They want common-sense conservative solutions to health care challenges, and to the growing deficit and debt in our nation. They want a very strong military, strong national defense. And I think some of them are looking at me right now as kind of a representation of that. But I know that I don't have to have that title or any title in order to make that difference and to support others who perhaps will be in office at that point to make that difference."
Channel 2 News: You said when you left office that one of the reasons you were doing it was because you could help Alaska more out of office, four months later do you still feel that is true?
Sarah Palin: Absolutely, more so than ever. And you know I think it was quite unfortunate those shackles there of the bureaucracy that were created by the adversaries, by the opposition playing this political game of personal destruction is what the adversaries were really engaged in up there with the false charges and the lawsuits and the ethics violations charges.
That was all so nonsensical, that Todd and I both said ‘Wait a minute, how are we helping Alaska, the state that we so dearly love, by allowing that opposition to shackle us and to hold our administration back, and to cost the state millions of dollars and thousands of staff hours to fight those false charges? Let's not let them win. Let's hand the reigns over to Sean Parnell, who's going to plow through this.'
His agenda is my agenda, and without the distractions, then Alaska will progress. So I know that Todd and I made the right decision there. And I know that we're going to be able to help Alaska in the Lower 48 and of course, in our state. People in Alaska need to realize too that the issues in Alaska are American issues-- energy independence that the Lower 48 is so counting on Alaska to produce, in that context, and national security issues that so affect Alaska. You know, we're all one big nation, and me being in-state and out-of-state to work on those things, it's going to be good for the 49th state.
Channel 2 News: So you see yourself, next year, the 2010 elections coming up, campaigning for like-minded candidates in the Lower 48?
Sarah Palin: Campaigning for candidates who understand Alaska and the position that we are in, and the contributions that we are to be making. Yeah, I'm not going to campaign for candidates who have any kind of anti-Alaska agenda. I'm going to continue to promote our state and our resource development and the same policies that we have up there when it comes to resource development, plus the pro-environment agenda that we have in Alaska. I'll campaign for issues and for people who get it.
Channel 2 News: Will we see you campaigning for Alaska candidates up north in The Great Land?"
Sarah Palin: Probably, probably. Like, you know, Sean Parnell running again, he'd better be running again. I'm going to be campaigning for him because his agenda, again, is the right thing for Alaska as he wants to slow down the rate of government growth there too and ramp up resource development. I'll campaign for him and others who are on the right track.
Channel 2 News: You supported the conservative candidate in that New York House 23 race, over the Republican candidate. Some people have said conservatives are trying to get rid of the moderate part of the Republican Party and pull the party right, is that's what's happening? Is that what you're doing?
Sarah Palin: No. First in that race, in New York 23, the Republican was more liberal than the Democrat in the race, so, you know, you didn't have a choice, really. Then, you have this underdog, this guy Doug Hoffman, who comes out of nowhere, under-funded, not well-known, but he had the right positions, and he said ‘Hey, I'm willing to give it a try. I'm offering myself up in the name of service.'
