Sarah Palin mum on presidential ambitions during Iowa speech

Sarah Palin said it is important whom Republicans choose to run against President Obama, but didn’t directly address whether she’ll join the 2012 presidential race during her much-anticipated speech before a tea party crowd in Iowa on Saturday.

The former Republican governor of Alaska and 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee referenced the 2012 election many times throughout her remarks, calling out the “permanent political class,” “crony capitalism” and “entrenched political interests.”

“The reality is we are governed by a permanent political class,” Palin said to applause from a rain-soaked audience in Indianola, “until we change that.”

The crowd at the Tea Party for America’s “Restoring America” event ate it up. She was interrupted during her speech to chants of “Run, Sarah, Run.”

Palin has suggested she will make a decision about getting into the GOP presidential race by the end of September. The address itself resembled something you would hear from a presidential candidate.

“We’re going to speak truth today,” Palin told the crowd. “It may be hard hitting, but we’re going to speak truth today because we need to start talking about what hasn’t worked, and we’re going to start talking about what will work for America.”

At one point, Palin proposed doing away with federal corporate income taxes, something she said would create jobs.

“We have the highest federal corporate tax rate in the industrialized world,” she said. “Did you know our rates are higher than China and communist Cuba?”

Speaking from notes, Palin also mentioned how it was three years ago today that she gave her widely acclaimed speech at the Republican National Convention as the GOP vice presidential nominee.

And — in a classic Palin moment — she got a few laughs when criticizing consultants, TV pundits and polls.

“Polls,” Palin said, “are for strippers and cross country skiers.”

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8:13 AM | 0 comments

Is Chris Christie preparing to run for president in 2012?

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has repeatedly denied that he intends to run for president in 2012, but according to Bloomberg View columnist Jonathan Alter, he is taking some early steps toward joining the race.
"My sources say NJ Gov. Chris Christie is conducting focus groups in preparation for a possible run for president in 2012," Alter wrote on Twitter just before 12:30 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday.
(UPDATE: Alter now reports that another source close to the governor says there is no truth to the story. "Another source, close to Christie and v-reliable, says there are no Christie focus groups and nothing has changed," he posted on Twitter. "I trust him.")
Several high-profile Republicans have been calling on Christie to run for president for months, but every time he has been asked by the press, Christie has rejected the suggestion. Christie told reporters in November that there was "zero chance" he would run.
"Short of suicide, I don't really know what I'd have to do to convince you people that I'm not running," he said.
Of course, circumstances can change.
Republican strategist Karl Rove said Monday that he thinks Texas Gov. Rick Perry's decision to join the race could entice Christie to run.
UPDATE: The Washington Post's Jennifer Rubin reports that her sources within Christie's team say Alter's story is "absolutely not true."
A source tells CNN, though, that pressure on Christie to run has been "ratcheting up" since the Ames straw poll last weekend.
"I know he is getting a ton of calls and the pressure is ratcheting up, but as far as I know, his head is still where it's always been," the source told CNN.

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3:15 AM | 0 comments

The Fast Fix: Five fast facts about Rick Perry

Rick Perry is a serious contender for the Republican presidential nod. Here are five things you need to know about him.
Texas Governor Rick Perry enters the 2012 presidential race greeted by polls suggesting he is a serious contender for the Republican nomination.
Here are five fast facts on Rick Perry:
1. Perry was a yell leader at Texas A&M University. It's a much sought-after position and an early indication of Perry's political aspirations.
2. He used to be a Democrat. Perry was elected to a West Texas state House seat in 1984 as a Democrat and even served as Al Gore's Texas chairman during the 1988 presidential race. He switched to the GOP in 1989.
3. Perry's first statewide office in Texas was as Agriculture Commissioner. Expect him to remind Iowa voters of that fact early and often given the state's farming-based economy.
4. Perry is the longest serving governor in the country currently. He took office in December 2000 after George W. Bush was elected president and won a third full term in 2010. That means a long record to run on -- or from.
5. Perry is a big believer in states' right and the 10th amendment. He once floated the idea that Texas could secede if the federal government kept overstepping its bounds.
Rick Perry is a naturally charismatic politician whose political base in Texas could make him formidable. His challenge is selling himself to an electorate still weary from the last Texas governor who ran for president.

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3:08 AM | 0 comments