September 3, 2008
Sarah Palin's Yankee Stadium Moment (Jim Mills)
I haven't been out on a blind date since the Carter administration, but I gotta tell you — I am more excited than I care to admit about my date tonight with a woman named Sarah.
True, I expect I will have to share her with several million others at the same exact time, and she won't exactly be giving me that personal attention that I crave, but I will be leaning forward in my seat and hanging on every word nonetheless.
I am talking, of course, about this evening's primetime coming-out party for Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R).
Ever since we heard Palin's name mentioned last Friday, most of the cable TV chattering class has been handicapping her selection as John McCain's running mate.
The electronic consensus seems to peg her as a classic TBD (To Be Determined) with many comments like: "She could be really good, or she could be really bad."
Time will tell if Palin will be successful connecting with non-Alaskans on the campaign trail (I think she will do fine) but let's face it: Despite the high stakes and the millions of eyeballs focused on her tonight, she has one basic task — "read the teleprompter.”
Don't get me wrong, reading a teleprompter is a learned skill and mastering it is not a small matter in the age of television, but, even if you are not a total pro at it, it is pretty difficult to royally screw it up. (Please let’s get away here without talking about George W. Bush … I will get back to you on that later.)
"Most" convention speakers do OK with the prompter, just getting tripped up from time to time when they shift their eyes from one prompter to the next in between sentences.
Multiple prompters on the stage are ostensibly there to help folks "appear natural" as they "naturally" scan different parts of the audience without losing their train of thought.
More often than not, folks just look confused as to where to look next, drawing attention to the fact that they are reading, which, of course, defeats the whole purpose.
Based on last night's speeches I think there are three prompters in the room with the scrolling text plenty large to see.
Even Fred Thompson, who turned out to be a lousy candidate and campaigner, delivered a fantastic speech last night simply because he knows his way around the tools of television. Again, not to be trifled with in this day and age.
At any rate, I expect most of Palin's speech has been in the can for weeks, meaning that the McCain people probably wrote the bulk of it weeks ago. I expect they have given her two to three minutes at the top to tell her personal story before launching into "her thoughts" on John McCain.
But, even with all the pre-staged aspects of her speech and the fact that Palin will be reading mostly what has been written for her to say, I am still quite eager to see her, hear her and size her up as she has her "Yankee Stadium" moment. This is not single-A ball in Fairbanks anymore.
Based on the reaction to her name simply being mentioned during last night's speeches, Palin will have a roomful of people who want her to wildly succeed. That is half the battle in public speaking.
Palin should have fun with it. I almost wish they trusted her enough to unplug the prompter and let her speak from her heart. She is an intelligent, accomplished woman and I am sure she could pull it off pretty well.
What would be so horrible if they actually let her walk out on stage with a yellow legal pad of personal notes she had been scribbling along the way? Now THAT would be "must-see" TV. Just don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen anytime soon.
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As long as it's substantive and advances debate?
You'll almost always post it?…LOL.
How about following the same guidelines for your own articles!
Next…
Comment by Vladimir Poot — September 3, 2008 @ 11:52 am
Thanks to the media attacks she has become the biggest celebrity in the world, taking the title away from Barry, but as far as brands go, hers is based on authenticity and not on the very ability to read the prompter. With all that said, her skill in reading it with the best of them can't hurt.
Comment by Igor R. — September 3, 2008 @ 1:33 pm
Gov Sarah Palin has hit this country lika a large meteor shower. She is full of life, she generates life, she cherishes and respects life. There is not one person I have met that has not felt her energy.
Whether she is a smash hit tonight or not, everyone should welcome this leader as a fine American role model.
I am not worried that she hits her mark, or expresses every inuendo with tear-jerking poetry. Just to see a person of her stature and confidence with fresh ideas and a clean scent, full of ambition, just sparks joy. It is that simple. She is a joyful presence.
I am tired of hearing how awful life is in the United States from Sen Obama. His speeches are now rants. It's transcended into broken record of shallow hopelessness. It is depressing listening to a string of unachievable hopes. When his record does not reflect is promises. What will American get from Obama?
Answer: Hopes for Votes.
I want just a little more than hopes. So, Gov Palin, you go girl! Blast this American population with your voice, that can be backed up with a substantial track record of changes and accomplishments.
Gov Palin is a Great American. Sen McCain knows quality when he sees it. By selecting this extraordinary person as his running mate he has opened so many opportunities for new American heights. I wish the best to both.
Comment by JFK-HRC — September 3, 2008 @ 2:55 pm
[…] Jim Mills writes in The Hill about Sarah Palin's speech tonight: I haven't been out on a blind date since the Carter administration, but I gotta tell you — I am more excited than I care to admit about my date tonight with a woman named Sarah. […]
Pingback by Extreme Mortman » Back When We All Had Lust In Our Hearts - Just When You Thought it Was Safe to Take Politics Seriously Again — September 3, 2008 @ 4:19 pm
[…] A Blind Date with Sarah posted on September 3, 2008 at 4:49 pm […]
Pingback by C-SPAN Convention Hub: Republican National Convention (RNC) – John McCain 2008 » Blog Archive » A Blind Date with Sarah — September 3, 2008 @ 4:49 pm
Palin Dodges Tough Questions About Existence of "Alaska"
By Howard Kurtz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 3, 2008;
Media Bubble, Sept. 2 — Embattled former beauty queen Sarah Palin* continued to wilt yesterday under the pressure of fair, evenhanded media questions regarding the alleged state of "Alaska." Palin has claimed to be "governor" of the legendary land mass, which, while heretofore undiscovered by explorers, was once rumored to contain vast expanses rich with oil, gold, and "eski-mos."
Palin first made the "Alaska" claim during an Aug. 29 public appearance alongside elderly, mean-looking cancer victim John McCain. McCain, a white man with whiter hair, has long publicly blocked efforts by Barack Obama, a youthful black man with a certain indefinable aura about him, to move into his new house. Palin, also white-skinned, has been linked to the McCain offensive.
After four days of telling silence from the McCain camp, Palin finally deigned to reappear in public yesterday. In a followup press conference, Palin, who is a girl, lashed out at the media.
"Listen to me: Alaska. Is. A. State. Seriously. The 49th state, in fact. Way up north there. What, did somebody go around your newsrooms and hide all the maps underneath the ethics manuals? Or are you idiots just completely insane?"
Shaking her head in a transparent attempt to feign exasperation, Palin — who is perhaps not as pretty as she thinks she is — then left the podium without answering followup questions regarding her plagiarism of CBS's Northern Exposure.
Internet reaction to the unfit mother's unhinged rant was swift. Andrew Sullivan, right-wing blogger for The Atlantic, saw Palin's comments as a major misstep. "She's working the refs. This is what they do. Sure, blame the media. Is it their fault she's unwilling to back up these suspicious claims?
"Look, I'm willing to entertain the idea that there really is a place called 'Alaska.' We've all heard the old wives' tales, and I've dreamed about such a rugged, outdoorsy paradise since I was about 13 or 14. But why is she so afraid to give us some proof? I mean, I've never been there, have you?"
Update: After consultation with the Association of American Geographers and several DC-area kindergarten students, the Washington Post can now report that many current world maps contain a small area in the northwest corner of North America labeled "Alaska." Palin's relationship with the mapmaking industry is currently under investigation.
Comment by Igor R. — September 3, 2008 @ 5:33 pm
Sarah Palin is an embarrassment to the GOP and an insult to our country. It is one more example of the failure of the republican party.
Comment by pghremodeler — September 3, 2008 @ 5:34 pm
pghremodeler - You are an embarrassment to humanity. Put you hands back in your pockets instead of panhandling.
Comment by JEdgarSwoop — September 3, 2008 @ 6:42 pm
pghremodeler is doing everything he can to be a poster child for the pro-abortion movement.
Comment by Igor R. — September 3, 2008 @ 7:29 pm
I find it interesting that the latest polls show Obama to have gotten a "convention bounce" from the republican convention.
JEdgar, Igor. Name one successful public policy initiative advanced by any republican since 1981.
There are none. It's a record of complete, abject failure.
Trillions of dollars are missing and hundreds of thousands of innocent people are dead. But you bois keep callin me names if it makes ya feel better.
You keep callin names and posting in support of the disasterouly unqualified and obviously distastful. That's gonna move us forward.
Geez
Comment by pghremodeler — September 3, 2008 @ 8:35 pm
By the way. Abortion is a terrible thing. It's damned near as bad as the government telling you what to do with your life but not quite.
Be careful what you wish for in your demented dreams.
Comment by pghremodeler — September 3, 2008 @ 8:38 pm
http://twocanpete.blogspot.com/
Watching Sarah Palin is exciting in the same way as watching the crashes at NASCAR race. No, we really don't want anyone to get hurt but don't mind a few cautions either. I'm afraid the race is canceled for the Repubicans this time however.
Comment by twocanpete — September 3, 2008 @ 11:23 pm
I'm w/you pghremodeler. This is great watching the Repub part implode.
The Caribeu barbie doll is a JOKE as a politician.
As mayor of her village, she hired a manager to run the town because she coudn't handle. DYK!
LMAO! Get some popcorn! This is gonna be good. Can't wait for her to actually speak w/o being told what to speak.
Comment by mike — September 4, 2008 @ 1:35 pm
pghremodeler, I don't know, Ronald Reagan cut tuxes, got the economy revved up, and broke the back of the Soviet Union. I know it's almost nothing, but those little things count.
Comment by Igor R. — September 4, 2008 @ 5:01 pm
Igor:
Your typo is telling. He may have cut tuxes but it took twenty years to pay-off the bad checks he wrote. It is generally seen that the "Reagan prosperity" was a costly joke.
And the funniest joke of all. It took republicans 10 years to claim credit for the end of the cold-war with a straight face.
I'd vote for the guy that ended the cold-war but Gorbechev can't run and he damned sure wouldn't be a republican.
And just off-hand, since the Reagan Administration (mercifully) ended 20 years ago what exactly was your point?
Comment by pghremodeler — September 4, 2008 @ 7:27 pm
New Sarah Palin For President 2012 Website
Forget John McCain: We Want Sarah Palin For President in 2012
Getting ready to work for Sarah Palin, starting now at http://www.palin4pres2012.com
Comment by Ron — September 7, 2008 @ 9:49 am