Sarah Palin will mock Barack Obama’s background as a community organizer in her heavily anticipated speech to the Republican National Delegation.
Alaska Gov. Palin (R) will portray herself as the opposite of a Washington insider, according to excerpts of her speech released to the media.
{mosads}“I was just your average hockey mom, and signed up for the PTA because I wanted to make my kids’ public education better,” she will say. “When I ran for city council, I didn’t need focus groups and voter profiles, because I knew these voters and knew their families, too.”
John McCain’s running mate will then criticize political opponents who appear to look down on that experience.
“I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a ‘community organizer,’ except that you have actual responsibilities,” Palin will say.
At the Democratic National Convention in Denver last week, speaker after speaker praised Obama’s record as a community organizer. He later served in the Illinois state legislature before being elected to the Senate in 2004.
Before being elected governor, Palin served as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska. Democrats and some in the media have seized on Wasilla’s tiny population of under 10,000 in questioning Palin’s readiness to be a heartbeat away from the presidency.
Palin will also attack the media in her address.
“I’m not a member of the permanent political establishment. And I’ve learned quickly, these past few days, that if you’re not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone,” she will say.
“But here’s a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I’m not going to Washington to seek their good opinion — I’m going to Washington to serve the people of this country."
In another shot at Obama, Palin will say that “there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers. And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change."