Maybe/maybe not 2012 contender Sarah Palin spoke at the Long Island Association's luncheon today, and Politico's Ben Smith and Maggie Haberman were on the scene and offering these moments via Twitter (@benpolitico and @maghabepolitico):
- Palin suggests that if she runs,it'll be old-school: "Nothing is more effective than being there with the people in the diner shaking hands"
- Obama supporting ... "america being on a road to ruin unless we do take seroiusly this monumental debt"
- Palin "hired a chief of staff because, to tell you the truth, Todd's getting kind of tired of doing it all for me."
- Now a gun control question. Suburbs not really Palin country.
- Palin: "Bottom line the bad guys aren’t going to follow the laws." (Best interview with Palin I've ever seen. Questioner is Kevin Law.)
- @SarahPalinUSA says no one more qualified for the type of multitasking the presidency calls for "than a woman, a mom"
- @SarahPalinUSA "Rudy's awesome"
- Palin: "I had to throw in there a little criticism about the press because that’s sort of what I do."
- Palin: "No wonder Michelle O is telling everybody 'you'd better breastfeed your baby.' Yeah, you'd better bc the price of milk is so high"
As for the last point, Palin was referring to First Lady Michelle Obama's support of the IRS new policy of allowing breast pumps as a tax deduction, something that Tea Party Rep. Michele Bachmann mocked, calling it a "nanny state" move. Michelle Obama also cited breastfeeding as a way to help prevent childhood obesity. Overall, Palin is not sure if she's running in 2012.
