Palin criticizes expanded government, federal spending
BY SHANNON MUCHMORE World Staff Writer
Saturday, March 13, 2010
3/13/10 at 3:31 PM
Americans should remember that the government works for them and not the other way around, former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin said Saturday in Tulsa.
"There's a growing movement across this country," she said. "It's beautiful and you're a part of it."
She and conservative television commentator Glenn Beck spoke at the Tulsa Convention Center at the kickoff of the "Taking Our Country Back Tour."
Palin told the packed crowd that regular, everyday Americans are standing up to politicians in Washington who don't listen to what the people want.
"We understand what they're trying to do to this country," she said. "We understand it and we don't like it. That's why we're taking our country back."
Palin took a few shots at President Barack Obama - whom the crowd booed - and the leadership in Congress.
Expanded government and continued federal spending will hurt the country, she said.
"There is no need for a fundamental transformation of America," she said. "No thank you, Mr. President, you can keep that change."
During his speech, Beck said that if the country doesn't change its direction, Americans will be remembered as greedy, corrupt and riddled with debt.
"If we don't change our course, that's what will be written into the history books," he said. "The winners write the history books, and if we don't change, we are losers."
With the aid of his infamous chalkboard, Beck took the audience through a brief history of American politics, saying that looking to Europe for ideas is and was a mistake.
"American's has the idea of the rights of you, not the collective rights," he said.
An animated Beck attacked progressives, saying they are for revolutionary government intrusion and misinterpret the Constitution.
"They hide everywhere," he said.
He called on Americans to look back at the country's history and resurrect the pride of the founders and implored the audience to stand up to the government now and learn from the mistakes of the recent past.
Tulsa is the first stop for the tour, which is scheduled to travel across the nation with a variety of conservative superstars.
Palin resigned as Alaska governor in July and has since become a political commentator for the Fox News television network. After her bid for the White House as John McCain's vice president failed in 2008, she has been mentioned as a possible candidate for president in 2012.
Beck is host of the daily show "Glenn Beck" on Fox News and is also a nationally syndicated talk radio host.
A Tulsa World reporter is live tweeting the event. Follow and join the conversation using the hashtag #palinbeck.
Associated Images:
Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck speak to a crowd at the Tulsa Convention Center as part of the "Taking our Country Back" tour Saturday. ADAM WISNESKI/Tulsa World
Glen Beck speaks to a crowd at the Tulsa Convention Center as part of the "Taking our Country Back" tour Saturday. ADAM WISNESKI/Tulsa World
Glen Beck speaks to a crowd at the Tulsa Convention Center as part of the "Taking our Country Back" tour Saturday. ADAM WISNESKI/Tulsa World
Sarah Palin speaks to a crowd at the Tulsa Convention Center as part of the "Taking our Country Back" tour Saturday. ADAM WISNESKI/Tulsa World
Buffy Edwards, center, and her Husband Dennis cheer as Sarah Palin enters the stage at the Tulsa Convention Center as part of the "Taking our Country Back" tour Saturday. ADAM WISNESKI/Tulsa World
Sarah Palin speaks to a crowd at the Tulsa Convention Center as part of the "Taking our Country Back" tour Saturday. ADAM WISNESKI/Tulsa World
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