The Political Voices of Women

UPDATED:  Here is the full video of Sarah Palin’s acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention. I will have more reaction and commentary shortly, in the meantime, let me know what you thought. I have updated this post with many additional video clips of media and blogger reaction. I hope you’ll let me know what you think in comments.

ANOTHER UPDATE: See an extensive fact-check of the Palin speech…It may surprise you.

MEDIA AND BLOGGER REACTION TO THE PALIN ACCEPTANCE SPEECH

Let me start.  I think Sarah Palin did a great job giving the Republicans exactly what they wanted to hear.  Personally, I don’t agree with any of it, and I think she came off a bit rude and disrespectful.   All of that aside, there was one moment that made this whole speech worth watching.   And this is it…

Is that not the cutest thing you ever saw?

Now, for some more serious reactions…

From The Conservation Report…

Sara Palin talked a tough talk. She looked good, and she energized the crowd. If I did not know the issues or care about the issues and wanted to take someone solely on their face, then she would be appealing to me. However, on energy and environmental issues she fails. As a result, if she fails on those key issues then she fails on national security too.

Carl Berstein on Sarah Palin speech…

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Jeffery Toobin on Sarah Palin speech…

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CNN’s Roland Martin…

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Chuck Todd on Palin speech…

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Rachel Maddow on Sarah Palin speech…

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Fox News…

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From Daniel W. Drezner…

This was the first time I heard Sarah Palin speak. A few quick thoughts:

1. She sounded completely unconvincing on energy policy — those were the moments when it seemed like she was clinging to the Teleprompter for dear life;

2. The attacks on Obama were effectively delivered — her matter-of-fact tone means she underplays the lines, which actually gives them a bigger punch. I suspect she’ll do well in that role because it will be easy for the GOP to cry foul if/when they counterattack;

3. Forget red state/blue state cleavages; the cultural divide in this election is urban/rural. There was very little about Palin’s speech if you lived in a large metropolis.

4. The thing I will remember about this speech was not the speech itself, but watching the Palin and McCain clans play “pass the baby!” with five-month-old Trig Palin. As a parent, my first reaction upon seeing him there was, “why isn’t this child sleeping in a crib somewhere?” First rule of baby-parenting: never f$%# with the sleep schedule.

5. Piper Palin, on the other hand, was pretty adorable.

6. Very little of substance was said. This continues a theme from the DNC.

From Mathew Yglesias…

Give Sarah Palin this much — her understanding of the geopolitics of energy is every bit as daft as that of much more seasoned conservative pseudoexperts. She can spin out outlandish and ultimately nonsensical scenarios about Iran (or Venezuela) deploying the mythical “oil weapon” and she, too, can ignore the fundamentally global nature of hydrocarbon markets by prattling about “energy independence.”