Post-convention bounce puts McCain ahead of Obama

[updated]

Now Obama is running to catch up, according to post-convention polls by USA Today/Gallop and three other pollsters. Nate Silver (no relation) tries to make statistical sense of it.

[update 10:58 am Central]

Ana Marie Cox adds more perspective and provides reasons for everyone, both Ds and Rs, to take a deep breath.

Gloria Steinem on Sarah Palin

In the Los Angeles Times, feminist icon Gloria Steinmen writes:

Selecting Sarah Palin, who was touted all summer by Rush Limbaugh, is no way to attract most women, including die-hard Clinton supporters. Palin shares nothing but a chromosome with Clinton. Her down-home, divisive and deceptive speech did nothing to cosmeticize a Republican convention that has more than twice as many male delegates as female, a presidential candidate who is owned and operated by the right wing and a platform that opposes pretty much everything Clinton's candidacy stood for -- and that Barack Obama's still does. To vote in protest for McCain/Palin would be like saying, "Somebody stole my shoes, so I'll amputate my legs."

Oh yeah.

John McCain & THE Speech: Seemed flat to me

I'm not the primary audience for this speech, so take my impressions with a grain of salt, or the entire salt shaker, but John McCain did not move me tonight. This seemed like a retread of every other Republican laundry list of old ideas. (Can anyone say "cut taxes?") McCain himself just looked tired.

There were two highlights for me. One was when McCain seemed to apologize for the last eight years. The second was when he admitted that his captors had broken him and how he had grown from the experience. I was sincerely moved and felt I could finally glimpse a tiny bit of the real man behind the politician.

But the retelling of McCain's POW story has begun to sadden me. I have always respected McCain for his service and for what he suffered, but this constant repetition of his suffering feels like it cheapens a truly horrific experience. It's as if Republicans have turned McCain's suffering into nothing more than a political talking point.

All the talking heads on PBS except for one, gave the speech a resounding A. They talked about the enthusiasm of the audience and McCain's effectiveness. Perhaps he looked and sounded better in person, but on TV the speech, speaker and the audience all seemed flat.

And someone please... fire whoever set up that screen behind the speakers. Don't let them ever put the color green behind McCain again!

Today's Must Read: An "apology" to Sarah Palin

Sometimes I'm downright proud to be a journalist. Today's must read is Roger Simon's "apology" to Sarah Palin over at Politico. Best of all, he quotes the wonderful Lily Tomlin: “No matter how cynical I get, it’s just never enough to keep up.”

The Republican National Convention descends into the politics of ridicule

I know I shouldn't be this naive, but I'm stunned by what I saw last night at the RNC. In particular, Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin ridiculed their political opponents with quips and sarcasm suitable for junior high cafeterias. And then the Republican delegates responded with the kind of laughter, hand gestures and yelling that one would expect from 14-year-olds. (Note: I'm a mother with a son in his early 20s, so I remember that stage VERY well.)

The Republicans seemed to think it was particularly hilarious that someone would be a community organizer. Think about the arrogance of that. Here is the party that oversaw the destruction of the economy for the last eight years and made Jack Abramoff a star -- the party that claims that it's for the common man and against the elites -- roaring with laughter at the idea of organizing to battle elites.

I wasn't laughing. I bet I wasn't alone.

What's going outside of the Republican National Convention?

It's hard to get a clear view of what exactly happened yesterday outside of the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that most of the demonstrators on Monday were peaceful, but that some were violent. The newspaper published one photo of windows being smashed and a video of what looks like the same group of protesters, pounding on a bus labeled "RNC Staff."

However, the police outside the convention also appeared to target journalists and commentators and to do so with little reason. An AP photographer, Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman and two of her staff were arrested. CNN commentator and Democratic strategist Donna Brazile was hit by pepper spray. At this time, it is unclear exactly what happened to Brazile, except that she was pepper sprayed.

This video shows Goodman's arrest. Judging by this, all Goodman was doing was asking questions about the arrest of her two producers.