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First Read: The day in politics by NBC News for NBC News
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FIRST THOUGHTS: A new hope
ST. PAUL, MN -- Last night's speech by Palin made one thing very clear:
Conservatives have found their Obama. Win or lose, Palin has already
established herself as the future star of the party. She stayed within her
comfort zone, avoiding issues she's not up-to-speed on just yet. The only
question is whether her tough sarcastic words for Obama played well with swing
voters, who were hearing her for the very first time. Republican strategists
believe she did; Dems, on the other hand, thought she was a bit too hot with
her rhetoric. By the way, it was interesting how one of the strategies with the
speech was to pick a fight with Obama. The McCain folks are hoping Obama joins
the scrum. He didn't take the bait, but his campaign released this statement:
"The speech that Gov. Palin was well delivered, but it was written by George
Bush's speechwriter and sounds exactly like the same divisive, partisan attacks
we've heard from George Bush for the last eight years. If Governor Palin and
John McCain want to define 'change' as voting with George Bush 90% of the time,
that's their choice, but we don't think the American people are ready to take a
10% chance on change." Of course, for a campaign whose candidate was launched
by speeches, is it smart to actually mock another person's speech?
*** Palin's Challenges: But as a few newspapers remind us today, Palin's speech
last night was the easy part. Over the next nine weeks, she will have to
survive the Troopergate story that could undercut her reform credentials (the
Washington Post has some new emails from Palin on the matter); answer questions
on specific policy matters to prove that she's capable of being one heartbeat
away from the presidency; and demonstrate that she and McCain have good
chemistry. Remember that McCain had met Palin just once before the day he
picked her. Can they overcome that to prove to voters that they're a better
team than Obama-Biden?
*** Now It's McCain's Turn: Last week, Obama was able to soar over the previous
speeches by Michelle Obama, Ted Kennedy, Hillary Clinton, and Bill Clinton. By
the time we got to Invesco Field, you knew this was Obama's party. Can McCain
do the same thing after Palin speech last night? She made the Arizona senator's
job easier (she fired up the troops) and harder (can McCain ever win over the
hearts of the base?). The good news for McCain is that last night had enough
Obama contrast that they don't need to do that with McCain's remarks tonight.
Don't be surprised if the McCain speech is more about himself as a reforming
change agent, rather than a speech filled with barbs at Obama. McCain's not
known for his great speechmaking. But his chief speechwriter, Mark Salter, is
someone who has a great sense of history, so no doubt this will read well for
the books. Now, it's up to McCain to perform.
*** Red-Meat Night: Last night was a red-meat night, and an effective one --
much better for the GOP than Tuesday was. As for the sideshow of the evening,
the unofficial 2012-16 primary, Huckabee seemed to top Romney on the speech
front, but it may not matter since Palin seemed to trump them both. In fact, as
we stated above, the GOP response to Palin reminds us a bit of how Democrats
reacted to Obama in 2004. Then again, Obama's '04 speech was quintessential
Obama (taking about uniting the country, a new hope, and a better tomorrow).
What did last night's speech tell us about Palin beyond her family and her
attacks on Obama? That said, her appeal to be a fighter for families of special
needs could really help with attracting those voters to cross party lines.
First Read with NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd, every weekday on
MSNBC-TV at 9 a.m. ET.
For more: The latest edition of First Read is available now at
http://www.FirstRead.MSNBC.com !
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