“Palin é mais popular do que Obama, diz pesquisa”

http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/mundo/ult94u441945.shtml

A lot of people were asking tonight: what the hell was that mansion up behind John McCain tonight during the first part of the speech?

Well, several readers have written in to tell me that the building is actually the main building on the campus of the Walter Reed Middle School in North Hollywood, California.

Late Update: I’m surprised this hadn’t occurred to me. But several readers have suggested that perhaps one of the tech geeks charged with setting up the audio/visual bells and whistles for the evening was tasked with getting pictures of Walter Reed Army Medical Center but goofed and got this instead. At first I thought, No, that’s ridiculous. This is a major political party with big time professionals putting this together. Nothing is left to chance. I mean, is this the RNC or a scene out Spinal Tap or Waiting for Guffman? I still have a bit of a hard time believing they’re quite that incompetent.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/213806.php

O efeito Palin deve-se fundamentlamente ao que os jornalistas americanos dela fizeram. os comentários, na CNN, NYT, etc, etc, são estarrecedores. largam-se encómios com a facilidade com quie se cospe para o ar, mas sem nunca se perceber bem as razões para tanto elogio. um discurso que faria corar de vergonha qualquer político europeu é incensado porque, lê-se por aí, foi proferido por uma caçadora. é a política no seu grau zero. substância? nenhuma. o republicanismo norte-americano é, na sua faceta de arregimentação de massas, um fascismo para os tempos contemporâneos…Como é qe se pode olhar para aquilo com admiração?

I have to say, from my vantage point next to the DC delegation, my overall impression was that the audience in the hall were disappointed. The whisper uttered by a strong man can work in a big hall but he seemed rather engulfed and hemmed in. He was never in control.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/justinwebb/2008/09/disappointment.html

Se isso fosse assim, então porque é que o GOP tem medo de debates e entrevistas? Porque é que tirando o inevitável debate com o Biden não vai a mais nenhum?

Eu por mim tenho muita curiosidade em ver esse debate mas gostava mesmo era ver um debate Hillary- Palin. Acho que a Palin se vai espalhar ao comprido no debte com o Biden e a resposta republicana vai ser ulular acusações de sexismo e coisas no género. Com a Clinton essa defesa não era possível…

O Sorensen?

My own hunch — and for the moment it is nothing more than that — is that Republican consultant Mike Murphy is right. He likes Palin and had no complaints about her speech, but takes issue with the “politics of the choice:”

What I don’t like is the effect I think Palin will ultimately have on the ticket. With all her charm, she is still a pick aimed squarely at the Republican base. In a high turnout Presidential year, I am not worried about turning out the base. I’m worried about everybody else we need to win and I fear that among those voters, Sarah Palin will be a dud.

I know, I know, she’s a “hockey mom” and through the magic of identity politics she is going to make female voters swarm across party lines in numbers that Gerry Ferraro never dreamed of since this identity politics hokum is only a good idea that is certain to work when, um, we Republicans try to do it.

Instead, I think she’ll ultimately be a polarizer. After last night’s smash, Republicans are in deep love. Nothing thrills ‘em like a good “us vs. them” speech. But I’d guess that most Democrats had the opposite reaction. In a year where the Democrat generic numbers are 10+ points better than the Republican, I don’t like the math of a strategy that just polarized the election along party base lines. Among the vital sliver of voters in the middle, I think Palin’s rock solid social conservatism will be a turn off. And while voters may value vision over experience, Palin’s inexperience is a weakness, denying McCain an argument that has been helping him against Obama.

http://www.pollster.com/blogs/from_the_eye_of_the_storm.php

Claro que todos os candidatos têm speechwriters no seu staff. Mas todos os candidatos, à excepção de Palin, pelos vistos, falam sem auxiliares em debates e coisas do género.

Há muitas questões (políticas) que pairam sobre Palin que dava jeito serem esclarecidas pela própria e não por um speechwriter:

Answers may be a long time coming, though, if McCain adviser Nicolle Wallace is to be believed. She suggested on MSNBC Thursday that the media has been so unfair to Palin that it doesn’t deserve a chance to interview her, and that all anyone will see of Palin will be her public speeches. The Obama campaign wasted little time in latching onto this: “I assume the American people are going to demand that she account for her own record and for John McCain’s agenda,” says David Plouffe, Obama’s campaign manager.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/05/us/politics/05policy.html

“BARACK Obama has taken in a record $US10 million ($12 million) in campaign cash since Republican vice-presidential pick Sarah Palin’s scorching assault on the Democratic White House nominee.

“Palin’s attacks have resulted in our campaign raising over 10 million dollars – a one-day record. I hope she gives a speech every day,” Obama spokesman Bill Burton said.

The Alaska governor has electrified the conservative Republican base vote since she was named to the ticket by White House nominee John McCain.

But the avalanche of cash into Obama’s campaign suggests that her withering assaults may have also energised Democratic voters as well, raising doubts about her ability to bring crucial swing voters McCain’s way.

Earlier yesterday, Palin sent out a fundraising email accusing Democrats of orchestrating attacks on her after a week which has seen fierce scrutiny of her past record and the revelation that her unwed teenage daughter is pregnant.

“Unfortunately, as you’ve seen this week, the Obama/Biden Democrats have been vicious in their attacks directed toward us,” Palin wrote.

“The misinformation and flat-out lies must be corrected.”

Democrats however challenged the Republicans to name an occasion when either the presidential nominee or his vice-presidential pick Joseph Biden had ever attacked her family, after speaking out against such attacks. ”

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24298928-26040,00.html

Não subestimes a Palin, Palmira.

Here’s even more of a measure of the curiosity about Ms. Palin’s speech — she came that close to Mr. Obama’s record-setting viewership for a convention even though she was carried live on just six stations while Mr. Obama was carried on 10.