Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Sarah Palin Has "Fire In My Belly" For 2012 Run, Is Protected By A "Prayer Shield"
By
Garth Johnston
Published May 20, 2011
Modified May 20, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
AP
By
Garth Johnston
Published May 20, 2011
Modified May 20, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
With Donald Trump and Mike Huckabee out of the race and Newt Gingrich's 2012 presidential campaign imploding, the GOP's prospects got a boost last night when former Vice Presidential candidate, Fox News contributor and half-term governor of Alaska Sarah Palin told Greta Van Sustern that she has the "fire in my belly" for a presidential run. But before she makes any decision she needs to be sure her large family has the same "prayer shield" to deflect criticism as she does.
Here's how the conversation went down:
VAN SUSTEREN: The other night, when Governor Huckabee announced that he wasn't going to run, he said something like it wasn't in his heart, the way I always (INAUDIBLE) you don't have the fire in your belly. Do you have -- I mean, I know you haven't made a decision, but do you have that fire in your belly? Do you really want it?
PALIN: Oh, that's a great question. I think my problem is that I do have the fire in my belly. I am so adamantly supportive of the good, traditional things about America and our free enterprise system, and I want to make sure that America is put back on the right track, and we only do that by defeating Obama in 2012. I have that fire in my belly.
It's a matter for me of some kind of practical, pragmatic decisions that have to be made. One is, with a large family, understanding the huge amount of scrutiny and the sacrifices that have to be made on my children's part in order to see their mama run for president. But yes, the fire in the belly? It's there!
Palin is apparently concerned that the massive amount of attention she has gotten and continues to get ("the darts and the arrows keep flying. And you see that movies are being made, books are coming out. Hoarded e-mails from a disloyal former staff member have been compiled by a hateful blogger, and those are going to be released," she said) could deter her from running. Luckily she says that she is protected by a prayer shield that keeps her safe from the attacks, though she worries about how they affect her family. Meanwhile, she pulls out an old favorite and blames all that negative attention on the liberal media, which she says doesn't care nearly as much about the foibles of Democrats:
What isn't fair, though, is when it's only one-sided, when it's only the conservatives, say, who get hammered away at those things that the press wants to know. You know, the perfect example of the media one-sidedness is Obama's record not being explored, his associations in the last campaign not being explored, and now revelations of maybe some of his upbringing, some of his background, certainly his associations, how they impact his world view and how that affects his decisions today.
Yeah, nobody has scrutinized Obama over the past six years at all. Meanwhile, a recent Gallup poll found Palin and Mitt Romney ahead of the pack in a field of candidates with no clear frontrunner. If Palin does run though, we wonder if Julianne Moore, currently playing Palin now, will be up for HBO's inevitable made-for-TV movie on the race?
But what do you think? Will Palin run this go round—or wait it out for 2016?
Tagged
election 2012
fox news
gop
presidential election
sarah palin
Garth Johnston
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
These are the NYC neighborhoods that will get free 2-K next fall
All of Staten Island and the Bronx will be eligible for seats.
By
Karen Yi
Published Oct 19, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. ET
Early Addition: Get to know Wanda, the donkey in the Met's 'La Bohème'
Because she's 18 years old now, here are your early links: The RHONY castmember mentioned in the Epstein Files, killing rats with carbon monoxide, Selena Gomez says don't vape and more.
By
James Ramsay
News
Early Addition: Get to know Wanda, the donkey in the Met's 'La Bohème'
Because she's 18 years old now, here are your early links: The RHONY castmember mentioned in the Epstein Files, killing rats with carbon monoxide, Selena Gomez says don't vape and more.
By
James Ramsay
Eric Adams' NYC buildings boss Eric Ulrich heads to trial, 3 years after arrest
By
David Brand
and
Samantha Max
Need help with mental health or addiction services? NYC has a new tool.
By
Caroline Lewis
NYC sues personal injury law firm accused of bogus trip-and-fall claims
By
Walter Wuthmann
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .