Gov. Sarah Palin Acceptance Speech, Republican National Convention, St. Paul, September 3, 2008 - Video, Transcript, Analysis

View video of Governor Palin's speech, read the transcript as she speaks, or scroll ahead to the part of the speech / transcript which interests you, and the video / transcript will advance to the correct spot.

That interactive feature is available here, courtesy of the New York Times.

In her speech, Palin aggressively attacked Sen. Obama and the "elite" Washington media. Here's a small portion of that attack, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. (Those particular comments were evidently at least partially in response to the comments of long-time Republican insiders and commentators Peggy Noonan and Mike Murphy slamming the selection of Palin - not realizing that they were still on microphone):

"Here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion -- I'm going to Washington to serve the people of this great country," she said. Delegates responded to her slam at the media with vigorous boos; many pointed, as in a sign of indictment, at reporters in the hall covering the speech.

As Adam Nagourney of New York Times suggests in his analytical article this morning, Gov. Palin's speech to the Republican National Convention may have been the easy part:

Gov. Sarah Palin could not have asked for a better setting for her solo debut on the national stage: an audience enthralled with her selection as Senator John McCain’s running mate even before she walked on stage to a roar of approval, after three days in seclusion with some of the country’s most skilled political counselors to write, hone and practice her speech.
***

From here, Ms. Palin moves into a national campaign where she will have to appeal to audiences that are not necessarily primed to adore her. ***

“The people who are in the hall — they’ve already been sold, they are the choir,” said John C. Danforth, a former Republican senator from Missouri. “Now the question for her and for McCain and for everybody who is inside the hall is how to clarify their message to the American people.”

But what is that message? Her speech left no doubt that she would take on the traditional role of a ticket’s No. 2, attacking the top of the other ticket, which she did repeatedly and with gusto. ***

The question is whether someone who is so little known and has what even Republicans describe as a scant résumé has the authority to make those attacks credible — unlike, say, her counterpart on the Democratic side, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, a veteran of foreign and domestic policy who attacked Mr. McCain last week. It is also unclear if the sharp and often mocking tone of her attacks — combined with her general avoidance of such key issues as the economy — might turn off swing voters across the country.

“It’s more difficult with someone of her background to go on the attack than it would be for Joe Biden,” said Warren Rudman, a former Republican senator from New Hampshire. “Before she attacks someone, she has to get out there and define herself.”

Election Projection Site FiveThirtyEight suggests that Palin's speech charged up the base - of both parties - and the comments in response to that article seem to support that suggestion.

Further detailed analysis of the impact of the speech available in this James Fallows article in The Atlantic.


Related articles from CowHen.Net:
Palin Speech Written by McCain Staff, Revised to be "Less Masculine";
Republican Speechwriters, Consultants, Columnist Slam Palin Pick;
Who is Sarah Palin, and What Does McCain's Pick Say?


(Photo: Wall Street Journal / Getty Images. )
(Photo now missing from above and original location; still available here.)