CLEARWATER -- GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin received an enthusiastic welcome at Coachman Park in Clearwater Monday morning.
Making her first appearance in the Bay area, Palin hosted a "Road to Victory" rally. A crowd of as many as 10,000 greeted the Alaska governor.
She spoke for about 25 minutes to the crowd. She also is scheduled to visit Ft. Myers today during her Florida Swing.
Palin hit upon key points of running mate John McCain's platform as well as keeping up criticism of some of Barack Obama's policy ideas.
"The phoniest claim in a campaign that has been full of them is that Barack Obama is going to cut your taxes," Palin told the crowd. "He's voted 94 times to raise taxes, even on middle class Americans."
Palin said that her party's ticket is the only one to fix the ongoing problems in the country.
"Everyone knows that this country has got to be put back on the right track," she said. "We have that plan to put our country on the right track."
Palin and running mate John McCain have been falling behind Democratic candidate Barack Obama in polls with about a month left until Election Day. She told supporters that is where Florida comes in, comparing the Republican ticket to the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team.
"I know that earlier some of the experts were kind of tough on the Rays. I've been there. But what a difference a season can make and now the Rays are in the playoffs for the first time ever. So, Florida knows a little something about turning an underdog into a victor, and together, that's what we can do," Palin said.
After her stop in Clearwater, Palin will make another stop on Monday at a rally in Estero. On Tuesday, she will head north for rallies in Jacksonville and Pensacola.
In addition to the rallies, Palin has plans to make an appearance at private fundraisers in Naples, Boca Raton and Jacksonville.
Weekend Flap Over Obama's Ties To Pastor, Radical
Over the weekend, Palin criticized Obama's ties to his incendiary former pastor and a 1960s-era radical.
In an interview in The New York Times published Monday, Palin spoke about Obama's relationship with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who made anti-American comments even though John McCain had said talk of Wright was off limits.
Palin said, "I don't know why that association isn't discussed more, because those were appalling things that that pastor had said about our great country."
Palin claimed in three separate appearances Saturday that Obama sees America as so imperfect "that he's palling around with terrorists who would target their own country."
The incendiary remarks referred to Obama's association with1960s radical Bill Ayers, a founder of the Weather Underground, whose members were blamed for several bombings when Obama was a child. Obama has denounced Ayers' radical views and activities, and said there is no evidence they "pal around."
At a morning rally in Florida, Palin keep up her criticism of Obama and Ayers, though this time she referred to him as a "former terrorist."
Obama's communications director, Robert Gibbs, countered that the new McCain offensive -- including Palin's allegation -- is happening because Republicans want to talk about something other than the struggling economy.
Palin's Sense of Humor
During her appearance, Palin made light of all her recent publicity.
"Evidently, there's some interest in what I've been reading lately, and I think that this comes from -- it's a result of a less than successful interview I had recently with the, kind of, mainstream media. You know, in response to critics after that interview what I should have told them was 'I was just trying to keep Tina Fey in business -- just giving her more information,'" Palin said.
Comment on this story.