ST. PAUL, Minn., Sept. 4, 2008
Sarah Palin Delivers Smash Hit In St. Paul
CBSNews.com Analysis: Amid Mounting Pressure, GOP VP Candidate Wows Them In St. Paul
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Palin Emerges At RNC
In a highly anticipated speech at the Republican National Convention, Sarah Palin criticized opponent Barack Obama for his lack of experience while championing for her running mate, John McCain.
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Palin's Path
A look at Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's life and career
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Sarah Palin
Alaska's youngest and first female governor tabbed to be McCain's running mate.
Emerging from the St. Paul shadows for her star turn at the Republican National Convention, Sarah Palin didn’t disappoint the thousands of delegates in the Xcel Center, who gave her a thunderous embrace after several rocky days in the national spotlight.
The question remains whether her performance was enough to win over the 60 percent of the nation who say they don’t know enough about her to have an opinion. But, by almost any measure, her performance exceeded expectations.
Giving a multi-purpose address with ease and style, Palin delivered on the promise that John McCain's campaign made when they unveiled her as his running mate. One part introduction, one part resume-enhancer and one part attack on Barack Obama, Palin's speech did something that no Republican has been able to accomplish throughout this election - energize the party.
The Alaskan governor has managed to overshadow the real star of this convention, John McCain, although not always for the better. First impressions matter, and for the past several days, Americans haven’t exactly seen the most positive view of the new face on the political scene. Family issues aside, a glance at Palin’s record has exposed some gaps between rhetoric and action and questions about her readiness for high national office, and there had been precious little positive news to counter it.
Outside of, perhaps, the citizens of Alaska, she remained a real mystery to most Americans coming into Wednesday night. Her speech was, in part, an opportunity to begin to change all that; to give her the chance to re-introduce and define herself - not just by biography but also her personality.
She did just that inside the Xcel Center, describing her very normal family with not-so-abnormal problems (a direct reference to her special needs child but also certainly an indirect nod at the pregnancy of her 17-year-old daughter) and unveiling an all-American family that includes a dashing, snow-mobile champion husband.
Palin flashed her much-disparaged "experience" credentials by laying out a lengthy list of accomplishments and reforms in Alaska. Curiously, Palin continues to tout her opposition to the infamous "bridge to nowhere," even though, technically speaking, she supported it before she said "no thanks."
Experience will continue to be an issue she will have to deal with in the days and weeks ahead, whether it’s in the form of media questions or in the vice presidential debate with Joe Biden. Her years of service are too short and too many suspicions remain about her grasp of a range of issues outside of energy and field-dressing a moose.
If there was a surprise in her speech, it was Palin’s effectiveness in attacking Obama. Just before she appeared on stage, Rudy Giuliani delivered a true stem-winder heavy on criticism for the Democratic nominee. But while the former mayor too often came off as sneering or mean, Palin's attacks were delivered with a lighter touch, even if the substance was just as sharp.
“In politics,” she said, “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.”
Then there were the attacks on the relentless press coverage she has received. Acknowledging the punditry of recent days, Palin said, "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.”
Earlier in the day, a senior McCain campaign official said that the original draft of the vice presidential speech had been written for a man, and was scrapped in part to tone it down. Palin’s speech was tough enough to make anyone wonder how more masculine it could have been.
Palin began the process of reversing the whirlwind of negative attention she has been subjected to over the past five days. Interrupted over and over again by standing ovations and thunderous applause, Palin’s speech must have soothed the nerves of skittish Republicans who were beginning to wonder what the campaign had done.
For a party less than totally energized by the candidacy of McCain, Palin has given the convention just the sort of spark it needed to compete with the Democratic affair last week in Denver. Social conservatives, especially, have remained lukewarm to a McCain candidacy, and the feeling that this election was slipping away from the party was hard to escape prior to her selection.
For the rest of the voters and interested Americans tuning in, Palin succeeded in giving the kind of speech that will be remembered for its dramatic circumstances - at the very least. Wednesday night, Sarah Palin lived up to all the accolades used to describe her by those who know her best back home, even some counted as adversaries - likable, smart and confident. The campaign could hardly have asked for more.
It was a test for Palin, this introduction to the national stage, one that was set up for her to pass - a well-prepared speech in front of a celebratory crowd guaranteed to respond to all the applause lines. Tougher challenges await, such as press conferences, hard-hitting interviews and that upcoming debate with her Democratic counterpart, Biden. But if this was the first exam, she easily aced it.
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See all 1538 CommentsThat''s a fair assessment, but just imagine what it must have felt like to have been the object of public scorn and ridicule the past week - Sarah Palin white trash, Sarah Palin bad mother, Sarah Palin unqualified beauty queen bimbo - and knowing that the Presidency could possibly hinge on your ability to establish your credibility, justify your presence, win hearts and minds . . . AND THEN add that the she had speech-writers and a teleprompter just like everybody else.
The stakes don''t get any higher than that!
Posted by middlecrank at 01:03 AM : Sep 04, 2008
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Yes, I was impressed with her reading skills and her presentation skills (honed as a TV sportscaster and beauty queen). Very atractive.
BUT EMPTY.
Larry Persily, a Palin staffer, and Jim Whitaker, the Republican mayor of Fairbanks, indicated their support of Palin as Governor, but questioned whether she was ready to serve as vice president.
Republican Gail Phillips, a former Speaker in the Alaska House of Representatives, questioned whether McCain had done any vetting of Palin, noting "I started calling around and asking, and I have not been able to find one person [in Alaska] that was called. I called 30 to 40 people, political leaders, business leaders, community leaders. Not one of them had heard."
Too bad the speech CONVEINTLY LEFT OUT WHAT TOOK PLACE FOR THE PAST 8 YEARS UNDER BUSH.
BUSH-MOBLE= sarah and mccain now behind the wheel. Same car with the 4 FLAT TIRES.Ready to drive it for 4 MORE years.
... sorry left-wing-dems .. you were voting for president not "American Idol" ... and now the Clinton Democrats and the Reagan Democrats will hold their noses and vote for McCain-Palin ... knowing that in 4 years Hillary will be on the ticket!!!
And children with special needs inspire a special love.To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters. I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House.
As a mother of a child with Down syndrome and a researcher of early intervention for special-needs children, I am saddened by Palin%u2019s dangerous use of her infant son for her own political gain.
I wonder about Palin''s character when she places her infant, who was born premature and with Down syndrome, in the midst of the convention and parades him around with her campaign. Early care of special needs children is critical to their healthy development. Too much stimulation, lack of schedule and discontinuous care can be very harmful. She is not an advocate for her own infant now; if elected she will be no advocate for special-needs kids.
Notice how certain critics will use personal attacks, instead of facts. Sexism will not prevail. It''s just as bad as racism. We''re encouraging all our neighbors, family, and friends to vote for McCain and Palin. Nation first, self-interest last. At the end of the day we''re all Americans and should respect each other. Each person should accord each other with civil discourse. The more immature one''s comments are, the less likely their "premise" could persuade voters.
I know all you dems are scared by the way you have been trashing here so hard all week. Go Sarah Palin and god bless her and her family. Go John McCain. :)
They have no plans to change anything. In fact McCain-Palin may make Bush-Cheney look like a warmup.
Wow -- you''re voting for McCain now?? Surprise. You weren''t going to before! shock of all shocks. What fools do you think we are. Talk to your friends, your neighbors, your fellow racists and Christian brethren who are only tolerant when a scandal happens in their own backyard.
By virtue of your intelligent rationalization, if all you need is one good speech to vote for someone, you will be switching your vote from now to Kingdom come.
What you are is a short-sighted, racist, bigoted, right-wing nut who wants to take our country back to a time when you felt things were good -- like when racism and bigotry were part of the American fabric -- and white was the only way to be. You''re right -- Palin shares your beliefs. She likes censoring libraries, taking away women''s rights and is about as extremist as an irrational muslim is about his own religious beliefs. If you think that the youth and rational people of this country will allow you another 4 years to screw up America, you have a real ephiphany coming.
Palin is just another "pretty face" with absolutely no substance - your typical GOP candidate.
18 months into her very first State-level job - no national or international experience at all.
What an affront to women, Gov Palin is.
She allows herself to be shielded from the press. Then she does her snide, macho, I''m tough routine... then back into hiding.
If she were really a strong woman, she''d have demanded to speak to the media, and answer their questions.
Instead, she hides behind her puppetmasters. Real women, don''t let guys pull their strings.
She''s an embarrassment to 21st Century women.
There is one thing, the GOP & the Dems agree on.
Washington needs to be cleaned out... the GOP has held the White House 28 of the last 40 years, nominated seven of the nine Supreme Court justices and held Congress for 12 of the last 14 years... including 6 of the last 8.
Yet, the Party of *Personal Responsibility,* once again, blames the Dems. Amazing.
How dumb does the GOP thinks the electorate is?? Just because they live in Revisionist Reality, does not mean the rest of us do.
And no GOPers... Dems aren''t scared, quite the contrary.
The only thing that might scare us, is if the electorate is as dumb, as the GOP seems to think we are. Sadly, y''all are GOP Believers.
All I can say, is that you were born with a brain.
Please don''t let it waste away... learn how to use it.
Unless you''re making over 250K, the GOP is playing you.
Sen. McCain actually fought for this country for decades. Gov. Palin actually reversed her state''s deficit and has the highest approval rating of any governor in the Union.
It''s interesting to note that most of Obama''s supporters, though well meaning, are actually self-defeating their claims by irrational hatred.
Truth is, Obama, voted "present" too often. That makes him look indecisive. He makes great speeches. But, looking at his record in the Senate and Illinois, sadly, he has little to show for. He needs more time to prove himself an able leader, rather than just a great talker and orator. It makes more than just words to make a good leader. In McCain and Palin, beyond partisan hackery, they are the better choice of all Americans.
When are the republicans going to talk about the issues during that convention ?
I can understand that they would spend some time bashing on the democrat candidates. I guess that''s part of the game.
But, they can''t just be doing that over, and over and over.. and not talk about any issue at all. They keep saying stuffs like "Obama will not fix the economy but we will.. or Obama will make us loose the war in Irak but we won''t. Ok, that''s great! We all want to know how ?
They must explain why exactly that plan is better. What reform or legislation will they do.
They must talk about their plan. They CANNOT LEAD a country without a plan.
It is funny because they keep talking about their quality of being a leader, but they don''t talk about their plan.
If i were them, This would be the first thing i would do. Explain my vision, explain what are my goals and how i intend to reach them.
They must spend more time explaining that instead of using their whole time just bashing their opponents. If their plan is good, people will vote for them.
Posted by jb01201a
Duuhh. Yeah, stoopid. Stoopid Stoopid Stoopid Libs. Yeah.
She seemed, as an unknown, to be too eager coming out thrashing. She mocked, which Barack Obama never did. This was just rather low-class.
She lied, saying Obama wasn''t for developing new sources of energy. This was transparently false and very condescending to the American public.
Toward the end she clearly stumbled, halting unnaturally at points in sentences that did not call for pauses - clearly tripping over the teleprompter. It was a sorry sight. I think she benefited from low expectations, and that is all.
From the news, I quote:
"Kalnins has preached that critics of President Bush will be banished to hell; questioned whether people who voted for Sen. John Kerry in 2004 would be accepted into heaven; and preached that the Sept. 11 attacks and the war in Iraq were part of a world war over Christianity."
This is a person who:
-Opposes abortion for rape and incest victims.
-Does not support contraception.- Opposes *** education programs. Supports abstinence-only education.
- Wants to require parental consent for abortions for women/girls under age 18.
- Supports a constitutional amendment to deny health benefits to same-*** couples.
- Supports teaching Creationism in public schools (Teaching that the world was literally made in 7 days.)
- Does not believe global warming is human-made.
Well, Vaughn, you obviously don''t get out much and rub shoulders with the human race. She sounded very feminine to me. Granted, she probably couldn''t beat Biden pumping iron, but there is nothing stopping a bright, capable woman from delivering a pointed political speech that brings down the house.
GOP delegates attacked by protesters
Police wielding pepper spray arrest at least 56 as protest turns violent
Obama supporters at work. Brownshirts acting like Hitlers boys. Dem Nazi''s.
Do they think GW Bush is smart? Very smart to start this unnecessary war that now everyone else has to figure out to clean up.
Very smart to throw the nation into a 10 TRILLION DOLLAR DEFICIT.
Very smart to start this war that has KILLED 4,146 and WOUNDED 30,324 AMERICANS.
To resort to calling names without any knowledge of what is going on is what is really dumb.
Watch it here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq-NJ1YQu8M
*****''S WEBSITE SHOWS HOW IS INVOLVED IN SEVERAL CHILDREN''S ORGANIZATIONS. ORGANIZATIONS: Massachusetts Academy of Trial Lawyers; Taunton Boys & Girls Club (Board of Directors); Taunton Little League; Taunton Youth Basketball Coach; Massachusetts Bar Foundation; Massachusetts Waterfowlers, Inc.; Babe Ruth League; High School Umpire; Bristol Ducks Unlimited; Southeastern New England Area Boys'' Clubs
Hmmm....?
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