- BIG NEWS:
- Terrorism
- |
- Blackwater
- |
- Barack Obama
- |
- Health Care
- |
Saint Sarah Beats Expectations in Saint Paul
Dividing a presidential convention between two cities -- Minneapolis and Saint Paul -- that are a half hour cab ride apart is a very good way to deflate enthusiasm and raw political energy, but tonight. . .finally. . .this convention woke up with a spark provided by former NY Mayor Rudy Giuliani and then a powerful home run speech by Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.
Expectations of Palin had been set so low by all of those who doubted her abilities and experience that perhaps any semi-competent talk would have done the trick, but clearly she was comfortable speaking powerfully to tens of millions on television and a packed stadium in St. Paul.
Substantively, I strongly disagreed with her tongue-in-cheek dismissal of Obama for wanting to stand by those who deserve to have their rights read to them in a way consistent with democracy. She portrayed herself as being a believer in liberty -- distrustful of government, and then seemed to argue that some accused (possible terrorists) didn't deserve the benefit of doubt that liberty promises and argued that an empowered government could judge who was evil and who was innocent without regard for basic human rights.
Palin talked a lot about fiscal responsibility, of sacking her chef, and selling former Senator and Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski's state-provided luxury plane on EBay and wanting to bring those practices to Washington -- but she mentioned nothing of the irresponsibility of waging the second most expensive war in American history with no regard to raising revenue to pay for it.
Like Bush and McCain and Cheney, Sarah Palin embraces war and lowering taxes. Suggesting that that is a fiscally responsible posture is neo-Orwellian.
Palin tried to build on the silly meme that Obama is somehow positioning himself as a modern Messiah:
What does he actually seek to accomplish, after he's done turning back the waters and healing the planet? The answer is to make government bigger. . .
It is the government of George W. Bush that she and McCain are trying to succeed that has made the reach of government into people's private lives the most extensive and invasive in modern history -- and the size of government as measured by the gap between receipts and expenditures is also the largest in American experience.
Palin, like George W. Bush and Cheney, seems to think that by asserting falsehoods or juxtaposing contradictory goals like maintaining a large forward based troop presence in Iraq but keeping taxes from going up sells just fine to Americans.
She may be right. I think that in contrast to Obama -- whose selection of Joe Biden was smart and important in shoring up the Obama Team's gravitas -- Palin has been set up by McCain to be a new kind of 21st century "saint."
She has a large, seemingly wonderful family -- juggles her home cooking with running a large state as its chief executive. She has a snow mobile racing husband who is a North Shore oilman and she tackles corrupt "lobbying interests" and their cozy deals with politicos wherever she goes.
It's a great story on many levels. Her husband is even a member of the United Steel Workers. Faint applause on that line though.
But despite my substantive differences with Palin, this performance tonight beat expectations and moved her to a new level. Her competition at this incredibly flat, low energy confab in St. Paul is thin -- so one could easily argue that she had a lot of room to pull off a success. But that is too cynical.
She did a great job -- and stared her doubters and the challenge down.
There is much about Sarah Palin we don't know yet. Unlike Biden and Obama, we didn't get much time to have our own public vetting of her before McCain's decision -- so there will be more fits and starts and twists and turns as other parts of her life are dredged up, over-analyzed, and judged by the American public.
But this is going to be very close race, particularly if nothing new and surprising shows up on Palin.
What no one will say just yet -- but which I think the McCain folks tried to convey is that "Saint Sarah" just made her real debut in Saint Paul.
-- Steve Clemons publishes the popular political blog, The Washington Note
Loading comments…
Most Popular on HuffingtonPost
R1J07PUkA6jMPluN4WUJrKc9bs5cYdKGk8fWw07eBY53b62HJEFUVRoxTfkI2fbYtLHMTJfehKp6YsO3pZ1ZPQ%3D%3D
PLQShcL08oJ9HrbkZwKLBSM0%2FRauc72RhYKcVF7t9A13qu8vD45aHYupatrrhGsa6Axc4SL9OWR93JyjJg2wpQ%3D%3D
1 of 2
HuffingtonPost Reporters
lGalTQX%2FW%2BYo%2BVzkhe4JnT9RxkUDPOI8
rp9ykyUYbbG8tsjFRRh4M63V7elYoKoW
1 of 2
Don't Miss HuffPost Bloggers
1 of 2
Huffington Post Apps and Feeds
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
Palin is a total amateur. She will go down in flames when debating with Biden. She is a nice soccer mom type but certainly not VP material. Better she sticks to doing the laundry and riding her motorcycle. She does have nice legs.
"Better she sticks to doing the laundry and riding her motorcycle. She does have nice legs."
What an enlightened, progressive assessment.
First two sentences I agree with.
The rest? Misogynistic bullshit, to put it bluntly. Please join the rest of us in the 21st century.
i think the GOP is showing its true nature.
it doesn't matter that she's inexperienced. it doesn't matter that mccane has the personality of a piece of cardboard. all that matters is that the executive branch is willing to do what it's told.
eisenhower told us it was coming.
i also agree with the comment that the audience could have simply read the lines off that huge hypno-screen themselves and they still would have cheered in the right places.
automatons.
"automaton
----------
"HOPE!"
"CHANGE"
"YES, WE CAN!"
bots
I was surprised at how nasty and dirty Palin fought tonight. I think the republican base was surprised as well, except in a way they loved and approved of. But after watching that speech, which is by far the most rapt she will have the American public sans interruption, I still feel confident in Obama. Not just that he has better traits and policies, but that he is smart enough to not let this type of fiery, low attacks get the best of him.
Case and point- Palin's daughter. Obama quickly responded about as classy as you could and even I thought that he was being a little too gentlemanly. But as it turns out, he completely saved himself from a horde of attacks that the conservatives were no doubt hoping for. Could you imagine if he had said one word that was the least bit degrading? They would've been all over it like a school of Piranha.
He's not only smarter than his opponents, but he's smarter than his allies. He's never managed to exceed expectations. Once Palin's speech blows over and people turn back to reality and the actual issues that affect them, Obama will have the clear advantage.
This is what's different about Barack Obama. This is what Al Gore and John Kerry (as much as I agreed with their policies) did not have.
how desperate is a campaign when their surrogates feebly attempt to shore up their weak as water #1 spot on the ticket by comparing it to the #2 spot on their opponents' ticket?
i WILL agree that obama has never managed to succeed expectations. actually, he's yet to actually live up to any of them...
btw, the phrase is "case IN point"
The problems with the Dems is we're a wuss. Forget the independents. This election like many others is about low information voters. This speech appealed to them. She was snarky, sarcastic, angry, clever, full of hate and spewed lies. But this kind of negative campaigning works! We dems put out tepid, respectful responses because we're too busy trying to take the high road. Well that doesn't work. The Repubs will win this. The dems are just as delusional as they were when John Kerry ran in 04.
Obama is not a fighter. Joe Biden is a fighter but he has foot in the mouth disease. He will say something sexist and stupid. "She's better looking than me." Because he can't seem to stay on message.
Obama camp needs to go on the attack. The need to go on the defensive. I'm tired of Obama PRAISING John MCCain. I"m tired of Obama opening his mouth and saying he appreciates McCain's military experience. Obama you are a wimp. John Edwards called you one and he is right. You can't fight. And you're attack dog - Joe Biden has been rendered toothless.
Obama/Biden - please grow a pair and go after these clowns. This is a street fight and you all have your ballet slippers on. Hillary is a fighter. She would never tolerate this bullcrap!
The media needs to continue to vet this superficial hate spewing woman. But they won't because they're afraid of being called Sexist.
Jesus take the wheel!
nice attempt at 'neutrality', but we can see the wires.
Thanks for the note. I wasn't trying to be neutral. I reported on what I saw. I don't advocate her views as I heard them. But what do you mean by wires?
I am just surprised that so many people wrote report about the speech and not single one pointed out that Sarah Barracuda was there just as puppet who reads the speech...o
Easily said...Typ
Hiya Steve, don't worry about the wires.
But you should probably look out for the tar, feathers, and poles on which heretics are typically out-of-town-run.
;-)
Besides, you could not possibly have merely been honestly reporting since your views differ from the majority expressed here at HuffPo.
Therefore, you must be under the control of Rupert or Darth, or both; Q.E.D.
Double ;-)
Let me start by asking the question" Why is it important to like the Presidential Candidate in order to vote for a particular candidate?" It seems that if you read the comments, various, blogs and even credible media articles, the American people are looking for someone to identify with. Well, I'm here to say, I don't need to like the candidate nor should that be a criteria for voting for a particular candidate. Look, I'm a mom, I three kids, I run a business with my husband .I have something in common with Sarah Palin as do all working moms. Governor Palin seems to be great! Yet, this is my problem: under no circumstances should the presidential candidates(VPS included) be one of us. I want the candidates to be road scholars, the most sucessful students(ivy league or not), extremely successful business men and even career politicians. You want the President to be cream of the crop, best of the best, the elite in intelligence. I don't want to feel that I know more about politics, economics, foreign policy or anything having to do with governing. The President, of course, should be one of us, but not the soccer or hockey mom, with great one -liners. Stop and think, the last eight years in this country was run by a guy that admitted to being the "C student". Now , I don't know about the masses but that's not what I want to represent me.
*cringe*
it's Rhodes scholar.
there and their. you're and your. week and weak. to and too.
sorry. i get tired of seeing this stuff on progressive websites.
Chill, Martin - she got her point across, right?
(Apologies for the name fun - kind of hard to resist and really the only reason I replied was to inflict my wit* on y'all.
*You know - I think I'm a wit but I'm only 50% correct in my assessment?)
I tend to miss articles of speech when I'm a tad upset, but my favorite is "loose" for lose.
Thanks for saying what I know many are thinking. I want someone smarter than me running the country with lots of national and international experience
Steve,
She didn't say anything of substance. If pandering to her base was the goal then, indeed, it was a "home run." But these are also the same people who talk of being "compassionate" with one side of their mouth while co-signing the rape of Middle America by Big Business and Big Oil with the other.
I sincerely hope you are being disingenuous.
I'm not sure whose expectations you are talking about. She fell far short of mine. I was really worried that this incredible "dynamic" personality was going to show some overwhelming power of persuasion and oratory and bring the McCain campaign back to life. What I got was a rather halting, smug delivery of a speech clearly written for her and read off the teleprompter. Perhaps given the almost robotic speeches given thus far, this seemed dynamic by comparison. Her voice is almost painful to listen to and her smug condescension was infuriating to me, a woman - middle class, professional and working mom. She was ungracious and snarky about it.
Steve, I pretty sure you wrote your blog before the speech. It was week. All the problems we have your party has created. Also, I pretty sure Bush is a republican.
Thanks GLT21 -- Of course Bush is a Republican. Hope you didn't think my piece would say differently. I didn't write this piece before I heard her speech. I was there on the floor and had to write this after. I didn't listen to any other commentary. it is fascinating to see the great number of different "takes" on her speech. Again, I am not advocating her or her views -- simply commenting on how I felt she connected with Republicans in that hall. I think that she performed far better than I expected her to.
Yesterday, even earlier today -- I think Dems were underestimating her and what she'd generate by way of sizzle in the country.
I hope this sizzle fizzles out though -- but still, she should not be underestimated.
best, steve clemons
This makes your article make sense. I think that speech played better on the floor with the cheering crowds than on TV or radio, where her voice sounded flat and smug. You could see the reading of the teleprompter and her connection to the material seemed lackluster. She just seemed shallow, mean-spirited, self-serving and ungracious. I think those at the convention hall were far more impressed than those watching. By contrast, the speeches at the DNC gave me chills, even sitting at home.
Saint Sarah? C'mon Steve. The woman had an affair with one of her husband's business partners. All of the sizzle that you refer to is a big fat lie. The ditzy little Pentecostal hockey mom from Wasilla fits right in with the lying, manipulative, right wing neo-conservative Bush cabal that hijacked this country eight years ago. I'm not buying the sizzle for one minute. It's time for some steak. Obama/Biden '08 Russ Feingold for Attorney General. Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State. It's time to take this country back.
So she connected with her base. So what? It's on because she managed to connect to the republican base which was already going to support McCain, which still supports Bush.
Does that really need to be explained?
I don't know about a Saint, but I do think the repeated mention of McCain's suffering is getting pretty close to martyrdom. Mel Gibson must have lent them some of the screenplay of The Passion. And they mock Obama as a Messiah? McCain has practically risen from the dead!
Well, after tonights speech.. I am sick of the sight of her Beauty Queen face. She is Michele Malkin on Steroids. A nasty, fundy bitch.
She ain't cute and we ain't done.
No, she is Dick Cheney in Drag
Once the newness wears off and the tarnish sets in as she is exposed as a political lightweight and social extremist the election will break for Obama and I believe he should win it decisively. She is a far right wingnut that will eventually be the undoing of McCain....
*sigh*
I'm done with politics for a while.
don't leave politics WalkOnWalls -- it's important to see what McCain and Palin are suggesting for the country...
best, Steve Clemons
I come from a small town. I'm a working mom and a professional. I recognized her voice immediately - she sounded like those smug cheerleaders who laugh at the smart nerds between classes and make snarky comments about people who are "different
Palin gave a good speech, but the National Enquirer is giving this hockey mom a good puckin.
LOL!!!
I just can't wait for that to come out!!!
We are engaged in an ideological war, pitting old interests against new interests:
T. Boone Pickens, a man who helped to steal an election and a man who got uber-rich from being a supplier of that old-world energy source called oil, now fancies himself a crusader for change. His crusade is less about America and more about his legacy and profit.
Bush and Cheney are both oilmen who started conflict around the world with oil being one of the evil twins of hidden justification alongside his ugly brother American hegemony.
Have you noticed all the old-world industries now advertising how energy conscious they are and how green they are or intend to be (car companies, natural gas companies, and oil companies)? They are all pandering for consumer trust in a brave new world.
The world is more tightly interwoven and smaller than ever through technology. The reason why a housing crisis here reverberates around the world is that financial instruments are now complicated bundles of debt spread out across the world in terms of the people impacted by the solvency of the instrument. The indebted homeowner may live here, but the owner of the principal lien may live in Germany through mortgage sales by American lenders.
We are engaged in an ideological civil war. This is why the dark side fights as it does. Palin for all her reform talk, is the new face of the old way.
nice.
america - there's no "there" there anymore.
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or connect with
