Sarah Palin: Money will be a consideration whether to run

"And... will the American electorate be ready for someone a bit unconventional?"
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Excerpts from the transcript of BBC Two's interview with Gov. Palin conducted by Jackie Long:

JL: Are you going to run?

SP: Well there again, you enter a race to win the race. There is still a lot of consideration that have to be made. We haven't made up our mind or desired to make an announcement yet as to what it is we will be doing.

JL: What are the considerations at the moment? What are the things that you are weighing up?

SP: Well, understanding that Obama has already said he's going to rake in and spend $1bn (£615.4m) in this race. Money is certainly going to be a consideration. And then just the idea of, will the American electorate be ready for someone a bit unconventional, in terms of a candidate who will call it like she sees it, and who will not be beholden to special interests or such obsessive partisanship as to let a political machine get in the way of just doing what's right for the voters.

JL: In a sense, do you think your "unconventionality" in that sense, the fact that you tell it as it is, is your strength but is also perceived as a weakness as well?

SP: I believe that it is a strength. I tell my kids, I encourage everyone I know that whether it be in their workplace, whether it be in a political arena or within their own families, to do what their gut tells them to do. And that involves calling it like they see it and tackling the tasks that are at hand and not worrying so much what other people are thinking or saying about them. And a lot of that goes along with that unconventional vein that I am talking about, that independent vein that I have within me. So I think that it's a strength and I encourage people I know to exercise that strength, too.

JL: In terms of making that decision, presumably the pressure on you and your family is a big part of the decision making, because you've been through a lot and you take a lot of flack?

SP: Our family is pretty thick-skinned, though. We have taken the pressure and pressure I think builds character and allows someone to handle what else is coming. For the last 20 years being in political office our family has had unconventional schedules, we've put up with a lot of flak, and we're still standing and we're doing well, so we're not worried too much about that pressure put on the family because we've been tried by fire.

[...]

SP: So again if I decide to run we know that we have to put up with a lot of the BS that comes from the media but ... It's not all of you guys but some of you still claim that Trig isn't my kid. I think that's an indication of screwed-up media.

[...]

JL: How offensive is that? How do you deal with that?

SP: Would you be offended if someone said you're child wasn't your child? It's offensive.

[Full Transcript]

Jackie Long also interviewed Sarah's parents, Chuck and Sally Heath. Here's an excerpt from the transcript of that interview:

JL: And people have threatened her life?

CH: Oh yeah, oh yeah. And her kids too.

[...]

JL: You say you laugh it off, but what does Sarah say about it? It must be terrifying.

CH: Well, she has good security when she goes places but here in Wasilla she doesn't have that good of security, other than family, friends and things like that. Not only Sarah has been threatened but her whole family has been threatened. We sleep with the guns.

[...]

JL: On a less extreme level, she has faced huge criticism and very personal criticism at times. How do you cope with that?

SH: I can't imagine what specifically they would object to, and that's what I would like to hear, and what I imagine Sarah would like to hear: 'well, what specifically do you not like?' And when we do read comments and then someone's asked, and they'll say 'well someone told me, such and such'. But truly, I do not know.

[Full Transcript]

The interview airs tonight on BBC Two's "Newsnight" at 10.30pm GMT/4:30 PM CST.

- JP