Reuters: 37 million watched Palin

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - More than 37 million U.S. TV viewers tuned in to watch Sarah Palin accept the Republican nomination for vice president Wednesday, just shy of the record set last week by Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, Nielsen Media Research reported.

UPDATE: The AP reported on Friday that over 40 million watched Palin's speech: "An audience of 37.2 million people watched Palin on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC, Nielsen Media Research said Thursday. PBS estimated its audience at 3.9 million, based on a less reliable sample of several big cities. Nielsen does not count the audience for C-SPAN, which also showed the speech."

The Speech

"Palin made it clear to the condescending media and her Democratic critics that she is no pushover, no cream puff. Her nickname, "Sarah Barracuda," seems a lot more fitting after tonight...Republicans should feel cheered and elated by this event tonight. No matter what happens in this race, we have seen the future of the party, and it looks bright indeed." —Ed Morrissey, "Palin Delivers a Knockout," HotAir.com

"She hit it out of the park! Clearly a star has been born in the United States." —Wolf Blitzer, CNN

"After Sarah Palin's remarkably effective speech, I don't think any pundits or politicians will be able to count on a decisive Democratic enthusiasm edge. Sarah Palin electrified the hall, and from what I can tell from my e-mail inbox that excitement is being replicated in living rooms across the country." —John Fund, "She shoots, she scores," Wall Street Journal Online

"She proved herself in the great arena; that's what counts politically. Nobody could watch that speech and still consider her a joke, no matter how flimsy her credentials and qualifications may seem on paper. The joke, it seems, is on those who'd been laughing at her. Last night the laughing ended -- and the cheering began." —Tom Shales, "She Shoots! She Scores! A Hockey Mom's Moment," Washington Post

"Palin quickly established her credibility as a genuine representative of small-town America in a way few politicians can - and then used it to wheel on Barack Obama as a gasbag and a fraud in a witheringly sarcastic assault." —Rich Lowry, "Barack, Meet Your Nightmare," New York Post

"This speech has turned the election upside down. It was simply stunning...Barack's sidekick Joe Biden looks a dull old dog compared with the ball of fire that is Palin. But most fascinating of all, consider this: If Obama loses, Hillary Clinton will run in 2012. Opposing her is sure to be Sarah Palin. That would guarantee America its first woman president. And my fistful of dollars, having seen both in action here, would be on Palin." —Fergus Shanahan, "Palin Strikes Back at Critics," The Sun (UK)

"Sarah Palin delivered what may have been the most important speech ever by a vice presidential candidate and made it look like she'd been performing on the national political stage for years. And she made John McCain look good for having picked her as his running mate." —Fred Barnes, "The Natural," WeeklyStandard.com

"Palin established herself as a major-league performer, a very effective messenger for the perennial Republican themes of low taxes and strong defense." —Joe Klien, "The Republicans Tonight," Time Magazine

"But anyone who thought her selection marked certain doom for McCain, or a certain win for the Democrats, was proven wrong Wednesday night in Minneapolis." —Stephen Henderson, "Palin rises to her place in history with speech," Detroit Free Press

"...the scene had to be a little frightening for Republicans such as Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee, who have ambitions to lead their party someday. They were no doubt watching Palin, and watching the crowd's reaction, and wondering whether their moment had come and gone, because here was its future." —Jay Bookman, "A great Night 3 for Sarah Palin," Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"People who like this sort of thing will find this the sort of thing they like." —Keith Olbermann, MSNBC

Romney, Huckabee, Giuliani, and Palin hit it out of the park

I have always been proud to be an American, but I have never been more proud to be a Republican than I am tonight after hearing Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Rudy Giuliani, and Sarah Palin deliver speeches full of conviction and emotion at the Republican National Convention.

Meet the press

I got a taste of what it's like to be a member of the credentialed press corps at a national political party convention this week. As a blogger at North Star Liberty, I submitted an application to the convention host committee, and was accepted.

I picked up my credentials, attended CivicFest, went to two private parties, blogged next to two foreign journalists (whatever language they were speaking, it was not Latin-based or Asian), and listened to speeches from President and Laura Bush, Sen. Norm Coleman, Rep. Michele Bachmann, Fred Thompson, and Sen. Joe Lieberman from up in the nosebleed section. I learned that it takes me a lot more time to write and post than my fellow bloggers Derek Brigham and Marty Andrade.

I went through airport-like security, saw Secret Service agents in tactical gear, a Coast Guard vessel patrolling the Mississippi River with tripod-mounted machine guns, and spotters on the roof of the Xcel Energy Center with tripod-mounted binoculars. I saw police bicycle and mounted patrols but only saw the anarchists, riot squads, tear gas, and explosions on television.



I went from too much fabulous free food and open bars to a $4 Rice Crispy Bar and risking dehydration-induced "convention breath" while blogging in the press filing center at the convention venue.

I went to a blogger breakfast hosted by RedState and Google, where Fred Thompson spoke and took questions, and a National Taxpayers Union (NTU) happy hour at The Liffey on West Seventh Street, where Gov. Tim Pawlenty and U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) delivered a pro-tax cut, anti-pork barrel spending message. The NTU is the ideological godfather to our own Taxpayers League of Minnesota and other taxpayer groups across the country.



I ate up the convention edition periodicals from the National Journal, Congressional Quarterly, and Roll Call, and hunted online for late-breaking blog fodder by continually cycling through the official convention web site, The Drudge Report, Fox News, True North, Real Clear Politics, Politico, C-Span, and RedState.

I saw the hair and makeup stations, the computers, telephones, lights, cameras, and other equipment belonging to media from around the world, including Al Jazeera, that crammed the sports spectator luxury suites, turning them into broadcast suites.

If I was younger, single, and childless, I would try to find a full-time job in "politics." After this week, I can begin to imagine dealing with the travel, late nights, weird food, intellectual stimulation, and long BlackBerry-connected days as a lifestyle. It's another world — but what a world.

CivicFest brings history to life

It's a shame that CivicFest will be in town only seven days. There should be a steady stream of K-12 school groups and families seeing this. I strolled through CivicFest on Sunday afternoon, after picking up my press credentials for the Republican National Convention.

CivicFest is a collection of thirty-five museum-quality exhibits of American history and politics, rarely if ever shown outside Washington, D.C. It's an interactive, colorful, and fascinating display, similar to what you might see at the Smithsonian or our own Minnesota History Center. It's well worth a trip to the Minneapolis Convention Center to see it.

A sampling of what to expect:

• Air Force One - tour a full-scale replica of part of Air Force One, the President's flying command post, and have your picture taken as you exit at the front door.
• White House - see an incredibly detailed, 60-foot by 20-foot model of the White House, detailed down to the furnishing and lights. Have your picture taken sitting at the presidential desk in the Oval Office.
• Campaign memorabilia - see delegate credentials, signs, buttons, and more from decades of presidential campaigns
• Presidential vehicles - see FDR's 1938 Cadillac Secret Service limousine (courtesy of the IRS, it was previously owned by Al Capone) and a prototype of President Ronald Reagan's 1986 Cadillac limo
• Five exhibits devoted to Minnesota innovation, sports history, outdoors, and more
• Many other unique and interesting historic artifacts and interactive activities, plus a stage for live music
• Over 1000 friendly volunteers staffing about 15,000 hours, according to information provided by CivicFest

There is also a veritable Disneyland of Republican merchandising available, at both the official CivicFest store and the adjacent area with over 100 third-party vendors. There is a ton of every item you could possibly want imprinted with McCain-Palin messages. I have been to my share of trade and collector shows, but the wide variety of inventory in some of these vendor booths made my head spin. There are also generically patriotic and non-political items on sale, but I didn't notice any items glorifying global warming or Fidel Casto.

CivicFest runs until Thursday, 9 am - 9:30 pm daily at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Admission ranges from $15 for adults to free for ages 8 and under, $10 for students, seniors (60+) and active-duty military. Group discounts are also available.

Law and order

Photo: The last thing Guy Still saw before his encounter with officers of the Minneapolis Police Department Special Operations Division (Photo: Guy Still)

"Speak softly and carry a big stick." —Teddy Roosevelt

This morning, KMSP-TV aired an interview with "aspiring photographer" Guy Still. MPR's Tim Nelson identified him, at Still's request, as simply a "former journalist." Whomever he is, Still was allegedly roughed up by Minneapolis police when his seemingly innocent photo safari strayed to the MPD special ops division building on the city's north side.

Meanwhile, MPR's Bob Collins posted a story with Denver police officers twirling hula hoops in the streets, while reporting that "many of the Denver residents I've talked to this week have been unnerved by the sheer size of the police force here."

We've read the reports of the constabulary here being schooled by their civilian leaders in the art of kinder, gentler community policing, even as some protesters, who may substantially outnumber law enforcement, plan civil disobedience and worse for our fair Twin Cities next week. Yet the overwhelming show of force displayed in Denver this week during the Democratic National Convention has without doubt discouraged widespread mayhem there.

Visitors and citizens should bear in mind that next week, the Twin Cities will be the focus of probably the most intense security environment in its history. Protesters are planning to push their street theater to the limits and beyond, perhaps infringing on Republicans' right to peaceably assemble, and on others just minding their own business. This is not a drill — or a game. I have faith that local law enforcement will do their duty professionally and lawfully. May they never have to use a "big stick," but I hope that they will have one at the ready just in case.

Credentialed

I have been granted "special press" credentials to cover the 2008 Republican National Convention on North Star Liberty. This will get me into the Xcel Energy Center, just not on the delegate floor. How many days I will actually be in on scene in Saint Paul will depend on my schedule at work. I would love to interview you if you are Minnesota delegate, and I would love to hear your story ideas.

Calling all party animals

The Republican National Convention, September 1-4 at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, needs a megawatt of volunteer power (about 10,000 persons) to provide what I would call visitor services: welcoming delegates at airports and hotels, assisting with transportation, supporting convention operations at the "X," providing guest services and other hosting activities at CivicFest at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

Volunteers will receive required training and get an insider's view of the convention. Shifts are four to six hours long.

What will the ideal volunteers look like? Based on my past experience, they:

• Are political junkies, anyone who has done campaign grunt work like walking parades, planting lawn signs, dropping campaign literature, smilin' and dailin' at a get-out-the-vote phone bank, door knocking


• Enjoy volunteering at large events like festivals or hospitality connected to major sporting events (Super Bowl, Final Four, World Series, PGA Championship), Taste of Minnesota, large concerts like the Basilica Block Party, or any sort of national convention


• Enjoy meeting new people from all over the country and sharing their hometown enthusiasm


• Enjoy working hard, and are flexible enough to deal with the chaos and last-minute changes that are almost inevitable at events like this, even when they miss lunch, the cookies and bottled water run out at the volunteer center, and they've been standing all day


• Enjoy wearing lanyards with ID badges, and bright colored t-shirts that say STAFF or VOLUNTEER, and saying "roger" or "ten-four" into walkie talkies

To join the party, go to http://www.msp2008.com/volunteer.

Protesters welcome here, police on their own?

LT. GORMAN: "Look... we can't have any firing in there. I, uh... I want you to collect magazines from everybody."
PVT. FROST: "What the hell are we supposed to use man? Harsh language?"

—from Aliens (1986)

Chris Baker (100.3 KTLK-FM) on his radio show this morning relayed a report from the StarTribune that Twin Cities cops are being told by their politician bosses to show their kinder, gentler side to anarchist vandals and free-speech oppressors to the 2008 Republican Convention to be hosted here this fall.

"Officers have been told that Tasers and chemical sprays will be limited to reduce the risk of abuse," according to the report. "Those on the 'front lines' will be prohibited from wearing helmets and carrying riot shields because such gear would appear 'intimidating.'"

It appears that the mission on the ground has changed from law enforcement to public relations. This is a developing story.

UPDATE: Minneapolis Deputy Police Chief Robert Allen told Chris Baker that he has not received the letter mentioned in the Strib, and that officer safety and law enforcement are their top priority. Where did the Strib get this letter?

UPDATE: Baker spoke with Police Federation President John Delmonico, who like Allen was also quoted in the Strib story. Delmonico stands by his serious concerns about MPD administration commitment to officer safety and riot control. Baker is on this story like white on rice. Stay tuned.