Gov. Palin's Speech- Impressions?

[Conan71]

Sarah Palin seemed to wow the commentators, even Chris Matthews said she speaks better than most members of Congress.  All acknowledged her speech was written for her...well duh.  Just to be fair, I watch the speech and aftermath on MSNBC.

The message was great, I felt it matched the peronality, and she was not intimidated in the least.

The points brought up in the speech were great rallying points and I think she eased any concern the GOP base had for her.

One quote which really stuck with me was that Obama had authored two memoirs, but has never authored significant legislation.  Wow, that smarts!  

Can anyone mention at least three significant accomplishments Obama has made in his political career?  All I ever seem to get is a list of his job titles, not his accomplishments.  All we seem to get out of people in Chicago are: "He got lots of things done for SS Chicago".  "He got lots of good things done in the Ill. Senate."  Okay, specifics?  Three things in each job- organizer, state Senator, U.S. Senator- as in his own legislation, not something he glommed on to.

[Cubs]

Amazing, simply amazing

[AngieB]

She's terrific!

Honestly, political speeches and all that normally bore me after about 5 minutes, but she kept me captivated the entire speech. She's just what the McCain ticket needed.

[TulsaFan-inTexas]

I think she delivered, and very well.

[jiminy]

It was the perfect introduction to her.  She is smart and engaging, and will be a formidable opponent in the debates.  I'd like to see a Palin/Obama debate, cause I think she would eat him up.

[highroadtaker]

Don't Republicans dislike mean, agressive women politicians?  I thought that was why so many dislike Hillary Clinton.  Palin's speech was very mean spirited and cynical.

[Gaspar]

quote:Originally posted by highroadtaker

Don't Republicans dislike mean, agressive women politicians?  I thought that was why so many dislike Hillary Clinton.  Palin's speech was very mean spirited and cynical.

No.  We dislike Hillary because she is deceptive, cunning, and dishonest.

Aggressive is good.

Do you think she is mean because she fired corrupt officials?  Well than ok, we like that too!

[Gaspar]

Awesome speech.  Even Biden was impressed.  He was a stuttering gentleman in the interviews this morning, but a gentleman none the less.  

Can't wait for the debates.

[akupetsky]

quote:Originally posted by jiminy

It was the perfect introduction to her.  She is smart and engaging, and will be a formidable opponent in the debates.  I'd like to see a Palin/Obama debate, cause I think she would eat him up.

Maybe ... that is, until someone brings up the facts:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080904/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_fact_check;_ylt=Aj.Mj4OD2Hx77etiXkSWsoBh24cA
She is a good speaker, but reminded me of a semi-skilled high school debater who can argue a point nicely but only on the basis of a dubious premise.  Almost everything good she said about herself and everything negative she said about Obama was not accurate.  Examples:  She said "no thanks" to the "bridge to nowhere" (after first supporting it), but then kept the money.  She said that Obama is using "hope" to advance his career, while McCain is using his career to advance hope - when in fact I don't know what she means about McCain and Obama is clearly a patriot and seeks to improve the country as much as McCain is/does. She claimed that Obama is going to raise taxes, when he is going to reduce them (including capital gains taxes) on 95% of Americans.  She claimed that Obama has never said what he would do as President, when he has clearly laid it out many times.  I could go on...  This may have excited the Republican masses, but when the day is done, this will be shown as nothing more than the recycled falsehoods that we've been seeing all summer and the speech of a well-spoken and tough individual who is reckless with the facts.

[Hoss]

quote:Originally posted by Gaspar

Awesome speech.  Even Biden was impressed.  He was a stuttering gentleman in the interviews this morning, but a gentleman none the less.  

Can't wait for the debates.

Yep.  Biden should tear her up in a debate setting.

[Gaspar]

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

Sarah Palin seemed to wow the commentators, even Chris Matthews said she speaks better than most members of Congress.  All acknowledged her speech was written for her...well duh.  Just to be fair, I watch the speech and aftermath on MSNBC.

The message was great, I felt it matched the peronality, and she was not intimidated in the least.

The points brought up in the speech were great rallying points and I think she eased any concern the GOP base had for her.

One quote which really stuck with me was that Obama had authored two memoirs, but has never authored significant legislation.  Wow, that smarts!  

Can anyone mention at least three significant accomplishments Obama has made in his political career?  All I ever seem to get is a list of his job titles, not his accomplishments.  All we seem to get out of people in Chicago are: "He got lots of things done for SS Chicago".  "He got lots of good things done in the Ill. Senate."  Okay, specifics?  Three things in each job- organizer, state Senator, U.S. Senator- as in his own legislation, not something he glommed on to.

Obama has done some very impressive things.  He was raised by a wonderful single mother.  

He was a community organizer, he was a good student, and he overcame recreational cocaine and marijuana habits.  

He became a celebrated collegiate scholar.  Upon graduation he became a Lawyer and was smart enough to immediately run for office to avoid a long track record of legal experience that could harm him.

He was elected to the state senate and smart enough to immediately start running for federal office before he could develop a track record that could harm him.  By simply voting "present" on over 130 legislative issues he avoided criticism from either side.  

He was elected to federal office and smart enough to immediately start running for president before authoring a single important bill or making a any important legislative decision.

As Bill Clinton says he is a farytale.  That in itself is a great accomplishment.  Some day my daughter wants to be in a farytale, as a princess.

Obama is proof that farytales can happen.  He gives us all hope.

[tulsacyclist]

I enjoyed it.

Here's a link to the speech for anyone that missed it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKgNrb3baNM

[iplaw]

quote:Originally posted by Hoss

quote:Originally posted by Gaspar

Awesome speech.  Even Biden was impressed.  He was a stuttering gentleman in the interviews this morning, but a gentleman none the less.  

Can't wait for the debates.

Yep.  Biden should tear her up in a debate setting.

[we vs us]

Didn't see it but heard excerpts on the radio, and she did indeed sound like she understood speechmaking, had an instant rapport with the audience, and new how to go after an adversary.  I think she did a good job, and more than achieved what she needed to with this speech.  

First blush weaknesses are:  she didn't write the speech herself, so she's still an unknown in unscripted settings; and she really impresses the Republican base, but really might not have much crossover appeal with her clear cut conservatism.  At least not in this election cycle. And her "hockey mom" story might wear thin.  It's still an open question whether we want someone we might see at the PTA in the second highest office in the land.

[Conan71]

quote:Originally posted by akupetsky

quote:Originally posted by jiminy

It was the perfect introduction to her.  She is smart and engaging, and will be a formidable opponent in the debates.  I'd like to see a Palin/Obama debate, cause I think she would eat him up.

Maybe ... that is, until someone brings up the facts:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080904/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_fact_check;_ylt=Aj.Mj4OD2Hx77etiXkSWsoBh24cA
She is a good speaker, but reminded me of a semi-skilled high school debater who can argue a point nicely but only on the basis of a dubious premise.  Almost everything good she said about herself and everything negative she said about Obama was not accurate.  Examples:  She said "no thanks" to the "bridge to nowhere" (after first supporting it), but then kept the money.  She said that Obama is using "hope" to advance his career, while McCain is using his career to advance hope - when in fact I don't know what she means about McCain and Obama is clearly a patriot and seeks to improve the country as much as McCain is/does. She claimed that Obama is going to raise taxes, when he is going to reduce them (including capital gains taxes) on 95% of Americans.  She claimed that Obama has never said what he would do as President, when he has clearly laid it out many times.  I could go on...  This may have excited the Republican masses, but when the day is done, this will be shown as nothing more than the recycled falsehoods that we've been seeing all summer and the speech of a well-spoken and tough individual who is reckless with the facts.

I posed a question asking specifics about what Obama has actually done and it's nothing but crickets.

The op-ed piece posing as an article of "facts" managed to chirp out this little piece of irrelevance:

"THE FACTS: Compared to McCain and his two decades in the Senate, Obama does have a more meager record. But he has worked with Republicans to pass legislation that expanded efforts to intercept illegal shipments of weapons of mass destruction and to help destroy conventional weapons stockpiles. The legislation became law last year. "

"He worked with Republicans..."

It didn't refute Palin's point at all that Obama has not authored legislation of his own.  

I wish Brinkley was still around so we could hear him say of Obama:

"(he) has not a creative bone in his body. Therefore, he's a bore and will always be a bore." Just after President Clinton's victory speech, Brinkley, who thought he was off the air, bemoaned having to look forward "to four years of wonderful, inspiring speeches full of wit, poetry, music, love and affection. More goddamn nonsense."