By: E&P Staff One might have expected the home state's largest paper to rave more enthusiastically than most others about Gov. Sarah Palin's speech before the GOP convention on Wednesday but the paper that knows her best did no such thing. While against expressing the point that her elevation "was a proud and exciting moment for Alaskans," it went on to offer a very mixed review.
It also published a separate editorial that gave the same up-and-down appraisal of her record as governor. And it featured stories near the top of its home page with the following headings:
* Palin education took her to five colleges
* Cindy McCain parts with Palin on abortion, sex ed
* Iraq war, gas line God's will, Palin said
* Palin pressured Wasilla librarian
Here are some excerpts from the speech review.
*
POLITICS-AS-USUAL SPEECH
Though the American public doesn?t know her well, she didn?t spend a lot of time introducing herself to the nation. Instead, the vice-presidential candidate who promises to reform politics as usual gave a-politics-as-usual speech....
Unleashing Gov. Palin in that typical political role could be a gamble. While the Republican audience ate up her strong rhetoric, it?s unclear how well it will play with voters who were seeing her for the first time. They may discount the self-professed reformer?s promises to bring a different kind of leadership to the country.
PALIN IN PERSON
Apparently her speech writers decided to soft-pedal her pitch to the party?s conservative base, in hopes of appealing to feminist and blue-collar Hillary Clinton voters. Though brought on the ticket in part to excite religious conservatives, Palin made no mention of abortion or other hard-line social conservative causes like banning same-sex marriage. Instead, she hit her pro-life theme by calling attention to the special needs of baby Trig.
PALIN THE REFORMER
Palin touted her record as a political outsider and reformer ? without a doubt, the strongest part of her resume. Her recap was familiar to Alaskans, who have rewarded her with approval ratings approaching 80 percent , but it was new to the national audience.
By not calling more attention to her big legislative victories in Alaska, she avoided having to give credit to Democrats. She mentioned leading the charge for ethics reform, but didn?t note that Alaska?s new ethics laws drew heavily on work Democrats had done before she took office.
Palin avoided all talk about the dismal state of the economy. Instead of advancing a constructive agenda for bringing economic progress to all Americans, she assailed Sen. Obama for wanting to raise taxes. (She didn?t mention that he has pledged to cut taxes for everybody except the top 5 percent of taxpayers.)
PALIN ON ENERGY
On energy, she issued a call for more drilling in the U.S.,
Naturally, Palin worked in a plug for Alaska?s natural gas pipeline. However, she made it sound like the $40 billion project was already under way thanks to her efforts, when it fact no company has made a commitment to construct anything. Her work to move that project forward with an independent pipeline company, on terms favorable to the state, is one of her signature accomplishments as governor, but she misled the crowd about actual progress on the project.
Overall, Palin came across as an attractive and competent political partner who complements McCain?s maverick conservative image. With her tough attacks on the opposition, she showed the nation she is more than just a pretty face who was brought aboard to dress up the ticket for female and religious voters. Palin couldn?t put to rest all doubts about her qualifications and competence with just one speech, but she held her own during her first big moment as a vice-presidential candidate.
*
MORE ON PALIN AND THE MEDIA AT NEW E&P BLOG
The E&P Pub
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here