Read it, weep and be ill - detailed reactions from the PBS newshour pundits

[NRaleighLiberal]

1. Judy Woodruff - Repubs sure know how to throw a convention. McCain gave a great speech. Everyone was on their feet all night. He wrote all of this speech himself. Time again he struck notes that resonated with the crowd, esp. the name of Sarah Palin - firing on all cylinders.

2. Richard Norton Smith - yes, I think so. Dems have no monopoly on hope and change. Repubs came in defeatist - not unified. All of this transformed in the last three days, you felt it last night and tonight. Effective pivot away from George Bush, spent all night apologizing for Bush. Was it too biographical? Republicans are very good at stagecraft - week long biography melded well into the substance of the speech. Obama is in the fight of his life.

3. Peniel Joseph - God, guns and country are the three themes, linked to McCain's biography, and Palin solidified the conservative base - she echoed Buchanan's speech and did it better. This party has ceded the minority vote to Obama and the Dems. This could have a great impact for Obama. But Obama is in the fight of his life.

4. Michael Beschloss - this is a transformed party, easily the greatest speech McCain ever gave. This party has enormous intensity. If McCain had gone to Lieberman, the room would not have been as enthusiastic. Can McCain bring this sort of intensity to independents and swing states. This acceptance speech had references to ones of early nominees, but they were to Dem speeches - Truman, Kennedy, and Gore.

5. Andy Kohut - Q from Lehrer - What about the lack of diversity in this party as represented at this convention (93% white?). Andy - that's the reality of the Republican party, so this convention was for the base. Andy is concerned that this speech will not have struck the independents and swing voters. There was not much mention of health care, the environment, those who are down on Republicans. This will be a struggle for McCain. Otherwise, successful speech.

6. Mark Shields - was it a great speech - Mark does not think that this was a great speech. He is more eloquent and passionate about others - he gave a better speech about Dole. You would swear this is a speech from a person out of power for 12 years taking on an entrenched incumbency. (Mark dissed Judy, Michael and the rest). This was a throw the bums out speech - but there was no overt appeal to disaffected dems or independents. He was talking to his pace about ideology - it is about throwing the rascals out. The speech didn't work. First time in a generation when a president asked people to join the military.

7. David Brooks - takes the point - there is a disjunction between the policy part and throw the bums out part. But what burned through and people will remember is the desire to rise about the last 8 years. You saw his intensity, saw a person sickened by what he saw over the last 8 years. He does not have the policy tranformation. People will say I love that man but will not support him. It was successful because people will remember he wants to change things. (Lehrer - how can he say this when his own party ran things for 8 years - his applause was tepid on this part)

In general, all jumped the shark except Kohut (!!) and Shield, of course. I am totally embarrassed by Woodruff. Norton Smith and Beshloss sucking up and ejaculating on this. Brooks was as expected.

[BrklynLiberal]

1. PBS...used ot be great. Too bad about the turn it has taken.

[gratefultobelib]

2. Woodruff was the first to comment and I was incredulous. She at least said

he was not a great speaker--something like that.

[AtomicKitten]

3. That's just the Happy Talk gift bag for the loser.

[City Lights]

4. .

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[Atman]

5. "Everyone was on their feet all night." WTF?

All I saw was half-hearted tepid applause and lots -- LOTS -- of yawning. On their feet all night? Sure, Judy. Project much?

.

[Raine]

6. Give it a couple of days

they dump on him later, it would be unwise to do it too fast.