Palin’s Night

First, the speech was fantastic. VERY well written, and well delivered. Governor Palin has an amazing capacity to dig in the knife without looking like she’s doing it. Democrats who underestimated her wish they didn’t. They need to get to work. She most certainly left herself open when she once again repeated the easily refutable claim that she opposed the bridge to nowhere. But aside from that, was very effective.

Sure there wasn’t much “new” about her biography, and there wasn’t much policy with the rare exception of energy independence. But she came across (at least in the hall) as confident, compelling, and feisty.

These delegates were waiting for three days to hit hard on Obama and thus far the hits have been well off the mark. But there were a few tonight that seem to be on point for the fall campaign.

Tonight excited the base. I heard dozens of people proclaim after the speech that the race is “over”, but not in the way that Republican operatives Mike Murphy and Peggy Noonan said today on an open mike referencing Palin’s nomination (oops). Again, not quite the buzz of Denver – the upper deck was half full and nobody to the sides or rear of the stage (in Denver every seat was full, including those with obscured views). So the buzz in the hall was palpable, but it’s hard to say how far that will travel.

Still, it seems to me that the general election is ON now. And McCain went (at least for one night) from being an impulsive gambler who failed to vet his Veep choice to a brilliant judge of talent. I will repeat for the 100th time that the Veep choice rarely matters, but in this case, it might have rescued the party from internal squabbling (as would have certainly been the case if McCain got his choices in Ridge or Lieberman) or malaise (if the staffers had gotten theirs in Romney or Pawlenty). Not sure it reaches swing voters or supporters of Senator Clinton once her record is examined more fully and she begins answering questions, but for a night, all of that is to rest.