Gov. Sarah Palin is, to use the words of Chris Matthews, a torpedo aimed straight at the Obama campaign.\u00a0 I think that, overall, she achieved more last night than I, Democrats, and even members of the GOP thought she would. \u00a0 I thought Rudy Giuliani and Mike Huckabee were also quite good.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how I grade Palin\u2019s speech:<\/p>\n
Delivery: A <\/strong> She delivered last night, plain and simple.\u00a0 She got the convention crowd on its feet, she presented flawlessly, and she set a new tone for the McCain campaign.<\/p>\n Rhetoric: B+<\/strong> Aside from the sarcasm and misrepresentations of Sen. Barack Obama\u2019s tax policy (for which I docked a few points), she was effective and compelling in the manner in which she described her experience as a mother, mayor, and governor.\u00a0 While the argument is still weak that she is experienced enough for her new role, her choice of words, exhibition of confidence, and knowledge of her audience should put to rest any doubts among most McCain supporters and many independents.\u00a0 Also, her critique of Obama was pointed, which could effectively cast doubt among his own supporters.\u00a0 I think the GOP is finally ready for this election.<\/p>\n Substance: C<\/strong> The speech had little to offer in terms of solid argument and substance.\u00a0 She did not offer any idea of what she intends to do specifically as vice president.\u00a0 Scant references to anonymous Americans in various states do not assuage concerns that she actually knows the problems that most Americans face. The speech can be summed up crassly as: I have political experience, John McCain will fight for you, the media has an inaccurate view of us, and Obama will hurt America.\u00a0 Rhetorically, this is very effective in politics, and I believe that Palin was not aiming at substance.\u00a0 Indeed, why would she go for substance if it is not needed?\u00a0 In this respect, Palin has taken a big play from Obama\u2019s primary election handbook.<\/p>\n Overall: B<\/strong>+\u00a0 The sentimental experience and the rhetorical effect of the speech will carry on throughout this week and next.\u00a0 Palin has clearly established that she is a tough-minded politician and that she will not shy away from taking head-on Obama and Sen. Joe Biden.\u00a0 There is a new dimension to the McCain campaign, and I suspect that the bounce Obama received earlier this week will be mitigated by last night\u2019s speeches.\u00a0 However, we do not really know that Palin is aware of, or clear about, the issues that face Americans,\u00a0 and we do not know how she envisions her role as vice president.\u00a0 This is the substance that was lacking last night.\u00a0 I am sure, nonetheless, that we have not heard the whole story yet, since the point last night was to answer objections to her candidacy and to critique the Obama campaign.\u00a0 One last point: the scathing critique of the media last night was probably a bad idea.\u00a0 The media is an important implement in politics, and enemies within its ranks can do some damage to any campaign.\u00a0 McCain and Palin need to make sure they get the sort of coverage they need in order to win this election.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Gov. Sarah Palin is, to use the words of Chris Matthews, a torpedo aimed straight at the Obama campaign.\u00a0 I think that, overall, she achieved more last night than I, Democrats, and even members of the GOP thought she would. \u00a0 I thought Rudy Giuliani and Mike Huckabee were also quite good. Here\u2019s how I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2945,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[148,82,22,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-election","category-media","category-policraticus","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\n