Former Alaska governor and Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin took time out from her book tour to offer her thoughts on the 2016 presidential election.
Governor Chris Christie is considered the Republican frontrunner in some circles, but Palin isn’t in his corner. She says the Party doesn’t have to “settle” for any particular candidate.
Palin said in a Fox News interview, according to Politico, “We certainly don’t have to settle for any candidate that would go along with an agenda that stifles our economy and would strip any of our freedoms that are constitutionally protected.”
Also, in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Palin said that female politicians face more scrutiny than men, especially concerning their physical appearance. After Tapper mentioned comments about Christie’s appearance, Palin responded, according to Mediaite, “That’s because it’s been extreme, okay. It’s hard for some people not to comment on it.”
Palin also was not happy with Christie’s criticism of the Tea Party’s role in the government shutdown. She said, according to Today.com, “When you stand in the middle of the road, you’re going to get hit on both sides of the road. “We need to take a stand and support those who are fulfilling their campaign promises. Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, some of these guys were actually fulfilling their campaign promises and they ask for debate. They took the stand, and fought for us to debate the issue of Obamacare.”
And Palin doesn’t care for Christie’s position on gun control. Christie has signed some gun control laws, but refused to sign others. According to Politico, she said it was a “little bit of a flirting with disaster when it comes to trying to win over constitutionalists, talking about some stripping of our Second Amendment rights. That’s going to be tough to overcome.”
In an interview, Fox’s Sean Hannity asked Palin whether Christie’s appearances with President Obama right after Hurricane Sandy hurt Mitt Romney’s chances for the presidency. “I think it was unnecessary to literally be embracing Barack Obama at the time of such national import when it came to that campaign season, she said, according to Fox News. "Any GOP member who would go that direction instead of standing strong on the planks in our platform, I question their commitment to the free markets and the freedom that's made America such an exceptional nation.”
ADN.com reported that Palin began a tour promoting her new book "Good Tidings and Great Joy: Protecting the Heart of Christmas,"drawing more than 700 fans to a Barnes and Noble in Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania.
