Sarah Palin – Power Under Pressure
By Bert Decker
09.03.08

Tonight Sarah Palin had more pressure on her speech at the Republican Convention than Barack Obama in his record breaking acceptance speech last week. Actually, I can't imagine another situation in recent times where the pressure was so great - to deliver, or to deflate. How did she do?

Wow! The above paragraph was written before Sarah Palin blew the roof off the Republican Convention. She was good at her announcement, but this was a whole new level. Here are a few thoughts:

  • The speech was well written and outstandingly delivered. Together it was a very rare communication experience. Power under pressure!
  • Absolute confidence. She was in control - a leader up to the moment of the occasion. There was not a vocal hesitation, not a non-word, not a shaking hand at the start as she handled her speech papers. She did not have one falter - very tough to do under that extreme pressure, with so little time to prepare and so much at stake.
  • Yes, she had a teleprompter, but you'd never know it. She was skilled - and authentic.
  • Both Mike Huckabee and Rudy Guiliani gave excellent speeches leading up to the main event. Then they paled in comparison to Palin.
  • In 36 minutes she not only turned around the criticism and controversy, but forged a new dynamic in this campaign. It's still about Obama and McCain, but now McCain has a new energy and momentum. This is going to be a fascinating race.
  • Sarah Palin went after Barack Obama with a vengeance - but with a smile. They called her "Sarah Barracuda" and maybe we can see why. Is she strong enough to be President? She is making quite a case for her strength and ability to perform under pressure.
  • The Vice Presidential debate is on October 2nd. Stay tuned. (I think I wouldn't want to be Joe Biden.)

Actually, I didn't expect this. I expected her to be good, but not this good. This real. Heck, she moved me, and I'm just an observer. So I'm going to post another on...

Why Was Sarah Palin So Good?

4 thoughts on “Sarah Palin – Power Under Pressure”

  2. She was awesome – especially since her teleprompter malfunctioned – it kept scrolling during applause, but she went from memory and kicked ass. Last time Obama’s Teleprompter malfunctioned, he was left stuttering. It’s clear who the one w/ the least experience is.
    Come to think of it – that may have been why she was so natural – she ditched the teleprompter and just let if flow – but what grace under pressure, not to freak when the teleprompter died!
    Link discussing broken teleprompter:
    https://www.redstate.com/diaries/redstate/2008/sep/04/breaking-sarah-palin-winged-her-speech-bec/

  3. I always study the political conventions as “speaker’s college”. Every four years we get a chance to watch both parties deliver their best in prime time.
    Sarah Palin gave the best performance I have ever seen at a convention. Many have tried to discredit her (one saying “well, she did not write it”…NONE of the politicians write their big speeches…duh!).
    While being a good speaker is not enough to qualify one for office…. we do exect our leaders to have this ability…yet few ever seem to poses real power at the podium (JFK, Reagan, Clinton are the exceptions…not the rule).
    I was glad to see your review, as I see you as “the communications expert” whom I follow…so your words of how she did means a lot.
    It will be interesting to see how she does for the next 8 weeks.

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