Hot on Facebook

Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

Palin's Speech a Roaring Success

Crowd wild for 'sharpshooter' governor

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 4, 2008 8:19 AM CDT

(Newser) – Sarah Palin "lit up the Republican National Convention last night,” writes Nancy Gibbs in Time. "The hall that felt like a tomb on Monday might as well have seen the Second Coming of Ronald Reagan, so ecstatic was the crowd." As the Alaskan governor spoke amid dancing, chanting delegates, “it was clear a new star had been born, one who could go places John McCain may not even know exist and say things he could never confess.”

Palin was short on substance and long on inaccuracies, Joe Klein writes, but it hardly mattered. "Palin established herself as a major-league performer, a very effective messenger for the perennial Republican themes of low taxes and strong defense. And a new theme—government reform." She was so good, he notes, that "John McCain, not nearly the speaker that Palin seems to be, has a tough act to follow tomorrow night."

[Images (4)]

[Quotes (4)]

A Republican delegate holds a sign in support of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Republican presidential candidate John McCain joins his running mate, Sarah Palin, on stage after her speech to the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)

Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin waves to the crowed as she prepares to address the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Republican vice presidential candidate Sara Palin speaks at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

With the whole family gathered on stage when Palin finished, she held baby Trig in her arms and you felt the shattered glass raining gently down. - Nancy Gibbs

A campaign is partly a battle over images, and candidates are greedy—they want to define not only their own image but also their opponents'. Palin hit her targets like a sharpshooter. - Nancy Gibbs

Palin established herself as a major-league performer, a very effective messenger for the perennial Republican themes of low taxes and strong defense. And a new theme—government reform—that changes the terrain of the election. - Joe Klein

John McCain, not nearly the speaker that Palin seems to be, has a tough act to follow tomorrow night. - Joe Klein

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

For Palin, Speech Was Easy Part

Real test: can she woo undecideds?

(NEWSER) - Sarah Palin earned roars from the primed Republican crowd last night in St. Paul—but it remains to be seen whether she can translate that enthusiasm to undecided voters, writes Adam Nagourney in the New York Times. “It’s more difficult with someone of her background to go on the attack than it would be for Joe Biden” with his years of experience, a former GOP senator tells Nagourney. More»

Palin Fires Back at Critics

(NEWSER) - Sarah Palin tonight played up her small-town credentials, cast herself as a political outsider, and took a swipe at her critics in the media during her much-anticipated address to the Republican convention, Politico reports. After formally accepting the nomination to be vice president, she took a not-so-subtle shot at Barack Obama. "I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a ‘community organizer,’ except that you have actual responsibilities." More»

McCain Camp Preps Palin for Convention

RNC speech tonight offers vital chance for VP to introduce herself

(NEWSER) - Instead of basking in the limelight as co-star of the RNC, Sarah Palin has been hunkered down in a Minneapolis hotel since Sunday, painstakingly working with John McCain's staff to hone the message she will present as she steps onto the national stage tonight. Her public appearances have been canceled as advisers give her a thorough briefing on McCain’s policies, the Wall Street Journal notes, while a prewritten, “masculine” speech is getting a rewrite in light of the surprise nominee, reports the Washington Post. More»

Palin's Lost Concession Speech

Book reveals what McCain wouldn't let America hear

(NEWSER) - 'Twas a year ago tomorrow that John McCain’s team forbade Sarah Palin from delivering a concession speech, and a new book, Sarah From Alaska, gives you the chance to finally find out what she planned to say. Some highlights, from the Daily Beast :

“It would be a happier night if elections were a test of valor and merit alone, but that is not for us to question now.

Palin May Eye Senate Stop on Road to 2012

VP nominee sketches a path to 2012

(NEWSER) - If Sarah Palin makes a run for the presidency in 4 years—a widely anticipated possibility—she'll need a more visible post than the governorship of Alaska, writes the Washington Post. Palin might well gun to polish her resume in the Senate, especially if a victorious Ted Stevens is forced out of office. Although Palin commands a deep allegiance from the conservative faithful, the former VP nominee will face stiff competition for the 2012 nod. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Palin's Speech a Roaring Success