4 Eylül 2008 Perşembe

Thoughts on the 2008 Republican Convention (Wednesday Night)

I decided to stay up and watch all the major speeches last night at the Republican Convention. Here is a summary of what I thought about each person’s speech.

Sarah Palin- Grade: A- She did everything she needed to do and came off as one of the most at ease speakers of the night. I was surprised at how aggressive she decided to be in going after Obama and Biden, but I guess I shouldn’t have been since that is one of the roles of the vice presidential candidate. She did not invoke the name of Hillary Clinton which was a good choice. She took on the attack of her being a “small town mayor” well. Overall, she did an excellent job and I can’t imagine anyone being less likely to vote for her following this speech.

Rudy Guliani- Grade: B+- Rudy was the attack dog for the night. His “New York” personality came out and allowed him to hit both Obama and Biden hard while mixing in humor. The best new line of attack on Obama was begun by Guliani who contrasted the jobs that Palin and McCain have held with that of Obama who’s only job has been as a Community Organizer. He questioned with humor what a community organizer really does.

Mike Huckabee- Grade B+- The “Huckster” used his humor and public speaking experience to weave together a speech that seemed less partisan than it was. Huckabee mainly focused on the “small town” values of Palin and to dispel the myth that all Republicans grey up rich as he, Palin and many others came from humble beginnings.

Mitt Romney- Grade B- My Man Mitt did a nice job, but did not give a speech that will propel him to be the next Republican nominee. I did think it was interesting that he got the second warmest welcome from the crowd after Palin. The delegates in the hall definitely like him and that will help him in the future. Overall, his speech was not as good as either his “religion” speech or his speech to CPAC where he dropped out of the presidential race.

Linda Lingle- Grade B+- The governor of Hawaii was a surprise to me. I had never heard of her and found it interesting that a state that recently has voted for John Kerry and Al Gore would have a Republican governor. She did a nice job. She was a good person to set the stage for Palin as they have worked together as governors and also wasn’t so great a speaker that she would overshadow Palin.

2 yorum:

  1. I only watched Rudy and Palin, but they were both great! The more I see of her the more I like her.

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  2. Good summary.

    I liked how Rudy drew the "fellow Mayor" card. Although NYC and a small alaska town have almost nothing in common, the parallel was a good one to try for.

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