared to what real shots are against Americans in this world. Americans today who are worried about losing their home and figuring out how in the world they’re going to pay their fuel bill next month, and send their kid to college, and may be worried about losing a loved one that they’re sending off to a war zone to protect our rights. Those are the shots that Americans are taking, so all this political nonsense and the lies, the rhetoric that is spun out there about someone just trying to offer themselves up in the name of service to this great country, I’ll take it.
HH: Governor, you mentioned the people who are struggling right now. Have you and your husband, Todd, ever faced tough economic times where you had to sit around a kitchen table and make tough choices?
SP: Oh my goodness, yes, Hugh. I know what Americans are going through. Todd and I, heck, we’re going through that right now even as we speak, which may put me again kind of on the outs of those Washington elite who don’t like the idea of just an everyday working class American running for such an office. But yeah, there’s been a lot of times that Todd and I have had to figure out how we were going to pay for health insurance. We’ve gone through periods of our life here with paying out of pocket for health coverage until Todd and I both landed a couple of good union jobs. Early on in our marriage, we didn’t have health insurance, and we had to either make the choice of paying out of pocket for catastrophic coverage or just crossing our fingers, hoping that nobody would get hurt, nobody would get sick. So I know what Americans are going through there. And you know, even today, Todd and I are looking at what’s going on in the stock market, the relatively low number of investments that we have, looking at the hit that we’re taking, probably $20,000 dollars last week in his 401K plan that was hit. I’m thinking geez, the rest of America, they’re facing the exact same thing that we are. We understand what the problems are. It’s why I have all the faith in the world that John McCain is the right top of any ticket at this point to get us through these challenges. It’s a good balanced ticket where he’s got the experience, and he’s got the bipartisan approach that it’s going to take to get us through these challenges. And I have the acknowledgement and the experience of going through what America is going through.
HH: Governor, when you say things are tight right now, is that simply because of Todd being off not working? Or is it because of extraordinary demands on the fiscal resources of the Palin family? What’s the situation there?
SP: No, it’s just the great financial crisis that America is in as our savings accounts also, and a 401K, they’re being hit.
HH: Sure.
SP: Our stocks, you know, they took a hit yesterday. And then of course, just the same thing that other Americans are asking themselves today. We’ve got three teenagers. How are we going to pay for their college education? How are we going to make sure that we’re investing wisely today. We’re putting a lot of faith in other people who are using our money as investments. We have to count on the federal government to be overseeing these agencies and entities, making sure that we’re not going to get screwed on this deal, and that our savings are safe. So there again, John McCain’s got some great ideas on granting authority, for instance, to the FDIC, making sure that our deposits are insured. He wants to increase that deposit insurance cap of all of our money, our savings, from $100,000 dollars up to $250,000 dollars, so that families like mine, so that we don’t have to worry about our money being safe or not under FDIC.
HH: Governor, let’s turn to a couple of issues that the MSM’s not going to pick up. You’re pro-life, and how much of the virulent opposition to you on the left do you attribute to your pro-life position, and maybe even to the birth of, your decision, your and Todd’s decision to have Trig?
SP: Yeah, you know, I think that that’s been probably the most hurtful and nonsensical slap that we’ve been taking is our position that we have taken, pro-life, me personally, and saying that you know, even though I knew that 13 weeks along that Trig would be born with Down Syndrome, and I said you know, he’s still going to be a most precious ingredient in this sometimes messed-up world that we live in. I know that my son is going to provide a lot of hope and a lot of promise in this world, and I’m so thankful of course that I’ve had the opportunity to give him life and to bring him into this world. But I think yeah truly, that that’s been a hurtful slap that we have taken, because people just don’t understand. Ironic too, Hugh, that some would consider my position on life and trying to usher in a culture of life, respecting the sanctity of life in America, that that is seen as an extreme position when to me, an extreme position is one that Barack Obama took when he was in the Illinois State Senate, not even supporting a measure that would ban partial birth abortion, not even supporting a measure that would during, after a botched abortion and that baby’s born alive, allowing medical care to cease and allowing that baby to die. That to me is extreme. That’s so far, far left it’s certainly out of the mainstream of America. To me, that is the extreme position, not my position of just wanting that culture of life to be respected, and not wanting government to sanction the idea of ending life.
HH: Do you think the mainstream media and the left understands your religious faith, Governor Palin?
SP: I think that there’s a lot of mocking of my personal faith, and my personal faith is very, very simple. I don’t belong to any church. I do have a strong belief in God, and I believe that I’m a heck of a lot better off putting my life in God’s hands, and saying hey, you know, guide me. What else do we have but guidance that we would seek from a Creator? That’s about as simple as it gets with my faith, and I think that there is a lot of mocking of that. And you know, so bet it, though I do have respect for those who have differing views than I do on faith, on religion. I’m not going to mock them, and I would hope that they would kind of I guess give me the same courtesy through this of not mocking a person’s faith, but maybe perhaps even trying to understand a little bit of it.
HH: Governor, let’s close with some foreign affairs. It is reported that you had an Israeli flag in your governor’s office. You wore an Israeli flag pin occasionally. One, is that true? And two, why your support for Israel?
SP: Well, it is true, and I ran into Shimon Peres recently at a meeting, and he even pointed that out. He said I saw a picture of you on the internet, and you had an Israeli flag in your state government office, and I said I sure do. You know, my heart is with you. And all of those trials and tribulations throughout history that Israel has gone through, not only does that allow me to want to support that country, but Israel is our strongest and most important ally in the Middle East. And they are a democratic country who I believe deserves our support, and I know that John McCain believes as I do that Israel is our friend, and we need to be there to support them. They are there for us, and I do love that country.
HH: Last question, Governor. Have you and Todd heard from your son? And how is it on your nerves having your son deployed?
SP: That little stinker, I guess he’s called his girlfriend a couple of times, but can you believe he hasn’t called his momma yet? He’s over there. They were just leaving Kuwait heading into Iraq, and I am just so extremely proud of Track, my son, and all of the men and women, of course, serving in the military. I’m proud that my son made this independent and very wise decision as such a young man at 18, deciding you know, he realized there’s something he can do to help, to contribute, to help protect our nation, and I couldn’t be more proud of him and all those who choose to serve in our military. They’re serving for the right reasons. God bless them, God love them.
HH: Governor Sarah Palin, look forward to talking to you again, good luck on Thursday night.
SP: Thank you so much. Talk to you soon.
End of interview.
Sadly, it seems that no longer matters. What else could explain Hussein's lead in the polls,,,and even worse than that,,,
what else could explain the election of Slick TWICE!!!
Slick is about as UNgenuine, and UNdecent (not to mention slimy, disgusting and immoral) as you could possibly imagine. Sad
bttt
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
I just wish that they would hammer them on being just another two lawyers that infest our government.
The whole 401K thing with Todd is golden.
Best,
Chris
Great interview and thanks for the post. I loved her answers about Israel. I share her views 100 percent on the subject. I, too, would display an Israeli flag at my home or office if I could get ahold of one. Sarah is a woman of integrity. She’s so special.
fantastic interview.. she’s back!! said about her son Track, “that little stinker..he’s called his girlfriend twice and hasn’t called his Momma”...
got love that about her.
Nice interview. She is so real and ernest in her comments. She speaks from the heart.
We’re sympathetic and I love her, but I’m not sure that line about the ticket being balanced because McCain has the experience and she’s an Average Joe is going to play well with undecided voters.
An upper deck home run!!!
OK, it was against the batting practice pitcher in an empty stadium two days before the big game, but still. I get the sense her swing is going to be in a nice grove when the lights come up on Thursday night.
Win or lose, it feels so good after 20 long years to have someone on the political scene who “gets it.”
She truly has the “servant’s heart” and she takes the slings and arrows in stride because of it.
Hussein's lead in the polls has nothing to do with him and everything to do with McCain's mistakes:
1- McCain's bumbling and stumbling on the bailout, and
2- McCain's assigning Sarah to Bush handlers.
Some Americans would rather have a dirtbag like themselves to relate to thier sorry a##es. Hey, he steals like me, he takes drugs like me, he talks alot and does nothing like me, he scams and cheats like me but the only thing he has that I don’t is, he has a million dollar home in an exclusive nieghborhood, sends his kids to private schools, has a wife who makes 300,000 dollars a year but he says he’s fighting for me! STUPID AMERICANS, TAKING THE HOOK LINE AND SINKER
You know she has her flaws like we all do, but what’s great about her is that her goodness is America’s goodness. She’s not in this to be some super-human messiah like The One.
She’s Sarah and that’s good enough for her, her God, her family, and her state. She believes she has something worth sharing with the nation and is willing to bear the burdens that comes along with doing that.
The self-loathing left CANNOT STAND quiet self-confidence. They’d be out of business for good if there were more Sarah Palins in the world...
I love her genuine decency and would feel very comfortable having her watching over and guiding our Country. That other evil slimy is looking for a power trip and I just can’t imagine where he’ll lead us from his promised “black house”.
If he wins we’ll prolly have to burn it down and start over.
I just listened.
She is just so authentic and sincere. I think that if they just let her do all the shows—even the Dr. Phils and the (gack) View, middle America would just love her. I think it would really give McCain/Palin the spark it so needs.
She was just starting her “world tour”, and they yanked her off the stage and tried to make her into something she’s not. They need to just let her be herself. She has so much charisma, she will peel people off of Bambi. (Well the ones that haven’t surgically attached themselves to his netherregions, anyhow.)
Yes, I know people don’t vote for president based on the veep, but this is somehow different. She will connect. She will inspire. I have been to a rally; I saw the excitement. I refuse to wail the “we are so screwed; it is over” refrain that is disgustingly prevalent in the conservative blogosphere right now. (Do these people even have a WILL to FIGHT? They complain about Pubbies, but *sheesh*) It is NOT over. I am NOT giving up! My children will NOT be singing “Obama’s gonna save us”! NEVER!
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