8:28 p.m.: Local GOP excited by convention

By Joe Lanane

September 05, 2008 08:28 pm

— ANDERSON — Local right-winged representatives eagerly weighed in on this week’s hurricane-shortened Republican National Convention on Friday, and all remarked positively on the emergence of the vice presidential candidate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
“She gave a message that a lot of Hoosiers can appreciate,” said State Rep. Jack Lutz, R-35. “I think her presentation at the convention was spectacular - she told us about herself, her past, present and what she anticipated for the future.”
A relative unknown nationally, Palin was actually on the radar of Pendleton town council president Don Henderson for the past year since he had read about her state reforms in a Wall Street Journal article.
“I have to confess, I had been pretty lukewarm on McCain until he named (Palin) as vice president,” Henderson said. “Overnight, she was thrust from just a state position into a huge national spotlight where there was a lot at stake, and in my judgment she handled herself very well.”
Henderson said it was a risk he did not think Sen. John McCain would make picking outside the Washington trenches, but he was pleased to see such a gamble pay off during Palin’s speech on Wednesday. That sentiment was felt across the Republican board, with Alexandria Mayor Jack Woods offering higher approval for Palin’s speech than McCain’s on Thursday.
“All in all, both speeches were fantastic,” Woods said. “I think they’re showing the Republican Party is going to move forward, not with what Bush wants to do, but with what they want to do.”
That emphasis was essential, Woods said, in order to separate the Republican ticket from the current presidential administration. He said he was also encouraged by the ever-increasing amount of informed young Republicans on hand at the RNC.
“It was fantastic to see the young people in the crowd — the worm is starting to turn, if you will,” Woods said. “The younger generation is starting to say, ‘It’s our time,’ and that this is their world to start shaping the way they want to see it.”
Still, Lutz said, comparing the two speeches was “like comparing apples and oranges,” as the two offered entirely different messages. While Palin was introducing herself nationally, McCain was further promoting his ticket’s platform.
“Sen. McCain certainly delivered a speech about himself, but have also gave some forethought about what he wants to do,” Lutz said. “When he got off the teleprompter, he gave a much more meaningful message, and you could tell.”
Frank Burrows, Republican candidate for House of Representatives District 36, offered an “A+” assessment of Palin’s speech. He said she set the tone for McCain to wrap up the convention.
“She laid the groundwork for him, very high groundwork by the way, but it was very well presented and allowed him to elaborate even more, which I thought he did a nice job of that.”
With both conventions now passed, Henderson said, the days leading up to the November election will further display Palin’s ability to serve as the nation’s next vice president.
“It’ll be interesting to see how well she wears with the public in the next few months, but that’s what her test is going to be,” Henderson said. “I think she’s off to an awfully good start.”