Posted by
Ron Devito on Wednesday, September 23, 2009 7:41:25 AM
According to Agence France Presse, Governor Palin said on September 23,
2009 the US government was wasting taxpayer's money and would
exacerbate poverty in a 75-minute speech delivered to investors at the
CLSA Investors Forum in Hong Kong (CLSA, 2009, ¶1).
The speech
"covered Alaska, international terrorism, US economic policy and trade
with China"(CLSA, 2009, ¶2). An anonymous European delegate regarded
her as "brilliant." (CLSA, 2009, ¶5). The delegate elaborated, "She
said America was spending a lot of money and it was a temporary
solution. Normal people are having to pay more and more but things
don't get better. The rich will leave the country and the poor will get
poorer" (CLSA, 2009, ¶6).
She said the Obama's imposition of
duties on Chinese imports was harmful to our relationship with China
(CLSA, 2009, ¶11). Governor Palin praised President Reagan's economic
policies and lambasted the Obama administration's interventions in
economic affairs (CLSA, 2009, ¶12). She addressed terrorism threats to
the United States and traditional allies such as Japan, Australia, and
South Korea (CLSA, 2009, ¶13).
Governor Palin "blasted Obama's
proposals on healthcare, reiterating a previous statement made to the
press that the plan would include a bureaucratic 'death panel' that
would decide who gets assistance, he said (CLSA, 2009, ¶20).
Commentary
Though
no transcript of the speech is available, the Agence France Press (AFP)
report as re-broadcast by Breitbart provides a solid summary of what
she spoke about and audience reaction. Those with left-leaning
ideologies naturally did not like what Governor Palin had to say, and
while there were a few of those (CLSA, 2009, ¶4 , 7), most investors
liked her speech as indicated by the delegate who regarded it as
brilliant.
One investor complained the speech over-focused on
Alaska as an investment opportunity (CLSA, 2009, ¶15-16). But, Governor
Palin is from Alaska, and that state is a significant trading port, and
the place to invest in energy markets. If there was over-focus on
Alaska, it will likely diminish over time, as Governor Palin
transitions into a national role.
For her first foreign speaking engagement, Governor Palin's performance was by this account, nothing short of spectacular.
References
Palin slams Obama's spending in debut speech in Asia. (2009, September 23). Agence France Press. Retrieved September 23, 2009 from: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.5c890613297fae5a68cbf119a882edf8.191&show_article=1