The Republican National Convention took place in St. Paul, Minn. last week. It served largely to introduce Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin to the nation, as well as distance the Republican party from the current administration and promote reform within the party.
Despite an early setback due to Hurricane Gustav and the cancellation of several speakers, the convention still moved forward.
President Bush and Vice President Cheney flew out to Louisiana to help handle the hurricane, thereby cancelling their scheduled appearances on the convention’s first day.
“Thankfully it did not do substantial damage on the Gulf Coast. Our leaders were where they needed to be,” said Andrew Kreitz, president of Bruin Republicans.
Regardless, the convention was able to continue.
“I think the convention was a great success,” Kreitz said. “Republicans hit every key point that we needed to hit,” he added.
This convention may have served to bring together a party that was divided over their choice for the presidential candidate.
The choice of Sarah Palin ““ an evangelical Christian and a strong social conservative ““ may have helped the different Republican factions come together.
“I think the party unified over the convention,” said Tim Rozelle, director of media relations of Bruin Republicans.
Palin’s nomination satisfied many conservative Republicans who were unsure about McCain’s nomination due to his history of going against party lines.
Palin’s firm stances on issues such as abortion, offshore drilling and gun control are in concert with those of other strong conservatives in the Republican party.
Palin’s conservative nature may quiet many Republicans’ worries about whether McCain is a true Republican.
“A lot of people would have said that the party was divided before the convention. That feeling has been erased. The base has rallied around McCain and Palin. Everyone’s enormously exited and energized,” Kreitz said.
Though the party may have rallied behind the current candidate, mentions of the current administration were mostly absent from the convention.
Some Democrats believed that this was a conscious tactic on the part of the Republicans to distance themselves from President Bush.
“Their own president of the last eight years is taking a back seat because of his unpopularity,” said Jesse Melgar, president of Bruin Democrats.
Bush’s speech, shown via satellite, was cut down to eight minutes because he decided to fly to New Orleans to handle Hurricane Gustav.
However, some felt this was not a snub from the Republican party toward Bush, but a signal of change.
“It was symbolic of a party that’s changing and separating itself from the past eight years,” Rozelle said.
“McCain and Bush are two very different politicians.
“Distancing is very understandable ““ they have remarkably little in common,” said Kreitz.
Yet Democrats did not hear a change of rhetoric in the Republican speeches.
“I didn’t really hear anything different than in 2004. … The speeches were incredibly vague,” said Navid Pour-Ghasemi, external vice president of Bruin Democrats. “McCain gave no specifics, I didn’t see any plans,” he added.
However, it was the criticism of Obama in Palin’s speech that brought the most media attention.
“I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a “˜community organizer,’ except that you have actual responsibilities,” Palin was quoted to have said on Wednesday night during her address at the Republican Convention.
“It’s really insensitive for someone who’s never organized,” said Melgar.
Despite this claim, some Republicans believe her criticism was warranted.
Just hours after the announcement of Palin’s nomination, the Obama camp attacked her and her experience level, said Kreitz. “She was returning fire,” he added.
Bill Burton, an Obama spokesman was quoted as saying that “McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency,” after learning about Palin’s nomination.
Some also believe that Palin’s scrutiny of Obama will help voters see him for what he really is.
“She raised some fair questions and concerns that many Americans have about Obama. … She, in one speech, was able to cast (him) in a realistic light,” Rozelle said.
Undoubtedly, this will be stirring election with both parties energized.
After a successful convention Republicans now feel like they have a strong chance to win the election, Kreitz said.
“I’m excited to see what happens in November,” Pour-Ghasemi said.