Second Night of the Republican Convention

The night began with Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee taking shots at Sen. Barack Obama. Neither were particularly interesting and both speeches were generally content-free but they did warm up the delegates.

Rudy Giuliani gave the best speech of the night though it was filled with mockery of Obama and Biden. It's clear Giuliani's speech -- and perhaps the entire convention -- was geared towards firing up the Republican base. It's working. However, the relentless mocking of Democrats will not appeal to moderates and independents but it sure gets the delegates to their feet.

With no chance to shift to the talking heads, Gov. Sarah Palin was introduced immediately after Giuliani finished. Apparently the video tribute to Palin was scrapped because Giuliani took too much time.

Overall, Palin gave a very good speech. Expectations were fairly low, but she certainly did a credible job introducing herself to the public. She was particularly convincing talking about energy policy. She'll be very tough on the campaign trail.

However, the mocking of Obama and his experience continued throughout her speech. She also took more shots at the media. While good for applause lines among Republicans, I think it's ultimately a tactical mistake.


September 3, 2008




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