The Atlantic Monthly Reviews The Republican Conventions (and Palin)

I do not read The Atlantic as often I used to (hey, I do not read anythng as much I used to), but I always thought what they had was commonsensical and rational.

• James Fallows reviews Palin's speech in Sarah Palin.
  

  To return to the main theme: both Reagan in 1964 and Obama in 2004 were effective because, apart from their personal skills, they added something to their party's constituency that had not been there before. Reagan began recruiting the "Reagan Democrats," starting with white Southerners. Obama tried to recruit people tired of divisive partisanship.
  
  Sarah Palin, at least tonight, did not seem interested in bringing anyone new into the fold. A speech that was great in the convention hall. We'll see how it affects the electoral lineup.

• The "Eagleton Scenario" asks if McClain could follow in the footsteps of McGovern and punt Palin. More interesting for rehashing history and explaining what might be the process, but McAin does this only if he wants to follow McGovern inot screwing up his own campaign.
• The Palin Effect acts as a response to The "Eagleton Scenario.
  

  In the last 18 hours, I’ve seen the Palin Effect on two very different groups of Republicans: grassroots delegates and professional operatives. Last night, I wormed right up front to the edge of the stage, where I figured the hardest-core activists would cram in to watch Palin, allowing for easy anthropological observation. They raved and seemed convinced she would put the ticket over the top. (The best line, whooped in my ear by a Kentucky delegate responding to Linda Lingle’s quip about how 250 Delawares could fit inside Alaska: “That’s right, baby, size matters!”)

  Everybody at this morning’s panel discussion, on the other hand, thought Palin was great, but not the decisive factor that the activist crowd did. The clear consensus was that McCain needs to focus on independents. “He’s got to message himself to independents tonight,” said Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia. “He has to win independents, period,” said Sara Taylor, former White House political director. “He must be more focused on the center of the electorate than Bush was in ’04, and pull independents and conservative Democrats,” said Terry Nelson, McCain’s former campaign manager. In his own inimitable fashion, Chris Matthews seemed to concur: “If you guys want to be the war party, kiss it!”

• What McCain Didn't Know About Sarah Palin reports on the selection process and what McCain's staff missed so far.
• Free Advice For Democrats and that is do nto make her the focus of the nexct 60 days. Sounds good to me.