Sarah Palin Takes the Stage

Some humor, some sharp jabs at Barack Obama, some serious discussion of the issues. The RNC crowd loved Alaska Governor and vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin. For those of you who listened/watched, I'm not going to say much yet, so tell me what you think! My take will come tomorrow.

RNC Protests

Wow! Thousands of people descended on St. Paul over Monday and Tuesday to protest the war in Iraq. Lots of police were on hand, but still, some got rowdy and broke windows, tried to pull an officer from his horse, and tried to grab reporters' cameras and credentials. Another protest involved pepper spray.

Unfortunately for the demonstrators, when things get violent and some of the action is turned on the media (which is the exact audience that the demonstrators are targeting), the message gets lost in the chaos.

Palin Under the Microscope

So there's an investigation into any involvement Alaska Governor and Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin had in the termination of her brother-in-law's job. OK, that's worth some coverage. I'll be more interested in the outcome. Heaven knows we know about investigations in Illinois.

But the thing about Palin's pregnant daughter (who will remain nameless on my blog) is bothering me. You would think that no male candidate's ever had a family member in some kind of trouble, because I don't remember this level of coverage over brothers, sisters, parents, children, etc.

I'm calling it the "Zoe Baird Syndrome." Be nominated for top federal office (like U.S. Attorney General, as Baird was), run for high office, or be appointed to a top position, and you'd better have the virtues of Mother Theresa. Baird withdrew her nomination because it was learned that she hired illegal immigrants. Yeah, I bet no male candidate's ever done that!

At least Anderson Cooper referred in his coverage of the issue as "uncomfortable questions."

Honestly, I think this could cause a backlash. The media providing wall-to-wall coverage on her daughter could be scolded for running the girl's photo and dissecting her personal life. Republicans could become the "kinder, gentler" political party for standing beside Palin and offering a protective arm over Palin's daughter.

Let's get back to issues that are important: what are Palin's views on economic, foreign policy, and energy issues.

Rock Concert at DNC

One of the treats of covering the DNC in Denver was the concerts. A favorite of mine, Sheryl Crow, warmed up when I arrived and then performed later. So I heard her twice! Stevie Wonder also performed. A couple of us wondered if U2 would perform, since Obama uses several of the band's songs, but no such luck.

Playing to the Cheers of the Crowd

Barack Obama's speech was a slam-dunk. With something around 75,000 people in Invesco Field at Mile-High Stadium, the cheers were deafening. Obama focused his speech on the economy, with a slight peppering on the war and foreign policy. The economy hit home to these folks, who are worried about their jobs, and even if their jobs are secure, they're probably struggling with health care costs, the rising cost of gas, and the ever-increasing mortgage foreclosure debacle. All he really had to say was, "I'll make you a new job. Vote for me."

The use of the stadium was symbolic. He said in his speech, "This campaign is not about me. It's about you." So instead of limiting the speech/rally to Democrats who are active in the party, he opened the venue up to thousands of regular folks. And they came. People who've never voted, or never associated themselves with either party were able to attend, and some of them have been hanging out at the Pepsi Center just to be near the excitement.

Yes, I know the speech was light on detail. But would you give out all the details if you didn't have to? Why not wait until polls show that you haven't won over the independents yet, then release details. Wait until as close to the election as possible so the opponent has as little time as possible to nit-pick your details. I'm not sayin'... I'm just sayin'.

Hugs, But No Kisses Please!

Maybe this is a breakthrough. This morning at the Illinois delegation breakfast, U.S. Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-Chicago) gained hugs from both U.S. Congressman Bobby Rush (D-Chicago) and Chicago Mayor Daley. Relations between Jackson and the other two have been somewhere between strained and spoiled for years. Jackson literally teared up on the stage as this happened.

But it gets better. Jackson then challenged Governor Rod Blagojevich to hug his political nemesis, House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago). So the both got up, hugged, laughed, shook hands, and muttered things to each other! What a sight. (Photo by Lee Milner)

I'd like to think that these two will work better together now, but I've had lots of hopes for the last 6 years, and most of them didn't come to pass. Perhaps Blagojevich is right in saying, "I just wonder if it was the altitude. We’ll find out when we get back home.”

Thank heavens there was no kissing. Then this would a completely different story.

Long Days, Short Nights

It's like I'm in college again! I've spent 20 out of 24 hours in the last two days either working or on transportation to work. For anyone who thinks this is glamourous, it's not. It may be glamorous for the TV folks, but only for those minutes they're on the air. Otherwise, we're all taking notes, attached to cell phones, twitching if we can't get e-mail.

Photo: Unassigned Press Room for those outlets that don't want to spend money for space. There are about 200 of us in here, with more people hanging out on risers and visiting. (Photo by Lee Milner)

Then there's squeezing through the crowd on the few minutes we get on the floor to find delegates to interview. I'm covering issue for Minnesota and Michigan too, so multiply what you want to accomplish by three. Yikes!