I wasn’t sure what to expect at this year’s Republican National Convention. I attended the 2004 RNC in New York and back then the party was full of swagger. The Republicans dominated both houses and the executive branch. Four long years later, things are bit more subdued. But just a bit.
Despite the so-called “enthusiasm gap,” delegates here are pretty fired up about McCain and Palin. The mainstream media and even some McCain advisers have been saying McCain’s pick was an attempt to woo Hillary supporters. But it’s McCain attempt to court the Christian conservatives within the party.
Regardless of the criticism Palin is getting, you can argue that McCain made a politically savvy choice. She’s not well known but has the conservative bona fides that make her acceptable to various factions within the party. And she won’t scare off moderates.
“I am now more confident about a John McCain presidency than I am about a George Bush presidency,” Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, told the New York Times. “The campaign has courted conservatives aggressively, and it has turned around remarkably in just the last few weeks.”
On the convention floor on Tuesday night, I spoke to Texas delegate Sandra Ojeda Medina, an assistant principal at Crockett elementary in San Antonio. She was whipping up the delegates, getting them to whoop, holler, and clap. Her long black hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and like most of the Texas delegation, she was wearing a red polo and jeans.
“We are so excited and energized about our ticket,” she said. “Palin is going to do a lot of good for us. I think a lot of women can identify with her as a mother now and certainly the issues she’s having to deal with at this time. Her compassion has already been seen in what she said about her daughter’s situation. She’s going to love her unconditionally.”
Ojeda Median’s top election issue is to “beat Obama.” I asked her to name a specific issue. “We want to maintain our conservative values. We are pro-life. We are fiscal conservatives,” she said. “We want what’s right and good. We want people to take responsibility and initiate to succeed in America.”
And as for having a politician from another oil state on the ticket? “It’s fabulous because we know about conserving our natural resources,” she said.
David Savage works in the oil refinery industry. “Big Oil,” he said. He lives in Cady, Texas, and said Hurricane Gustav was a bit unnerving, but “the Republican governors down there seem to have planned and minimized the impact.”
Savage thinks it’s a good idea to have another politician from an oil state on the GOP ticket. “It’s extremely important because she knows what’s going on up there. She supports drilling in ANWR,” he said. “People talk about Big Oil, but Americans have a big appetite, and we have to meet that need.”
The economy is Savage’s top priority. “I’m in the energy business,” he said. “Like the Boone Pickins ad say, we’re exporting out wealth to our enemies. So we need a mix of nuclear, coal, oil and gas, winds, solar, to be more energy independent.” He added, “Sarah Palin on the ticket is going to be a big plus.”
Savage was not concerned about Palin’s thin foreign policy experience. “As vice president, don’t really get that involved. They attend funerals, that sort of thing. It’s a developmental position for someone who will be a future leader,” he said. “I think she really resonates with people.”
Ann Mazone is a delegate from Navasota who works as a special education aide. Mazone’s number one issue for the election is the economy. She’s concerned about the high cost of gasoline, even though she doesn’t drive. “We’ve got to do something about it. We let it go too long,” she said. “This should have been straightened out in other administrations. It should have never have gotten to here. We’ve got to stop playing politics and come together and solve this problem.”
Palin may be from another oil state, but Mazone said that Palin “a little bit different because she wants to drill. She will bring a better perspective because she lives there in Alaska. Palin might be able to guide and make sure they don’t have another Valdez.”
Palin’s “independent spirit” is something Mazone finds appealing. “I really like that she has a daughter and I understand that. Her daughter is pregnant and she rallied around her. I’ve been there and that endeared me to her,” Mazone said.
Similarly, Mazone likes McCain’s maverick stance. “I like the fact that he just did not follow the party line all the time,” she said. “He did what he felt was best for the country first, before party. And that’s the way it should be.”
Like everyone else I spoke to, Mazone thinks McCain-Palin makes a great ticket. “Both are independent spirits. It’s going to be interesting, the next four years,” she said.
After leaving the Texas delegation, I saw former Speaker of the House Denny Hastert of Illinois. “I’ve known Obama for a while,” Hastert said. “He’s become a rock star even though he hasn’t really produced anything. We’ll see what he can do if he gets elected.”
Hastert said “Palin demonstrates what McCain is. She’s a maverick.” He also pointed out that she’s the “only person on ticket on both sides with executive experience.”
And what does Hastert think is the number issue in this election? “We need to get something done for this country: energy policy, economic policy, solving some of the fiscal things we are in too.”
