Media of CLSA

Here's the AP Vid:



Here's another clip:



And some pics from the Hong Kong airport are here.

C4P has commentary clips here.

Shock! The New York Times Sheds Positive Light On Palin's Asian Speech

Imagine my surprise when I read this article this morning:

Sarah Palin, in what was billed as her first speech overseas, spoke on Wednesday to Asian bankers, investors and fund managers. A number of people who heard the speech in a packed a hotel ballroom, which was closed to the media, said Mrs. Palin spoke from notes for 90 minutes and that she was articulate, well-prepared and even compelling.

“The speech was wide-ranging, very balanced, and she beat all expectations,” said Doug A. Coulter, head of private equity in the Asia-Pacific region for LGT Capital Partners.

“She didn’t sound at all like a far-right-wing conservative. She seemed to be positioning herself as a libertarian or a small-c conservative,” he said, adding that she mentioned both Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. “She brought up both those names.”

Mrs. Palin said she was speaking as “someone from Main Street U.S.A.,” and she touched on her concerns about oversized federal bailouts and the unsustainable American government deficit. She did not repeat her attack from last month that the Obama administration’s health care proposals would create a “death panel” that would allow federal bureaucrats to decide who is “worthy of health care.”

Cameron Sinclair, another speaker at the event, said Mrs. Palin emphasized the need for a grassroots rebirth of the Republican Party driven by party leaders outside Washington. A number of attendees thought Mrs. Palin, the former vice presidential candidate, was using the speech to begin to broaden her foreign policy credentials before making a run for the presidency in 2012.

“She’s definitely a serious future presidential candidate, and I understand why she plays so well in middle America,” said Mr. Coulter, a Canadian.

Mrs. Palin was faulted during the campaign last year for her lack of foreign policy experience and expertise. As the governor of Alaska, she said in her own defense, she had a unique insight because “you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska” — a remark that was widely lampooned.

Accompanying Mrs. Palin to Hong Kong was Randy Scheunemann, the former foreign policy adviser to John McCain, who lost the 2008 election to President Obama. Mrs. Palin did not take questions from the media after the speech, and there was a high degree of security and secrecy around the event. Only invited guests and a handful of employees from CLSA, the brokerage house that sponsored the event, were allowed inside the ballroom.

A CLSA spokeswoman declined to confirm a rumor that Mrs. Palin was paid $300,000 for her Hong Kong appearance. When she resigned as governor in July, Mrs. Palin cited numerous reasons for stepping down, including more than $500,000 in legal fees that she and her husband, Todd, incurred because of 15 ethics complaints filed against her during her two and a half years in office.

Mr. Coulter said CLSA has a history of inviting keynote speakers who are “newsworthy and potentially controversial.” Other previous speakers at the conference have included Al Gore, Alan Greenspan, Bono and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Mrs. Palin’s speech took place at the Grand Hyatt on the Victoria Harbor waterfront and amid the soaring towers of corporate giants like AIG, HSBC and the Bank of China. Some attendees saw Hong Kong as an auspicious place for her first major international appearance.

Melvin Goodé, a regional marketing consultant, thought Mrs. Palin chose Hong Kong because, he said, it was “a place where things happen and where freedom can be expanded upon.” “It’s not Beijing or Shanghai,” said Mr. Goodé . “She also mentioned Tibet, Burma and North Korea in the same breath as places where China should be more sensitive and careful about how people are treated. She said it on a human-rights level.”

Mr. Goodé, an African-American who said he did some campaign polling for President Obama, said Mrs. Palin mentioned President Obama three times on Wednesday. “And there was nothing derogatory in it, no sleight of hand, and believe me, I was listening for that,” he said, adding that Mrs. Palin referred to Mr. Obama as “our president,” with the emphasis on “our.”

Mr. Goodé, a New Yorker who said he would never vote for Mrs. Palin, said she acquitted herself well. “They really prepared her well,” he said. “She was articulate and she held her own. I give her credit. They’ve tried to categorize her as not being bright. She’s bright.”

I should probably comment on the article, but I can't. I'm shell-shocked. I'm so used to the media completely trashing Governor Palin that I don't know what to do when they don't, especially the New York Times. Just imagine my jaw laying on the floor somewhere, cause that's pretty much where I am right now.

The one thing I will say is that it appears there are a few discrepancies between this article and some of the tweets. In the end I expect some sort of transcript will come out and we'll know which was accurate.

Lots of other articles streaming in. Here's a positive one from the WSJ, and another from the Washington Wire with some complete quotes about bridging Alaska and Asia. Just do some news searches as the day goes on and I'm sure you'll find alot more where this came from. I'm sure the slime will start oozing out once they realize that they just said something positive, so enjoy the good feedback while it's there. See y'all later.

CLSA on Twitter - UPDATE: Cameron Sinclair article - UPDATE II - More Pics

Pic posted on Twitter by Cellomonkey here.

A couple of guys were in the CLSA audience during Sarah Palin's speech and twittered the event. Their accounts are here and here. The second guy is also a speaker at the event.

Cellomonkey seems to be left-leaning, but fairly unbiased, although he follows Obama and Rachel Maddow. Casinclair is an environmental architecture guy who has had articles posted on the Huffington Post and is a fan of Van Jones on Facebook. Still, he seems to be sincere in his belief and focused on architecture, so I don't think he's necessarily a Kool-Aid drinker. Anyway, in that context, here are both of their Tweets in chronological order (Cellomonkey = CM, and Casinclair = CC) :

CC: Kind ironic. Sarah Palin will talk foreign policy (wed keynote) and I'll speak about lack of US policy during Katrina (thurs keynote).

CC: Checking keynotes sched for this event in HK. I'm firmly in between Sarah Palin and Sheryl Crow. A sentence I never thought I'd ever write.

CC: Funnily enough palin and my talks are the only ones closed to the media. Mine is probably lack of interest.....

CM: Think sarah palin will wink at me tomorrow?

CC: So far six outlets want me to speak on camera right after the Palin talk today. Silly politirazzi.

CM: Anticipation building as palin prepares to speak at clsa forum in hk.

CM: Sarah palin pretty in pink today.

CM: Palin ties her lineage to asia by saying todd is part eskimo.

CC: Stimulus failed will keep unemployment high - Palin.

CC: Fed is immoral - Palin

CC: Palin calls self common sence consertative - quotes Reagan and Thatcher as 'getting it right'.

CM: She takes a stab at policy speak since she's from main street.

CC: Palin suggests her cost cutting in the Governors house shows her fiscal conservative.

CM: Palin pushing "common sense conservatism - a respect for history and tradition and common sense."

CM: Palin: "mccain and i came in second in a competition of two!" shes funny.

CC: Palin suggests GOP has sold out since Reagan and are as bad as the liberals. They lost principles.

CM: Palin preparing for 2012 bid by evoking reagan, lauds hkg as model for free mkt economy.

CC: Cap and tax (trade) will cause unemployment. Say it will cost $1800 per Americans and cause no change.

CM: Palin seemingly campaigning but i wonder how many of us are actually us citizens.

CM: 30 minutes in, im not sure palin has said the word "china"

CC: Palin pro Nuclear and energy independance advocate. Tap the god given resources of America and not foreign entities.

CM: "nukular"!!!

CC: Natural gas IS the future - Palin

CC: Palin wants 'all of the above' energy policy to ween ourselves off natural resouces. Says we need to 'drill'

CC: Death panels - governments not being honest. Can't increase healthcare and cut costs - Palin

CC: Palin says drill. Say death panels were a way to show mainstreet what is wrong w gov plans

CM: The guy next to me is reading a macro strategy report.

CC: Palin listing all deaths caused by twisted vision of terrorists. 'this is a war' - Palin suggesting the surge pushed the war out of Iraq.

CC: Palin says Pelosi and liberals stopping Obama from making right decision to increase troops in afghanistan.

CC: American defence of Asia has allowed it to prosper - Palin

CM: Palin critizes cutting of defense budget while china and russia are beefing up.

CM: Palin attributes asian economic prosperity to american commitment to security in the region.

CC: American military precense in Asia has allowed it to prosper - palin.

CC: Folks walking out on palin as she's running over Q&A time.

CM: Palin hopes to integrate india into asia... hrm.

CC: We can help intergrate Asia and India -Palin.

CC: Palin says China key to global push out of recession. China needs to be responsible stakeholder. (and free).

CM: Palin warns against rise of a one-nation asia, citing missles pointed at taiwan.

CC: China needs to ease off Taiwan and to back off supporting Sudan and Zimbabwe. Notes Tibet issue - Palin (on a tear)

CM: Palin: "it is in the interest of our safety for china to work out its contradictions"

CM: Wow, palin is lashing out against china "we hope for china to rise responsibly"

CM: palin has found herself a spot on hu jintao's to-do list [Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China]

CC: Palin wrapping up saying local Chinese wanting more freedom in China. 'No one worrys about India and it's growth'

CC: Palin - notes Charter 08. Anyone!

CC: Palin wrapping up.

CC: Last 20 min of Palins talk on china us relationships and free trade. Current US gov are anti-open and anti-growth -palin.

CC: Palin says us must recognize we must lead by example not words. Americans are suffering and frustrated dems exempt themselves from hlthcare.

CC: Palin says tea party movement are democrats and republicans and fighting the good fight.

CC: Palin notes bush changed view on china - notes we are interconnected and need to put diplomatic pressure on china. Says taxing tires was bad.

CC: Local elected officials need to be heard. GOP will be re borne through locals - palin.

CC: Government need to stay the heck out of salary decisions - palin.

CC: Palin - Chavez is Castro lite. We need to play hardball with Cuba.

CM: Palin says "i have a husband, yea, i think i coulda used a wife" on being asked "how do you do it"

CC: Palin on Todd and schedule - 'i needed to have a wife' (ouch)

CC: Palin on Twitter - I love it!

CM: Zuckerberg gets props from palin for embodying american ingenuity.

CC: Palin - facebook is a success story of US ingenuity. Shows 'we still got it'.

CC: Palin shows picture of son on stage. Then exits.

CC: Nothing like being attacked by press leaving 'it was awful and right wing, wasn't it' - ask to comment, I said go on Twitter....

CC: Dear @CNN your reporter is the only one trying the sweet tactic to get a quote. Not working either.

CC: Hey ms Palin, I'll let you tweet my keynote tomorrow lunch. I'm talking on Katrina and school reform through public/private partnerships.

CC: @cellomonkey my pics sucked. My keynote tomorrow will have 180 more slides than Palin.

CC: @Tx4Obama no problem didn't realize I was one of only two tweeting. Had to find alt. Network to send.

CC: ok speech with occational hits. Interesting Palin attacked GOP more than Dems.

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And there endeth the Tweets

A comment on Sarah's Facebook wall:

Catherine Yu Yeun Chen: I have really great news, a friend who attended the Forum where Mrs Palin made the Keynote Speech at the CLSA Investor's Forum, just while ago, said: Sarah Palin was received with the biggest round of applause it took 3 minutes at least before she was able to start her Speech and that the Speech itself was brilliant and astute and that she took China to task aggressivaly but without been offensive or rude, and she answered many questions brilliantly and smartly after the speech itself, and she was looking beautiful and relaxed and again received a standing applause, but my friend can not tell me anything about the speech-address, it is CLSA rules, and it is up to Sarah and the Organizers to decide whether the speech will be available for public reading.

UPDATE: CC (Cameron Sinclair) wrote an article for the Huffington Post about the speech here. Apparently he got his Fed tweet wrong.

UPDATE II: AP pics here.